Toppings That Should Never Go On A Pizza
Reddit user jray1126 asked: 'What is something that should never go on a pizza?'
Because there's so much variety, there are very few people in the world who do not enjoy pizza.
But unlike pineapple on pizza, which some people root for and some people hate, there are some ingredients that everyone can agree should absolutely never, ever get anywhere near a pizza.
Redditor jray1126 asked:
"What is something that should never go on pizza?"
No Ketchup
"I’ve mentioned this before, but I once had the displeasure of eating a pizza where they apparently decided to use ketchup instead of the usual marinara sauce. Worst pizza I have ever eaten in my life."
"Please never do this, people. Just because they are both red doesn’t mean you can substitute one for the other!"
- NelsonDLinkous
Never Even Real Cheese
"American cheese… I’m talking to you, Altoona, PA."
- revolutionoverdue
"Holy s**t, this explains so much. The worst pizza of my life came from a relatively small city in Pennsylvania, and it came with American cheese on it. They must have been going for this style..."
- Fangled_Astronaut_40
Opinion-Free Zone
"The weight of other people's opinions."
- Laurab2324
"I disagree with this opinion strongly!"
- circsensation
Inconvenient Olives
"Olives that still have the pit. Almost broke a tooth the first time I had pizza in Portugal where evidently putting whole olives on pizza, stones and all, is fairly common."
- HIteejMOP
Fair Enough
"Bones. I want my pizza boneless."
- DarkseidHS
The Most Divisive Comment
"Whoever says pineapple, come fight me."
- partypartyyeahh
"I sometimes think people say they hate it because the internet tells them to. It’s delicious on its own, with cheese, in burgers, on pizzas, on your mum, in salads, in wraps."
- javajuicejoe
Pizza-ception
"A second, smaller pizza."
- seanofkelley
"Why does that sound cool actually?"
- blepgobrrr
Extra Salty Pizza
"I recently tried anchovies on pizza… f**k that. You might as well just pile on a bunch of salt on your pizza."
- Borgalicious
The Story Behind This Combo...
"Kellogs Frosties."
- Frl_Bartchello
"Someone tried this, didn't they."
- joelsaturnip
Keyword: "Ex"
"My ex ate pizza with a fork and a knife and used ketchup. All around disturbing to watch."
- Classic_Ingenuity299
Pizza-TSD
"Do NOT f**k with the sauce. That’s what makes pizza, pizza!"
"I’ll eat just about anything as a topping, so maybe I’m just deranged. But the sauce? Don’t f**k with the sauce."
"Barbecue is fine as long as it’s not some cheap s**t. But for the love of god, USE MARINARA SAUCE! NOT F**KING KETCHUP! this has happened to me far too many times."
- SW4G1N4T0R
Only Eligible for Speed-Eating
"As I actually learned today, burrata should not be included when it’s 38 degrees out. It literally tasted like milky pizza by the end and was almost unpalatable."
- Tough_Current_4302
"I have a feeling burrata would be better on like a cold veggie pizza. The kind where the crust gets baked but the toppings don’t."
- StarfishOfDoom
Sounds... Heavy
"Mashed potatoes. I know this first hand."
- heyjudemarie
"100% agree. Potatoes are amazing, but on pizza, it's gawdawful."
- Fun_Constant_6863
The Most Inclusive Food
"Trick question."
"Pizza is for everyone. Pizza believes in equality and equity. Pizza loves you and will accept you, regardless of whatever unique toppings you prefer."
"Unless you dip it in ranch dressing. F**k ranch dressing. Just admit you you don't like your pizza, and stop ruining perfectly good pizza with salty white goop."
- thenichem
While everyone's free to enjoy pizza however they wish, these seem like reasonable items to skip the next time you order a pizza, or it might ruin the whole vibe.
Pizza is one of those foods that nearly anyone can agree is good, even if we can't find a middle-ground on toppings.
However, one phenomenon that confuses a lot of people are the pizza lovers who choose to eat their pizza with a fork and a knife.
But the cutlery fans argue that there are good reasons to skip picking up that slice of pie next time.
Curious, Redditor Ok-Treacle-9312 asked:
"People who eat pizza with a knife and fork... Why?"
Clean Hands
"I eat donuts with whatever I can pierce them with, whether that be a fork, knife, chopsticks, or whatever. I just hate getting my fingers dirty."
"Pizza barely gets a pass because you can hold the crust."
"But if grease drips onto my hand somehow, it's irritating."
