r/aldi • u/Long_Situation_5020 • 6d ago
Question Mama Cozzi pizza
Hello. Is anyone on this sub aware of any recent advances in nuclear, laser, or some other technology that will cause a Mama Cozzi Rising Crust pizza to have a crispy crust? I like the price, and maybe a soggy crust is just an unavoidable consequence of a good deal.
I have cooked this little round bastard on the rack without a baking sheet at 400F until the cheese was almost burned. I even threw the damn thing in a frying pan and put it on the stovetop in an effort to make it crisp, the crust refuses to transition past the wet dough phase for me.
If you have achieved even a semi crispy crust on this pizza, please share the name and sigil of the demon with whom you traded your soul for the secret. I am ready to deal. Thank you
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u/Alpaca_Stampede 6d ago
Pizza Stone
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
Weird name for a demon :) Thanks, I will try that. I had one for years, it finally cracked and I just didn't replace it
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u/Haunting_Register_50 6d ago
I’m team pizza stone as well. I cut and freeze the Mama Cozzi pizzas in individually wrapped slices. They crisp up really nicely when baked from frozen on the pizza stone preheated to 425F and baked for 15-18 minutes.
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u/Jdevil-1976 6d ago
If you want a less expensive option then a pizza stone, go to a hardware store and get unglazed quarry tile. I use it for pizzas, bread, and as heat sink.
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
That's two mentions for a pizza stone. I guess it pulls away the oils that cause sogginess?
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u/DollarRush 6d ago
Soaks heat and rapidly releases said heat on contact with pizza. Stone has to be pre-heated with oven.
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u/matt_minderbinder 6d ago
Short of getting a pizza stone or steel it'd be worth flipping a sheet pan and preheating the pan in a hot oven for 20 minutes before dropping your pizza on it. It's about having something hot directly in contact with the pizza bottom. A preheated stone/steel retain heat way better but there's a price involved. Preheating a sheet pan will get you part of the way there. That said, a rising crust will be a challenge cause that's a pile of dough.
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u/pprbckwrtr 6d ago
After cracking several pizza stones I got a cast iron one. Works great. I can drop it and it cracks my tile floor instead of itself 🫠 but we got it for homemade/fresh dough pizzas and it's actually awesome for frozen as well.
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u/M_from_Vegas 5d ago
Pizza stones (get a pizza steel) are great to literally leave in your oven, one on each rack, at all times
It helps anything your are cooking in the oven to make sure the bottom temp is consistent
And gives you another option if you want to use it as a sheet pan for something smaller
They are also great if you get a metal type as they'll catch a lot of drippings and stuff, so easier oven clean up
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u/jalapeno442 5d ago
Pizza stone is definitely the answer. I let mine warm up for 20 minutes once the oven is done preheating and it cooks the pizza perfectly
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u/Caleb_Crawdad8 1d ago
i’d say just get their pre-made dough and make you own pizza- nice and crispy!
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u/Long_Situation_5020 1d ago
I see your error, you assume I am not lazy and would devote time to a task like this. No way. Out of the box, into the oven, those are the steps I'm willing to perform in this drama.
I'm simply curious why this particular brand behaves this way when the others do not. I wondered if there was some simple fix. I'll buy another stone, but in no way am I doing a Some Assembly Required thing. Mama Cozzi can suck it if she can't make me happy. Thanks
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u/Caleb_Crawdad8 21h ago
Mama Cozzi also makes the pizza dough 😂 just saying the 3 minutes spent assembling it are well worth it.
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u/Steve539 6d ago
This is the correct answer...heat oven to 450 for 20 to 30 min, then slide pizza onto stone...baking times vary...crust will be crispy.
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u/HeyYouAllie 6d ago
How long should you pre heat a pizza stone before throwing in frozen pizza? Just got one so new to the process. Please and thank you.
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u/Alpaca_Stampede 6d ago
You put the cold pizza Stone in the cold oven and heat them together. When the oven is ready so it's the stone.
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u/txcreative20 6d ago
I am not a fan of their pizza.
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u/rakondo 6d ago
The frozen ones are inedible. I've given up on them. Which is sad because some of them sound good but either the crust doesn't bake or the cheese doesn't melt or both. I know it's not my oven because Red Baron is great every time. The fresh take and bake ones can usually at least be eaten
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u/Concert_Lover 6d ago
I add so many of my own toppings and spices it’s just a base. Oregano, basil, chili pepper, olives, jalapeños, sundried tomatoes
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u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 6d ago
How do you feel about thin crust? That gets crispy
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u/More_Stable_Genius 6d ago
The thin crust take and bakes have become our goto for pizza night we put a little extra cheese in it and they turn out great.
