Why is it so damned hard to make a good frozen pizza?

[Charlie Tan]

Some might disagree, but pizza isn't exactly rocket science. There are good and bad pies depending on your tastes, but I've never found a frozen pizza in the supermarket that was even close to the worst fresh pizza.
It's not like the makers of fresh pizza have some secret cabal on how to do it right, so why can't the food industry get a good pizza on the market?

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

As I understand it, freezing is to cheese what Moscow in the winter was to Napoleon and Hitler. So any frozen pizza starts with such a handicap that it cannot ever fully recover.

Or so I've heard.

[Wile E]

As I understand it, freezing is to cheese what Moscow in the winter was to Napoleon and Hitler. So any frozen pizza starts with such a handicap that it cannot ever fully recover.

Or so I've heard.

I usually add extra fresh cheese to frozen pizzas even though they tell you not to do that. It does make them a little soggier but it's now covered with gooey melted cheese so how can you go wrong with that?

Well, except for eating it while it's too hot and burning off all the tissue lining in your mouth.

[GorillaMan]

Who tells you not to add fresh cheeze? I often do this.

However, I was under the impression that the main problem was the base, in that it could only survive freezing intact by being part-baked beforehand, guaranteeing it'll be cardboard after reheating. I may be wrong about that, though.

[Wile E]

Who tells you not to add fresh cheeze? I often do this.
...


THEM! You know, those people who are always telling you not to do things? That's who!


Actually, I've seen it on a few cooking instructions. It could just be that adding a lot of extra stuff will change the cooking time.

[pulykamell]

I've had some really good frozen pizza--here, in particular, Palermo's thin crust frozen is quite good. California Pizza Kitchen--if you're into that sort of thing--can be quite delectable. Even the local Jewel (a Chicago-area supermarket) had a generic brand of frozen pizza that was quite nice. There's plenty of frozen brands, in my opinion, that beat places like Domino's, Little Caesar's, and Papa John's.

That said, all the frozen pizzas I've had in Europe sucked (I'm assuming you're in Europe, based on your location), while most restaurant pizzas have been quite good. One thing I've always done to make them taste better is to add a bit of freshly grated cheese, and a sprinkling of thyme and hot pepper flakes. Cook them up in a very, very hot oven. My problem with most frozen pizzas are the instructions ask for a fairly cool oven (I like mine at 225-250 C (approx 450-500F). The cool oven makes the crust all soggy and soft. Yuck.

[Otto]

Is pizza a big part of Swedish cuisine? Maybe part of the problem is that it's alien to the culture so the makers don't really understand it. I don't get frozen pizzas topped with anything other than cheese and I usually only eat them when I'm drunk so I don't spend more than a couple bucks for it and the quality's about what you'd expect (but that's OK because, you know, drunk). On those rare instances when I eat them sober I pop for a little bit more expensive one that's done a little better, and doctor it up with my own toppings.

Coincidentally I started a frozen pizza thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=368515) yesterday. But I put mine in GQ because I just can't bring myself to think of frozen pizza as cooking.

[WhyNot]

Most homemade pizzas suck, and frozen ones even more so, because our home ovens just don't get hot enough and heat evenly enough for good pizza. If you have some patio tiles or bricks and an oven with a self-cleaning cylcle, you can approximate a good pizza oven, and even a frozen pizza will be tolerable.

[silenus]

Costco and Sam's Club have some great packaged pizzas that freeze well. Huge and meaty, too. But pulykamell makes a good point about temperature. Play around with your oven, then cook at the highest temperature you can get. You'll really have to watch it, but once you get the adjusted times down, it can make all the difference.

[mike1dog]

There are two frozen pizzas I find okay. One is Stouffers French Bread pizza. The other is Digiornos. Neither is as good as take-out, and they take almost as long to cook as it takes to get a carry-out, but they are cheaper.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Even the local Jewel (a Chicago-area supermarket) had a generic brand of frozen pizza that was quite nice.

