Published: March 17, 2008 07:54 am            

Frozen pizza by the slice — a taste test

Have you ever wondered who makes the best frozen pizza, but never had the time — or stomach — to try them all? No worries, we did it for you.

In honor of March being National Frozen Food Month, we gathered a small group of News and Tribune staff and friends for a good ole frozen pizza taste test. We sampled eight of the most popular brands — seven “supreme” or “deluxe” versions and one six-cheese varietal. We made the cheese-only exception because we didn’t want to omit the latest addition to the frozen pizza family — Freschetta’s Pizza Amore?with its own bake and serve tray. All of the supremes were sold out, so we had to settle for cheese.

We were surprised with our findings. Cost, shape, appearance — and sometimes even flavor — didn’t affect the ratings. Both the cheapest and most expensive pizzas had good and bad reviews. We didn’t always agree on taste and texture, but we did find it interesting that no two pizzas were the same. No two crusts or even pepperonis were the same. There truly is a frozen pizza for everyone.



DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza Supreme

3.5 stars $4.99

“Thickest. Toppings have awesome flavor. Crust tastes like cornbread. Definitely not delivery.” — Brandi Jones, lead graphic designer

“DiGiorno had the thickest crust of all. The pizza had an odd aroma — maybe because we slightly over-cooked it — but it had good flavor. I would buy this pizza again.” — Roni Montgomery, page designer

“Crispy, but thick. Good toppings.” — Dave Montgomery, friend

“Sorry DiGiorno, delivery is better. But, props to you for having decent tasting toppings.” — Jennifer McGee, graphic designer



Freschetta Pizza Amore?Six Cheese Pizza

4 stars $4.99

“The pizza god’s gift to man. Delicious!” — Jenna Tyler, special publications director

“This tasted the most like ‘real pizza.’ The cheese was excellent. The crust was a bit airy.” — Shea Van Hoy, managing editor

“This one was pretty good. It’s different. I’m told that because of a run at the local grocer on frozen pizzas there wasn’t a ‘deluxe’ or ‘supreme’

option available in this brand and instead we had to sample just plain cheese pizza. Maybe that’s why I liked this one — there wasn’t anything weird on top. There also wasn’t enough cheese on top. But, the pizza was very garlicy — one of the unique characteristics this pie had to offer — and it seems like there was a little parmesan cheese sprinkled on the crust, which

was quite tasty already. The box claims this pizza is ‘restaurant style.’ I don’t know if I’d agree with that, but it’s a pretty decent option if you’re only interested in opening a box, baking it and eating it.” — Amy Huffman-Branham, presentation editor

“This one was pretty good. I’m willing to try it again.” — Kevin McGloshen, photographer



Red Baron Classic Crust Special Deluxe Pizza

2.5 stars $4.40

“Surprisingly I found this pizza to be OK — even though it was the last of eight pizzas I tasted. Everything about it was OK — which is a heck of a lot better than nothing about it being OK. Red Baron definitely isn’t a standout but it’s passable.” — Amy Huffman-Branham, presentation editor

“Yuck! The Red Baron did a nose dive ... into the trash can. There are no words to describe the awfulness of this pizza. It had absolutely no texture. It was soft and mushy. Remember the square school lunch pizzas of the 1980s? Of course you liked them when you were 8 years old — pizza does sound more appealing than Salisbury steak or a hot-diggity-dog (mystery meat on a hot dog bun) — but, they weren’t really tasty either. Well, I haven’t had a school pizza in 23 years, but Red Baron reminded me of one that’s been in a freezer for 23 years then cooked in a microwave instead of an oven.” — Roni Montgomery, page designer

“Soggy. Yuck! Not as bad as Reggio’s though.” — Holly Cummings, friend

“These toppings seemed the most real and quality. Too much sauce, but otherwise worthwhile,” — Jennifer McGee, graphic designer



Reggio’s Chicago Style Supreme Pizza

1.5 stars $5.29

“The sausage taste like it’s made from ferret — this was nasty!” — Shea Van Hoy, managing editor