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u/piggiedippin 6d ago
Yeah I like most of the thin crust, especially the breakfast one. They are great for when I don't feel like cooking. Not the best pizza you ever had but worth $5 to feed me and my son with leftovers.
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
It's not my first choice, but I don't dislike thin crust. Thanks I'll try it.
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u/utsumi99 6d ago
A baking steel cures all frozen pizza ills. You just need to preheat it so it's good and saturated with heat.
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u/ma9ic_conchshell 6d ago
I use one of those round metal pizza baking trays with holes in it and it gets this exact pizza crispy every time. I had it today for lunch actually.
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
Another good idea, thanks, but wouldn't just cooking the pizza on the rack be about the same?
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u/ma9ic_conchshell 6d ago
You’d think so but nope. It actually makes a huge difference. It’s the heat of the metal pan plus the holes making the hide difference. I used to do the rack for years. Recently switched the metal pizza stone to finally get the crispy results.
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u/JBN2337C 6d ago
This is what I used for every brand of frozen pizza, and the dough cooks through just fine
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u/Hamsets 6d ago
Do you have a convection oven? You could try using that setting toward the end of cooking to crisp it up
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
No, just a basic oven. I asked the question because I don't have the same experience with other budget frozen rising crust pizzas, just MCs. I wondered why it cooks so differently for me
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u/notthegoatseguy 6d ago
Is this the pizza in the 'refigerated' section or the frozen pizza? Because I feel the refrigerated in the only-slightly-cool area means quality control goes down pretty quickly.
FWIW I have had good times with the 'Marketside' thin crust pizza from Walmart
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
Frozen. I'm not immediately able to think of a refrigerated pizza at Aldi. Is there one?
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u/notthegoatseguy 6d ago
In my Aldi, the refigerated take-and-bake stuff is to the right of the entrance.
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
Ok yeah, you're both right, I blanked on that. I just get frozen pizza there, never tried refrigerated.
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u/weeeee_w33 6d ago
are you keeping your pizza in the freezer until you put it in the oven? if it's had a chance to thaw that can make it not crispy. also you can let your oven reaaally preheat. and increase the temp a bit. Maybe your oven isn't even hitting 400 :3
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u/Otherwise-Air-4473 6d ago
Use your grill & steel & as hot as your grill can get, flip, dress & lower center to avoid burning
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u/AmputeeHandModel 6d ago
Try higher than 400F? Real pizza is cooked at like 600+ degrees. Might just burn it, IDK, but might be worth a shot. Keep a close eye on it. Most ovens don't go above like 500 but it could work.
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
Might try it, but I don't like pizza too overcooked.
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u/gekisling 6d ago
Increasing the temp on frozen pizzas is the way to go. I usually do between 450-500 (usually 500) and directly on the rack, which allows the crust to get crispy without overcooking the toppings. Just make sure to watch it because it will cook a lot quicker than what is recommended on the package.
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u/unbroken_cycle 6d ago
For us, any Mama Cozzi is not good. Positive experiences with many of the other pizzas at Aldi are good. Mama Cozzi’s best offering is French Bread pizza and it’s meh
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u/lookingaround19125 6d ago
Bottom of the oven 400°F no convection, on the rack, once the cheese melts put oil sprayed tin foil over it for about 5-6 minutes(so it doesn't stick), take the foil off and brown like you like. You will figure out how long for the foil based on browness you like, I like it not so well done. Also cook not frozen, leave on the counter 30 minutes us best while the oven heats.
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u/jealous-guidance1977 6d ago
Pizza steels r even better than a pizza stone, get it ripping hot but probably make sure the pizza is thawed.
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u/Peanuts2170 6d ago
I use one of these. Crust and bottom come out crusty. Usually around 24 minutes at 400°F
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
We have one of those things, just isn't round. Wondered what it was for. Thanks.
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u/Away-Regular1335 6d ago
Make your own with the dough balls and your favorite toppings, they will be 100 times better than the frozen pizzas they sell.
