Why Costco's Food Court Pizza Tastes So Different From The Kirkland Frozen Version

Costco pizza is right up there with other food court legends, such as the $1.50 hot dog combo and the $4.99 rotisserie chicken. However, that's only if you get your pie fresh at the food court and not out of the freezer or fridge in the deli section. While both sport the Kirkland brand, Costco's food court pizza is in a different league from its frozen counterparts. Just ask any Costco shopper begging for the combo pizza to come back. Two years after it was discontinued, the food court's topping-rich combo pizza was reintroduced in early 2024 as a take-and-bake item. Fans of the original, however, quickly realized that the take-home version was just not cutting it. Whether refrigerated or frozen, premade pizza is generally inferior to freshly made.

There are a few simple reasons why even the best frozen pizza at Costco doesn't match the freshly made food court pies. For one, frozen pizza is invariably made to have a longer shelf life. Despite many Kirkland frozen pizzas having a relatively clean ingredient list without too many preservatives and artificial additives, freezing inherently degrades certain components. Cheese, for example, loses enzymes when frozen for extended periods and, therefore, doesn't taste as good. Second, home ovens can't match the commercial ones used in the food court kitchen. The perfect fluffy crunch of a fresh pizza crust is the result of professional high-heat pizza ovens, which can reach temperatures of 900 degrees Fahrenheit. A home oven attempting to bring a frozen pizza back to life is hard-pressed to match it.

Even if you can't execute the Costco food court's perfectly streamlined pizza-making process at home, you can still try elevating Kirkland (or any other brand's) frozen pizza by topping it with fresh ingredients. Fresh toppings, a cheese blend of mozzarella, provolone, and aged Parmesan (inspired by the Costco food court pizza), and a hit of fresh herbs can all help in getting that frozen pizza to start resembling its food court counterpart.

One Costco customer attempting to elevate frozen pizza to food court pizza posted a possible solution to the aforementioned oven dilemma: "Can I buy it, ask the food court to run it through the oven, and then pick it up on the way out?" While such a request will likely be turned down, there are ways to get the best of both worlds and enjoy food court pizza at home. A Reddit post reveals that takeaway pizza from the food court retains its texture better when it's not sliced. So, the next time you're at Costco, buy an entire food court pie uncut and give it a quick bake in your home oven to replenish the heat lost on the way.

Food court pizza also freezes well, so don't be intimidated by its humongous dimensions. Simply cut out what's needed and store the rest in freezer-safe containers. This way, you've got the anytime availability of a frozen pizza with the deliciousness of Costco food court pizza. Per USDA guidelines, frozen foods can keep (almost) indefinitely without spoilage and only really degrade in texture. However, if you reheat your pizza properly, some of that texture can be regained.