Frozen pizza

Fred wrote:

We've taken to pita pizzas. Just brush with olive oil, add picante or salsa, maybe some jarred roasted red peppers, thin sliced red onion, a little shredded cheese, and whatever else is on hand. Rotisserie chicken is a favorite.

When we first got married some 27 years ago, this was pretty much all we could afford. Although I like to make pizza from scratch, in a time crunch this still takes care of me nicely. Add some homemade giardinera and you've got a feast.

[Jenise]

[quote="Larry Greenly] Actually, I'm on your side of the coin; I enjoy eating and talking about all kinds of foods--"low class" or "high class" (I'm a broader omnivore than some, I guess). I'm against snobs who put down ordinary mortals who may enjoy a frozen pizza or TV dinner and are possibly hesitant to post such admissions in this forum. [/quote]

Larry, I really doubt if anyone's hesitant to post admissions here. Many of us do frequently. Anyone who pays attention has heard me confess my love for ramen soups and Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup. Bob Ross loves the latter too, and Mike Filigenzi loves Kraft Mac n Cheese.
Karen uses Knorr bearnaise sauce as a shortcut, and Mike Kotch and I bonded over a love for Jack in the Box tacos. Few if any of us are in any position to look down at anyone else's choices.

But what makes a snob? Ian made a good point in another recent and regrettable thread about snobbishness being more about labels--buying a brand only because you think it's impressive, or refusing to eat anything that doesn't come from X store. And I agree with him. That's real snobbery. Being particular about the freshness, healthiness, authenticity, taste and texture of your food isn't.

This thread took a rather unfortunate little turn at the beginning when there seemed to be an inference that one either buys frozen pizza or they're a food snob. And you object to the reverse snob suggestion when you're against snobs and concerned about the ordinary mortal. Well, I think what John meant by that, or at least what I meant when I agreed with him, is that it sounds kind of hostile to me when you (or anyone) take it upon yourself to determine where the line is and who's guilty--and I don't think I said that quite right but it's 2 a.m. and I'm unable to get the exact ride words. As to the ordinary mortal--well, as Joe Perry pointed out this forum is a foodie forum. We don't get many casual passersby, and the regulars are all here because we just love talking about food and like all hobbyists, within our area of interest not only our skills but our standards are generally higher than most. It's been like that since day one--why is it suddenly a problem?

Look, we all lead different lives, right? And we all have different thresholds and schedules, and we all choose different ways to make our lives better. You worry that some are afraid to admit they like a convenience product or take a certain shortcut, well it's also true, and accusations of snobbery only reinforces it as a wise move, that some people deliberately avoid admitting to various expensive food affections or splurges for fear they'll be accused of, at the least bragging and at the worst, living too well. That knife cuts both ways. Perhaps, online, nobody's really free to be themselves.

Well, except for Robin.

So how about a truce: I won't pick on your pizza (wouldn't have anyway, but I have to offer something in trade) if you don't pick on my salts. Okay?

How could I pick on your salts? You sent me some fleur de sel that I have in a special grinder and use on special foods. And what in the world are you doing up at 2 am?

Part of the problem is that email doesn't convey inflections, body language and little nuances, which makes it sound more terse (terser?) than it really is and can lead to unintended inferences. And I'm not very prone to use emoticons.

Peace symbol: V

BTW, have you made anything with the powdered chile I sent you?

You know, it suddenly dawned on me... Has anyone ever made a homemade pizza and frozen it for a rainy day? I never have. How did it work out?

"when there seemed to be an inference that one either buys frozen pizza or they're a food snob."


Jenise interpreted my post perfectly.
I don't eat frozen pizza.
I would never proffer the opinion that there is anything wrong with someone who does.
That's exactly what I meant.

Snobs look down on people. I suppose a food snob would look down upon someone who, in his opinion, doesn't eat the "right" foods, or enjoys the "wrong" foods. Personally, I don't care what anyone else eats - I just object to being lumped as a snob, when nothing could be further from the truth.

That's all.

"You know, it suddenly dawned on me... Has anyone ever made a homemade pizza and frozen it for a rainy day? I never have. How did it work out?"

I tried it Larry, but can't recommend it. It was soggy and unpleasant, much like the first frozen pizza I had several years ago.

Up above, I quoted an article from the NYTimes about an invention that made it possible to freeze pizza and certainly frozen pizza offered after 1988 was much, much better -- sales doubled and tripled and more thereafter. The technique is said to be quite complicated and beyond the scope of home cooks.