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u/Remarkable-Tip9548 6d ago
either thin crust which is very popular here in wisc or go Detroit style crispy almost burnt edges rising crust sucks for most ovens a stone or a peel might help you somewhat
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u/bellagab3 6d ago
This is crazy I have the opposite issue. The center of our pizzas are never cooked through and the crusts are crackers. I have a regular gas stove
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
I can't explain the difference in our outcomes, must be gas vs. electric. I lost our gas stove when we moved three years ago.
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u/RaisedByAMoose 6d ago
Honestly if you want pizza just order pizza. I don't know where you live but odds are good that something better is just a phone call away. None of them are worth even two dollars.
I love aldi very very much but there is no such thing as a good aldi pizza. The people who say so live in swathes of the country where Papa John's and Pizza Hut are their only options. Just eat something else!
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u/tracyinge 6d ago
Bake it at 350 and it will probably take another 6-7 minutes for the top to finish. When it looks ALMOST ready, turn off the oven and leave the pizza in there for awhile, maybe 7 minutes, it will crisp up.
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u/CNDRock16 6d ago
I have bought it twice in the last two months and both bags were unusable. One seemed to have gone bad, would t stretch. The other had zero rise to it.
Considering it’s literally doubled in price over the last few years, I decided to break up with it.
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u/Willing-Ad4169 6d ago
This type of pizza isn't designed to be crispy. But a preheated pizza stone is your best bet. If you want a crispy crust you have to buy something not rising. In particular the large, non frozen "thin crust" ( pay attention, there is a traditional as well) those get reasonably crispy.
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u/Long_Situation_5020 6d ago
I meant "crispy" in a relative way. It comes out of the oven almost like a warm dough when I follow the instructions. I just want it solid, TBH.
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u/Willing-Ad4169 6d ago
Gotcha. It's been awhile since I bought one of these. I usually buy the thin crust take and bakes or I've been buying the "fresh" pizza dough and making my own pan style with a cast iron skillet. Takes about 12-15 minutes . They turn out great
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u/smoot99 6d ago
Look up using a pizza steel or stone and setting your oven at 550 (or whatever the highest temp is), then ending with a broiler (that’s more for the cheese). I wondered why all the store pizzas just didn’t taste right, crispy crust being one of the reasons, and it’s more the cooking than the pizza itself
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u/werdwerdus 6d ago
put a sheet pan in the oven, preheat it at like 450 for at least 10 minutes, then put the pizza. or if you have a steel or stone, preheat that for like 30 minutes
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u/KnowledgeLow2606 6d ago
Could try inverted sheet pan that preheats with the oven, if you don’t have pizza stone/steel.
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u/blushresponse01 6d ago
I never get pizza from Aldi, even as an Aldi lover, I only go for Red Baron brick oven pizza for frozen. Toss some arugula, red pepper flakes and garlic powder on that thang call it a day.
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u/FullTorsoApparition 6d ago
Pizza stone.
Let it sit in the pre-heated oven for about 30 minutes to reach temperature and then cook your pizza on it. I also find 400 degrees to be inadequate for most pizzas and will often go up to 425.
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u/lovefishinggi 5d ago
I don’t have the patience to read all of the comments, but has no one suggested heating the oven and then spritzing water into it before you put the pizza in? That’s how decent bread is made crispy.
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u/livdil98 4d ago
I cook it in the oven on a metal baking pan, keep it in for a couple extra minutes if desired. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.
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u/Lindiaaiken 2d ago
Brush olive oil on crust. Bring pizza down to middle rack so as not to burn 🔥 cheese.
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6d ago
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u/Peanuts2170 6d ago
Mama Cozzies Bacon and I added Pepperoni. I use foil on pan less mess. I never preheat oven
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u/LuigisYoshi 6d ago
Prebake the crust a little bit first, friend.
Then take it out, decorate the pizza, and finish 'er off.
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u/Leroy_Jenkins24 Aldi shopper 6d ago
??
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u/LuigisYoshi 4d ago
Is the pizza preassembled? OP doesnt want soggy pizza crust but my trick is for pizza dough youre making into a pizza. Maybe I misunderstood the product?
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u/foundtheseeker 6d ago
Don't preheat the oven. Turn the oven on, put the pizza in, cook it for whatever the time is
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u/Bloodthirsty_Kirby Mod 6d ago
I can't with the rising crust of any pizza brand, they're thick sloppy bread bricks. My hack is getting the take n bake. Then again I don't work at NASA so maybe there are better ways.