NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Is there a pizza in your freezer? If you answered yes, you are not alone. But can you really get a frozen pizza that tastes like or at least close to fresh pie from a pizza place?
According to a recent survey, most people who eat frozen pizza say the taste has gotten better. Believe it or not, there are a few out there that taste a lot like something you'd pick up from a pizza place.
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.
"We really wanted to look for a frozen pizza that tasted as close to pizza parlor pizza as we could get, so we focused on the main simple elements of the pizzas: the crust, the cheese and the tomato sauce," said Trisha Calvo with Consumer Reports.
The crust seems to be the trickiest part when it comes to frozen pizza. The tasters said Amy’s Cheese pizza 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 was a crowd-pleaser; with a distinct taste of crust, sauce, and cheese in each bite. The best bargain: Costco’s Kirkland Signature Cheese Pizza.
"It’s not going to earn any culinary awards, but it really was a decent pizza and you can’t beat the price," said Calvo.
Consumer Reports 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.
If you’ve got leftovers and an air fryer, you can use it to reheat and re-crisp the crust of your pizza.