I do freeze pizza dough, and thaw it on a low heat in the microwave. Usually have all the fixings on hand, so I can easily get the pizza made in the time it takes my stone to heat up.

It's really a neck and neck race between the closest excellent restaurant pizza and making my own, unless we are out and buy one on the way home. Usually, though, the best pizza joints in this area have great alternatives -- eggplant parm for example at our current favorite, so we almost never buy pizzas ready made.

...I do freeze pizza dough, and thaw it on a low heat in the microwave. Usually have all the fixings on hand, so I can easily get the pizza made in the time it takes my stone to heat up...

I just use the dough setting on my bread machine.

Without flogging a dead horse, I was not referring to anyone specific as a snob. I replied to Walt's response in jest: "The pizza we also like that comes frozen is, believe it or not, South Beach and Lean Cuisine, and are prepared in the microwave (I'm assuming here that you've managed to clear all the snobs out of the thread, because otherwise they're going to be passing out and collapsing into their keyboards)." I then said, "Perhaps we need a snob filter."

All of this angst would not have occurred if we had been talking in person instead of email. So let's all sing, "We are the World...."

The pizza question in another thread begs a frozen pizza question redux, which garnered mostly unresponsive answers the last time around.

DISCLAIMER: Fresh pizzas are better. Yada, yada, yada, ad infinitum; try another thread.

IF you had to buy a frozen pizza, what brand do you think is best?

The best I've had is Essensia, but I always have a couple of Totino's in the freezer (they're always on sale for $1/apiece), which aren't bad.

It's not frozen, but it's pretty darn good. I buy the 16" pizza from Sam's Club. The cost is $7.99 for a 16 incher and the price is the same whether it is a cheese pizza or a pile on everything in the fridge. I usually get either a pepperoni, or a cheese and they really pile on the cheese. the crust tastes to me like home made, the sauce is not sweetish (I hate that) and it takes about 20 min to go from frozen to baked fresh out of the oven. Yes I did say it isn't frozen, and it isn't when I buy it, but I do keep 2-3 of them in the freezer for convenience sake.

We've taken to pita pizzas. Just brush with olive oil, add picante or salsa, maybe some jarred roasted red peppers, thin sliced red onion, a little shredded cheese, and whatever else is on hand. Rotisserie chicken is a favorite.

Pop them in the oven for a few minutes and though not a real pizza, it beats frozen all the way.

Fred, I am with you. Been doing it for years. The possibilities are endless. In fact, I just mentioned on another thread an appetizer I made for a Pinot Noir tasting. Pita pizzas with roasted garlic, duck leg meat, fontina cheese and chopped arugula, cut into two-bite wedges. A few weeks before I made the same pizza with carmelized onions instead of the garlic, and proscuitto instead of the duck. Both times they flew off the plate. Isn't it nice how the pita gets so nice and crisp and stays that way even as it cools off?

Besides sucking, frozen pizza is EXPENSIVE.

The TJs refrigerated doughs are not great, but they're about a million times better than the cardboard crusts and near-cheese of even the best frozen jobs. With that in hand, it takes almost ten minutes to assemble an acceptable pizza. Time is no excuse.

As for the cheese issue, I'm more on Rahsaan's side- I choose the cheese to complement the toppings. A four cheese pie is sounding mighty good right now. Too bad TJs isn't open yet...

edit- fixed spelling errors

Perhaps we should have a snob filter. I'm well aware that freshly made pizza is better than frozen (I do have tastebuds), but I don't always have the time to grow the wheat and tomatoes (heirloom, of course), throw the dough and bake up a batch of pizza. That's when I grab a quick, frozen pizza. I even have CANS of food. Oh, the humanity...

I've never tried the Trader Joe pizza, so I guess I'll grab one the next time I'm there. The Essensia brand is one of those with self-rising crust and a good-flavored sauce.

ROFLMAO! Larry, you sir, are a man after my own heart! I even buy bread at a bakery.

Welcome to the forum Tom, and you might want to try the wine side of the forum as well.

Carrie, that sounds downright decadent! I never would have thought of duck on a pizza. Must try it. Love the arugula idea, too.

You just made me think of one of our other favorite Sunday afternoon munchies. Garlic bruschetta topped with goat cheese and roasted red peppers. Gonna have to try the pita thing with that.

Yes, I love the thin crispy, crunchy "crust."

