Starts Frozen, Ends Up Okay

Pizzas are taking up an ever-expanding slice of the frozen-food aisle in supermarkets. But can any of them compete with a fresh pie?

We invited pizza connoisseur (and Cooking for One home pizza maker) Melissa McCart to join the Food section staff for a taste test of 15 frozen pies. To make the comparisons easier, we chose stripped-down varieties that are as close to a simple margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil) as possible. Each was baked in an oven according to the package directions.

Unfortunately, we experienced mostly soggy, bland or even chemical-tasting messes. Four pizzas, though, rose to the top. Our favorites, in order of preference:

Palermo's Primo Thin White Cheddar Cheese & Tomato, 14.3 ounces, $5.69, Harris Teeter

· A crisp crust, glistening cheese and a nicely tangy sauce.

American Flatbread Cheese and Herb, 14 ounces, $10.49, Whole Foods Market

· The crust was nice and chewy, the cheese a flavorful Parm and the sauce -- well, nonexistent, actually. But the pie tasted good.

Red Fork Deep Dish Pizza Singles Four Cheese, 12 ounces, $5.19, Whole Foods Market

· The crust seemed too doughy, but the sauce was zesty. Plus, it's cute.

Freschetta Naturally Rising 4-Cheese Pizza, 25.9 ounces, $7.19, Harris Teeter

· The sauce needed a little more flavor, but the cheese had a sharp bite.

Also tasted, but not recommended: 365 Four Cheese Pizza, Amy's Cheese Pizza With Rice Crust, Amy's Pizza Margherita, California Pizza Kitchen Crispy Thin Crust Margherita, DiGiorno Rising Crust Four Cheese Pizza, DiGiorno Thin Crispy Crust Four Cheese Pizza, Frontera Four Cheese Stone-Fired Pizza, Home Run Inn Four Cheese Pizza, Kashi Five Cheese Tomato Pizza, Trader Giotto's Pizza Margherita, Wolfgang Puck Margherita Pizza.

-- Joe Yonan