Calories in a Plain Pizzeria Slice

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I have seen plain pizza slice numbers from 180 calories to 360 calories on MFP, and have no idea what's right.

Can anyone tell me a realistic calorie count for a standard, traditional New Jersey pizzeria thin crust plain cheese large (16 inch) pie cut six or eight ways?

You'd think this would not be too hard, but it really is!
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  • Kst76
    Kst76 Posts: 935 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Many of those are frozen pizzas. I bought one last night for my kids. It was a Jacks frozen pizza. 1/3 pizza had 370 calories. I devid it in 6 pieces it would be about 185 calories per slice.
    Jacks pizzas are small and thin. So if you just have a random slice of pizza Im sure it's more than 180 calories per slice. I would just pick the higher choice , 360, to be on the safe side.
  • mlsh1969
    mlsh1969 Posts: 138 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    NARudy wrote: »
    I have seen plain pizza slice numbers from 180 calories to 360 calories on MFP, and have no idea what's right.

    Can anyone tell me a realistic calorie count for a standard, traditional New Jersey pizzeria thin crust plain cheese large (16 inch) pie cut six or eight ways?

    You'd think this would not be too hard, but it really is!

    Unfortunately, those amazing tri-state pizzeria pizzas are handmade and probably not consistent from one pie to the next. I got in the habit of using an entry that is I think 285 per slice. No idea how accurate it is, but I have it a couple of times a month so it doesn't do too much damage if it's wrong. If the cheese seems pretty heavy or the slice is particularly oily, I'd choose something on the higher size. And if is cut into 6 slices, I'd guess closer to 400.

    I would go with this idea. I think 285 to 350 or 400 for a larger slice, would be a close to accurate
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
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    NJ pies should be on the high side. I would never assume a slice is under 300-350 calories. Although if it specifically thin crust, it's possible.
  • briscogun
    briscogun Posts: 1,135 Member
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    I think a medium cheese slice from Dominos is like 300? So if you’re doing one of those 16” Fold ‘Em In Half To Eat ‘Em numbers id almost double it to 600 to be on the safe side, but that’s just me.
  • NARudy
    NARudy Posts: 33 Member
    edited March 2018
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Well, you haven't yet even decided if you're going to cut the pizza 6 or 8 ways.... so.... yes, it IS hard to actually come up with something more precise then 200 to 400 Cal

    I didn't care which one I got, because simple math would get me to what a whole pie would be. If I got six, I could multiple by six to get a while pie. Then I could divide by eight to get a slice cut eight ways. Because in NJ it depends on the person doing the cutting how many slices in a pie. Joe DiMola always does six, but his cousin Frank does eight. So if you order on a Friday you get Joe's six, but on a Saturday you get Frank's eight!

    Most of the pizza entries at MFP that aren't for frozen pizza -- which is very different from pizzeria pizza and not transferable -- just say "one slice" without mentioning how big the pie is (12", 14", 16" or 18") or how many slices there are. This is why this is such an issue -- there's no way to determine how big a slice is without knowing the size of the pie and how many times it is cut.
  • ZoneFive
    ZoneFive Posts: 570 Member
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    NARudy wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Well, you haven't yet even decided if you're going to cut the pizza 6 or 8 ways.... so.... yes, it IS hard to actually come up with something more precise then 200 to 400 Cal

    I didn't care which one I got, because simple math would get me to what a whole pie would be. If I got six, I could multiple by six to get a while pie. Then I could divide by eight to get a slice cut eight ways. Because in NJ it depends on the person doing the cutting how many slices in a pie. Joe DiMola always does eight, but his cousin Frank does eight. So if you order on a Friday you get Joe's six, but on a Saturday you get Frank's eight!

    You are making me SO homesick
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
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    Sometimes it's nice to just get a tomato pie. Yum. Such rich sauce and soft dough. So good.
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    I usually log mine as 360-400 per slice. NYC slices yo. Sometimes I'll log a little more, almost 500, if the slice is looking extreme.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,660 Member
    edited March 2018
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    NARudy wrote: »
    This is why this is such an issue -- there's no way to determine how big a slice is without knowing the size of the pie and how many times it is cut.

    exactly what I said! Remember...you were the one claiming it should be easier, not me! :lol:

    Take a walk through the frozen aisle. Look at the similar looking types of pizza (deep dish, thin crust, etc).

