The only supermarket frozen pizza I will EVER buy in Australia: ‘It’s better than a restaurant’
Winter was made for cosy nights spent on the couch tucking into a warm pizza pulled straight out of the oven.
But is there a particular supermarket-bought frozen pizza that reigns supreme (excuse the pun) above the rest?
Aussie shoppers recently weighed in on the passionate debate after the question was posed on a popular food thread.
A home cook asked the online community for their recommendations for the ‘best store-bought pizza’ found in the freezer section at the major Aussie supermarkets.
‘Yes, I know buying from a pizza shop will always be better, but sometimes you just want something in the freezer you can throw in the oven last minute,’ the father wrote.
In addition to seeking brand recommendations, the man called for any cooking tricks that would achieve ‘the best outcome’ when cooking a frozen pizza.
Responses singled out a particular brand – sold at both Coles and Woolworths – as the clear winner.
The standout? The Dr. Oetker Ristorante range of frozen pizzas.
The Dr. Oetker Ristorante frozen pizza range, which includes their Pepperoni pizza (pictured) was picked as a standout. Their pizzas retails for $9 at Coles and Woolies
Aussie shoppers had clever ideas to ‘level up’ the Dr. Oetker Ristorante Spinaci pizza by adding fresh ingredients like salami, mushrooms, prawns and red onion
‘The Dr. Oetker Ristorante are easily the best frozen pizzas I’ve ever had,’ read the most up-voted reply.
‘I second this, Dr. Oetker wins every time,’ added another commenter.
The frozen pizza range retails for $9 at both major supermarkets but many responses noted that the pizzas were regularly reduced on sale, and recommended waiting until then to stock up.
The Dr Oetker Ristorante range comes in several varieties including Pepperoni, Mozzarella, Spinaci, Hawaii and Quattro Formaggi.
Several comments made special mention of the Spinaci spinach pizza for being ‘a great base to build on’.
‘Get the spinach pizza, add torn up hot salami, thinly sliced mushrooms, and a bit of shredded cheese to glue it together. You’re welcome,’ one said.
‘I buy the Spinach and add prawns and red onion and extra parmesan. Bake till very golden. Absolutely the best,’ another added.
Dr. Oetker is a German brand that has been producing frozen pizzas since 1970 and expanded their range into Australian supermarkets in 2010.
The McCain frozen pizza was also a favourite in the post. Pizza-lovers named the brand’s Cheese & Bacon Family Pizza and Lil’ Pizzas range as favourites
Another frozen pizza brand that rated highly in the post was McCain.
The legacy Aussie brand which are arguably better known for their frozen chips also have an extensive range of frozen pizzas sold at both Woolies and Coles.
Redditors singled out the classic McCain Supreme Family Pizza and Lil’ Pizzas Ham and Cheese 4 packs as standouts.
Other flavours in their frozen pizza range include Ham & Pineapple, Meatlovers, Cheese & Bacon and Margherita.
Both Coles and Woolies sell family size McCain pizza retailing for $8.50, while a two pack of slices costs $9 and the four pack of Lil Pizzas are $7.80.
However, some suggested that the secret to levelling up your frozen pizza from the supermarket had nothing to do with buying a particular brand.
Instead – similar to the suggestions given about the Dr. Oetker spinach pizza – some recommended rethinking frozen pizza as a ‘base’ starting point.
They explained that the addition of even just a few added fresh toppings could result in a much more flavourful taste than a typical frozen pizza.
‘Use whatever frozen pizza is the cheapest, then add your own toppings using theirs as the base. Doesn’t disappoint,’ advised one.
Fresh topping recommendations included ham, salami, mushrooms, capsicum, pineapple, olives, anchovies, herbs or chilli flakes – and an extra sprinkle of mozzarella cheese.
Commenters also offered up some nifty cooking tricks to improve the end result when cooking a frozen pizza.
One person emphasised that the secret was all in the preheating.
They understood that this was a commonly skipped step when you’re hungry and just want your pizza cooked as quickly as possible.
However, they insisted that taking an extra couple of minutes to heat up the oven led to an improved the final result.
‘PRE-HEAT THE OVEN,’ they stressed. ‘Pre-heating the oven makes a world of difference.’
Another suggested taking this a step further by preheating the tray on which you intend to cook the frozen pizza.
Pre-heating the tray helps achieve a crispy – not soft and soggy – pizza base.
Meanwhile, although not technically a frozen supermarket pizza, many also highlighted the exceptional ‘value for money’ of takeaway pizzas sold at budget supermarket chain Costco.
Cooked in-store and served piping hot, shoppers rated the bargain buy which costs $16 for a large pizza or $2.99 per slice.
Costco pizzas come in plain cheese, pepperoni or BBQ meat varieties – but it’s recommended that you check in with your local Costco warehouse to confirm their current menu.
The only catch with this supermarket pizza? You need to pop in to your local store to buy it fresh and hot.