I bet you're talking about Essencia, right? I think Jewel is owned by the larger supermarket chain Albertson's (which we have in Florida), and Essencia is their high-end store brand. Their salsas are really good, and they have a few frozen pizzas that have been terrific. There's a square, thin-crust one I love with barbecue sauce instead of tomato sauce, barbecue chicken, and I think some onions and peppers. Really high-quality for a frozen pizza, especially because it's the kind of "foo-foo" pizza most restaurants would charge you $8-$13 for.

Some of the DiGiorno's, Freschetta, and California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas I've had have been very good as well -- all better than Little Caesar's, Pizza Hut, and Domino's.

[Annie]

I've had some really good frozen pizza--here, in particular, Palermo's thin crust frozen is quite good.....
One thing I've always done to make them taste better is to add a bit of freshly grated cheese, and a sprinkling of thyme and hot pepper flakes. Cook them up in a very, very hot oven. My problem with most frozen pizzas are the instructions ask for a fairly cool oven (I like mine at 225-250 C (approx 450-500F). The cool oven makes the crust all soggy and soft. Yuck.

I was going to mention Palermo's as a good one. I get it at Costco.

I think the big problem is the dough goes in frozen, and doesn't get a chance to rise up a bit before hitting the oven. Try to leave it out for an hour or so before shoving into a 500F oven. If you have a pizza stone, put that in before heating the oven and let that heat up for about 20 minutes minimum too.

Also, frozen pizzas have too much oversweetened sauce loaded on for my taste. That's a taste killer too.

[GorillaMan]

Is pizza a big part of Swedish cuisine? Maybe part of the problem is that it's alien to the culture so the makers don't really understand it.
I very much doubt there's a big national Swedish frozen-pizza industry ;)

Most of these kind of things tend to be distributed Europe-wide, so the same pizzas are on the shelves in Sweden, Britain, and Germany, although perhaps not Italy...

[Loopydude]

Even a fresh pizza cooked and left out for about 30 seconds too long seems to die in the box and rapidly enter a state not unlike rigor mortis. The combination of dough, sauce, cheese, and extras, simply isn't robust enough to maintain its proper integrity. The separate ingredients must be kept separate until the last possible second. Then they must be combined, cooked immediately, and eaten as close to baking temperature as possible, or the life is sucked out of the pizza by some ravenously ghoulish force of nature. A pizza prepared and frozen is stillborn. It will never grow up into a real pizza, and the carcass can only be animated by subverting the very laws of nature that killed it, creating an undead monster that is flavorless and unholy.

[Charlie Tan]

I very much doubt there's a big national Swedish frozen-pizza industry ;)

Most of these kind of things tend to be distributed Europe-wide, so the same pizzas are on the shelves in Sweden, Britain, and Germany, although perhaps not Italy...
Actually, there is.
But as you say, it's all part of Nestlé, or Van Den Bergh or Unilever, anyway.

[Rodgers01]

I actually rather like frozen pizzas, and in my opinion they're getting better all the time. When I compare the frozen pizzas of today to the ones of 10-15 years ago, the difference is incredible. While a the best fresh pizza is always better than the best frozen pizza, I'd rather have a delicious DiGiornos or Freschetta pizza than a crappy pizza from Dominos.

I think frozen pizzas tend to be a bit more similar to the real Italian thing than the average fresh chain pizza in the US. The frozen pizzas are a bit lighter, with a somewhat thinner, crispier crust compared to the soggy, gloopy stuff you can get from the big chains.

I'm guessing that Sweden just doesn't have the same types of frozen pizzas we have in the US.

[myskepticsight]

I agree with the temp thing. I used to work at a pizza joint and our ovens were around 450-475 F. For cracker-thin pizza.

Letting the pizza thaw and cooking it hotter should help, because then it's like you're cooking a fresh one.

But I just get delivery or go out when I want pizza because I am picky and don't like many kinds of "cheap" pizza (not saying the pizza I eat is expensive, but it's also not 4-5 bucks for a large).

[Charlie Tan]

I've never had frozen pizza in the U.S. since I've spent most of my time there in Chicago, but I've had them in various countries in Europe and they're basically all the same, the makers trying to say that they're Italian. Could one reason be that the dough seems to be baked separately? And the topping added on the big pizza assembly line after the crust is made?

