Tatsiana Volkava/Getty Images
The well of briefly beloved but ultimately discontinued foodstuffs runs deep — for every Frito, there is an axed Frito Tabasco, but enduring corn chip varieties abound to dry those hot sauce tears. Sixty or so years ago, another such crunchy nibble enjoyed its moment in the grocery store’s fluorescent spotlight, only to be snatched away absent any heir apparent: Pizza Spins, we hardly knew ye.
Although there are rankings and reviews of all manner of snacks today (including Chowhound’s own list of the seven best Frito flavors), this was not the case in the 1960s. Pizza Spins’ bite-sized pinwheels, fashioned vaguely after a whole pie, have the look of a substantial crunch rather than a light snap. But, due to a dearth of processed food journalism at the time, we have little more to go on than General Mills’ claims regarding Pizza Spin’s flavor: “Pizza Spins contained many of the same ingredients found in a real big-boy pizza — Parmesan cheese, tomatoes, pizza spices, and pepper — to give Pizza Spins an authentic Italian pizza taste,” the corporate site reads.
Based on what little we know, some Cheez-It varieties, such as the Snap’d Extra-Crunchy Margherita Pizza flavor, are the best contenders for a Pizza Spin swap. Pizza Spins seemed to replicate only the flavors of a pretty basic slice versus the many pizza varieties in creation. They would have been absent underlying signature elements, such as what you find in infused Doritos or Cheetos. Ergo, Cheez-Its’ relatively unadulterated base is particularly conducive to imparting those same basic pizza flavors.
Why Cheez-It varieties are the best modern swap for Pizza Spins
The Image Party/Shutterstock
When you taste Fritos, Doritos, or Cheetos, you know you’re sampling each brand’s signature seasonings, regardless of any supposed ancillary flavors. The same goes for Cheez-Its, to be fair, but its signature is simply the titular cheese, cheese you might expect from a dehydrated pizza miniaturized down to square form. So, when Cheez-Its’ Snap’d offshoot is given the Margherita treatment, or when the Puff’d line is imbued with the more general essence of “cheese pizza,” these flavors have little else to compete with.
There are runners-up to Cheez-Its. In terms of flavor, Pringles are fairly neutral in their basic form, so its pizza variety should impart a convincing finish. However, Pringles’ light, crisp texture just does not carry the same weight that Pizza Spins seemed to (and that Cheez-It iterations have today). The most ambitious Spins-seekers might find more textural success via garlic bread amplification efforts. A basic loaf dressed up with ingredients such as tomato powder and Italian seasoning and baked to extra-toasty might approximate the Pizza Spins of yore as well as any mass-market product produced in this millennium.
Dining and Cooking