Last week, Taster's Choice highlighted fresh pizza doughs, with Lamonica's rising to the top. This week, it's a pepperoni powwow.
This spicy version of dry Italian salami is a favorite pizza topping of kids and adults alike. Scouring supermarket aisles, we found five brands of pepperoni, all of which were made with beef and pork and came sliced.
The winner, by a wide margin: Columbus ($6.99 for 5 ounces at Mollie Stone's). The pepperoni from this Bay Area company was "tender, moist and meaty" and had a "nice porky flavor" – "not as hot as the others." It was also "salami-like," "with a good chunk of meat and fat," though one panelist felt it was too fatty. Four would buy this brand, but the last wouldn't.
Armour ($3.49 for 6 ounces at Safeway) was the best of the rest. This "nicely spiced" pepperoni did well in the taste department: "smoky" and "very spicy" with "good pork notes" and "a hint of anise." The problem was texture: "dry," "a bit leathery" and "overly chewy." While one would buy, three might, and one would not.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: San Francisco Chronicle