Frozen pizzas are a very convenient and popular food choice in many homes.
They are relatively cheap, taste good, and don’t take much preparation time.
Some people wonder if you can even enjoy them raw and uncooked, so I wrote this article to answer some of the most commonly asked questions.
Frozen pizzas are generally not pre-cooked, so eating them raw can be dangerous and should be avoided. Bacteria carrying foodborne diseases can still be alive and active in uncooked pizza and can cause serious illness.
Keep reading this article to learn more about the possible dangers of eating raw frozen pizza, how to cook it perfectly, and enjoy it safely.
Is it Okay to Eat Frozen Pizza Raw?
Eating your frozen pizza uncooked is generally a bad idea! There are two main issues with eating raw frozen pizza; one is food safety, and the other is taste.
From a food safety perspective, you shouldn’t eat your frozen pizza uncooked, as there are too many potential risks of getting a foodborne disease.
Frozen pizza dough contains uncooked flour, which can carry the food poisoning-causing germ Escherichia coli (E. coli). So, say no to raw flour and pizza dough!
Additionally, frozen pizza has uncooked tomato sauce and can have various raw vegetable and meat toppings. These can also carry germs and microbes that get killed only by cooking the pizza.
And then there’s the raw dough and the yeast it contains. As the dough expands in warm places, you’ll likely get stomach cramps from eating your raw pizza dough!
I understand it can be tempting to just defrost your pizza and eat it. It saves time, and it seems harmless. But as this article shows, it really isn’t!
And if the health aspect doesn’t convince you, know that eating a raw frozen pizza most likely won’t taste very nice either!
If you don’t have the time to bake your pizza in the oven, prepare yourself a yummy sandwich instead. Your stomach, health, and taste buds will thank you!
What Happens if You Eat Raw Frozen Pizza Dough?
Eating certain raw food products can lead to severe consequences, so I thought I’d give you some more information and advice on this topic.
Most of us don’t think there is much harm in eating an uncooked frozen pizza, but if you’ve ever had a serious case of food poisoning, you know better!
The raw flour in the dough is one of the worst ingredients here, as it is known to carry some nasty germs.
The E. coli bacteria mentioned above can wreak havoc in your stomach, even though most strains only cause mild symptoms.
But if you happen to catch a bad one, you may suffer from violent stomach cramps, severe diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Another thing you might end up catching from eating raw pizza and pizza dough is a salmonella infection, a common bacterial disease infecting the intestinal tract.
Salmonella can be found in eggs, which pizza dough sometimes contains, or meat toppings that aren’t fully cooked.
A nasty salmonella infection is no joke and can lead to various symptoms, including:
- Diarrhea
- Stomach (abdominal) cramps
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Headache
- Chills
My husband Max recently contracted a salmonella infection and was knocked out for three days. He can tell you that it wasn’t fun at all!
So please take this seriously and do not consume raw pizza dough!
Are Frozen Pizzas Already Cooked?
Now you might ask: But aren’t store-bought frozen pizzas pre-cooked? Actually, no, they are not! Frozen pizzas may look ready-cooked, but they really aren’t.
None of the ingredients are pre-cooked! Not the dough, tomato sauce, cheese, or toppings.
Well, some meat toppings might be cured or partly cooked, but most frozen pizza toppings are fresh and raw!
Hence, baking your pizza in the oven is vital and ensures safe consumption and, of course, a much better taste!
Can You Eat Slightly Undercooked Frozen Pizza?
If your frozen pizza is slightly undercooked, meaning it has been baked in the oven a minute or two under the recommended cooking time, it’s reasonably safe to eat, as the oven’s heat will have killed possible germs.
However, if possible, you should always follow the recommendations found on the packaging!
Sometimes, though, you just can’t wait and take out your pizza a little prematurely. We’ve all been there.
Just make sure to bake your pizza to an internal temperature of 140°F (if you can measure that), or until most of your pizza looks ready and fully baked.
REMEMBER: Do not take your frozen pizza out of the oven too early! If it looks only partly cooked, it might still carry some bacteria that can cause you harm. Additionally, an undercooked pizza won’t look or taste very nice either!
How Do You Know if Your Frozen Pizza Is Cooked?
So how do you know when your frozen pizza is fully cooked and ready to be taken out of the oven?
The easiest way to ensure it has been cooking long enough is by following the cooking instructions on the packaging.
These will tell you the optimal oven temperature and how much time your pizza needs to be baked to perfection.
Additionally, you can check for the following visual indications:
- the middle of your pizza looks firm and well cooked
- the crust is slightly brown and crispy to the touch
- the cheese is slightly brown and bubbling
PRO TIP: Check your oven’s temperature if your frozen pizza doesn’t turn out like that. You could also invest in a pizza stone. That’s really been a game-changer for us!
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