Farrah's Pizza Bases - Keto product reviews

At our house we often choose to eat "healthy" because we actually enjoy fruit and vegetables over other foods. Where possible I choose low carb options as I am pre-diabetic, but with careful planning it is possible to make a meal just as palatable and filling as one consisting of more common ingredients. A low-carb pizza base was something we were really happy to try, and because there were three bases in the pack, we chose to try a different topping each time.

We started with some leftovers we had in the fridge. A combination of two chopped bacon rashers, a small amount of goats' cheese, tomato puree, pineapple, and mixed herbs was topped with a sprinkling of parmesan. The assembled pizza was then baked for ten minutes in a pre-heated oven. We have learned to take the pizza out before it is too brown; it is easy to overcook these bases as they are so thin. This time our pizza was cooked to perfection and ready to serve with a side salad of sliced avocado, fresh tomato, and beansprouts.

We cooked the second base a couple of days later. This time we opted for my favourite combination - shredded chicken and cranberry sauce, with grated cheddar to top. It is important to avoid adding too much topping as the base will sag in the middle; the aim is to have a pizza that will hold its shape. We had wondered if the thin base would survive being refrigerated overnight and then going off for the day in a lunchbox. Happily, the leftover slice survived and was apparently delicious eaten cold for lunch. (I did not get to taste it myself, but my partner was very happy with the gourmet lunch!)

The last base was to be used for a vegetarian meal; we were keen to try out our new air fryer, so it was important to get quantities right. The main toppings were to be precooked asparagus with feta, fresh coriander, and tomatoes. To get the prepared pizza to fit the air fryer basket, we had to cut it in half and cook in two instalments. However, we were determined to persevere so that we could compare the two cooking methods. The result was quite dramatic. The cooked pizza emerged bubbling and aromatic; the pizza crust was crisp but still tender when you bit into it. As to the topping, the surface was brown but not burned. All in all it was a perfect result, and I think we will go with the air fryer rather than our rather unreliable oven for future pizzas.

Our overall impression of the keto pizza bases was that it was impossible to distinguish them from a regular base. They were just as easy to use and took on the flavour of whatever topping you wanted to put on them. Given the choice, I would choose the keto version knowing that I was getting a healthier option but with the same result.

Pizza is a popular dish in my house, we have our standard, fool-proof toppings that we've done so often the kids don't need my help with deciding what goes into the mix anymore. We throw diced olives, gherkins, mushrooms and onion into a container, thrown in some salt, mixed herbs and garlic powder, pop the lid on and give a very thorough shake before spreading it out onto the pizza. We decided to make one with tomato paste and one with chopped tomatoes and one half/half (as I have a dairy intolerant child) and plenty of cheese on top before giving them all ten minutes in the oven.

Giving this a try we all agreed that we preferred the other pizza bases we had already tried, these ones just added quite a dense floury taste to the meal that meant, while we finished it, we didn't enjoy it as much as we could have. We could see there were little seeds throughout the base but when eating couldn't tell they were there, so that was a definite bonus (as that initially put the kids off). In the end, we did all polish off our dinner but we also all agreed that we just didn't like the base overall and the kids voted unanimously to not buy these in the future.

Despite having attended more food shows than I can remember, and seeing so many astounding-sounding GF/Lo-Carb bread-type foodstuffs that turned out to taste pretty dire, I admit to being a little dubious about these... but life is about new experiences, so I gave it a go. After 3 days of trying the 'Original' version, I realised that making pizzas every night for a week was going to be a bit too much for me to cope with, so I had to leave it for a bit to avoid getting "Pizza'd out", during which time I planned out my test recipes.

The first pizza had to be something quite standard, to act as a benchmark for me. To that end, a simple one was needed. I had some diced ham left over, so laid down a generous base of my home-made pizza sauce, sprinkled the ham over the top in a generous amount, topped it with grated cheese and a sprinkle of a favourite spice mix then into the oven. I baked this at 200°C without fan assist (since I don't have that feature in my oven) then transferred it to a pizza board.

