Up here in the ole' L'Etoile du Nord territory (Minneapolis), there's a local frozen pizza that locals rave about. Heggie's - http://heggiespizza.com/

It's served in many bars/dives around the Twin Cities and I've often also found them in Northern Wisconsin "cabin country" roadside taverns (think Hayward/Spooner area).

They're pretty good with one noticeable difference from other pizzas - the cheese. They claim to use "real" Wisconsin mozzarella. This produces a creamy cheese that if cooked well, also browns on the edges. People used to chase the delivery trucks around to see where they could buy the pizzas (outside of bars) but recently, I've seen them at our local gas stations and even Costco. I've yet to see them at any grocery store though - just to add to the mystique. If you are up this way, try one out, they're pretty tasty.

Heggie's is great but best enjoyed at a bar that doesn't serve any other food. Those little Heggie's sized pizza ovens are whats up.

MunicipalTruckin wrote:Heggie's is great but best enjoyed at a bar that doesn't serve any other food. Those little Heggie's sized pizza ovens are whats up.

Totally agree. Although I would say that most frozen pizzas are best paired with several cold beverages. For some reason, that pairing works best with frozen pizza

MunicipalTruckin wrote:Heggie's is great but best enjoyed at a bar that doesn't serve any other food. Those little Heggie's sized pizza ovens are whats up.

That's much like the old-school Tombstone pizzas. Back in the day (35+ years ago) my friends and I used to go camping in Wisconsin and there was a bar in a dinky town near where we camped and where we parked that had the little electric Tombstone oven. The pizzas were better then, but somehow getting it hot from the little oven made it better still.

Kid Charlemagne wrote:Whole Foods has a brand called Table5 that is pretty good. It's not a particularly large pizza, so at its regular price of $7-8 it's a little pricey but it's been on sale a number of times as low as $4.79, and at that price it's about as good as it gets, and I'll pick up a couple anytime I see it at that price point.

It's cornmeal crust, they've got a mushroom, a 4-cheese, and a pepperoni pizza, and it's probably good for one or two people.

I second this, with a caveat. It doesn't resemble any pizza I've ever had in a pizza place. But if you just landed on this planet, and were only judging it on the criterion of "does this taste good, and am I enjoying eating it," it makes the grade.

We go through streaks. Our current go to frozen pizza is Palermo's ultra thin "deluxe". We add a bit of extra cheese, some pepperoni if we have some and whatever else the fridge yields up, but the basic pizza had a nice sauce, bakes in about 12 minutes and the crust is indeed thin and crisp.

For a long time we bought the crust and sauce combos from Whole Foods, then they stopped carrying them. They were called something like Mama Mary's. Then we found the crusts and sauce separately at Cost Plus, but then the closed the South Loop store..."

When I just want a pizza on a Friday night I have a hard time buying one from a pizza place for well over 20 bucks and then paying a delivery fee and then waiting forever for something to arrive luke warm and soggy. Palermo's gets the job done.

The mystery is when we walk through our trash room on Monday morning and see a huge pile of Dominoe's boxes in the corner that have accumulated since Friday. In a city with so many options you order Dominoes'?? Sometimes there will be a Little Ceasars's mixed in, which is even more disturbing.

chicagojim wrote:The mystery is when we walk through our trash room on Monday morning and see a huge pile of Dominoe's boxes in the corner that have accumulated since Friday. In a city with so many options you order Dominoes'?? Sometimes there will be a Little Ceasars's mixed in, which is even more disturbing.

For the price, a thin crust pizza from dominos is more than acceptable in my book.

130 frozen pizzas, ranked:

https://www.cleveland.com/best/2020/03/ ... mpany.html

WhyBeeSea wrote:

chicagojim wrote:The mystery is when we walk through our trash room on Monday morning and see a huge pile of Dominoe's boxes in the corner that have accumulated since Friday. In a city with so many options you order Dominoes'?? Sometimes there will be a Little Ceasars's mixed in, which is even more disturbing.

For the price, a thin crust pizza from dominos is more than acceptable in my book.

"Acceptable" is a low bar. It's like visiting Paris and only eating at Subway (and I've witnessed people lining up at Subway in Paris when a far better sandwich on a great baguette can be had down the same street for roughly the same price).

spinynorman99 wrote:130 frozen pizzas, ranked:

https://www.cleveland.com/best/2020/03/ ... mpany.html

Glad to see our current favorite, Table 5, had a good showing.

We have been happy with the Costco Bellatoria sausage crispy. I can’t help but toss on some thinly sliced mushrooms, a drizzle of olive oil, and some dried oregano and basil. Hits the spot at a good price.

spinynorman99 wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:

chicagojim wrote:The mystery is when we walk through our trash room on Monday morning and see a huge pile of Dominoe's boxes in the corner that have accumulated since Friday. In a city with so many options you order Dominoes'?? Sometimes there will be a Little Ceasars's mixed in, which is even more disturbing.

For the price, a thin crust pizza from dominos is more than acceptable in my book.

