Oprah Pepperoni Pizza - Cheap$kate Review Video

I practically had a heart attack when I saw full-sized Pepperoni Pizza by Oprah Winfrey in my local 99c only Store. So I picked up 3 packages, I think you've done it too!

Well, something had to be wrong for them to end up here right? Not really as regular markets sometime over-order food items and they end up in discount store frozen food bins, like the 99c only Stores. Click here for a simple explanation from the horse's mouth, I mean 99c only Store corporate link.

And I've learned you have to shop impulsively there because when I went back a few days later  Oprah That's Good Pepperoni Pizzas were gone. But a week later Oprah That's Good Broccoli Cheddar Soup was in the cold deli case, so score again! (I'll have a video review of  Broccoli Cheddar Soup  next month.)

So on to my Cheap$kate Dining Review of Oprah That's Good Pepperoni Pizza. First off this is a great Deal of the Day, -- a full-size foot wide pepperoni pizza that weight a pound and a half for 99.99 cents? How can it not be? But there are a couple of minor problems here.

Ready for the oven.

Looking at the package description the first warning sign was "low-moisture part-skim mozzarella cheese" and "1/3 of pizza crust is made of cauliflower." Hmmmm....

Click on any photo to see larger.

A "diet pizza" is an oxymoron and an already disadvantage. It's a no-win for any purveyor, even Oprah!

But if you put enough cheese then the problem is minimized. So Oprah, add more cheese to your pizzas!

I do have a solution and that is a small 3-ounce package of diet mozzarella from my local Dollar Tree! Add the whole package and you will have those satisfactory strands of melty, stringy, cheese connective tissue when you pull apart a molten pizza slice.

Cauliflower pizza crust ended up not being a problem after all. I could not taste any difference between regular pizza crusts I've tried. And the texture was still bready with crispy crust edges. Whew, I was worried about that veggie addition.

This is a hybrid crust though, half deep-dish and half not. I mean it is a thick bread crust. I guess it's a nod to Oprah's hometown and their namesake, the Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza.

I prefer thin-crust in general but have enjoyed deep-dish as well. But this version did not have enough tomato sauce and cheese to be a true deep-dish. The tomato sauce was flavorful with Italian herbs and seasonings, I just wanted more of it.

The pepperonis were plentiful and tasty. The package mentioned uncured, but I could not tell any discernable difference from regular cured types.

When you get any food with Oprah's name it's bound to be nutritious and low fat. Here are the numbers on the package.

Click on photos to see larger.

Overall this was a good pizza. One other change is to shave off a few minutes from the cooking time. It is easy to overcook this pizza so the cheese hardens and the crust is too brittle. The package directions call for 400 degrees and 20 minutes of baking. I would just reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Since the crust is partially cooked you just need to melt the cheese and heat the crust though.

So, what does Oprah That's Good Pepperoni Pizza rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best? Well, you will have to watch the video review below to see the rating. Click on the play button and dig in!

Oprah Pepperoni Pizza Review - Video

Play it here. The video runs 1 minute, 53 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

And finally, if you see any more Oprah's That's Good food fare in the discount bin, get a basketful, as they are sure to be a great Deal of the Day!