I improve them with shredded cheese and pepper flakes and they're ok, for the prize and as emergency food to keep in the freezer.

[pinkfreud]

My husband likes the frozen pizza from Schwan's better than my homemade pizza. I put some extra spices and a dab of extra cheese on 'em, but hubby would probably like the Schwan's pizzas just as much if they were right out of the box. Well, right out of the box and warmed up a little. :p

[ITR champion]

Freschetta is the magic word. I love all of their pizzas. They pile them with extra cheese, and the crust is soft and doughy and chewy. It's delicious. The key is to bake them for the minimal length of time. If the back says "20 to 25 minutes", bake it exactly twenty minutes, or maybe even nineteen. The more you cook them, the worst they taste. All other frozen pizzas are, in my opinion, dreadful.

[Kamino Neko]

but I've never found a frozen pizza in the supermarket that was even close to the worst fresh pizza.

I have to disagree with this.

Frozen pizzas are a bit meh, but I've never had an actively bad one.

Which is more than I can say for pizzaria pizzas.

Papa Gino's cheese soup, Pizza Hut's oily pan pizzas...those are actively bad.

[Loopydude]

You're comparing spit to snot here. Both are kinda gross. I don't think there's a frozen pizza on the planet that can compare to even an Uno's slab fresh and fresh out of the oven. And there are a Hell of a lot better pizzas out there than Uno's.

[Der Trihs]

I actually rather like frozen pizzas, and in my opinion they're getting better all the time. When I compare the frozen pizzas of today to the ones of 10-15 years ago, the difference is incredible. I second this. Frozen pizzas used to be soggy cardboard and tasteless sauce; now at least some are quite good. The good fresh ones are better, of course.

Freschetta is the magic word. I love all of their pizzas. They pile them with extra cheese, and the crust is soft and doughy and chewy. I second this as well.

[Otto]

I very much doubt there's a big national Swedish frozen-pizza industry

Actually, there is.
Ha! In your face, monkeyboy!

[Ukulele Ike]

Most homemade pizzas suck...
At your home, maybe. Mine kick ass.

A pizza stone in the bottom of your 500 degree oven makes all the difference.

'Course, here in Brooklyn, world-class pizza is available on every street corner, so I only make my own when the Ukulele Lady is in the mood for a leek-and-feta pie, or some other such thing.

[WhyNot]

At your home, maybe. Mine kick ass.

A pizza stone in the bottom of your 500 degree oven makes all the difference...
Um, yeah, like I said in the last half of my post. Putting brick or stone in your oven and cranking up the heat gives you good pizza.

My pizza's damn good, thankyouverymuch. I'll smack you with a pepperoni, you....tomato pie maker, you!

*mutter mutter* Take on a Chicago girl 'bout her pizza skillz, will ya....

:D

[ISiddiqui]

Well, he's from Brooklyn; you know where they make real pizza ;).

[Sage Rat]

Next time you come to the US, indeed, try a Freschetta. They are very good.

[Ludovic]

Hmmm - Tombstone Pizzas are all sorts of better than Chuck E Cheese, or are they frozen as well?

[Trunk]

Some might disagree, but pizza isn't exactly rocket science. Maybe not, but pizza isn't easy, either.

You're trying to get a crisp crust with a cooked, possibly "chewy" interior, heat the sauce, and melt the cheese, while possibly warming meat and vegetable toppings. And you're trying to do it from a frozen state.

That's not easy.

I assume they have to add all kinds of weird chemicals to make it all happen at the same time. Even if you have a 500º pizza stone in your oven, the frozen pizza isn't designed to be cooked on it. They have to build them to work across different ovens, and with and without cookie sheets. I'm actually surprised when they don't taste like a turd.

Even homemade pizza takes a lot of experience to find the right position/temperature/crust interaction in your oven to get it all to happen properly.

[Cluricaun]

Well, he's from Brooklyn; you know where they make real pizza ;).


