TEST
Frozen pizza PIZZA on the rise Oven-rising crusts have helped boost the quality of frozen pizzas. The best are on a par with pizzeria-chain pizzas.
hen we last tested frozen pizzas in 1997, only a few exhibited the kind of quality that would make them acceptable substi- W tutes for the real thing. Since then, manufac- turers have introduced more products with innovations such as crusts that rise and bake in the oven serving, too. and novel toppings such as chicken. These For nicely cooked days, you’ll find a number of frozen pizzas crusts, forget the pan. that are more than decent in quality— We often got better results indeed, some are comparable to pizzas with oven-rising-crust pizzas offered by the national chains. when we baked them directly on That’s what we concluded after taste- the oven rack, as called for by the testing more than 30 frozen pizzas (cheese, “crisper-crust” directions noted on most pepperoni, and “gourmet” chicken versions) packages. When we baked some of the piz- plus seven pies from four leading national zas on a cookie sheet or foil—or when we to ones resembling white bread, pastry pizza chains. We also tested another super- placed foil on the oven bottom to catch (think biscuit or pie crust), or crackers; market route to pizza, using a Boboli non- dripping cheese—the crust was often par- some crusts were stuffed with cheese or frozen, ready-made crust and Boboli sauce tially undercooked, even if we kept the pizza sauce. We tested one pizza whose label states plus packaged mozzarella cheese. in longer than the time specified on the box. that it is made with organic ingredients and Some highlights of our findings: The “diet” pepperoni pizzas we tested two that market themselves as diet food. If you want very good frozen pizza, save you some calories and fat, but they The panel conducted a less formal evalua- reach for the rising crusts. When we rated didn’t taste as good and were more expen- tion of five frozen pizzas with unusual pizzas in 1997, the only brand of rising- sive than most. Opting for one of the very chicken toppings (see “Going Gourmet” on crust pizza included was DiGiorno, which good nondiet pepperoni pizzas and shaving page 42). In addition, we sent an expert con- was introduced by Kraft in 1995. It topped calories elsewhere from your diet might be sultant to evaluate pepperoni pizzas from our Ratings of supermarket pizzas in that a more-appealing alternative. Or skip the four national chains: Domino’s, Little Cae- report. This time, we tested eight kinds of pepperoni pizzas and choose a cheese or sars, Papa John’s, and Pizza Hut. frozen cheese and pepperoni pizzas with chicken version instead; on average, they Whether it comes from a supermarket crusts that rise and bake in the oven; all were had fewer calories and less fat than the or pizzeria, pizza should taste freshly made. judged very good and finished at or near the nondiet pepperoni pizzas. We looked for pizzas with a high-quality top of the Ratings. Most tested brands were consistent crust; a flavorful, well-balanced sauce; fresh- Freschetta Bakes & Rises pizzas led both across categories. If you like a brand’s tasting herbs and spices; and cheese that’s the cheese and pepperoni categories, closely cheese pizza, you can generally expect the mild and a little stretchy, with a distinct followed by DiGiorno Rising Crust. Both same quality in its pepperoni counterpart. mozzarella flavor and perhaps a touch of a brands had a traditional Italian-style crust sharper cheese such as cheddar, Parmesan, (similar to good, slightly chewy Italian PROBING THE PIES or Romano (often found in “four-cheese” bread) and a nice balance of crust, cheese, Trained panelists sampled 17 cheese and 12 pizzas). On a pepperoni pizza, the meat and sauce flavors. The Freschetta pepperoni pepperoni supermarket pizzas (all frozen should be slightly chewy and not overly pie was deemed comparable in quality to except for the Boboli crust and sauce). The greasy and have slight to moderate heat. the best of the chain pepperoni pizzas we lineup included pizzas with various types of Almost half of the supermarket pizzas tested. It worked out to be a bit cheaper per crusts, from traditional Italian-style versions were rated very good. Although the oven-
JANUARY 2002 Z CONSUMER REPORTS 39 TEST rising-crust products mostly led the pack, higher than three oven-rising-crust pizzas sauce was a strong point. Tombstone Stuffed