DiGiorno, CPK's For One pizzas mediocre

By Bonnie Tandy Leblang and Carolyn Wyman
Universal Press Syndicate
Published: Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008 12:31 a.m. MDT
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DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen For One. DiGiorno Traditional Crust (Pepperoni, Supreme, and Four Cheese), DiGiorno Thin Crispy Crust (Pepperoni, Supreme, and Grilled Chicken & Vegetable), DiGiorno Garlic Bread Crust (Pepperoni, Supreme, and Spinach and Tomato), California Pizza Kitchen Regular (BBQ Recipe Chicken and Four Cheese) and California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust (Sicilian Recipe and Margherita). $2.99 to $3.29 per 5.5-ounce to 10.2-ounce frozen pizza.

Bonnie: I'm not a frozen food fan, but I've been known to rave about some varieties of both DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizza. The former for its delicious rising crust; the latter, for its crisp crackerlike crust and decent pizza nutritionals. In fact, both brands have been listed on my end-of-the-year top picks. So is it any wonder I was looking forward to trying DiGiorno and California Pizza Kitchen's new For One pizzas?

Although both lines are microwavable, I also tested these in a conventional oven to give them every advantage. Both ways they were inedible: The dough was neither like regular rising-crust DiGiorno or fresh pizza, nor crisp like a CPK or a brick-oven pizza, and the toppings were mediocre — no flavors stood out.

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And these aren't really "For One." They have way too many calories and too much fat and sodium to eat in a single sitting. That's up to 850 calories, more than two-thirds of the daily recommended limit for fat, up to 80 percent of the saturated fat limit and up to 60 percent of the sodium. That would only be suitable "for one" lumberjack or wildly growing teenage boy.

Carolyn: Rising-crust technology opened up a new era for frozen pizza. Afterward, frozen pizza actually had some quality. California Pizza Kitchen did something similar for chain-restaurant pizza. But these new microwavable, single-serve versions denigrate both these good brand names.

The DiGiorno name, in particular, used to be synonymous with rising crust but is now being put on all sorts of unexceptional pizza. Based on the very mushy, bready texture of its crust, I'd say the tradition referred to in the Traditional Crust variety is the school cafeteria.

I don't often make blanket statements, but I will here: It's not possible to get good pizza from the microwave. Even preparing these pizzas in the regular oven (as per the box directions) didn't help much. Which leads me to my second blanket statement: If a frozen pizza box doesn't feature the words "rising crust," don't buy it.

Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs. Plain and Italian Style. $2.49 per 8-ounce box.

Bonnie: Testing these new panko bread crumbs on boneless chicken pieces reminded me of cooking meals for my roommates in my first college apartment. I'd cook chicken and eggplant cutlets by dipping them into flour, then egg, and finally coating them in bread crumbs before frying them in oil. That method of cooking has long since disappeared from my repertoire, with lower-fat versions replacing it.

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(Universal Press Syndicate)
Universal Press Syndicate