"Acceptable" is a low bar. It's like visiting Paris and only eating at Subway (and I've witnessed people lining up at Subway in Paris when a far better sandwich on a great baguette can be had down the same street for roughly the same price).

I'm try not to judge people for what they eat, because it typically doesn't impact me. I've got better things to worry about.

But Dominos thin crust pizza is a whole heckuva lot better than anything at subway.

Bride went down the street to a pizza party lunch with a few of the neighbor gals today, she was ecstatic to get out of the house. Brought home a few slices of Home Run Inn frozen pizza, that had been cooked (duh) Not bad at all. I'm not big on frozen pizza, though I did "clip" an article from Bon Appetit a while ago saying Digiorno crispy pan pizza was best.

Push comes to shove I'm capable of making a pretty decent pizza, oven or Big Green Egg. In fact one summer I did demos for BGE where I made about 25 pizzas from scratch on the egg* for each demo. But, I have to say, the thought of tossing an ok tasting pizza in the oven straight from the freezer has merit.

*Recipe and technique in Low & Slow 2 Link

G Wiv wrote:Bride went down the street to a pizza party lunch with a few of the neighbor gals today, she was ecstatic to get out of the house. Brought home a few slices of Home Run Inn frozen pizza, that had been cooked (duh) Not bad at all. I'm not big on frozen pizza, though I did "clip" an article from Bon Appetit a while ago saying Digiorno crispy pan pizza was best.

Push comes to shove I'm capable of making a pretty decent pizza, oven or Big Green Egg. In fact one summer I did demos for BGE where I made about 25 pizzas from scratch on the egg* for each demo. But, I have to say, the thought of tossing an ok tasting pizza in the oven straight from the freezer has merit.

*Recipe and technique in Low & Slow 2 Link

I grabbed three HRI frozen zas in my doomsday prep shop. I do not adhere to the "no such thing as bad pizza" adage, but wifey does. She loves Papa John's, DiGiorno. I can muster drunken college years nostalgia for the former but can't stand the low grade sweetness of the latter.

So Home Run Inn is a good compromise. The ingredients taste real, so thats good, the Chicago style sausage a'int bad. The crust kinda registers as tavern style, a little thicker. But crunchy if cooked properly. So I guess its my pizza of choice for end days (I do make a respectable NY style pie at home too, but I forgot to buy mozz on my last outing.)

I almost never eat frozen Pizza, but last night I had an Amy’s pesto pizza that I got at Sunset. Since it has been a long time since my last frozen pizza, I can’t compare it to others. I thought this pizza was pretty good and would happily have one again.

I think that they have improved, but rarely do I get them. We have a Papa Murphy's close by and they make a decent pie for a decent buck.

WhyBeeSea wrote:

spinynorman99 wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:

chicagojim wrote:The mystery is when we walk through our trash room on Monday morning and see a huge pile of Dominoe's boxes in the corner that have accumulated since Friday. In a city with so many options you order Dominoes'?? Sometimes there will be a Little Ceasars's mixed in, which is even more disturbing.

For the price, a thin crust pizza from dominos is more than acceptable in my book.

"Acceptable" is a low bar. It's like visiting Paris and only eating at Subway (and I've witnessed people lining up at Subway in Paris when a far better sandwich on a great baguette can be had down the same street for roughly the same price).

I'm try not to judge people for what they eat, because it typically doesn't impact me. I've got better things to worry about.

But Dominos thin crust pizza is a whole heckuva lot better than anything at subway.

PSA - Domino's is offering 50% off all pizzas for online orders until 3/22.

Home Run Inn Thin Crust Sausage, doctored with a little chopped giardinaire, crushed red pepper and hand grated parm, is THE BOMB. #coronacuisine

Worth noting–
HRI seems to have strong distribution game.

My besties in Bradenton, FL, who are Chi natives, regularly source them for late night sessions.

And we introduced my in-laws in SLC, UT to the charms of the other Chicago-style pizza, sourced from Whole Foods. "Best frozen pizza we've ever had"

boudreaulicious wrote:Home Run Inn Thin Crust Sausage, doctored with a little chopped giardinaire, crushed red pepper and hand grated parm, is THE BOMB. #coronacuisine

^
That right there.
HRI has, it seems to me, extended their line of toppings, too. Beware tho, you might find different crust titles, I'm finding that when they are on sale for super cheap, the "Original" crust lines are not included in the sale. "Original," is my clear favorite frozen pizza of any that I've tried. Tony's had them on sale for 4 for 10 (must buy in quantities of 4) a few months ago. The shopper in front of me in line had a stack of them and watched the screen closely when they were rung up. Her big smile confirmed they were priced correctly - she turned to me, saw my stack and gave me a thumbs up. If I had another freezer, I would have bought many more.

I used to thin Digiorno was decent. The crust tastes like bisquik to me, now. Can't get over it. Overpowers everything. I can appreciate other frozen pizzas with the crunchy, cracker crusts, and the 6-7 shreds of cheese, and the tvp sausage and pepperoni, but that jar of giardiniera and a drizzle of olive oil sure do come in handy.

