February 2005
Best pizza for football fans
THE PIZZA PRIZE Papa John's (top) edged out Pizza Hut (center) and Domino's (bottom).
While quarterbacks are passing the ball, Super Bowl viewers are passing the pizza. The Domino's pizza chain alone typically
sells 1.2 million pies nationwide on Super Bowl Sunday, a 42 percent rise over the usual Sunday. Papa John's sales are 48
percent higher than on other Sundays. Pizza Hut will reveal only that Super Bowl day is the chain?s busiest Sunday of the
year.
We asked three trained tasters to compare plain tomato-and-cheese pizza from these three top-selling chains. After a three-hour training session, they sampled pizza at each of the chains in two states. All the pizzas, it turned out, were very good overall. However, they varied slightly in quality and tasted different, which means they'll appeal to different people.
Touchdown: Papa John's Original Crust Cheese Pizza. It had an Italian-style crust (similar to good, slightly chewy Italian bread) and a fresh-tomato flavor that balanced nicely with slightly stringy mozzarella-style cheese and mild herbs and spices. The sauce was sweet.
Field goal: Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. The bottom of its thick crust had a crispy, fried quality and was oily, but the mozzarella-style cheese was flavorful. The tomato sauce had a slight sharp-cheese tinge.
Safety: Domino's Classic Hand Tossed Pizza. When it came to quality of ingredients, Domino's trailed the competition. It had Italian-style crust, and its sauce tasted a bit like tomato paste. The herb seasonings tasted dried rather than fresh.
Naturally, pizza is best when fresh from the oven. Quality deteriorates when it's reheated, so consider choosing a chain based on how close it is and how fast it can deliver. Prices for 14-inch cheese pies are comparable: $11 for Papa John's, $12 for Domino's and Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut Pan Pizza is cut into 12 slices; Domino's and Papa John's, into 8. Although the Pizza Hut slices are a bit smaller, they weigh only slightly less than the others.
Frozen pizza with oven-rising crust is another option. Freschetta and DiGiorno proved about as good as pizzas from the chains. We found that the crust was best when such pizzas were baked directly on the oven rack.
Wondering what to consume post-game? According to ACNielsen, throat lozenges and sprays sell especially well the week after the Super Bowl.
We asked three trained tasters to compare plain tomato-and-cheese pizza from these three top-selling chains. After a three-hour training session, they sampled pizza at each of the chains in two states. All the pizzas, it turned out, were very good overall. However, they varied slightly in quality and tasted different, which means they'll appeal to different people.
Touchdown: Papa John's Original Crust Cheese Pizza. It had an Italian-style crust (similar to good, slightly chewy Italian bread) and a fresh-tomato flavor that balanced nicely with slightly stringy mozzarella-style cheese and mild herbs and spices. The sauce was sweet.
Field goal: Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. The bottom of its thick crust had a crispy, fried quality and was oily, but the mozzarella-style cheese was flavorful. The tomato sauce had a slight sharp-cheese tinge.
Safety: Domino's Classic Hand Tossed Pizza. When it came to quality of ingredients, Domino's trailed the competition. It had Italian-style crust, and its sauce tasted a bit like tomato paste. The herb seasonings tasted dried rather than fresh.
Naturally, pizza is best when fresh from the oven. Quality deteriorates when it's reheated, so consider choosing a chain based on how close it is and how fast it can deliver. Prices for 14-inch cheese pies are comparable: $11 for Papa John's, $12 for Domino's and Pizza Hut. Pizza Hut Pan Pizza is cut into 12 slices; Domino's and Papa John's, into 8. Although the Pizza Hut slices are a bit smaller, they weigh only slightly less than the others.
Frozen pizza with oven-rising crust is another option. Freschetta and DiGiorno proved about as good as pizzas from the chains. We found that the crust was best when such pizzas were baked directly on the oven rack.
Wondering what to consume post-game? According to ACNielsen, throat lozenges and sprays sell especially well the week after the Super Bowl.