Now THOSE are fighting words. We here in the Pizza and Hot Dog capitol of the world will defend our deep dishes with our lives. Why, there's at least 3 New York style pizzas inside of each and every Chicago deep dish. Why settle for one, lousy, floppy pizza when you can have exponentially more in a nice, thick tasty one?


Even the local Jewel (a Chicago-area supermarket) had a generic brand of frozen pizza that was quite nice.

Are you referring to the Chef's Kitchen ones? Those are rather good, and can be gotten for as little as $2 a pop when they're on sale, but the regular "Jewel" brand ones are some of the worst frozen pizza offenders.


I'm also going to guess that we have more frozen pizza options than some other locals. Does the rest of the world have frozen Gino's, Uno's, and Home Run Inn's available in the freezer? Those Home Run Inns are really, really good frozen pizza.

[pulykamell]

Are you referring to the Chef's Kitchen ones? Those are rather good, and can be gotten for as little as $2 a pop when they're on sale, but the regular "Jewel" brand ones are some of the worst frozen pizza offenders.


Yep. Chef's Kitchen is the one.

[ISiddiqui]

Now THOSE are fighting words. We here in the Pizza and Hot Dog capitol of the world will defend our deep dishes with our lives. Why, there's at least 3 New York style pizzas inside of each and every Chicago deep dish. Why settle for one, lousy, floppy pizza when you can have exponentially more in a nice, thick tasty one?

Cause the New York style pizzas are infinitely better ;). Why have thick and merely good, when you have thin (but not too thin) and heavenly :D.

[yellowval]

My husband likes the frozen pizza from Schwan's better than my homemade pizza. I put some extra spices and a dab of extra cheese on 'em, but hubby would probably like the Schwan's pizzas just as much if they were right out of the box. Well, right out of the box and warmed up a little. :p

FYI: Schwan's also makes Tony's, Red Baron, and Freschetta pizzas.

I really like the Tony's pizzas. I buy plain cheese and then add my own toppings. We also have a pizza oven, which I finds improves frozen pizzas considerably. I'd definitely have a frozen pizza than a pizza from some of the chains (Pizza Hut, Domino's). Those are just nasty.

[Kalhoun]

I've had some really good frozen pizza--here, in particular, Palermo's thin crust frozen is quite good. California Pizza Kitchen--if you're into that sort of thing--can be quite delectable. Even the local Jewel (a Chicago-area supermarket) had a generic brand of frozen pizza that was quite nice. There's plenty of frozen brands, in my opinion, that beat places like Domino's, Little Caesar's, and Papa John's.

That said, all the frozen pizzas I've had in Europe sucked (I'm assuming you're in Europe, based on your location), while most restaurant pizzas have been quite good. One thing I've always done to make them taste better is to add a bit of freshly grated cheese, and a sprinkling of thyme and hot pepper flakes. Cook them up in a very, very hot oven. My problem with most frozen pizzas are the instructions ask for a fairly cool oven (I like mine at 225-250 C (approx 450-500F). The cool oven makes the crust all soggy and soft. Yuck.
Pizzeria Uno is now doing frozen pizzas at Jewel. They rock. In fact ever since our favorite local pizza joint sold to a loser, we haven't been happy with parlor pizza at all. We're doing Uno all the time now.

[Missy2U]

Even the local Jewel (a Chicago-area supermarket) had a generic brand of frozen pizza that was quite nice. There's plenty of frozen brands, in my opinion, that beat places like Domino's, Little Caesar's, and Papa John's.

Jewel Chef's Kitchen Thin and Crispy. It is the absolute best frozen pizza in our area, period. Then again, it's not hard to beat Domino's, Little Caesar's and Papa John's. :D

[zoid]

Cause the New York style pizzas are infinitely better ;). Why have thick and merely good, when you have thin (but not too thin) and heavenly :D.

You may want to put that mason jar* away now :D




*vague moonshine reference

[pulykamell]

Now THOSE are fighting words. We here in the Pizza and Hot Dog capitol of the world will defend our deep dishes with our lives. Why, there's at least 3 New York style pizzas inside of each and every Chicago deep dish. Why settle for one, lousy, floppy pizza when you can have exponentially more in a nice, thick tasty one?

