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 ᮣ some pizzas with conventional crusts also (Safeway Select Verdi Quattro Formaggio Self Crust was judged very good in its cheese and did well. Amy’s Organic Crust & Tomatoes Rising Crust, Tony’s Super Rise Crust Four- pepperoni incarnations—both had white- Cheese Pizza, which is labeled as being made Cheese, and Kroger Self Rising Crust Four bread-type crusts loaded with flavorful with organic flour and tomatoes, scored Cheese). Its hearty, fresh-tasting tomato cheese, and the pepperoni version had PIZZA Pizza Supermarket pizza Overall Ratings Within types, in order of quality PRODUCT OVERALL SCORE PER 5-OZ. SLICE COMMENTS COST CALORIES FAT (G) 0 100 PF G VGE CHEESE PIZZA Very good and fresh-tasting, with flavorful cheese and sauce on a slightly Freschetta Bakes & Rises 4-Cheese Pizza (27 oz.) 90 $0.98 364 15 chewy Italian-style crust. Slight heat from spices. Freschetta Bakes & Rises Sauce Stuffed Crust Very good. Similar to Freschetta 4-Cheese but with extra sauce stuffed in 87 1.23 334 11 4-Cheese Pizza (24 oz.) crust rim. Very good, with flavorful cheese and sauce on a yeasty, slightly chewy DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza Four Cheese (29 oz.) 86 O.94 332 12 (but sometimes slightly doughy) Italian-style crust. Amy’s Organic Crust & Tomatoes Cheese Pizza (13 oz.) 82 1.92 341 14 Very good, with flavorful cheese and a hearty sauce on an Italian-style crust. Safeway Select Verdi Quattro Formaggio Self Rising Well priced for very good quality. Flavorful cheese and a yeasty, slightly Crust Pizza (29 oz.) 80 0.84 307 9 chewy Italian-style crust. Very good, with flavorful cheese and spicy sauce on a slightly chewy Italian- Super Rise Crust Four-Cheese Pizza (20 oz.) 78 0.96 335 12 Tony’s style crust. Well priced for very good quality. Less cheese than most, but the cheese Kroger Self Rising Crust Four Cheese Pizza (30 oz.) 76 0.80 292 9 is flavorful. Yeasty, slightly chewy Italian-style crust. Very good, with lots of flavorful cheese and a white-bread, cheese-stuffed Tombstone Stuffed Crust Cheese Pizza (27 oz.) 76 0.96 364 18 crust that tastes like a grilled-cheese sandwich. Slight heat from spices. Red Baron Classic 4 Cheese Pizza (22 oz.) 74 0.91 384 20 Very good, with flavorful sauce and cheese on a soft, pastrylike crust. Boboli Original Pizza Crust made with Boboli Sauce Very good, with a slightly chewy, Italian-style crust. But the sweet, and mozzarella cheese (27 oz.) 68 0.89 333 12 ketchuplike sauce detracts. Try it with your favorite tomato sauce instead. Tombstone Original Extra Cheese Pizza (21 oz.) 60 0.94 328 14 Good, but unremarkable. Pastrylike crust. Slight heat from spices. Reggio’s Chicago Style Cheese Pizza (18 oz.) 56 1.02 367 13 Good, with lots of flavorful cheese. But scant sauce on a doughy, soggy crust. Good, but low-flavor cheese and a thin, crackerlike crust that’s somewhat Jack’s Original Cheese Pizza (15 oz.) 52 0.92 325 13 tough. Good, with a thin, crispy pastry crust, but somewhat stale seasonings. Celeste Pizza for One Cheese Pizza (6 oz.) 50 1.17 346 17 Strong green-pepper flavor. Mediocre. Scant cheese and thick sauce with a harsh oregano flavor on a McCain Ellio’s Cheese Pizza (24 oz.) 46 0.54 299 9 white-bread crust. Mediocre. Mild cheese and sauce on a flaky, soggy, somewhat tough Michelina’s Zap ‘ems That’za Pizza! Cheese (5 oz.) 45 1.28 394 19 pastry crust. Must be made in microwave oven. Totino’s The Original Crisp Crust Party Pizza Cheese Fair, with bland cheese that doesn’t melt in the mouth, a gellike sauce, (10 oz.) 25 0.67 322 14 and a greasy fried crust. PEPPERONI PIZZA Very good, fresh-tasting, and hearty, with flavorful pepperoni, cheese, and Freschetta Bakes & Rises Pepperoni Pizza (28 oz.) 90 0.96 385 18 sauce (with pepperoni bits) on a yeasty, slightly chewy Italian-style crust. Very good and fresh-tasting, with flavorful pepperoni, cheese, and sauce DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza Pepperoni (31 oz.) 86 0.88 369 16 (with pepperoni bits) on a yeasty but sometimes slightly doughy crust. Very good, with ample, meaty, flavorful pepperoni and sauce (with Tombstone Stuffed Crust Pepperoni Pizza (28 oz.) 81 0.90 400 22 pepperoni bits) on a white-bread, cheese-stuffed crust that tastes like a grilled-cheese sandwich. Very good, with meaty, flavorful pepperoni and sauce (with pepperoni Tombstone Original Pepperoni Pizza (22 oz.) 74 0.88 378 20 bits) on a crisp pastry crust. The tests behind the Ratings The product column includes total weight of the tested pizza, rounded to the nearest pizzas were given a quality rating and are listed in quality order (from high to low). For whole ounce. Overall score for supermarket pizzas reflects flavor and texture as evalu- all pizzas, we used the Food and Drug Administration reference amount for pizza of 140 ated by trained panelists.