- Bjorn2Fall
Protect That Keyboard
"Typically I'd do it because I'm working at my PC and don't want to have to wipe my hands off every time I need to type something."
- Hrekires
Mindful Eating
"I use a fork and knife to slow me down."
- NairobiMuzungu
No More Overeating
"Using the fork and knife slows me down, it gives me more time to realize I'm filling up, and I end up stopping before I overeat."
- whomp1970
Depends on the Pizza
"Depends on the pizza, if it's thick and unwieldy absolutely laden with toppings, I might reach for a fork. But if it's a standard slice, I'm picking it up."
- StanYelnats3
Beating the Heat
"I'll use a knife and a fork when I want it right now, but if I bite into it when it’s too hot, the cheese will slap itself onto my chin, and I’ll scream."
- senorbane
Dental Issues
"I don't have a single freaking tooth left in my head. Just about anything I eat requires a sharp knife."
- Pitiful-Signal8063
"I've got plenty of teeth, but the ones in the front don't do a good job of meeting. So if I try to eat pizza without a fork and knife, my first bite doesn't go completely through the toppings, I pull the pizza away from my mouth... and all the toppings on the slice fall in my lap."
- the_quark
Good Point
"You ever tried to lift a slab of deep dish to your face?"
- Wazula23
Because, Italy
"That's the normal way of eating a traditional Italian pizza."
- ViridianKumquat
"I just watched an Anthony Bourdain episode, and everyone at this Naples pizza place was eating with a knife and fork."
- WiseTree710
"It's a perfectly valid and convenient way to consume pizza."
"Source: I'm Italian."
- Colosso95
Listen to Seinfeld
"How do you eat it? With your hands? (scoffs)."
- kofed62181
Preferences Matter
"Maybe because they want to?"
- Mentalfloss1
Social Perspective
"It looks neater, if you are in a setting with people you want to impress and want to come across as super tidy then a knife and fork would look okay."
- Usual-Constant-3744
Messy Situations
"Sometimes I have a little too many (inconvenient) ingredients on my pizza that make it hard to eat it with just my hands."
- UnicornPopPile
Signs of Aging
"Because I instinctively take unmanageable bites if I'm manhandling food. That was okay before I hit 40 and my metabolism lost its sense of adventure."
- Automatic-Choice-794
Enjoy the Food
"Mainly, it forces me to slow down and appreciate the pizza instead of just shoving it in."
"Also, it makes eating pizza more of a sensory experience. I can feel and hear how crunchy or thick the crust is by cutting into it. I can tell how much sauce is on it by how much I have to spoon it up after cutting. I can also see how stringy the cheese is by having to twirl it around my fork."
- Ok-Resource-7640
This just goes to show that we all have our preferences, even when it comes to how we want to eat our pizza.
Now, the most important thing is to respect everyone's choices here... and maybe go grab a slice of pizza for lunch.
While it's important to eat healthy, it's not uncommon to sometimes crave something greasy and fattening.
Since everything is good in moderation, it's not a bad thing to want a meal of burgers, fries, and a milkshake. However, it is important to find out where to get the best.
There are countless fast food restaurants in the world. There are about seven located two minutes from my house! That's why it's no surprise that everyone has a different opinion on which place is the best.
Redditors have differing opinions on what the "right answer" is, and they're ready to share.
It all started when Redditor the_idea_ asked:
"What is the BEST fast food restaurant?"
No Substitute
"I’m here as an ex manager of a Taco Bell to say the food is garbage. Nothing fresh whatsoever. But I’d still eat there every day if I could. Solid f*cking garbage. Lived off of those five layer burritos."
– N1lb0g001
"Nobody going to Taco Bell goes there because the food is good, or even because they want Mexican food. They're going because they want Taco Bell, and there is no substitute."
"I do well enough avoiding fast food aside from the occasional CFA breakfast sandwich, but when I do have a craving, it's for Taco Bell every time."
– duffman13jws
Quality Over All
"Worked at Wendy’s and the food quality was surprisingly fresh. Salads were made to order and management was strict about food timers. All of the ground beef was delivered 3-4 times a week and never frozen. Would say their food quality makes them a favorite in my mind"
– RoombaRUs
"Honestly, that's such a glowing review."
"If an ex-employee of a fast food place speaks this highly of it, you know it's good."
"I learned the secrets of McDonald's 12 years ago and still have nightmares about the food safety I witnessed."
