Great frozen pizza?

Don't be embarrassed Captain, I feel the same way. It's not good or pizza, but for a buck I have been sucked in many a time. I think that it tastes pretty good.

i would have to agree with the early post that the idea of a great forzen pizza just doesn't really work, maybe passable and edible in a crunch but why would one eat frozen pizza as opposed to the real thing. just wait it out and thaw out some forzen bbq instead

Add me to the Home Run list.

Ok, I'm convinced Home Run's are good but not sold in Texas. I looked into ordering online, $69 for 3. To high for me!

My picky grandzillas love the "Totinos 3 Cheese" that cost a buck here, and they eat a whole one. It's gotta be the 3 cheese for them. I have a pizza pan w/ holes in it, cuisinart, that works great. I have taken one of the 3 cheeses and added toppings but I cook it slower than it says. I like pepperoni, green and black olives, mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, and delli ham if I have it. I have even added some extra tomato sauce before the toppings and some extra cheese on top. I'm the only one that likes anchovies so I just heat em and put em on my slices. Not a great pizza but not bad. I've done the same with most of the other major brands and I like them also. I havn't tried the brick oven but I'm going to. Hey, It's 80 miles round trip to the nearest good pizza place from where I live.
Joe

Freschetta has some pretty tasty pizzas. They have one that is a tomato and basil pizza. I am not a big fan of the tomato but that frozen pizza is the best Freschetta pizza I have tried so far. Go and check it out. If you live in CA, Albertsons has them 3 for $10.00 this week. Cant beat that price.

Thanks for the tip Tim. I have not tried that but I will try to find some. Oh, maybe that is a "tony's 3 cheese" I was talkin about earlier. I'm out so I can't check.
Joe

Yet another vote for Home Run Inn. My husband brought one home (they're sold at our local supermarket chain Ukrop's) and I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing that sucks is that Ukrop's seems to no longer carry the sausage pizza, which was the BEST.

The Freschetta classic supreme is pretty good, and we add onions, peppers, mushrooms, and sauce and spices. And yes, when they're on sale for 3 for $10 for the larges it's a good deal. When they're not on sale, we usually just get a Kroger's cheese pizza and dress it up at home, or a Boboli crust.

Andrea

While I no longer live anywhere near where I can get them, I put my vote in also for Home Run Inn frozen pizzas. While none of the frozen pizzas are very good in my opinion, the Home Run Inn product was the best. I agree with you, MandalayVA, the sausage version was the best. In Chicago where the pizzas are made, sausage is the number one ingredient, whereas outside of Chicago, pepperoni is the most common. Oh for the taste of some good pizza.

TRy Schwans Mexican Frozen Pizza. It is great for a frozen pizza.

i've come to actually enjoy california' pizza kitchen thin crust pizza, especially the spinach and cheese aswell as the roastd garlic chicken. nd at 4.87, it's better than delivery.

My favorite is the Palermo's Thin Crust Pizzas, 17 oz size. They look just like the Tombstone pizzas in the freezer case, so are easy to overlook.

Palermo Villa, Inc. (their corporate name) in Milwaukee makes a variety of pizzas under their own name, and also contract manufacture. Palermo's Thin Crust Pizza is definitely a winner, but some of the store brand products are only so-so. For store brand products, you will know if it is a Palermo product if it has USDA Est. #1487A on a meat pie, such as pepperoni. Stores they produce for include Price Chopper and Walgreens. Their website has a directory to find products sold under their own name.

When we lived in the Chicago area Home Run and Jack's were the only frozen my kids would eat, unless they could get a deep dish frozen straight from a pizza restaurant. They actually preferred Jack's over Home Run. We live in PA now and found very little frozen that they like. Have had some Red Baron, which they will eat in a pinch. We did try Palermo's right before we moved. I remember they liked one type and not another. We bought it at a Woodman's, I think. Occassionally teams or Scouts will sell frozen pizza that is usually passable, too.

They just did a news "deal or dud" story in the Dallas area on the best store bought pizza. The judges were chefs. Freschetta self rishing crust won! I do the same as Andrea with them, not bad! Hey, still no replacement for a great pizzarea pizza.
Joe

not a big fan of frozen pizza, but i do like the california pizza kitchen's chicken pizzas. good taste, nice crust, very satisfying, but they cost a little more than say di giornio.

I must try those Red, thanks! They sound good. And Lou, the mex pizza sounds good also. Someone else ??? used to make a mexican pizza that was good I thought. Toumbstone maybe?
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8

I must try those Red, thanks! They sound good. And Lou, the mex pizza sounds good also. Someone else ??? used to make a mexican pizza that was good I thought. Toumbstone maybe?
Joe

Tombstone and Red Baron make Mexican pizzas. I haven't had Tombstone's, but Red Baron's is REALLY bland, nothing really Mexican tasting until I put some cumin and garlic on it.

I don't eat frozen pizza, but I found an article on pizza in the Washington DC area on the Washingtonian Magazine website, and it includes the following on supermarket pizzas:


Supermarket Pizza: You Have to Be Really Hungry

We assembled a panel of twentysomething students and young professionals to taste refrigerated and frozen pizzas from local supermarkets. We avoided the house brands and tried to buy at the upper end of the price scale. Even though all our tasters eat pizza frequently—several said they survived on it during their college years—they were uniformly critical of the supermarket varieties. Even the worst delivered pizza was better.

THE BEST OF A BAD LOT

American Flatbread Cheese and Herb, Whole Foods, $8.99. Not really a pizza, because there’s no tomato sauce, but the crust is crisp and tasty.

American Flatbread Revolution, Whole Foods, $8.99. Crisp crust and a pleasing combination of good cheese and vegetables.

Red Baron Classic Pepperoni, Harris Teeter, $5.99. Good bready crust with lots of pepperoni.

FUHGEDDABOUTIT

Digiorno Four Cheese Rising Crust, Harris Teeter, $5.99. Anemic, flabby crust with a sauce that tasted mostly of sugar.

Freschetta 4-Meat, Harris Teeter, $6.79. Nice-looking, but the crust was thick and tasteless.

Freschetta 4-Cheese, Harris Teeter, $6.79. Cloyingly sweet sauce.

Gourmet Italia Artichoke, Whole Foods, $11.99. Packed two to a box, which several tasters speculated might taste better than the contents. Comments ranged from “nasty” to “disgusting.”

Gourmet Italia Margherita, Whole Foods, $11.99. A soggy crust that tasted oddly like fish.

Kirkland Cheese, Costco, $7.99. One taster compared it to “Kraft Singles on cardboard.”

Milena’s Take N Bake Sausage, Safeway, $7.99. Spongy, lifeless crust with bland sauce and flavorless sausage.

Red Baron Pizzeria-style Four Cheese, Harris Teeter, $5.99. Greasy and bland with a bagel-like crust.


Not a pretty story. My thing is, if you're going to eat something that isn't particularly good for you (and who among us doesn't, from time to time?) then it should at least taste good. The entire article can be found at http://www.washingtonian.com/dining/archive/03/pizza.html

I just finished a Freschetta Brick oven pepperoni with fire-baked crust. I let it thaw slightly in its plastic wrap, preheated the oven to 400, and put it on a perforated pizza pan on the bottom oven rack. (No plastic wrap, of course). Baked it for exactly 10 minutes.

It wasn't just "not bad", but was actually TASTY!
I think allowing it to thaw got rid of that frozen taste.

They have a few different varieties and I'm ready to try them all.

I think they're onto something.

The thread of 'Defunct Frozen Pizzas' coupled with "Pizza via Airmail' had me searching if there was a topic re: good frozen pizzas. I am sending my brother two frozen pizzas by Flying Pizza via Fed Ex. Someone pointed out that their pizza was made with muenster cheese. With that I am going to instruct that he add some mozzarella and Parmesan/Asiago or Romano cheese plus whatever else to enhance it.

But the point about the muenster had me going to my local supermarket to see if my memory about this brand actually being sold in the frozen food aisle was correct. I thought it was. It wasn't available, but jeez, this market is saturated with an overabundance of companies vying for your shopping cart.

Some brands have been around for years and even these companies now have choices of thin crust, self rising, brick oven and so much more. Things have changed since some of the last posts.
Store brands have emulated what can be found at Trader Joe's and feature gourmet pizzas made in Italy. I have had them and they seemed pretty good. There was one with Kalamata olives and artichoke hearts, ingredients that go far beyond the norm.

There has been debate about the quality of Old Chicago's pies even in Chicago and maybe you have seen their frozen/refrigerated store version. What I have seen but not tried is an 16" thin crust pepperoni that is in the deli case and isn't frozen. Anyone tried that one yet?

I am writing and asking about this as there have been times that I have come home from work so late that the local stores are closed and I need to feed that pizza need.... A frozen pie could work at these times.
Even as I write this, last night I had a English muffin pizza made with squeezable sauce and have made crisp crust versions using a flour tortilla.

mark

P.S. Even as I post this, there is a Google ad for free pizza coupons from Pizza Hut, Papa John's and (gasp).... Domino's. If anyone wants to complain about frozen pizza, it sure beats what is being advertised on this site.....

To me the best is Tombstone (cheese only) I drizzle it with olive oil (add any veggies that I want to, if any) and bake according to the package instruction.
This summer during a power outage I had more than a half pizza (Tombstone) left over in the refrigerator. I lit my gas stove and poured a tiny, tiny amount of olive oil in an iron skillet. When the oil go hot I put the pizza in and crisped up the crust and turned it over to reheat the cheese then drained it on a towel. My grandson said "I'll not eat that." In the end I only got 1 slice. From then on he wanted to make two so one could be left over for late-night snacking.

I order pizza from www.uticapizza.com. It's not cheap cuz of delivery charges but it's a real pizza from a pizzaria that has been open since 1914. I highly recommend their sausage pizza. for some reason this link doesn't work but if you type it in your search engine it does. D**n puters!

Hello All,
When Tombstone started out, I thought I found frozen food heaven. But like most things, success
breeds mediocrity. Maybe I should try them again. I've gotten to the point where I can't eat frozen pizza. The best was a small pizza, made by Stewart's, I believe, that you baked
in little toaster ovens, prior to microwave.
Take Care,
Fieldthistle

quote:

Originally posted by ynotryme

I order pizza from www.uticapizza.com. It's not cheap cuz of delivery charges but it's a real pizza from a pizzaria that has been open since 1914. I highly recommend their sausage pizza. for some reason this link doesn't work but if you type it in your search engine it does. D**n puters!

I posted===The thread of 'Defunct Frozen Pizzas' coupled with "Pizza via Airmail' had me searching if there was a topic re: good frozen pizzas===

There is a major difference here as I am searching for a cheap and time saving alternative. For when you need to have a pizza now. Now being at a time when it is impossible to get a real one. 2 AM is a good time....

In 'Pizza via Airmail' you suggested this company and I almost considered it as a gift. But what is the point of ordering these guys for your home freezer? $12 pizza plus $34 shipping = too much.

I did go with Flying Pizza for the gift as I felt that it had to be better than the pizza I had when I visited my brother recently. He has a small convection toaster oven so he should get a crisp shell. It may not be the best but I got two pies for the price of one of Uticca's. It is the thought that always counts....

There are some alternatives that have been mentioned. One is what I do frequently, which is buy pre-made dough and make my own pie. I have a stone in the oven... But even here, I become picky as I read that some of the ingredients of the dough missing some thing that I feel is essential.
I have enjoyed Murphy's Pizza, but it has been so long since I had one. I forget what I liked about them except that I would stretch the shell so that it would create a thin and crisp bottom. There are no stores here.

It was the topic of 'Defunct Pizzas' that made me wonder which pies are good enough now and will become our memories for the future and where we will remember that we actually ate what is being sold now.
While folks seemed to eat Buitoni and other things in their youth, nobody is saying anything about Hot Pockets, and rightfully so....

I would never eat a Red Baron Pizza in the past, but it seems that some folks enjoy them now. I think that the imported pizzas from Italy are pretty good. Someday they will get frozen pizzas right.

mark

at walmart they sell take and bake pizza. if you buy the cheese pizza, dribble some olive oil on it and sprinkle some oregano on it,it's actually pretty good. just throw toppings of your choice on it.

It was a real revelation when I tried the Home Run Inn sausage pizza. They are fantastic! The dog doesn't even get the last rim of the crust, it is so good! I do recommend cooking it pretty darn brown, they can have a little bit of a yeasty taste if it's underdone.

quote:

Originally posted by ynotryme

at walmart they sell take and bake pizza. if you buy the cheese pizza, dribble some olive oil on it and sprinkle some oregano on it,it's actually pretty good. just throw toppings of your choice on it.

We've been doing the olive oil and oregano thing to the cheese pizzas we've been getting at Krogers and adding our own toppings (pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and sweet Italian peppers straight from the garden) and I have to say the olive oil and oregano makes a huge difference. I think the olive oil is the key!

Andrea

Freshly made pizza is always best, but if I were to make them at home, I'd go with either the Boboli (If I was feeling creative that night) or the California Pizza Kitchen pizzas. If I'm in a rush or just looking to snack, I sometimes like the Celeste Frozen Pizzas...they come in little individual sizes which makes them good if you just want a snack. The best takeout pizza in my opinion in CT that I've tasted so far is Crustworks Buffalo Chicken pizza.

quote:

Originally posted by cocacolakidI'm in the Chicago area and the best frozen pizza I've found is Home Run Inn. I really love paper thin crust, this is a little thicker but still considered thin, has a nice sauce, good cheese, and some decent toppings. The crust has a really nice buttery flavor. The stuff is so good it's not that far off what one of theirs taste's like if you go to a Home Run Inn resteraunt.

Have you tried Pizzeria Uno's frozen? Don't do it. I maintain that the best pizza I ever had was at Pizzeria Uno's on Wabash in Chicago in 1981, but the frozen is a joke. What's sad is that the phrase "Chicago Style" pertaining to pizza was first used on Pizzeria Uno's own, to the best of my knowledge.

I've never had a commercial frozen pizza I'd call "good" but an idea I've considered: Freeze your own. I bake my own, sort of, by having the pizzeria guy underbake it (and NOT slice it) so I can stick it in a 450 or 500 degree oven at home for about 5 more minutes and have hot pizza when I'm ready to eat it. You could have them REALLY underbake it and freeze it yourself so you could pull it out and finish the baking. If you'd be willing to let it defrost first, I think you could even do that with them at the stage I get--just beginning to brown the crust. But I admit that with a decent pizzeria a block up the street, I've never tried it.