I was, admittedly, a late bloomer when it comes to Pizza Hut. Between a VERY Italian father and great local pizza joints, Pizza Hut was reserved for classroom parties and that one friend’s house that had a thick layer of dust in their kitchen from non-use.
I liked it fine, but it was just never part of my childhood. As an adult, it’s become a fairly common staple of my diet. Between the ease of getting it and some late in life rebellion against my Dad, it has become a once a month meal for me. While I usually stay within my same order, the large banner advertising the return of The Edge Crustless Pizza caught my attention.
The Edge isn’t a new item but a rerelease of a product that debuted in 1997. Described as a “tavern style, cracker thin crust pizza,” it sees the toppings go all the way to the edge (get it, like the name?), making each slice 100% covered in toppings. It’s cut into squares, aka “party cut,” giving you 16 pieces. The tavern style was actually created in Chicago, which was news to me as I only thought of the deep dish style as the only popular pizza from Chicago.
When you order, you are given an option of four recipes: Ultimate, Carnivore, Vegetarian, or Pepperoni Lover’s. For what it’s worth, it appears like you can change the toppings once you select one of the recipes, but for the sake of trying it as it’s presented, I went with the Ultimate. The Ultimate includes pepperoni, Italian sausage, green peppers, onions, and Roma tomatoes.
The first thing I noticed was the branding of The Edge on the box. Upon opening it, the consistently comforting smell of Pizza Hut pizza filled the room. However, looking at it, I noticed an issue immediately: the lack of sausage. After debating if I should get it fixed, I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. There were more than enough toppings to judge it fairly, and (after trying it) I can say the sausage most likely wouldn’t have moved the needle much in either direction.
Even though I knew it would be a thin crust, it was still shockingly thin. Despite its thinness, it stood up very well. There was a good balance of the sauce, cheese, and toppings that worked with the crust making each bite balanced in flavor and crispiness. The box bragged of a “garlic & herb seasoning” sprinkled on top, but was inconsistently present.
Beyond the missing sausage, my only other criticism was the pieces themselves. Technically, it is 16 pieces, but it’s more like “12 normal size pieces and four random bits.” Oh, and because it’s thinner, I could easily polish off a whole one which is incredibly dangerous.
Overall, it’s a nice change of pace, but nothing I’d make a regular order. It dawned on me how this will be a nice summer pizza. It’s light, so you don’t feel heavy after eating half of it, but it satisfies that pizza craving. The Edge is only around for a limited time, so I’d try it sooner than later.
Purchased Price: $12.99
Size: N/A
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1 “slice”) 180 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 grams of saturated fat, 25 milligrams of cholesterol, 680 milligrams of sodium, 13 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 2 grams of sugar, and 10 grams of protein.