You probably know Totino’s as that company known for it’s hugely popular pizza rolls, and other frozen pizza products. Well this past month they introduced 2 new products; pizza sticks and stuffed nachos, and we were asked to give them a try. Always on the hunt for new game day snacks we were happy to do it.
Much like their other offerings the pizza sticks and stuffed nachos are frozen items which you can reheat in a couple of ways. The quickest would be the microwave, but there are also oven heating options listed on the box as well. Since we’re Tailgating Ideas we also wanted to check the viability of heating them on the grill because I have yet to see someone using a microwave in the parking lot.
The pizza sticks come in cheese and pepperoni varieties and have a sort of a flaky crust. They are packaged six to a box and each stick is in its own wrapper. The microwave option for these is roughly 60 seconds on high, it depends on the wattage, and then let it cool some before eating. The cooling cannot be underestimated as the filling in these is like lava when hot and could burn the mouth easily. Oven instructions are 425 for 14-16 minutes.
The nachos, both the queso and supreme, have a crust that is not unlike the pizza rolls if you’ve ever had those. In the sample boxes there were 34 pieces. These microwave for 60-70 seconds, although the directions are only for 6 at a time. Again the same cooling principle applies. Oven cooking directions vary based on batch size but simply put is to bake them for 10-14 minutes at 425.
If you wanted to grill either of these products, just use the oven directions and cook them over indirect. I have a picture of a small batch that I did on my preferred tailgating grill, a Weber Q 100. These were done by placing a 2 layers of foil on the grill and then using a wire rack to elevate the items. This is the only way to use a lot of these small 1 burner grills in the indirect fashion, but provided the item is small enough, it works pretty well. The grill worked great for heating these, and if you’ve got it going already its totally worth it. Just try and cook them close to that 425 degree mark which will vary based on your cooker.
Tasting showed that both varieties of both products were pretty tasty. My personal taste will always prefer the crust texture that comes from using the oven/grill but the microwave option was still decent. If I had to say which ones I like best it would be the pepperoni sticks and supreme nachos, but my wife preferred the queso nacho.
So if you’re looking for some new game day snacks to serve to the homegating crowd, or to whip up some quick appetizers in the parking lot give these a consideration. You can find them in the freezer section of your grocer near the other Totino’s products.