– JaydedGaming
The Right Ingredients
"I worked at a wide variety of fast food restaurants about 15 years ago (Wendy’s, Jack in the Box and Sonic) and honestly, Sonic was leagues ahead of the others. We used actual cream, not powdered dairy product in all ice cream/deserts. Onion rings were cut fresh in house and there was a real dedication to cleanliness and food safety. To this day Sonic is my go to fast food."
– Dendritic1
"Their commitment to a beverage is unmatched and I love that about them. I don’t even need food, I have all my daily calories in this route 44 cherry limeade."
– PossumJenkinsSoles
It's All About The People
"I know this is kind of a non-answer but honestly the staff at any given restaurant can make or break the quality. I'm a fan of the Burger King near me because they train and treat their staff exceptionally well, and it shows in the quality of the food, but I've been to plenty of other locations that are just gross. So I'm sure there are cities where Wendy's or McDonalds are the best locally, and I'm sure that the reason for that is because of good management and happy employees."
– scojo12345
I'll Drive If I Have To
"As a Californian I feel obligated to say In N Out, but honestly I like Dairy Queen. I don't really see them here. Like at all. But they're in Oregon everywhere so close enough."
– KingOfTheLifeNewbs
"Dairy Queen has pretty solid burgers and aren't super expensive. And Blizzards are the best. I'd pick them over McD's and BK any day."
– ReflexImprov
Only One Coast
"How is In N Out this low on the list? I guess because it's regional?"
"It's the ONLY fast food that looks EXACTLY like the advertisement. It tastes amazing, and 2 double-doubles is like $11 - animal style, add chili's."
"The fries are trash though - complete garbage. Some people think otherwise, and it's ok to be wrong."
– Observationistic
"I looked up why In N Out never expanded. Apparently they only have west coast beef farms. Refused to freeze and ship to expand. Also they donate to all manners of non profits. In N Out for the win."
– NorCal130
Only One Answer
"Bojangles. No further questions at this time."
– OkActive448
"Mmmm. Bojangles biscuits. Nothing short of amazing."
– HangrySkeptic
That Sailor Man
"Popeyes"
– Much_Committee_9355
"Oh lawd... that chicken sandwich...so good."
– Goblue5891x2
"Their red bean and rice- yes please"
– Junior-Lie4342
A Good Burger
"Goodburger"
– fruitpony
"Welcome to goodburger home of the goodburger! Can I take your order?"
– Mobile-Dragonfly5123
My Body Is No Temple Anymore
"five guys. cheeseburguer with mustard and hot sauce and all the coca cola you can down. it's artery poison but worth every bite"
– madkeepz
"Plus a small Cajun fry that includes 10% of a potato crop yield"
– jcrewjr
That's A Rave!
"Try Arby's sandwiches. The best."
– It_Could_Be_True
"i'm like 200 comments in before I found Arby's. Man, they deliver so much good stuff! i've been loving the spicy roast beef they have out right now."
"I just don't know any other restaurant where you can get a gyro, a reuban, or a french dip, and they all just slap. not to mention the sauces... totally underappreciated restaurant."
– HighlightFun8419
Behind These Castle Walls
"White castle. I'll fight you on this"
– Pleasant-Package-745
It's The Same In Every Country
"McDonald's is always there for you, it doesn't matter what city you're in."
– han7nah
"And definitely not the best food, but the most iconic. Both in flavor and smells.😌😌😌"
– PrincessHootHoot
All The Choices
"A place that a lot of people don't have, which is Cookout. Unbelievable amount of choices and sides. And some of the best milkshake flavors known to man(kind)"
– BaconFlavoredToast
"the first time i went to one the fact that i could order a corndog with a side of corndog made me lose it, we were all deliriously tired and that was hilarious"
– Melbuf
"I think the pricing sets it apart. Even if the food isn’t great in a vacuum, knowing that I got a huge meal for less than 10$ makes it taste better"
– clout-trout
Hunger
"This thread gave me like a hundred different food cravings all at once"
– Beatrixkiddobangbang
Me too! I've got to go order some food now!
Did we leave any of your favorites off the list? Let us know in the comments below.
I love pizza.
How in the world could someone NOT love pizza?!
Over the years people have gotten VERY creative with their toppings.
It's a whole new world when it comes to mixing flavors on the dough.
Though some of those choices may be a bit out there.
Why not take a chance?
Redditor MRF1982 wanted to discuss the best and worst of the pizza menu. They asked:
"What’s an unusually good pizza topping?"
I'm not very adventurous with my pizza toppings. But entice me...