    Look at total package contents in grams and calories.

    Calculate approximate calories per 100g.

    Or

    Go to domino's online calculator. Construct as close a pizza as you can (choice of crusts, sauce, cheese) to you NJ pizza.

    Calculate approximate calories per 100g.

    Or

    Grab flour and put on scale. Jot down the number. Àdd yeist and... Let the pizza cool down and measure the finished product.

    Calculate approximate calories per 100g based on your recipe.

    Then

    Make an MFP entry for approximate calories per 100g of "this type of imagined NJ pizza pie"

    Then

    Go to your favourite pizzeria. Grab a slice. (Pro tip: if the slice is not likely to make it home grab two. One to eat and one to go)

    Weight the slice when you get home and use your entry.

    Alternatively use one of the many per gram pizza entries that already exist and the weight of your slice

    Alternatively accept that 300 to 800 calories is actually a reasonable range given the uncertainty.

    A single large 14" domino's slice? 300 and a bit depending on whether you have a runt or a larger piece.

    A large slice that covers a full paper plate that breaks under its weight as has to be folded in two to be eaten from a 20" pizza? Probably closer to 800. Depending on size maybe even more.

    I mean a 6" personal pan pizza from pizza hat ranges from 600 to 850 Cal and a huge slice could easily be larger!

    And depending on topings. Generous cheese only will be more Cal than veg. Fattier type meats more than cheese only. Lean meats more than veg and less or similar to cheese only.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    Pizza calories are very depressing.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Fellow New Jersey-ite here. For a standard pizzeria plain slice from a 16-18 inch pie, I tend to estimate ~400 calories give or take (though in reality I do think that number is probably a good 25% too high). Seems about right to me. Dough would be about 200 (aligns with calorie info on raw pizza dough sold in my supermarket) and then 200 for sauce and cheese. You can save 50 calories by not eating the crust.

    Also, all of the NY style pizza places I've gone to in my life (born and raised in the area) slice their pies into 8 pieces. Size per slice will always be different, but nobody slices into 6 because it requires an odd number of passes with the cutter.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    edited March 2018
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    lorrpb wrote: »
    Pizza calories are very depressing.

    Yep - this is why I signed off of pizza while losing the bulk of my weight. The only thing worse than no pizza is only being allowed to have one slice of pizza.
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Fellow New Jersey-ite here. For a standard pizzeria plain slice from a 16-18 inch pie, I tend to estimate ~400 calories give or take (though in reality I do think that number is probably a good 25% too high). Seems about right to me. Dough would be about 200 (aligns with calorie info on raw pizza dough sold in my supermarket) and then 200 for sauce and cheese. You can save 50 calories by not eating the crust.

    Also, all of the NY style pizza places I've gone to in my life (born and raised in the area) slice their pies into 8 pieces. Size per slice will always be different, but nobody slices into 6 because it requires an odd number of passes with the cutter.

    Every look at the calories at some slices of white bread? Sometimes for once slice, it can be over 100 calories. I don't know what pizzerias you are going to, but in my area, one slice can have the equivalent of 2-3 slices of bread. That could be 300 calories right there. Ever count the calories in some moz cheese? How heavy is the cheese they put on your pizza? Then look at the back of a jar of marina sauce and look at the calories in the sauce. I know that's not the sauce they use in pizza but....it can't be that far off. I think those who say that a Jersey pie slice can have upwards of 600 calories.
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I estimate a plain cheese NY style slice at about the same level bbell said, 360-400.

    I live upstate now in an area where the crust is thicker than NY style as is the layer of cheese. Here I'd say the same size slice would be more like 600+. This thread got me craving the pizza from home so bad!
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Fellow New Jersey-ite here. For a standard pizzeria plain slice from a 16-18 inch pie, I tend to estimate ~400 calories give or take (though in reality I do think that number is probably a good 25% too high). Seems about right to me. Dough would be about 200 (aligns with calorie info on raw pizza dough sold in my supermarket) and then 200 for sauce and cheese. You can save 50 calories by not eating the crust.