I could barely tell that this wasn't a regular all-wheat-flour tortilla - it had a taste profile close enough that, with the pizza sauce and toppings, I struggled to taste any difference. The texture was a little different, but not at all unpleasant or cardboard'ish in any way. The best part was, of course, that it stood up to the topping load well.

The next trial run was a BBQ Chicken version, with meat stripped from a store-cooked roast chicken, some smoky BBQ seasoning, capsicum, onions, garlic, sliced tomato and of course plenty of cheese and topped with a swirl of spicy BBQ sauce. This was another winner, and the toppings were chosen to test the moisture retention of the base. The base didn't actually hold much moisture, and what little it did absorb got removed again by the cooking process. No soggy bottoms on this pizza!

As a final test, I thought I would flip the script a bit. Early in the game, Farrah's Wraps were revealed to make good thin pizza bases, despite not being formulated as such. So, I thought I would try one of these pizza bases as a wrap! Well, sort of... I used the last pizza base to make a quesadilla with the last dregs of the shredded roast chicken, the last chunk of capsicum, and leftover grated cheese - I always seem to swipe it over the grater 2-3 times more than I need to - along with the last of the dry spice-blend. No tomato sauce, just lay the pizza base out and load it up as normal, but only on one half. Fold it over to make a 'giant taco' and carefully chuck it into the sandwich press until the cheese stops oozing and starts going crispy. Now this was a winner on all counts!

Overall, while they aren't perhaps as good value for money as a pack of Farrah's Wraps, they are less costly than the bigger, deep-dish premade bases which are simply a great way to pile on the waistline. Sticking to these thin and crispy bases, especially this low-carb variety, will help you with any weight-management you are undergoing, while still allowing you to enjoy your 'cheat day' in style.

My friend was on a Keto diet and explained to me that all types of 'fats' were good and all types of 'sugar' were bad. Further investigation also revealed that a low-carb diet is also part of the Keto diet, hence the Farrah's Keto Pizza base that has only 2.1g of carbohydrates per serving. To put this into perspective, Farrah's Original Ultra Thin and Crispy Pizza Bases have 27g of carbohydrates per serving!

The pizzas come in an attractive wrapper that has a clear window so you can see the texture and colour of the bases. The packaging is not resealable, unfortunately, so you need to be mindful of how you are going to store them if not eating them all at once. The bases were very slim and had brown flecks in them which I assumed to be ground flaxseed. I made a ham and cheese pizza and it cooked very quickly. I found that, like the Original base, they were a bit flimsy, but not to be unexpected when the bases are ultra-thin! I tried to fold the pizza over on itself but noticed that the base cracked a little when doing so.

The bases are quite big so I was able to share a piece with each family member. They all said they enjoyed it but weren't overly rapturous with their praise. However, if you are looking for a low-carb pizza base, this would be ideal for you as it has more protein and less sugar than the original base.

I am glad we got to try the two different bases, I actually wasn't expecting there to be much of a difference but I was rather surprised at how much they did differ. Firstly the appearance - the original base was just white whereas the Keto had flecks going through it so looked like a focaccia bread. This also tasted drier and was not as crisp. It also did not fold as well as the original and cracked in places whereas the original retained its shape perfectly. It was not as crunchy as the original either.

Like my other review I had a seafood pizza with shrimps, mussels, crab, red onions and runny cheese and my husband made a salami, feta cheese, basil, anchovies and olives (I agree yuck). The four of us all agreed that we did not enjoy this base half as much as the original base and I noticed everyone, after trying the first slice would all go to the original and then finish with this base.

One thing I did notice, which I did not notice with the original is the bag is not self-sealing which is a surprise. We had one slice left and realised that I could not seal the bag. It does recommend that you use in three days so it should not be too much of an issue.

I am really impressed with the size of the pizza and that we managed to get 8 slices out of it and they were quite big. This however will be an individual preference when cutting. I do like how thin these bases are and there is no big crusty at the end instead it just kinda finishes which is great. Although I can't see us buying this base again just because of the taste and texture of it.