Cubed Pepperoni and plenty of Cheese! (Chicago Town Deep Dish Pizza)

Member Name: kelr101

Product:	Chicago Town Deep Dish Pizza
Date:	23/03/07 (515 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Inexpensive, succulent and rich tasting pizza

Disadvantages: High calories for a small product

Chicago Town Deep Pan Pepperoni Pizza's are produced by the Schwan Food Company, who have a preference for marketing frozen foods in the United States and Europe. Their brands, alongside Chicago Town, include Freschetta Pizza in Europe, and Red Baron and Asian Specialities in North America.

The Deep Pan Pepperoni Pizza's can be found in the frozen section of most popular supermarkets, alongside their other flavours - Triple Cheese, Spicy Chicken etc, retailing for round £1.65 for a twin pack. These pizza's can often be found enjoying a little marketing of their own, being popular in the Buy One Get One Free (BOGOF), and 2 for £3.00 offers - these are an ideal time to stock up on these handy meals. Packaging resembles any normal frozen pizza selection with the casing displaying a cooked version alongside the enlarged Chicago Town logo - relevant information such as cooking time, ingrediants and storage are also listed.

Each individual pizza is cellophane wrapped and placed on a microwaveable tray (not to be used when cooking via a conventional method) - the recommended method for cooking your pizza. If you do choose to microwave your pizza it will take approximately 3 minutes depending on the power supply of your microwave, or oven cook in around 20-25 minutes. Each method has it's benefits, with speed being the most beneficial to microwave cooking. Personally I always cook mine in a conventional oven prefering the crisper base this method provides, rather than the softer style through microwaving. I also associate the slight browned surface of the pizza as being a product thats cooked, rather than zapped and looking pale and lifeless. Cooking via either method still provides an very hot pizza, and here you must exercise caution as the plentiful supply of slightly peppery tomato sauce (which is also mixed with oregano, basil and garlic), despite being thick and smooth to taste, is also very hot - in some instances easily hot enough to scald your tongue.

The tomato aroma emitting from the kitchen whilst the product is cooking certainly arouses the tastebuds. Especially when combined with the sweet pepperoni smell.

Chicago Town now use 100% real cheese on their pizza's, and whilst it's quite a mild mozzarella, there is more than enough - particuarly in the Triple Cheese Version - I sincerely hope you like cheese when choosing this option. The cheese is initially grated on the pizza, as this melts sufficiently to provide a slightly stringy texture, enough to need to twirl your fork a couple of times, and is interlaced with the pepperoni.

On the Pepperoni Pizza - (10% pepperoni, 16% mozarella cheese) they use small pepperoni chunks, (previous versions were slices) each cut and cubed and scattered across the top of the pizza. Unlike larger traditional pizza's the distribution of topping is fair and even, without the need for re-arranging the topping before cooking. Each pepperoni cube has a sharp pepper bite to it, with a hint of garlic adding to the bite.

Other notable ingrediants include sugar, preservatives, yeast, salt.

According to the instructions their are no artificial flavourings or colours in this particular pizza, although it is noted that Beta Carotene, a colourant is within the ingrediant listing. Other food sensitive information of a notable nature, is its containment of milk and gluten.

Those on a more health concious diet may wish to steer clear of Chicago Town Pizzas. The pepperoni contains 494 calories per pizza (a mere 5" in diameter), so when served with a portion of chips and mayonnaise (the best way to eat them - trust me!), isn't exactly the most diet friendly meal. Saturated fat is also very high per pizza, coming in at 11.5g per pizza (twice the recommended amount for a healthy meal), and salt is also high at 2.3g per pizza.

Chicago Town Pizza's are sold frozen, and must remain frozen until used. If they are allowed to defrost they must not be refrozen.

Each pizza, either served on it's own, with chips, or with a healthy side salad, provides a satisfying meal. Although high in carbohydrates the crunchy crispy edge and softer base don't taste stodgy and lifeless, the rich peppery and garlic sauce is over a smooth thick consistency, and the plentiful toppings are more than sufficient in comparison to the size of the pizza. For £1.65 for a twin pack (i.e. 82.5p per Pizza - cheaper than a Big Mac!), I would recommend these to adults and children alike - although I suspect they are probably already a favourite with students on a more restrained financial budget!

Go buy one (well a twin pack is two!) and try it...you might like them!!

Summary: A pepperoni treat (especially with chips!)