As a born and bred Chicagoan, I must say, I do prefer East Coast thin crust pizzas (although Chicago does have a couple decent places for thin crust, like Pat's and Vito & Nick's). Deep dish/stuffed is a twice-or-thrice a year treat for me--way too heavy for week-to-week consumption.

At any rate, I think Chicago-style pizzas are a category of their own, and should be considered separate from what most people call pizza.

[Misnomer]

There are two frozen pizzas I find okay. One is Stouffers French Bread pizza. The other is Digiornos. Neither is as good as take-out, and they take almost as long to cook as it takes to get a carry-out, but they are cheaper.Seconded -- I buy those two brands regularly. But I don't buy the microwaveable DiGiorno's, only the kind that goes in the oven: frozen pizza might be a second-class citizen, but microwaved pizza is an abomination!

Pizza Hut's oily pan pizzas...those are actively bad.Oh man, I love Pizza Hut's pan pizza. It's totally greasy as hell, but when I order pizza that's almost always what I get. :)

Pizzeria Uno is now doing frozen pizzas at Jewel. Uno has small, refrigerated ("fresh") pizzas at my local grocery stores. I tried one, and wasn't impressed enough to switch -- there's something about the sauce/cheese that just didn't thrill me.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Our Florida supermarkets are finally carrying frozen Pizzeria Uno's pizzas, which are quite good. However, we in Orlando are lucky to have two actual Uno's locations, for actual fresh Chicago pizza any time we want (a rarity in FL, where New York style rules). I've had Lou Malnati's in Chicago, which I think is superior deep-dish, but Uno's is still awesome (and so much better than any of the big chains).

[want2know]

A good alternative to frozen pizza (most of which kinda suck):

There's a chain in the US (and possibly elsewhere--don't really know) called "Papa Murphy's". It's a "take-and-bake" operation--they put the pizza together in the store, then you take it home and bake it. It's better than any frozen pizza and better than a lot of pizza chains.

Regarding the previous post about Pizza Hut's "oily" pan pizza--where I (and Ukulele Ike ) come from, good pizza is supposed to be somewhat oily. Pizza Hut may not be the best, but as far as chains go, it's better than most.

BTW, IMHO, "California Pizza" is an oxymoron! :p

[pulykamell]

Our Florida supermarkets are finally carrying frozen Pizzeria Uno's pizzas, which are quite good. However, we in Orlando are lucky to have two actual Uno's locations, for actual fresh Chicago pizza any time we want (a rarity in FL, where New York style rules). I've had Lou Malnati's in Chicago, which I think is superior deep-dish, but Uno's is still awesome (and so much better than any of the big chains).


Lou Malnati's is very good. If you're ever in the area again, do check out Pequod's Pizza on Clybourn. It's not exactly obscure, but it often gets overshadowed by the name recognition of places like Malnati's, Uno, Due, and Giordano's. Pequod's is a little bit of a modern take on the classic deep-dish. Their signature is their caramelized (frankly, it looks burnt, but it's not) crust. Pictures here. (http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=6902&highlight=pequod)

[control-z]

I don't know how anyone can like a frozen pizza better than Domino's. Give me a hand-tossed with pepperini and mushroom over any of the frozen ones.

The only frozen pizza I can stand is the Stoffer's French Bread ones, they're not too bad.

I remember trying the DiGiorno and they were ok, but for ~$5.99 might as well pay $8 or $9 and get a REAL pizza.

[ISiddiqui]

I don't know how anyone can like a frozen pizza better than Domino's. Give me a hand-tossed with pepperini and mushroom over any of the frozen ones.

The only frozen pizza I can stand is the Stoffer's French Bread ones, they're not too bad.

I remember trying the DiGiorno and they were ok, but for ~$5.99 might as well pay $8 or $9 and get a REAL pizza.

Only if you consider Dominoes to be "REAL" pizza (not in my house, buddy!) :D

[silenus]

I don't know how anyone can like a frozen pizza better than Domino's....get a REAL pizza.


