May 4, 2013
DiGiorno Pizzeria! Primo Pepperoni Pizza
In their never ending quest to create a frozen pizza that is as good as you get in a restaurant, the folks at DiGiorno have introduced their Pizzeria! line of pizzas. I recently ate the Primo Pepperoni pizza. Despite it’s name, it’s not as good as the pizza you would get at a pizzeria. Not even close. But, that doesn't mean that it's not a really good frozen pizza. The crust, in particular, is outstanding. It’s crispy on the outside, light and airy on the inside, and has a nice flavor. It’s similar, but not as heavy or as chewy, as the crust on DiGiorno’s popular Rising Crust line of pizzas. It’s the best frozen pizza crust that I’ve eaten, by far. The pizza's toppings are good, but do not stand out. The pizza sauce and pepperoni, unfortunately, are not nearly as flavorful as they could be. I get the feeling that DiGiorno’s is trying to be really safe with the toppings so as not to distract from the excellent crust. It’s too bad, because with more flavorful toppings, the pizza would really be outstanding.
Phoood rating: 
August 13, 2012
Red Baron Pepperoni Deep Dish Singles Pizza
Anyone who knows me well knows that I love pizza. I used to say that there’s no such thing as bad pizza, but I stopped saying that after I ate an especially bad Pizza! Pizza! from a certain pizza purveyor that will go unnamed. But I’m no pizza snob. I like frozen pizzas almost as much as I like the delicious pizza at the old-school Italian pizzeria near where I live. And one of my favorite frozen pizzas is Red Baron Pepperoni Deep Dish Singles. To be honest, the pizza’s toppings are only average. The sauce, cheese, and pepperoni are okay, but nothing special. It’s the pizza’s crust that really stands out. When the pizza is cooked in a conventional oven (please, please do not cook them in a microwave oven…), the crust is crispy and golden brown on the outside and buttery tender on the inside. It reminds me more of a pastry than a pizza crust. It’s definitely the best crust of any frozen pizza that I’ve ever eaten. The pizzas are small, but fortunately they come two to a box. One box makes a mighty nice meal, with plenty of room for dessert (or more pizza!).
Phoood rating: 
May 28, 2012
Red Baron Thick Pan Pepperoni Pizza
I generally like Red Baron frozen pizzas. They may not be the best frozen pizzas you can buy, but they’re not the worst either. And, they are a pretty good value (especially when they are on sale). I picked up a Red Baron Thick Pan Pepperoni Pizza on sale recently, which I had never eaten before. It’s a single-serving, pan-style pizza that you can cook in a microwave oven or a regular oven. I cooked mine in a regular oven because I wasn’t in a hurry and I wanted the crust to be crispy. When Red Baron says “thick,” they really mean it. The crust was probably the thickest, puffiest crust I’ve ever seen on any pizza, frozen or otherwise. The crust had a decent flavor, but I couldn’t get past how puffy it was - it was mostly air. I need a more substantial crust. Even with a below-average crust, the pizza may have been acceptable if the topping were good. Instead, the pizza had a very thin layer of flavorless sauce and cheese and was topped with too few forgettable slices of pepperoni. There’s much better frozen pizza available and even considering its price, I can’t recommend Red Baron Thick Pan Pepperoni Pizza.
Phoood rating: 
January 29, 2010
Domino’s Pizza (New and Improved)
Domino’s Pizza recently made some changes to their pizza in an effort to improve it. They call it a “pizza turnaround,” pretty much admitting that their pizza wasn’t any good before. Although they have been the butt of pizza jokes for many years, I’ve never had a problem with Domino’s Pizza. No, it wasn’t the best pizza out there, but it tasted okay and was inexpensive. To find out how their new pizza tasted, I placed an order through their web site (I absolutely love ordering pizza online!) and got a large Hand Tossed pepperoni pizza for only $5.99 carryout. I could definitely taste the difference between it and their old pizza, but I’m not ready to say that Domino’s now makes a great pizza. The biggest improvement that I tasted was in the new garlic-seasoned crust. It has a lot of flavor, but was a bit too salty. And the texture of the crust, while perhaps better than the old version, still is not that of a high-quality pizza. There was hardly any sauce on my pizza, so it was difficult to tell if it had “a melody of herbs and a red pepper kick” as claimed. The cheese tasted good, but the pepperoni slices were paper thin, making them almost flavorless. With pizza, like many other things, you get what you pay for. With few exceptions, an inexpensive pizza just isn’t going to taste as good as a more expensive one. Domino’s doesn’t make the best pizza out there, but I would buy one again because it’s an okay pizza for the money.
