Imagine a wonderful frozen pizza

[amymichele]

What does it look like? what package is it in? How is it different from takeout/delivery? How does it make you feel?

[porker]

I think frozen pizzas are what they are - a convenient in-home fast food. We like the Dr. Oetkers, especially when they go on sale for $3 each. The sliced tomato actually tastes fresh.
I haven't found a frozen pizza crust that doesn't taste like cardboard, although the Dr.'s is acceptable (lower on the cardboard taste scale). We mostly fire it up 'round 3-4am when there is absolutely no energy left for preparing something else.

What DOES bother me is all the TV commercials which compare frozen to home delivery. I started a thread awhile back, but I think it was too brand specific for the mod's tastes and was removed...
I mean c'mon, can you actually believe that a person will think a frozen pizza was actually delivery pizza? I guess the commercials are supposed to be like WWF, its not real, but is accepted for entertainment...?

[lagatta]

Perhaps, but I haven't really found any delivery pizzas I like either (perhaps this should go on the Québec board, where it was a huge controversy). I can't afford Bottega in daily life, though I live a very short walk from there. Now if I had a better oven...

[porker]

I don't know if the oven is actually *good*, but they have a pizza oven, electric, at Winners (the wife showed it to me at Alexis Nihon). $100, half off for 50 bucks. You get the stainless counter top oven, a piel, and a few other accessories.
If budget wasn't an issue these days, I would have picked it up if just for the novelty.

[sparkalina]

It looks like Home Run Inn frozen pizza on the shelf at Costco.
Smells like Heaven while it is cooking, and if FAR superior to any actual restaurant or pizzaria in SW FL.

[a_and_w]

Just FYI, leftover takeout and delivery pizza freezes and reheats really well.

[BobB]

Very true - my wife doesn't care for pizza but when I get in the mood for one I always order a large and freeze the rest as individual slices. Reheated in a toaster over it's great, even better for the slight extra char.

[a_and_w]

Yep. I wrap each slice in foil. I was really surprised how well this works. I also freeze leftover french fries instead of buying them at the supermarket.

[ipsedixit]

I think Costco's frozen pies are passable.

[amymichele]

What does it take to be passable?

[TomT]

Generally, going slow enough tends to do the trick.

Lots of questions re: frozen pizza. Tasty, cooks up easily and quickly, if you're not using a stone the cheese doesn't run off onto the oven floor....those tend to do the trick for me.

[barleywino]

i like Lou Malnati's trick of taking their frozen pizza (mail order), lifting it out of the pan, wiping off the frozen condensation from the pie and pan, putting some olive oil in the pan to coat the bottom and sides, and putting the pie back in to thaw for a couple hrs before firing it.

[fallingup]

Oh, I can't stand those! But, that's not meant as a knock on you/your tastes. The rest of my family loves them. I think my problem is that I just can't cook them properly...they just end up being really doughy, heavy, and lacking in flavor. Not crisp, bubbly, and cooked through.

[Samalcious]

I got some inspiration from that goofy pizza-cooking machine they used to advertise on TV...So now, I heat a frozen one up for a while in the oven and then run it under the broiler until it's all bubbly. You just can't leave the stove while it's under the broiler, it gets well-done in a hurry!

[im_nomad]

I dunno....I kinda like the Oetker Ristorante pizzas....

[Jetgirly]

I can't eat pizza anymore, but in the olden days I looooved the "Mozzarella" Oetker Ristorante pizzas. I always ate an entire one myself in one sitting. And then was sick all night, but that's another story.

[amymichele]

Why do you like that one?

[Jetgirly]

I like the thin crust and the touch of pesto. I'm a vegetarian, and I've tried their other vegetarian ones (I think there's a pomodori version and a vegetale version or something) and found the frozen vegetables to get really soggy when cooked, but the mozzarella one comes out perfect.

[Behemoth]

Can you get those outside of Germany? The vegetable one is also quite good. Actually, better than a lot of delivery.

[Jetgirly]

Almost every supermarket in Canada carries them.

[cyberroo]

There are different frozen pizza situations...
I actually have a source for good wood-fired pizza that is flash frozen after it's cooked. All you have to do is warm it on a hot pizza stone to recrisp, and it's almost as good as it is from the restaurant. And it's the same price as in the restaurant, so it's not for every day!

But then there are the comfort food frozen pizza cravings, when nothing will do but a cheap Tostino's party pizza with an extra grating of tillamook sharp cheddar and a sprinkling of italian seasoning.

And sometimes I just want something to go with soup or salad. Then I grab one of Trader Joe's Tarte D'alsace (I think). Not really pizza, but tasty.

And sometimes you just need to eat and frozen pizza is easy. That calls for CPK white pizza - the big flat one, not the little puffy ones. Not very good as pizza, but pretty tasty as food.

[amymichele]

When would you eat the wood-fired pizza versus ordering from a restaurant? Assuming you had one on hand, of course!