Voodoo
Season 7 Nbc GIF by The OfficeGiphy"I don't know about toppings but just wanted to say, re-heating left over pizza in my air fryer made the pizza 5x better than when it originally was. Some type of voodoo in those air fryers."
AstroPaco20
Spicy Touch
"Calabrian Chiles. A local place did Calabrian Chiles and Pepperoni which is now my single favorite topping combo."
BionicLeo13
A place I used to go in Chattanooga had them as a topping. My favorite was ordering it Detroit style and EVERY time the waitress, 'Do you know what Detroit style is….ok do you know what Calabrian chiles are? Ok.'"
"I asked the waitress if those come up as complaints often and she said, 'often enough we always ask those questions to avoid issues later…'"
neo_sporin
"super pizza"
"Add some different cheese on top of frozen pizza, changes the game."
zavkafedroi
"I've been doing this since I was a kid. Any frozen pizza with added cheese/toppings becomes known as a 'super pizza' in my family."
"I'm a single dude and I like to grill at least once a week so I have some dank meat to use throughout the week for work lunches, ramen noodles, stir fry, and super pizzas. I buy cheese pizzas because they come with fancier cheese and then I add whatever I got grilled up (usually pork loin or chicken) and I add some extra cheese of my own just to make sure it's a true 'super pizza.'"
staitfarejudge
Hot Sweet Touch
"Spicy Honey."
FrostingOk8911
"I had this one friend who dipped her pizza in honey back in high school, and we gave her so much crap for it. We thought she was so weird, none of us had ever heard of anyone doing that before and she kept trying to tell us that it was a thing other people did too, and we weren't buying it."
"It became such a big running thing that we would be out having a completely unrelated meal at like chipotle or some Chinese food place, and someone would break out a bottle of honey from nowhere and offer it to her, deadpan, then she'd go all red in the face and we'd burst out laughing."
"One time when we were older, she finally got a few of us to try it. The look of vindication on her face at that moment was legendary. The pizza almost tasted good enough to make up for the taste of having to eat all the crap we gave her over the years before that."
Phoenix042
AMAZING!
italian eating GIF by Feliks Tomasz KonczakowskiGiphy"I had a pear, caramelized onion, and Gorgonzola pizza last night and it was AMAZING!"
sensualsqueaky
Well those are some interesting options. Not sure if I'll try. But hey...
Spuds
Giphy"Potatoes in thin slices."
fleidloff
"Love some loaded Baked Potato Pizza. Sour cream instead of pizza sauce topped with low moisture mozzarella, thin potato slices, bacon, green onions, and cheddar cheese. Our local place makes it."
SaggingZebra
Fruits
"So I went to a local pizza spot, and tried a pizza with strawberries on it. It was spicy and sweet at the same time. Super weird but also super delicious."
pineappledaddy
"This is the first answer I’ve seen that seems remotely unusual. In that same vein, while vacationing in St. Augustine, I had an amazing popsicle flavored with strawberries and local hot peppers. Sweet, ice cold, late heat!"
TrentWolfred
"I had one with blueberries and goat cheese a few years back - it was really good!"
PomegranateRex007
Decadence...
"Pesto base, roast or confit potato, blue cheese, rosemary."
lysergicDildo
"I just googled confit potato, thinking 'If this is just mashed potato with duck fat, Imma fight someone.' Only to learn that it is not. It is far more magical. Just when I thought potato had no more to offer the world."
BroccoliDemon
Delightful...
"Really fresh arugula put on after the pizza comes out of the oven and drizzled with EVOO, salt and pepper. Makes any pizza a delight!"
femsci-nerd
"One of the best pizzas I ever had was arugula and figs. Still paled in comparison to the red baron I ate the first time I smoked. But yeah arugula is nice. I remember thinking 'Why is a salad on my pizza? Oh yeah I ordered it.' 9/10 would try again."
Admirabletooshie
Special Topping
Tik Tok Cooking GIF by Sanne69Giphy"Roasted garlic. You don't think about wasting a topping on it but when you do, it makes the pizza taste absolutely amazing."
ToastedMaple
Some of those sound fantastic. Yum.
Pizza was introduced into the American zeitgeist when 4 million Italian immigrants came across the Atlantic and brought their cooking skills and traditions with them.
However, it's actually much more Greek than Italian.
Britannicasays:
"Shortly after its introduction stateside, pizza became more popular in the U.S. than it was in Italy."
"This is partly because pizza's not exactly Italian to begin with."