Phoood rating: 
March 5, 2009
Round Table Big Vinnie Pizza
Round Table pizzas are some of my favorites, but the prices have become so high that I rarely buy them any more. I have seen the television commercials for the Big Vinnie pizza and it looked really good. When I got a coupon for the Big Vinnie in the mail yesterday, I knew that the time had come to finally try one. The Big Vinnie is billed as an extra large, New York-style pizza. The pizza is pretty big, so the “extra large” description is accurate. I’m just not sure if calling it “New York” style is appropriate. I’ve eaten pizza in New York a couple of times and it really wasn’t anything like the Big Vinnie. This isn’t to say that the Big Vinnie wasn’t tasty, however. I really liked that it had very little sauce, my least favorite part of a pizza, and a thick, chewy edge on the crust. The cheese and pepperoni were also delicious. I actually think that I like the Big Vinnie more than I do the regular Round Table pizzas. Unfortunately, the Big Vinnie is not a regular menu item and is only available for a limited time. Get one while you still can.
Phoood rating:
October 27, 2008
Freschetta PizzAmoré Pepperoni Duo
My favorite food is pizza, but I’m not a pizza snob. I like just about any type, including frozen pizzas and the stuff you find in cafeterias. Freschetta has a new line of frozen pizzas called PizzAmoré, and I recently tried the Pepperoni Duo variety for the first time. There are a few things about this pizza that supposedly set it apart from others. First, the pizza is cooked in a plastic tray, which is designed to cook the crust evenly and so that it is crispy from the center to the edge. Second, the pizza is pre-sliced for the truly lazy who don’t want to bother with getting the pizza cutter out of the drawer. The cooking tray didn’t work as advertised. In fact, the pizza had one of the limpest crusts I’ve ever had on a frozen pizza. The pre-slicing is a nice gimmick, but I actually enjoy slicing up my own pie. The taste of the pizza was pretty forgettable. Not bad, but there are definitely better frozen pizzas on the market, such as DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen. Take my advice and go with one of those rather than PizzAmoré.
Phoood rating:
June 11, 2008
DiGiorno For One – Pepperoni
When it comes to frozen pizza, DiGiorno has always been my favorite. For times when a smaller portion size is desired, DiGiorno offers their “For One” pizzas. The box says that it has “fresh baked taste from the microwave,” so I put it to the test. After only four minutes in the microwave, sitting on it’s special cooking tray, the pizza was done. It sure looked like the DiGiorno pizza I love so much, but the important question is whether it would taste as good. This is where it falls a bit short. The sauce and toppings were good, but the crust didn’t have the same flavor or texture that a DiGiorno pizza cooked in the oven has. I was surprised that the crust did get a crunchy exterior. However, it was also overcooked in places, making it dry, crumbly, and not very tasty. This may not be the pizza’s fault - I might have just nuked it for too long. It’s clear that when cooked in a microwave, the pizza is not quite as good as you would get from the oven. However, when you consider the time savings and convenience, the pizza is well worth considering for lunch or a quick snack.
Phoood rating:
February 3, 2008
DiGiorno Ultimate Pepperoni Pizza
Super Bowl Sunday is a great time for pizza, so I cooked up a new DiGiorno Ultimate Pepperoni pizza to eat while I watched the game. I am a huge fan of DiGiorno Rising Crust pizzas, so I assumed that the Ultimate pizza would be very tasty. The pizza is very similar to the Rising Crust pizza, but the crust doesn’t rise as much as doesn’t have the dusting of corn meal on the bottom, which I really missed. DiGiorno refers to the crust as “pizzeria style.” No one is going to mistake the crust for one that came from a pizzeria, but it is pretty good nevertheless. The sauce has a fresh tomato flavor and is less sweet than on the Rising Crust variety. However, I found it to be a little bland. I didn’t have a micrometer to measure them, but the pepperoni slices seem to be a little thicker than those on the Rising Crust. Overall, the DiGiorno Ultimate pizza is one of the best frozen pizzas I’ve eaten, but falls just short of deserving a top rating.