Oxymoron. :D

[control-z]

Only if you consider Dominoes to be "REAL" pizza (not in my house, buddy!) :D

Ok, you're right there. But Dominos is a lot more "real" than the frozen cardboard pizza. You can stand there and watch them toss the dough and put on the sauce, cheese, and toppings. Real enough!

[ISiddiqui]

To be frank, I consider Digeorno's to be more 'real' than Dominos :D.

[control-z]

To be frank, I consider Digeorno's to be more 'real' than Dominos :D.

How so, with it's preservative-laced crust?

[ISiddiqui]

How so, with it's preservative-laced crust?

It tastes better than the dreck called Domino's :D.

[Chronos]

But I don't buy the microwaveable DiGiorno's, only the kind that goes in the oven: frozen pizza might be a second-class citizen, but microwaved pizza is an abomination!I was going to say the same thing. I don't think anyone in this thread is making this mistake, but just in case, let it be known that it is absolutely impossible to get good pizza out of the microwave.

There is, perhaps, something to be said for leftover pizza for breakfast after an all-nighter or killer party (which is in fact the proper niche for the over-greasy cheap American chains), but even then, it's probably better to eat it cold than to nuke it.

[control-z]

There is, perhaps, something to be said for leftover pizza for breakfast after an all-nighter or killer party (which is in fact the proper niche for the over-greasy cheap American chains), but even then, it's probably better to eat it cold than to nuke it.

Cold pizza is food fit for the gods.

Nuking cold pizza is a delicate art with less than stellar results.

[fishbicycle]

OK, here's one of those poster cliches, where I come in with a tangentially related comment. I haven't noticed frozen pizzas being discussed before. I thought I would just share this tidbit: I lost all desire to ever eat any frozen pizza after reading in Consumer's Digest about the allowable percentage of bug parts in all frozen pizzas.

Just think about that for a minute. There is a certain amount of dead bug legs, antennae, feces, exoskeletons, eyeballs, spleens, you name it, that it is OK to have on a pizza and still sell it to people to eat unawares.

Happy lunch hour, wherever you are.

[control-z]

OK, here's one of those poster cliches, where I come in with a tangentially related comment. I haven't noticed frozen pizzas being discussed before. I thought I would just share this tidbit: I lost all desire to ever eat any frozen pizza after reading in Consumer's Digest about the allowable percentage of bug parts in all frozen pizzas.

Just think about that for a minute. There is a certain amount of dead bug legs, antennae, feces, exoskeletons, eyeballs, spleens, you name it, that it is OK to have on a pizza and still sell it to people to eat unawares.

Happy lunch hour, wherever you are.

And stuff like mouse droppings and mouse fur. That's not just frozen pizzas, that's standard food storage rules. Which includes about everything packackaged you'll ever eat, and the stuff that restaurants use to prepare their food.

Best not to think too much about it. We're omnivores.

[yellowval]

And stuff like mouse droppings and mouse fur. That's not just frozen pizzas, that's standard food storage rules. Which includes about everything packackaged you'll ever eat, and the stuff that restaurants use to prepare their food.

Not to mention the stuff we eat while we're sleeping. Mmmm ... protein.

[The Chao Goes Mu]

OK, here's one of those poster cliches, where I come in with a tangentially related comment. I haven't noticed frozen pizzas being discussed before. I thought I would just share this tidbit: I lost all desire to ever eat any frozen pizza after reading in Consumer's Digest about the allowable percentage of bug parts in all frozen pizzas.

Just think about that for a minute. There is a certain amount of dead bug legs, antennae, feces, exoskeletons, eyeballs, spleens, you name it, that it is OK to have on a pizza and still sell it to people to eat unawares.

Happy lunch hour, wherever you are.

Then I hope you have also avoided ketchup, mustard, canned veggies, canned soups, all other frozen entrees because they have bug parts in them too. I just think of all the added protein as a free bonus. ;)


My partner and I will only buy Red Baron 4 cheese pizza (that is when we are not ordering out) it's a thinner crust, we pre-heat a cookie sheet in the oven, top the pie with onion, fresh garlic, Italian spices, mozzarella, a little cheddar, sundried tomatoes and cook it a few minutes longer than suggested on the box so the crust is nice and crispy. Yum. Foodgasm.