“Very spicy aftertaste ... felt like I could breathe fire.” — Jennifer McGee, graphic designer

“The famous butter crust is strangely bland and raw tasting. This pizza taste like no other frozen pizza I’ve had — and that’s not a compliment.” — Dave Montgomery, friend

“Horrible. I could not finish it. The box looks cheap; I was surprised to see it was the most expensive. The crust taste bad, and it’s not as salty as most pizzas.” — Holly Cummings, friend



Stouffer French Bread Pizza Deluxe

2 stars $2.20

“Crunchy on the outside, mushy on the inside. I was a little disappointed because I remember enjoying it when I was a kid.” — Dave Montgomery, friend

“While the concept of pizza on French bread is nice, this one falls short. It felt like I was eating pizza soup on top of bread.” — Jennifer McGee, graphic designer

“The sauce is pretty good, but the crust dominates. This pizza boat sunk.” — Shea Van Hoy, managing editor

“ Mmmmm ... What does it say about me if, when I bit into this one I thought ‘tasty’ while everyone around me put this little French bread number at the bottom of their list? I’m not sure. But I’m not caving into peer pressure. I LIKE THIS ONE. Of course, I knock the weird ‘sausage’ off of it, but then it’s all happiness between me and my pizza boat. I like the crispy crust ... the funny little pepperoni triangles don’t really freak me out and I almost don’t care that there isn’t enough cheese on top. There’s just something about it. — Amy Huffman-Branham, presentation editor



Tombstone Original Supreme Pizza

2.5 stars $3.85



“Crunchy crust, but not my favorite. But, I’d probably buy it again.” — Kevin McGloshen, photographer

“No flavor. I felt like I was eating a pizza baked in an Easy Bake Oven.” — Jenna Tyler, special publications director

“You can actually tell what toppings are on it. The crust is thick, but tastes like cardboard. Bland!” — Brandi Jones, lead graphic designer

“Surprisingly good. I’d never had a Tombstone, but it was a nice looking pizza (as far as frozen pizzas go). The crust was so good I barely noticed the flavorless toppings.” — Roni Montgomery, page designer



Tony’s Original Crust Supreme Pizza

3 stars $2.75



“Reminds me of my good old college days, when all I could afford and cook was a round disk frozen in a box.” — Jenna Tyler, special publications director

“Dry. Sauce has about as must flavor as a country line dance — um, that’s not much.” — Shea Van Hoy, managing editor

“Soft, chewy crust. The pizza has good flavors even though the veggie bits are very small.” — Holly Cummings, friend

“Nice mix of cheese, sauce and toppings.” — Brandi Jones, lead graphic designer



Totino’s Crisp Crust Supreme Party Pizza

2 stars $1

“The old standard ... oh college! I’ll probably forever buy this pizza.” — Kevin McGloshen, photographer

“Doesn’t look very appealing. I like to be able to tell what’s in my food.” — Jenna Tyler, special publications director

“Look ... Some people out there want to knock the Party Pizza and I just don’t get it. To love the Party Pizza, you must accept it for what it is. Or what it’s not (depending on how you look at it) ... I like to say the Party Pizza is like the Pizza King of frozen pizzas. It’s not really like pizza at all and so long as you accept that going in then you won’t be disappointed. I’m not saying Pizza King and Party Pizza are alike — that’s not what I’m saying at all ... But they’re both like the working class pizzas of their species. You know? I prefer the ground up, crumbly toppings Totino’s offers because — let’s face it — little crumbles of weird meat are a lot better than big chunks of it. The crust is thin and crispy, the sauce is fine, the cheese ratio is OK. No, it’s not the most cheesy pizza but there’s no way you could add more cheese and make the Party Pizza any better. Totino’s has it all figured out. They’re making the most of what they have to offer and it’s a respectable effort.” — Amy Huffman-Branham, presentation editor

“Very processed taste. I’m pretty sure it has no natural ingredients. It’s not very attractive either. I wouldn’t serve it to my dog.” — Roni Montgomery, page designer

        

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