Chain pizza stores around here don’t cut it. We got Domino’s, Pizza The Hut, etc., but I don’t call them pizza, either. “Pizza-like substance” is as far as I’ll go.
They’re edible, might even be decent-tasting, but they’re still not pizza.
I had a lunchmate who always wanted to order-in, especially from those places, and I’d go for some on occasion. Meh. Was okay if I hadn’t had it in a long while, but not even twice in the same week for me…
Some places make dough that seems to be more based on biscuit-dough than bread-dough. It’s different at first, sometimes mistaken for good/better, but after a while, yecch.
It’d be interesting if some places would make pizza and freeze them, so you’d thaw/bake them later. Kinda like you can get White Castles in the freezer section of the supermarket and do similarly.
(Never had ’em frozen, only take-out, and while they’re really tasty, oh man do I pay my dues later and into the next day or so.)
Ok ... So if I went visiting NYC I might stop and visit with Lightbringer ,TomE or Glenn ..but after I returned home and got back on the forum if people asked i'd say ..Hmm I don't really remember them at all ... on the other hand I do remember the pizza.
DiGiorno is probably the best of the national brands; I like it better than Freschetta in the “premium” segment.
The Sicilian can be good too, but heavy, because they don’t skimp on the toppings.
Red Baron is acceptable, and they make a french bread version, but Stouffer’s is better in that regard.
Stuff like Totino’s/Jeno’s, Tony’s and Tombstone are probably what inspired the “cardboard” jokes. But every so often, I do get a craving for Pizza Rolls to relive a bit of my childhood.
Frozen pizza has come a long way, particularly after rising crust dough became a thing, which IIRC, started with DiGiorno.
I can be snobbish about pizza as well, and thoroughly enjoyed all the pizza I had in Italy last summer, but to me, it’s one of those things that has to be truly awful to not be edible. Even bad pizza can fulfill a need or craving, including frozen and Domino’s and the like.
Of the different styles, I’m not a traditionalist, and given a choice, will take others like Chicago deep dish or Detroit-style over traditional Neapolitan or NYC thin crust.
But my new favorite is Roman-style, which has a thicker, crispy crust with some chewiness. Like NYC pizza, it’s sold by the slice.
BTW, one can actually find frozen pizza in the supermarket in Italy. But it’s a minuscule section, and nowhere near the almost full aisle’s worth like the U.S.
It’s not good by any measure compared to the real deal but the best i found here is by far the Sodebo “Dolce pizza” line, i don’t think they are available outside France:
Even mediocre pie is ok when it first leaves the oven. Lately we have been buying pizzeria pie half baked and finishing it at home. Much better than eating it warm.
There is a brand named Screamin Sicilian. I first came across it in Texas and have also found it here in California. it’s far better than Digiorno and cheaper.
For frozen, the wife and I enjoy Palermo’s thin crust margherita pizza. It has a boatload of diced tomatoes in lieu of sauce, minced basil leaves, and a meh flavored mozzarella. I usually shred some fresh sharp provolone on top, and a couple fresh basil leaf chiffonade half way through, to give it better flavor.
The Digiorno Deep Dish Crispy pan pizza by the a country mile! It’s the only frozen pizza I would even considering eating! The 4 cheese version is freaking awesome, and is easily better than Pizza Hut and other shitty chains.
Most all our local grocery stores do what I call the “Nightly Thaw”. They bring out the frozen food to the main aisle and let it sit for hours while they nonchalantly place a few package of food in the frezzor now and then. They even throw the boxes of food on the floor in front of the freezers for hours. Consequently all the frozen food is reduced to garbage. Target does not perform this sadistic ritual. So I like their “Archer Farm” brand of pizza.