Is there a pizza in your freezer? If you answered yes, you are not alone.
According to a recent survey, most people who eat frozen pizza say the taste has gotten better. But can any of them stand up to that fresh-from-the-oven pizza shop flavor?
Outside the labs, Consumer Reports staffers tried out eight popular cheese pizzas, including ones from DiGiorno, Red Baron, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe’s, to see which ones are worth stocking up on when the next pizza craving strikes.
CR looked for frozen pizzas that tasted as close to pizza parlor pizza and focused on the main simple elements: the crust, the cheese, and the tomato sauce.
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The crust seems to be the trickiest part when it comes to frozen pizza, and the tasters said Amy’s Cheese Pizza, 13 ounces for $9.39, nailed it. The crust browns nicely and is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Overall, the Red Baron Classic Crust Four Cheese Pizza, 21.06 ounces for $5.49, was a crowd-pleaser, with a distinct taste of crust, sauce, and cheese in each bite.
The best bargain was Costco’s Kirkland Signature Cheese Pizza, for $11.49 per 4-pack; 16.95 ounces per pizza. It’s not going to earn any culinary awards, but it really was a decent pizza, and you can’t beat the price.
CR says how you cook your frozen pizza makes a big difference.
- Don’t thaw the pizza before you cook it because the cook-time is based on it being frozen.
- Preheat your oven and let it sit at the recommended temperature for a few minutes before throwing your pizza in.
- Place the pizza directly on the center oven rack. The crust will crisp up better this way.
- When it’s done, give it a few minutes to set before you cut it and enjoy!
CR says if you’ve got leftovers, an air fryer does a good job of re-crisping the crust.
