I was surprised to learn that Anthony Mangieri has a frozen pizza brand.
… in 2017, he set out on a new quest: to create a frozen pizza that would meet his standards — wood-fired, slow-risen, fashioned from all-natural and al-Italian ingredients — but made almost entirely with automation. … Mr. Mangieri eventually found a plant in Northern Italy with wood-fired ovens to produce his frozen pies … Mr. Mangieri said that making his Genio Della Pizza pizzas in Italy keeps the price down because heavy ingredients like buffalo mozzarella and canned plum tomatoes are available in bulk and don’t have to travel to the United States.
Chicago’s Home Run Inn (thin crust) and local chain Gino’s East (deep dish) have had frozen versions of their pizzas in stores for ages. And they are very close indeed to the products served in the restaurants. Of course, nothing will ever beat fresh-out-of-the-oven, but these aren’t bad, and I’m not surprised it’s possible to get decent versions of other styles.
Tasty though the ingredients were skewed to one side. For $7 it’s not very competitive with $16 for 3 of their original cornmeal crust at Costco, though it might be if it shows up at Costco.
I wouldn’t call pinsa a culinary classic. It’s a recent invention with marketing that tries to tack on an imaginary history. And this has nothing to do with pinsa anyway, it’s 100% wheat flour.
In LA the fancy frozen pizzas from recently reborn LA Morra are pretty good. They’re about the same price as a lot of fresh pizzas around town, though, so I don’t really get the appeal except as minor convenience or novelty.
I’d pay more for frozen pizza if it came closer to my favorite pizza place’s quality. With tax, fees, and driver tip, a 14" pie is $45 delivered, so $17 for an 11" La Morra might be a relatively good value.
We’ve tried all the ones from Locale. La Morra, Delfina, Pizzana… Our favorite by far is the flatbread pizza from The Italian Homemade company. Not only is the flatbread really tasty, but the toppings are top notch and generous!
I wondered about that. Our pizzas take about six minutes. And the bottom is beautifully streaked brown and crispy edges. It’s the best pizza we’ve ever made. Even from our Ooni.