Phoood rating:
January 20, 2008
Pizza Hut “Pizza Mia”
Pizza, like hamburgers and French fries, is one of the foods that define American cuisine. Its versatility has allowed various recipes and ingenious, not to mention delicious, creations (think California Pizza Kitchen's "BBQ Chicken Pizza). Even so, there remain several name brands that are practically symbols of this dish: Pizza Hut, Papa John's, California Pizza Kitchen, and Dominoes are just a few of the many. And it is upsetting to see these emblems of quality become shorthand for deception. Just released at Pizza Hut is a selection of pizzas titled "Pizza Mia," claiming to be made from "whole milk mozzarella cheese with a hint of cheddar, and vine-ripened California tomatoes." Its also unreasonably affordable: "just $5 every day when you order 3 or more 1-topping mediums!" Despite the hyperbolic diction and the succulent pictures, this line of pizzas lacks even the essentials: a fulfilling amount of cheese and topping, a flavorful crust, and a pleasing texture. In short, it is no less than blasphemy, an ungodly take on the American dish. Its is reminiscent of the five dollar pizzas sold by Little Caesars, which too are rather sparse, but the way Pizza Hut shamelessly promoted theirs leaves a bitter taste in anyone's mouth. Alas, it may be affordable, but so are promotional offers and pizzas elsewhere, and it is there you should find your deliciously cheap pizza.
Phoood rating:
July 20, 2007
California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust Sicilian Pizza
The California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust Sicilian Pizza is not the type of frozen pizza I usually buy, but I'm really glad that I tried it. It is really delicious and an example of just how good frozen food can be. The crust is very thin and perfectly crispy, with a great flavor and texture. The pizza is topped with Italian sausage, spicy ham, and salami. There is a modest amount of mozzarella and fontina cheeses. There's not a lot of sauce on it, which I like. The minimal sauce really lets you enjoy the crust and toppings. As far as frozen pizzas go, it is on the small size and costs a bit more than most. Even so, it is definitely worth buying for its great taste.
Phoood rating:
October 16, 2004
Domino's Doublemelt Pizza
I’m always on the look out for new pizza creations, so I was intrigued when I saw an advertisement for the new Domino’s Doublemelt pizza. The crust of the Doublemelt is made by sandwiching a cheese/herb blend between two very thin crusts. It works amazing well. The crusts are nicely crispy, and the cheese/herb blend adds an interesting flavor and a creamy texture. I definitely prefer the Doublemelt crust to any of the others offered by Domino’s. The rest of the pizza is, well, Domino’s – certainly nothing to get excited about. But the unique crust is reason enough to give this pizza a try.
Phoood rating:
July 10, 2004
DiGiorno Thin Crispy Crust Pizza
As far as frozen pizzas go, the new DiGiorno Thin Crispy Crust pizza is one of the best tasting available. Rather than simply make a square version of their regular, round, rising crust variety, DiGiorno developed a thin crust variety that may taste even better than the round variety. The crust is the best part of the pizza. It has a crispy outside and is chewy inside, with a great flavor. In fact, it’s better than many “real” pizzas I’ve eaten. The pizza has just the right amount of sauce, cheese, and pepperoni. On top of all this, the pizza took less than 15 minute to cook in my oven, which means that you don’t have to wait very long to enjoy this terrific pizza after you pop it in the oven. What more could an impatient pizza fanatic ask for?
Note: I ate the Pepperoni variety, not the Supreme variety pictured.
Phoood rating:
May 3, 2004
Tombstone Brick Oven Style Pepperoni Pizza
The latest trend in the pizza section of your supermarket’s frozen food section is thin-crust pizzas. Freschetta’s is square, Tombstone’s is round, and I wouldn’t doubt if DiGiorno has one in the pipeline. The Tombstone Brick Oven Style is nothing more than a regular Tombstone (which already had a pretty thin crust) with a thin, “cracker”-style crust. The crust tastes good, cooks up nice and crispy, and the pizza is less filling than the regular variety. This is either good or bad, depending on how hungry you are. Personally, I was still hungry after eating the entire pie. Next time, I’ll stack one on top of the other and make it a double-decker pizza.
Phoood rating: