"Pizza might sound simple as a concept, but it's a complicated beast in the kitchen and hitting all these notes is surprisingly rare, especially in the chain restaurant world. While pizza quality is inherently subjective, when it comes to pepperoni pies, there are some universal truths we can all agree on. The perfect pepperoni pizza has evenly distributed pepperoni rounds, sliced thin with a slightly crispy edge, the ideal cheese-to-sauce ratio, and a balanced crust that's light but chewy."
"Some pies I remember fondly from my childhood didn't bring the same flavor, while others that had completely lapsed from my mind were a lot better than my tween memory served me. To give each of these pepperoni slices a fair chance, I took a bite of each back-to-back, comparing the dough, crust texture, sauciness, level of melty cheese, seasoning, pepperoni quality, and overall balance."
"Papa Johns' tagline might famously promise "better ingredients," but this is the rare moment when more is not better, especially when it comes to cheese. I'm someone who is never put off by extra cheese, which is why I'm shocked that Papa Johns outdoes itself - but not in an indulgent, satisfying kind of way. It tastes closer to a cheesy Mornay-style sauce and resembles a thick, stark-white layer that congeals incredibly fast. Each bite becomes half cheese, half dough, which throws the entire slice off balance."
Perfect pepperoni pizza combines evenly distributed, thin-sliced pepperoni with slightly crispy edges, an ideal cheese-to-sauce ratio, and a light but chewy balanced crust. Side-by-side tasting of chain pepperoni slices evaluated dough, crust texture, sauciness, melty cheese level, seasoning, pepperoni quality, and overall balance. Childhood memories of certain chain pies do not always match present flavor and quality. Papa Johns delivers an overly cheesy topping that resembles a Mornay-style sauce, congeals quickly, and makes bites feel half cheese and half dough. The crust is thinner than some competitors with a soft chew but is weighed down by heavy, greasy toppings.
Read at Tasting Table
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]