I think I’ve said it before but Bellatoria ultra thin crust sausage is my favorite. I always dress mine up with dried oregano, basil, olive oil, and thinly sliced mushrooms.

Just read about these guys, Talia di Napoli, Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas delivered flash frozen:

https://taliadinapoli.com/

Article about one of the owners:

https://msb.georgetown.edu/news-story-g ... a-company/

Reviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e97RimKrGrM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmSVpzlqdFM

Gonna place and order and report back.

One bite, everybody knows the rules

One Bite Pizza Reviews has shifted to frozen pizza for the time being. As time goes by Dave Portnoy "energetic" demeanor is spinning up to new heights. Malnati's is currently second with an 8.4 on the frozen pizza scale and Jack's, out of Wisconsin, is dead last with .08

G Wiv wrote:Bride went down the street to a pizza party lunch with a few of the neighbor gals today, she was ecstatic to get out of the house. Brought home a few slices of Home Run Inn frozen pizza, that had been cooked (duh) Not bad at all. I'm not big on frozen pizza, though I did "clip" an article from Bon Appetit a while ago saying Digiorno crispy pan pizza was best.

Push comes to shove I'm capable of making a pretty decent pizza, oven or Big Green Egg. In fact one summer I did demos for BGE where I made about 25 pizzas from scratch on the egg* for each demo. But, I have to say, the thought of tossing an ok tasting pizza in the oven straight from the freezer has merit.

*Recipe and technique in Low & Slow 2 Link

If you don't have this kind of grill, any tips on how to replicate this kind of pizza? I know that it won't be as good. Do you need to use two pizza stones in the oven?

shorty wrote:If you don't have this kind of grill, any tips on how to replicate this kind of pizza? I know that it won't be as good. Do you need to use two pizza stones in the oven?

Key with the Big Green Egg is the ability to maintain higher temps than a typical oven. It is more than possible to make a perfectly delicious pizza in a regular oven using the highest setting, preheating and using a pizza stone. As mentioned I have a recipe in Low Slow 2 but if you make your own dough, sauce and practice a bit its going to be tasty.

There is a 20-page LTH thread on homemade pizza Link and 7,598 forums, sites and discussions on homemade pizza littering the Internet.

In addition to Low & Slow the basic pizza dough/sauce recipe in The New Basics by Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins is a solid starting point.

How a Frozen Pizza Brand Became Norway’s Unofficial National Dish
Grandiosa has dominated both the country’s pizza sales and music charts.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/f ... ilto_share

The new Ooni Fyra pellet pizza oven was juts released (and sold out). They will restock. 932 degrees on a handful of pellets.

https://ooni.com/collections/shop-all/p ... /ooni-fyra

G Wiv wrote:But, I have to say, the thought of tossing an ok tasting pizza in the oven straight from the freezer has merit.

Couple of Jack's frozen pizza have been living in my basement freezer for 4-5 months now, tonight was the night for one of them to die.

My quote above pretty much sums it up, "ok tasting pizza" crispy crust with a hint of cardboard, flavor flat, an ok meal with a salad. I have one frozen pizza left, will use it up but don't see myself making a habit, no matter how occasional, of frozen pizza.

click on image to enlarge

G Wiv wrote:

G Wiv wrote:But, I have to say, the thought of tossing an ok tasting pizza in the oven straight from the freezer has merit.

Couple of Jack's frozen pizza have been living in my basement freezer for 4-5 months now, tonight was the night for one of them to die.

My quote above pretty much sums it up, "ok tasting pizza" crispy crust with a hint of cardboard, flavor flat, an ok meal with a salad. I have one frozen pizza left, will use it up but don't see myself making a habit, no matter how occasional, of frozen pizza.

click on image to enlarge

My college-age stepson LOVES Jacks pepperoni. Best thing I can say for it is that it’s very thin and plastic wrapped so I can fit a bunch of them in the freezer w/o taking up much real estate.

He cooks it to a uniform bronze and tops it with Ranch dressing. At least he needn’t worry that anyone else will try to share it with him.

I find it interesting that Nestle now owns at least three brands of pizza.
All made in Wisconsin.
I would have thought that Kraft would have had all three coming off the same lines, just change the sauce and toppings for economics but they are not, so manufacturing enters in to the cost equation.
For Tombstone, if you get a Pepperoni, you get the same number of Pepperoni thin slices as a Supreme.
I’ve got to do a side by side comparison of Jack’s. Tombstone and Digiorno after dissecting and weighing the toppings.
Tombstone used to make a thin crust but alas I can’t find them anymore.
In High School I worked as a Pizza maker at Frank and Pat’s in Menasha Wisconsin.
The dough was made fresh, sauce simple out of a large can with Oregano sprinkled over it, slices of real Mozzarella cheese and your toppings and a flic of oil over the finished product before the oven.
This was before Tombstone made it’s way into every tavern in Wisconsin.
The drunks flocked to Frank and Pat’s in Appleton and Green Bay also with a great take out and delivery business! Later another was added in Neenah.
https://www.postcrescent.com/story/life ... 776334002/
-Richard