Today I ate four frozen pizzas in the
pizza pockets family: Lean Pockets pepperoni pizza, Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza, Hot Pockets Four Cheese Pizza, and Hot Pockets Supreme Pizza. I have some observations that I made about each of them. However, the winner of the group was Hot Pockets Pepperoni Pizza.
Lean Pockets comes from the same company as Hot Pockets, Nestle and the product is almost identical in many ways. First, all four of these products have the same microwave instructions. You have to unwrap the product and insert into an unfolded sleeve. Then place it on a paper plate and microwave. Then you have to wait for the pizza to cool down for 2 minutes after. Even the pockets are identical for both brands. You stick the rectangular pizza pocket into a rectangular sleeve that fits smoothly. Very easy.
The microwave times are similar for these products. All meat related pockets were 2 minutes and the four cheese pocket was 1.5 minutes for each pocket.
I think the microwave time and the simplicity factor for cooking these pizzas was a big bonus here. Other frozen pizza products usually microwave much longer. The taste was very similar for all of these Hot and Lean pockets. The crust encapsulates the inner cheeses and ingredients. You have to be real careful when eating this type of pizza because of the burn factor (that may be a reason that they are called Hot Pockets). It is hard enough to eat an open face pizza without getting burned. Here the insides are still cooking even minutes after it was cooked. Tip: break open the center and let the hot air out before eating.
The four cheese pizza was just a bit too much cheese for my taste buds and the supreme pizza had more cheese than meat. Although the Lean pocket was also a pepperoni pizza I like the Hot Pocket pepperoni pizza better because of its crust. The Hot Pockets pepperoni had more seasoning on its crust including a higher garlic taste.
For your convenience I have included some info about Hot Pockets, Lean Pockets, and Nestle below:
About Hot and Lean Pockets
Since our yummily-stuffed hand-held sandwiches first appeared on
supermarket shelves in the early 1980s, America has been, well - eating them. We
created convenient, delicious and affordable LEAN POCKETS® sandwiches so our
customers could take a portion of their breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks to
go. And, 25 years later, it seems they really went with it.
The Early Years
Now everyone knows the great-tasting sandwich with a tasty crust. The HOT
POCKETS® brand sandwich. And while now they’re ready in a matter of minutes,
their rise to fame took only slightly longer. Thanks to Chef America Inc.’s
specially formulated, patented dough, classic filling combos and
microwave-crisping sleeves, the ‘80s brought us a packaged food icon. Building
on the convenience and quality consumers wanted, in 1987, we introduced LEAN
POCKETS® brand to meet the needs of health-conscious consumers.
As this trend toward better for you lifestyles continues, so does the
expansion of the LEAN POCKETS® sandwich line. Made with Whole Grain,
Chef-Inspired and Stuffed Quesadilla options have made their way into our
sandwiches and the busy on-the-go schedules they’re made to satisfy.
There are many good contributions in sandwich history. Over the past
decade, in the frozen hand-held food and snacks category, we’re proud to have
contributed quite a few of them ourselves. Here are a few of our faves:
2001/02
LEAN POCKETS® brand wake up the world with sandwiches for Breakfast.
We’re talking delicious scrambled eggs and cheese with either bacon, ham or
sausage. Nice.
2003
LEAN POCKETS® brand tips our sombreros to Mexican-style varieties. Here
we introduce Mexican flavors wrapped in a corn tortilla flavored crust.
2005
LEAN POCKETS® brand SUBS. Oh happy day. Now we’re making premium sub
sandwiches featuring soft baked bread and your favorite sub shop flavors
2005
Cheese please. LEAN POCKETS® brand varieties become even better-tasting
with "crispier, cheesier crust". Craziness.
2006
Take a number people. LEAN POCKETS® brand varieties now feature
delicious deli-style thin sliced meats.
2007
Good grains it’s LEAN POCKETS® brand Made with Whole Grain. A tender
crust with a good source of fiber and topped with whole grains, and 6-8 grams of
fat per serving makes eating well on the go a go!
In 2002, Nestlé acquired Chef America, Inc., which pioneered the frozen
sandwich category and has led it ever since. The business, known as Nestlé
Prepared Foods Company - Denver, is part of the Nestlé Prepared Foods Company
headquartered in Solon, Ohio. Nestlé Prepared Foods Company also includes the
STOUFFER'S® and LEAN CUISINE® frozen food brands— the nation's leading brands in
frozen meals— as well as BUITONI® refrigerated pastas, sauces and appetizers.
Nestlé USA, is part of Switzerland-based Nestlé S.A.— the world's largest food
company. For product news and information, please visit www.Nestleusa.com or
www.NestleNewsroom.com.
