Costco Take and Bake Pizza - Perfecting the Pizzeria Style

Costco Pizza is quite the tasty bargain.  It weighs nearly 3 pounds - and is loaded with tons of mozzarella cheese (sauce lovers may say too much - nah!). For around $9, it can satisfy a family of four to five well within budget!

I've found that following the stock cooking instructions leave a pizza that tastes good, but not great.   The edges are fine, but the middle tends to be gooey and under done.

Try a few simple tips described below to approximate the taste of a pizzeria style pizza - tasty caramelized cheesy top with a crunchy edge.

Step 1 - Let the Peel be with You

Making sure one rack is at the top most position, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using the round cardboard that is packed beneath the pizza as a peel, position the pizza at the center of the top rack.  No need for a pan or pizza stone.   Don't throw away the cardboard bottom yet.  Bake for about 14 minutes.

Step 2 - When the Heat Comes Down

After about 14 minutes, the bulk of the pizza will have finished cooking - the bottom crust and edges are just about done, but the middle is just pale and melted.

Turn the bake feature off and turn on the top broiler.  Set the timer to one minute - DO THIS - you do not want to be distracted and turn your family's dinner into a round smoking mess!

When the timer completes, check the pizza, you'll most likely need at least one more minute to achieve a nice caramelized top.   When finished to your liking, turn the oven off.

Step 3 - Time to Enjoy

Remember the cardboard peel in Step 1 that you saved?   Use this again, with oven mitts to remove the pizza.  The cardboard also makes it easy to cut and serve.  Set on a table and wait at least 5 minutes before cutting.     This is to harden the cheese a bit and to prevent your kids from searing off their young palettes.

Serve with something green  - like a side salad - and you can all pretend that it's healthy.   Bon Appetit !

- Daddio