A Frozen Pizza Throw Down
Frozen pizza is one of those things that we do very rarely around our house. Usually when we eat pizza, it's homemade (the frugal way to go) or from a local chain (Eric's favorite option).
However, frozen pizza was a necessity a few weeks ago. Dinner turned out to be a flop and it was a date night at home for Eric and I. So I asked him to pick up something at the grocery store on his way home from work that we could have for dinner. He opted for frozen pizza.
More precisely, he opted for 2 frozen pizzas. He wanted us to do a little taste test and see what we found. So, I present our highly scientific findings.
The test subjects:
DiGiorno Rising Crust Pizza - $7.99 vs. Red Baron Classic Crust - $4.99
Our biggest question was if the DiGiorno was really worth the 3 extra dollars. Being eternally frugally optimistic, I said no way! Eric wasn't so sure.
Here are the pizzas, ready to go into the oven. The DiGiorno is on the left (notice the clever little D Eric made out of the pepperoni?) and the Red Baron is on the right.
Initial impressions showed that the DiGiorno was a thicker crust with more cheese. The Red Baron had more sauce and pepperoni though.
Fresh out of the oven. There's definitely a marked difference between the two pizzas. They both looked and smelled delicious, but the DiGiorno did have a nicer look to it.
On the plate, ready to devour. Again, the DiGiorno is on the left and the Red Baron is on the right. And again, there is a marked difference between the two.
But now for the true test, because afterall, does it really matter how something looks if it doesn't taste good?
Eric definitely preferred the taste of the DiGiorno. He liked the thicker crust and all that cheese. For me, I was all about the Red Baron. I suppose this isn't the best gauge since it wasn't a blind taste test and the cost might have factored in for me. Although I really don't think so. I think I just preferred the thinner crust, more sauce and less cheese.
So our final answer is that we don't have an answer. Eric says it's worth the extra $3 and I say it's not. I guess it's just a matter of preference between what kind of crust and amount of cheese you prefer.
In the end though, you're probably better off sticking with the homemade pizza for regular pizza consumption and the take-out pizza for the occasional splurge.
Where do you stand on this pizza issue? Are you a loyal fan of DiGiorno or Red Baron...homemade or take-out?
(Note - Neither DiGiorno or Red Baron had anything to do with this post. It is not a sponsored review. Just the crazy opinions of my husband and myself who were feeling a little slap happy one Friday night.)
Stop by Hooked On Houses for more Hooked On...
Here are the pizzas, ready to go into the oven. The DiGiorno is on the left (notice the clever little D Eric made out of the pepperoni?) and the Red Baron is on the right.Initial impressions showed that the DiGiorno was a thicker crust with more cheese. The Red Baron had more sauce and pepperoni though.
Fresh out of the oven. There's definitely a marked difference between the two pizzas. They both looked and smelled delicious, but the DiGiorno did have a nicer look to it.
On the plate, ready to devour. Again, the DiGiorno is on the left and the Red Baron is on the right. And again, there is a marked difference between the two.
But now for the true test, because afterall, does it really matter how something looks if it doesn't taste good?
Eric definitely preferred the taste of the DiGiorno. He liked the thicker crust and all that cheese. For me, I was all about the Red Baron. I suppose this isn't the best gauge since it wasn't a blind taste test and the cost might have factored in for me. Although I really don't think so. I think I just preferred the thinner crust, more sauce and less cheese.
So our final answer is that we don't have an answer. Eric says it's worth the extra $3 and I say it's not. I guess it's just a matter of preference between what kind of crust and amount of cheese you prefer.
In the end though, you're probably better off sticking with the homemade pizza for regular pizza consumption and the take-out pizza for the occasional splurge.
Where do you stand on this pizza issue? Are you a loyal fan of DiGiorno or Red Baron...homemade or take-out?
(Note - Neither DiGiorno or Red Baron had anything to do with this post. It is not a sponsored review. Just the crazy opinions of my husband and myself who were feeling a little slap happy one Friday night.)
Stop by Hooked On Houses for more Hooked On...
14 comments:
This was a great idea for a post. I'm with your I would never pay $7.99 for a frozen pizza. Especially for that price or less you can get pizza parlor pizza (at least in my part of the country). Of course being so frugal I don't think I could spend $4.99 on a frozen pizza. I do like a lot of cheese on my pizza though. Thanks for the play by play taste test. How fun.
We don't do frozen pizza very often, but when we do, we like Freschetta best and DiGiorno next, but we don't pay $7.99 for it. We always wait until it's on sale for four or five dollars. ; ) Then we add just a little more cheese since we like our pizza on the cheesy side. One time, though, we tried a Safeway brand frozen pizza (I think it was on sale for about two dollars) and were very favorably impressed indeed.
We're a homemade pizza family. My hubby says I've ruined him on take out pizza forever. Bummer(teehee), but I won't miss the crazy cost of a pizza parlor.
I'm with Christina on this one . . . Safeway brand frozen pizza is the best, especially for the price!
We are a homemade pizza kinda family-every friday night. I do our pizzas year round on the grill outside so they get thin and crispy! Yum! But I am with you on the Red Baron:) I don't care how good it tastes I dont want to pay three dollars more! I also prefer less cheese and my husband likes gobs of cheese.
-Bree
We are a takeout pizza family but there is only 2 of us so it is economical because we get quite a few meals out of it.
I guess for your family, which of the 2 frozen pizzas will depend on who is doing the shopping - lol If you get hubby to buy he'll do DiGiorno, but you'll grab Red Baron ;-)
No matter what kind of pizza you end up with (homemade, take-out or frozen).. Enjoy!
We used to eat only the Red Barron (when we had frozen pizza, which wasn't that often). mainly because I could get it cheap. I do really like their sauce.
But, one day a few months ago, I was suddenly feeding 16 people dinner on a moments notice. Kevin was driving by the grocery store and rather than ordering pizza I had him buy a few frozen ones. He grabbed the Freschetta pizzas. Now we love them! A little more than the Red Barron, but less than the DiGiorno. They are so good. well, not like homemade or Papa Johns, but very good for frozen.
We LOVE Digorno pizza in our house. I used to make homemade pizza all the time, but I keep catching these on sale and my family loves them.
Fun post!
we usually get digiorno, but now i think the red baron would be fine! the thing is - i always doctor it up. more toppings, better cheese, etc.
The only time I had frozen pizza we bought DiGiorno but were very disappointed in it. Wouldn't buy it again!
Love pizza - any variety - frozen, take out, homemade. I buy both of these brands and love the thick crust of DiGorno but also love the thin crispy crust variety too. Only buy them on sale. Never tried the Safeway brand, but looks like it's next! Great post!! Jane T.
what a fun post!
The the step by step.
TTFN~~Claudia ♥
I LOVE pizza and I must confess that I always buy the frozen when we're eating pizza at home. DiGiorno is it for us in the frozen category - always. :-)
I always buy the cheapest pizza I can find and load it up at home. I pay about $2.00 for a pizza, throw on some extra cheese, whatever meat I have on hand, veggies, etc. And I dip it in warm pizza sauce! DiGiorno never compares :)
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