[Grossbottom]

Microwave resuscitation of cold pizza is heresy. Ovens and toaster ovens are the proper method. And a frozen pizza is just the beginnings of a pizza. It goes without saying that at a bare minimum, cheese must be added. I found the basic Whole Foods cheese pizzas to be surprisingly good platforms for frozen pizza making.

The latest thing where I live is coal-fired pizza, which is outrageously good (Anthony's....!). I'd love to find a Chicago deep dish place in South Florida though.

[ISiddiqui]

OK, here's one of those poster cliches, where I come in with a tangentially related comment. I haven't noticed frozen pizzas being discussed before. I thought I would just share this tidbit: I lost all desire to ever eat any frozen pizza after reading in Consumer's Digest about the allowable percentage of bug parts in all frozen pizzas.

Just think about that for a minute. There is a certain amount of dead bug legs, antennae, feces, exoskeletons, eyeballs, spleens, you name it, that it is OK to have on a pizza and still sell it to people to eat unawares.

Happy lunch hour, wherever you are.

As said above, I hope you don't think this is a phenomenon only related to frozen pizzas ;). The FDA has a minimum allowable bug parts for all foods. I mean it is quite literally impossible to prepare anything without some bug parts in it.

Basically, those same rules apply to FRESH pizzas as well, and if you don't think there are bug parts in your crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings then you are deluding yourself.

[The Chao Goes Mu]

Microwave resuscitation of cold pizza is heresy. Ovens and toaster ovens are the proper method. And a frozen pizza is just the beginnings of a pizza. It goes without saying that at a bare minimum, cheese must be added. I found the basic Whole Foods cheese pizzas to be surprisingly good platforms for frozen pizza making.

The latest thing where I live is coal-fired pizza, which is outrageously good (Anthony's....!). I'd love to find a Chicago deep dish place in South Florida though.


I go on the South Beach Diet and someone mentions coal fired pizza? The universe is laughing at me. Must.....fight.....urge..........to eat.....best pizza......ever.
Auuuuuuuuuuughhhhhh!

[Chronos]

fishbicycle, the only alternative would be to allow food manufacturers to include as much bug parts as they wanted. Is that really what you'd prefer? And yes, I do mean that that's the only alternative.

[Cluricaun]

Microwave resuscitation of cold pizza is heresy. Ovens and toaster ovens are the proper method.


Quite correct. A toaster oven is a key piece of pizza restoration if you're not into firing up the real oven all the time. However, I've noticed that lower heat is the key in reheating, whereas higher heat is key for the first time around.

Cold is good too though....

[gigi]

At any rate, I think Chicago-style pizzas are a category of their own, and should be considered separate from what most people call pizza.DiGiorno's deep-dish is my choice when it comes to frozen pizza.

Is Giordano's the yummy place in Hyde Park?? drool...

[Lazlo]

Y'all couldn't let fishbicycle be, could you. I hope he's not huddled in some corner afraid to eat anything.

It's okay, you can come out now. They were... ummm... joking with you. That's right. They were joking!

[pulykamell]

DiGiorno's deep-dish is my choice when it comes to frozen pizza.

Is Giordano's the yummy place in Hyde Park?? drool...

Giordano's is a local chain--there must be at least a dozen or two of them around the Chicagoland area. For all I know, they may very well be national. But they do make a decent stuffed pizza there.

[Mr2001]

I've found DiGiorno and Essensia to be delicious. Not as good as fresh pizza, but hey, getting a fresh pizza delivered costs 3 times as much.

Why all the hate for Pizza Hut and Papa John's? I get it, you live in The City and you're proud of your corner pizza parlor, and maybe old man Vito really can make a better pizza than a nationwide chain, but come on.. they're good, they're consistent, and they're in every town in America.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

This thread prompted me to get an Essencia pizza tonight, square thin-crust with chicken, barbecue sauce, carmelized onions, and a blend of mozzarella and gouda cheeses. Not bad for only $5, but it never comes out of the oven quite as crispy as I would like.