"Naples was originally founded by Greek settlers around 600 BCE, and pizza is known to have existed there before the city was unified with the rest of Italy in 1861."
"The cheesy, tomatoey delight wasn't introduced into greater Italian cuisine until the 1940s."
"So, at least for a while, pizza was much more American than Italian."
"Traditional" toppings are actually not that traditional at all. That's why we see all sorts of variations on the theme of pizza and why there's much debate on which toppings are the best.
Redditor TheMulefromMoscow asked:
"What's the most underrated pizza topping?"
The debate was taken to Ask Reddit, so we made a list of the best of the best.
That's a lot of garlic.
"Roasted whole garlic."
"[Pizza My Heart] makes a pizza with 40 cloves of roasted garlic on it. It's flipping delicious."
"I love garlic a lot but that's way too much garlic."
"Cries in thin blood."
"Cries in vampire but also mildly interested in your thin blood."
Salty and heat.
"Jalapeños. When I worked at Domino's someone ordered a thin crust pepperoni/jalapeño and called back later to cancel. So my manager and I said f*ck it and ate it. Despite thinking it wouldn't be good. Holy sh*t was it good. If you don't mind the heat, I highly recommend it. Doesn't matter if it's thin crust or not, but just pepperoni and jalapeño."
"So close to my favorite which is =pepperoni, jalapeños and bacon. So good!!"
"Hear me out: pepperoni, jalapeño, and pineapple."
"Salt, heat, sweetness and acidity. It's a goddamn revelation the first time you try it."
"This is the holy trinity of pizza combos. Every time I have friends over I order this pizza and even if they don't normally like those ingredients they just work so perfectly off each other everyone loves the combination."
"Try that combo with chicken instead of pepperoni. Got it by mistake one time, and it's fantastic."
More of a good thing.
"Extra cheese."
"Sometimes all ya need is cheese pizza."
"Simple, slightly greasy, delicious cheese."
"A few months ago I had the messiest night ever, and as a 27 year old my hangover resistance is starting to fade."
"I had ordered an absolutely filthy triple cheese and pepperoni pizza from a trashy takeout and it saved my life I'm sure. That amount of cheese and grease just resonated within my soul. Hot and cold it was simply beautiful."
"I remember this one pizza joint that was open late. Always hit it up after a night on the town. Massive amount of cheese (and grease) that was the best while drunk and barely tolerable while sober. It was just that perfect combo that resonates with alcohol and seems to help with hangovers."
A better substitute for pepperoni.
"Sausage and onions. Everybody wants pepperoni but they are sleeping on the sausage and onions."
"Chorizo's a good alternative to pep. Chorizo and chicken. With fresh herbs on top after it comes out."
"I live in a place that I should see this, but I never even thought of chorizo on a pizza. that sounds so bomb, cilantro, fresh onion and a squeeze of lime, that would be it."
Flavorful peppers.
"Banana peppers. So much flavor!"
- jcpmojo
"Banana peppers or pepperoncini? There's a substantial difference and having worked at a Chicagoland pizza place - the amount of complaints from people who order one but want the other was massive."
"Idk if it's regional but if you want a pickled pepper - like you get with your papa John's (trash) - order pepperoncini. If you want a fresh pepper that's mostly sweet with a mild kick - banana pepper. Hardly anywhere actually has banana peppers though - except for more upscale pizza places. - may be regional. Dunno"
Don't forget your greens.
"Spinach."
"Or arugula at the very end. Delish."
"Spinach and roasted red peppers is my favorite combo when I make a homemade pizza."
The controversial topping.
"I'm about to start a war here....Pineapple."
"Before I tried Hawaiian pizza, I would've argued against it; But after trying it, I will wholly support you."
"Ham and pineapple is okay, but ham is already a sweet meat. I prefer my pineapple with a more savory meat, usually either pepperoni or sausage or bacon. Yeah those are often also made of pork but they're smokier or spiced, so it hits different and I enjoy it more than regular ham. Throw some jalapeños on there and I'll wolf it down."
"This is the best answer. It seems that reddit hates pineapple on pizza for some reason, and yet obviously plenty of people love it since it's offered as a topping by every pizza place that exists."
"It's weird because I'd call pineapple a top 3 topping. Like if I was ordering pizzas for a big group and I was doing 3 types, I put pineapple on a bunch of them."
"It's extremely popular. I had no idea it was even supposed to be controversial."
According to Huffington Post, the top three are pepperoni, mushrooms, and onions.
If none of these are your favorite, not to worry. It's all just pizza anyways.
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