[Panini Guy]

Re: "Not very good as pizza, but pretty tasty as food."

That's a pretty good and accurate analysis and a good way to look at a lot of different instant and frozen foods. I've had CPK whites and they are pretty tasty. But not fulfilling in a "I'd love to eat a pizza right now," sense. Just looking at that frozen slab of pea-sized cheese and veggie bits on top, it's neither aesthetically pleasing going in, or coming out. Another in the same category would be Amy's Organic caramelized onion. Also tasty, but not... quite... pizza.

We grew up on Tree Tavern in the 60s/70s, which was a NE/MidAtlantic thing I think. Thin crust that baked to a decent cracker-style, plain only, balanced red sauce, good melting mozz blend, you added your own toppings. To this day, that's still my standard for frozen pizza. Which is to say that my bar isn't very high in this category.

I wouldn't even try to a frozen version of my ideal - a white clam from Pepe's. I can't imagine that would come close to the original. I've tried flash-freezing Colony pies (CT folks will understand). Still turned soggy on reheating right on a rack. Using a hot stone, the crust was too crispy.

[Babyducks]

I grew up in Ct and remember Tree Tavern....that's a good memory.

[Kajikit]

The only 'wonderful' frozen pizza I've ever had is Dijorno's 'Ultimate' - NOT their plain ones, which are ordinary in the extreme. Of course it costs more, but it's worth it.

[Bob Brooks]

Trader Joe's has frozen pizzas from Italy that are quite decent.

[amymichele]

Hey Bob...what does it take to become "decent"?

[JenBoes]

A wonderful frozen pizza is: American Flatbread Ionian Awakenings. We don't have a lot of pizza takeout/delivery options in our area and this particular frozen pizza is better than any of those fresh pizza options. It makes me feel great to pop it in the oven on one of those nights I don't feel like cooking. The packaging is cool too - It's a black and white box with a color image in the center of the American Flatbread pizza makers baking their pizza in a wood-fired oven. There's also a short bit of prose on the front that talks about their process.

Maybe if I lived in a more urban area I wouldn't think this pizza is so exceptional but for me it has been a great find!!

[amymichele]

When do you usually eat these? They sound great!

[jfood]

JB

jfood's grocer just started carrying this brand. Which do you recommend? Are they really flatbread type with a crispy crust or does the cool box lie?

[rdnnyc]

I was going to say! I love Revolution Flatbread. Back when I ate gluten I could eat one of the big ones by myself. Personally I always liked the sun-dried tomato and mushroom but it's just a matter of taste. I remember the crust being rather chewy (in the good way) and really better than several regular pizza joints. And I live in Brooklyn!

[condiment]

They are very good - In California, American Flatbread (here, they come from Los Alamos on the Central Coast instead of Vermont) is one of the few things I'll get from Whole Foods. Organic, local ingredients, wood-oven-baked, etc.

[manraysky]

My expectations for frozen pizza are completely different than what I look for in a real pizza. When I crave frozen pizza, and it does happen about once a year, I'm looking for a Tostino's Party Pizza with pepperoni. And when I have one, I find it very comforting.

[lhb78]

I love the Totino's Crispy Party Pizza... I have to say the whole name becase it makes me happy. I think frozen pizza crust gets too dry but Totino's doesn't have any side crust which makes it perfect. Also, the thinness means that I can actually have a crunchy crust and a soft top. The teeny pepperoni's are good too- the one with the whole slices is not as good.

[Chew on That]

It exists in the form of Gino's East.

[barleywino]

Lou Malnati's

[KTinNYC]

My imagination isn't that good....Frozen pizza at its best is pretty bad. I feel bad for any part of the country where frozen pizza is their best option.

[swsidejim]

you nailed my answer completely.

I cant imagine a good frozen pizza.

[amymichele]

What is bad about a frozen pizza? What is it you can't imagine ever being better?

[swsidejim]

Whats bad?... Where do I start...? cardboard crust, cheap cheese, terrible taste.

I prefer a thin crust freshly cooked from my local mom & pop pizzeria. Takes about the same ammount of time, and is 100% better.

[Passadumkeg]

I'm with ya, sws, except 1000% better.

[porker]

I hears ya too, sws, but every once in a while, after some late night hijinx and bad prep work, we might find the local mom & pop scene all closed. Sometimes the cardboard crust, cheap cheese, and terrible taste is like a warm blanket ;-/)

[Passadumkeg]

I fry up some clean out the fridge eggs, but man, frozen pizza is like gettin' woken up in the middle of a wet dream. No thanks.

[mpalmer6c]

Looks like a pizza. In a cardboard frozen-pizza package. Not as good as a fresh-baked pizza, but DiGiorno OK in a pinch. If I eat enough it makes me feel full.

[insaneLAeater]

like little caesars

[amymichele]

I've never had a little caesars...what is good about it? What could be even better?