[ISiddiqui]

Why all the hate for Pizza Hut and Papa John's? I get it, you live in The City and you're proud of your corner pizza parlor, and maybe old man Vito really can make a better pizza than a nationwide chain, but come on.. they're good, they're consistent, and they're in every town in America.

Eh, maybe I'll agree with you on Papa John's being decent (passable?), but never Pizza Hut! Ugh... but maybe that's because I'm from Jersey and we got higher standards for our pizza ;). You better believe the first thing I go for when I go visit my parents in Jersey is a slice of real Jersey pizza. Mmmmmm...

[Marlitharn]

I love frozen pizza. I'd eat it morning, noon, and night if I thought my health could stand it. The worst frozen pizza I've ever had was still mighty darn good - it was a Jack's pizza, by Kraft, and it tasted like leftover mac&cheese powder might have been an ingredient. Totino's pepperoni pizza rolls - Nirvana in a bag. Totino's party pizzas - a delicious meal for 99 cents. Tony's cheese, Red Baron 4 cheese, with extra cheese, and more cheese on top... :drool:

Man, I'm hungry.

[pulykamell]

Why all the hate for Pizza Hut and Papa John's? I get it, you live in The City and you're proud of your corner pizza parlor, and maybe old man Vito really can make a better pizza than a nationwide chain, but come on.. they're good, they're consistent, and they're in every town in America.

It's not that I'm proud of my particular corner pizza parlor, because there is a lot of Ma & Pa crap pizza around here, too. I simply do not think Pizza Hut or Papa John's make what I consider a good pizza. They are not good by my standards at all. Crust isn't thin & crispy enough, toppings are subpar, the whole thing is drowning in cheese and sauce... I simply do not think it's good--and I'm not trying to be snobby or particularly proud of local parlos. I will only say Pizza Hut and Papa John's are passable at best, and don't even get me started on the soggy flavorless cardboard that is Domino's.

[Missy2U]

Giordano's is a local chain--there must be at least a dozen or two of them around the Chicagoland area. For all I know, they may very well be national. But they do make a decent stuffed pizza there.

They are mainly a Chicago chain, but have locations in Florida. (http://www.giordanos.com/locations.php) They are also expanding down there. You can also order their pizzas by mail.

[Misnomer]

This thread prompted me to get an Essencia pizza tonightThis thread prompted me to buy 1 box of Stouffer's French bread pizza and 2 small DiGiorno pizzas at the grocery store last night. :D

(Somewhat Unrelated Aside: While browsing the Stouffer's, I noticed that their new Bistro line now includes panini sandwiches. I bought a couple, and tried the Southwest-style Chicken Panini (http://www.stouffers.com/products/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=10623) for dinner ... YUM! It came out of the microwave perfectly toasted, too. I'm looking forward to trying the Philly-Style Steak and Cheese Panini (http://www.stouffers.com/products/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=10624) after class tonight. :))

Totino's pepperoni pizza rolls - Nirvana in a bag.Oooh, I love pizza rolls! I hardly ever buy them, because they're so bad for me, but when I do I get the plain cheese ones. Mmmm.

[bluetrust]

Cook them up in a very, very hot oven. My problem with most frozen pizzas are the instructions ask for a fairly cool oven (I like mine at 225-250 C (approx 450-500F). The cool oven makes the crust all soggy and soft. Yuck.

I'm in market research, and a few years back, I worked on an unusual study testing cooking instructions for a "casserole bake." We sent boxes of casserole ingredients to hundreds of people, had them try to cook it using different heating strategies in their home ovens, and had them fill out a home use diary then mail it back to us.

From the results, the client chose the instructions that emphasized reliability over taste, texture and "mouth feel." See, most people choose not to preheat, use an oven thermometer, or timer so results are all over the place.

450-500F sounds like it would make better pizza; however, like the casserole bakes, the cooking instructions were likely the ones that worked best for morons.

[bytheway]

According to this article in American Heritage magazine (http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2005/3/2005_3_12.shtml) the problems are the formation of ice crystals and the interruption of biological and chemical processes.