Pizza Can Stand The Heat

Pizza may be the most popular school lunch, but that doesn’t mean the cafeteria serves it every day.

Which is why such companies as Oscar Mayer, Jimmy Dean and Hillshire Farm have stepped into the breach with packaged pizza lunch kits that can be eaten hot or cold.

After sampling all three at a special back-to-school session of The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel that included several youngsters, one thing became clear: They’re a lot better heated.

But since most kids don’t carry portable microwaves in their lunch bags, we also consumed them cold turkey, er, pepperoni.

Both the Mayer Lunchables and Hillshire Farm Lunch ‘n Munch versions are mini-pizzas that you assemble yourself from cracker-like crusts, sauce, meat and cheese. Dean’s Tastefuls offering, on the other hand, is an actual pizza that’s pre-baked and vacuum packed.

All averaged the same middling, three-star score from the kids. But Hillshire Farm was a love-it-or-hate-it proposition, with ratings on either the high or low ends of the scale, while Mayer’s were bunched in the middle and Dean’s evenly distributed.

Adults preferred Hillshire Farm, thanks to superior pepperoni, with Dean coming in second (based largely on the crust) and Mayer bringing up the rear.

In the interest of a balanced diet, we also served some fruit - fruit punch in aseptic packages, that is.

This time, the results among the kids were clearer, with venerable Hi-C an easy winner over the trendier Capri Sun, and the odd-tasting Minute Maid a distant third.

Adults were somewhat less enthused. In the sage words of Bob Bates, our resident retiree: “Stick with water!”

Hillshire Farm Pizza Lunch ‘n Munch, Real Pepperoni and Cheese

Price: $1.99 for a 4.3-ounce package.

Nutrition: 450 calories (33 percent fat calories); 780 milligrams sodium per package (4 small pizzas, drink, candy bar).

Taste (Adults): ***

Taste (Kids): ***

Value: ***

Comments: “Real pepperoni, good sauce.” - Brett Robison, age 10

“The sauce tastes like barbecue sauce. Yuck! Who wants barbecue sauce on pizza? Cheese was too dry; I ate a piece and it was like eating dry sand! I spit it out in my napkin!” - Tulli Dobler, age 10

Jimmy Dean Tastefuls, Pepperoni Pizza

Price: $1.99 for a 6.1-ounce package.

Nutrition: 590 calories (42 percent fat calories); 1,300 milligrams sodium per package (1 larger pizza, cheeseflavored snacks, M&M’s).

Taste (Adults): **

Taste (Kids): ***

Value: ***

Comments: “The dough was pretty darn good, Jimmy.” - Erik Gillett, age 16

“This is gross. I almost threw up.” - Heather Van Breemen, age 13

Oscar Mayer Lunchables, Pepperoni Flavored Sausage Pizzas

Price: $2.49 for a 4.8-ounce package.

Nutrition: 460 calories (30 percent fat calories); 830 milligrams sodium per package (3 small pizzas, drink, candy bar).

Taste (Adults): **

Taste (Kids): **

Value: **

Comments: “I took the pepperoni off because I’d rather not eat it. The bread was too chewy, but I liked the cheese and sauce.” - Dede Burns-McLay, age 10

“Something’s missing - like the oven set at 350 for 10 minutes and these put in it! Raw pizza: only during ice storms, please.” - Jan Robison

Hi-C Fruit Punch

Price: $2.89 for 10 (8.45-ounce) boxes.

Nutrition: 140 calories (no fat); 30 milligrams sodium per box.

Taste (Adults): ***

Taste (Kids): ****

Value: ***

Comments: “Extremely good. Tasted like the old-fashioned fruit punch.” - Julia Dobler, age 13

“An old familiar flavor that is still better than most of the new products on the market.” - Madilyn Hutchison Foco

Capri Sun Fruit Punch Juice Drink

Price: $2.69 for 10 (6.75-ounce) pouches.

Nutrition: 100 calories (no fat); 20 milligrams sodium per pouch.

Taste (Adults): ***

Taste (Kids): ***

Value: ***

Comments: “Has a good kick of tangy pineapple, orange and banana.” - Katie Greer, age 10

“It’s pee.” - Roxanne Gillett, age 8

Minute Maid Fruit Punch

Price: $2.79 for 9 (8.45-ounce) boxes.

Nutrition: 120 calories (no fat); 30 milligrams sodium per box.

Taste (Adults): **

Taste (Kids): **

Value: **

Comments: “It tastes like wine and crayons. It is very watery and has a little apple flavor.” - Amber Robison, age 13

“Remember when you accidentally drank the Kool-Aid without the sugar? Blech!” - Jim McGinty

, DataTimes MEMO: Products sampled by The Spokesman-Review’s reader food panel are prepared according to package directions. Panelists are not aware of a product’s brand name or price until after they have tasted it. Products are rated from one to five stars for taste and for value, based on quality compared to price.