Hmmm... recently had lunch at a "Tuscan Grille" chain restaurant. They serve a very thin, crisp flat bread covered with sesame seeds that is incredibly good. I wonder if I could duplicate that starting with a pita?

Besides sucking, frozen pizza is EXPENSIVE.

Where you bean, Stuart?

Perhaps they suck, but the ones I buy are only $1 apiece. Two of them fill us up. Cheaper than going to McDonald's.

A friend likes the ones at Costco. I've never tasted them, but he says they unsuck.

Holland.

The frozen jobbies at Safeway are something like $7-8 for something pretty insubstantial. No dollar ones around here.

all this talk reminds me of something my brother and I used to do, after midnight, when the munchies struck.

English muffin pizza.
Lightly toast the split english muffin under the broiler, then remove and sauce with del monte tomato sauce. Top with sliced mozzarella and dust with grated romano. Run them back under the broiler until the mozz gets all oozy. Season with crushed red pepper.

Sometimes, we'd go through a whole six pack of english muffins in one sitting.

Chunky for dessert, right?

With that in hand, it takes almost ten minutes to assemble an acceptable pizza. Time is no excuse.

You are not factoring in the 2 hours and 45 minutes it takes to find a parking spot at the only TJs in Santa Fe, the 30 minutes selecting items, and the 45 minutes in line to pay for them.

Why does TJ have such sucky parking lots?

You are not factoring in the 2 hours and 45 minutes it takes to find a parking spot at the only TJs in Santa Fe, the 30 minutes selecting items, and the 45 minutes in line to pay for them.

True. But here, the lines at TJs are much, much shorter than at Safeway or Raley's (our equivalent of Albertsons or Lucky's). The drive sucks, so I use that as a rationalization to over-shop.

True Raley's story- there's one particular cashier who is the absolute worst. She tries VERY hard to be customer service oriented, to a fault. A very BIG fault. "Stamps? Cash back? Did you fine everything you need? Are you sure? Bread? Some nice sliced meat from our deli? Yadda, yadda, yadda." God help you if you bite, and even worse, if it's the person in line ahead of you.

Anyway, I stopped there on the way home today. Hers was the only check-stand with less than 7 or 8 people with huge grocery loads in line (we've all apparently learned to avoid this cashier) so I crossed my fingers and went to her stand. There was only one person ahead of me, a nice lady. The cashier checks her groceries, goes through the usual ritual, "Stamps? Cash back? Did you find everything you need? Are you sure? Bread? Some nice sliced meat from our deli?" At this point, I've counted backwards from 1000. In Japanese. The woman checking out suddenly realizes that she has a carton of soda in her cart that hadn't been added in. She apologizes, puts it up on the moving belt. The cashier scans it, and asks, "Stamps? Cash back? Did you find everything you need..."

[Jenise]

English muffin pizza.
Lightly toast the split english muffin under the broiler, then remove and sauce with del monte tomato sauce.

We call those breakfast pizzas! Always pre-toasted, then topped with a slice of Kraft Deli American (all I've bought since you explained the difference to me, btw), sliced tomatoes and dried oregano and toasted again. We're able to stop at a muffin apiece, but I realize you're talking about an entirely different predicament.

[David M. Bueker]

Now that things have taken a friendlier turn I would love to contribute more, but I've got to get in the car to drive out to Cape Cod, hire a boat & get my lobster traps in the water so I can be ready for Saturday dinner. After that I've got to milk the cow & churn some butter, not to mention harvest the cocoa beans to make the chocolate (oh gosh - I have to get to California to harvest my almonds...almost forgot) for dessert.

Ugh - this is going to be a week from hell. Better pop a Lean Cuisine in the micorwave before I go.

All in good fun.

You know, it suddenly dawned on me... Has anyone ever made a homemade pizza and frozen it for a rainy day? I never have. How did it work out?

I've never made a homemade pizza, so I haven't made it to first base on this issue. My culinary attention has been directed elsewhere.

But that doesn't disqualify me from having opinions on the merits/demerits of frozen vs. fresh (made by someone else) pizza when I have enjoyed them (or not). Chef and critic are disjoint roles.

As a general rule, I prefer fresh (and possibly reluctantly reheated) pizza to frozen. Among the whole lot of frozen pizza, Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas (highly untraditional, to be sure) are my favorite of the lot.

So stone me with a frozen pizza, if you disagree. Frankly, Margharita, I don't give a damn.

-Paul W.