    Also, all of the NY style pizza places I've gone to in my life (born and raised in the area) slice their pies into 8 pieces. Size per slice will always be different, but nobody slices into 6 because it requires an odd number of passes with the cutter.

    Every look at the calories at some slices of white bread? Sometimes for once slice, it can be over 100 calories. I don't know what pizzerias you are going to, but in my area, one slice can have the equivalent of 2-3 slices of bread. That could be 300 calories right there. Ever count the calories in some moz cheese? How heavy is the cheese they put on your pizza? Then look at the back of a jar of marina sauce and look at the calories in the sauce. I know that's not the sauce they use in pizza but....it can't be that far off. I think those who say that a Jersey pie slice can have upwards of 600 calories.

    Relax there, sparky.

    NY/NJ style is thin crust. Something like 1/8 of an inch thick. You're probably talking about 1.5-2 ounces of dough per slice, which equates to about 150-200 calories. What you're referring to we would call a sicilian or perhaps Pennsylvania tomato pie (though the latter is generally served cold while the former is served hot).

    NY/NJ style is also relatively light on the sauce. Maybe three tablespoons per slice and the sauce tends to be more akin to the thin Red Pack or Hunts canned sauces than it is to the Prego jarred sauce. The former are basically just tomatoes & seasonings though pizzerias will customize their sauces with some olive oil. Red Pack tomato sauce is 5 calories per tablespoon. If we assume that the sauce is 25% olive oil, than I'm OK to call it 100 calories per slice for sauce.

    Dry mozzarella cheese is about 80 calories per ounce. NJ/NY style pizza is also relatively light on the cheese (relative to thicker style pies). Each slice probably has on order of 1.5 ounces. Call it 120 per slice.

    Like I said, 400 calories. Easy peasy.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    DX2JX2 wrote: »
    Fellow New Jersey-ite here. For a standard pizzeria plain slice from a 16-18 inch pie, I tend to estimate ~400 calories give or take (though in reality I do think that number is probably a good 25% too high). Seems about right to me. Dough would be about 200 (aligns with calorie info on raw pizza dough sold in my supermarket) and then 200 for sauce and cheese. You can save 50 calories by not eating the crust.

    Also, all of the NY style pizza places I've gone to in my life (born and raised in the area) slice their pies into 8 pieces. Size per slice will always be different, but nobody slices into 6 because it requires an odd number of passes with the cutter.

    Every look at the calories at some slices of white bread? Sometimes for once slice, it can be over 100 calories. I don't know what pizzerias you are going to, but in my area, one slice can have the equivalent of 2-3 slices of bread. That could be 300 calories right there. Ever count the calories in some moz cheese? How heavy is the cheese they put on your pizza? Then look at the back of a jar of marina sauce and look at the calories in the sauce. I know that's not the sauce they use in pizza but....it can't be that far off. I think those who say that a Jersey pie slice can have upwards of 600 calories.

    Relax there, sparky.

    NY/NJ style is thin crust. Something like 1/8 of an inch thick. You're probably talking about 1.5-2 ounces of dough per slice, which equates to about 150-200 calories. What you're referring to we would call a sicilian or perhaps Pennsylvania tomato pie (though the latter is generally served cold while the former is served hot).

    NY/NJ style is also relatively light on the sauce. Maybe three tablespoons per slice and the sauce tends to be more akin to the thin Red Pack or Hunts canned sauces than it is to the Prego jarred sauce. The former are basically just tomatoes & seasonings though pizzerias will customize their sauces with some olive oil. Red Pack tomato sauce is 5 calories per tablespoon. If we assume that the sauce is 25% olive oil, than I'm OK to call it 100 calories per slice for sauce.

    Dry mozzarella cheese is about 80 calories per ounce. NJ/NY style pizza is also relatively light on the cheese (relative to thicker style pies). Each slice probably has on order of 1.5 ounces. Call it 120 per slice.

    Like I said, 400 calories. Easy peasy.

    Probably very similar to a Costco pie. Which I believe is 16 inches and 6 slices
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I've originally from NYC, and I estimate that a typical thin slice of pizza would be about 500-600. I'm surprised at these very low numbers. He said 16 inch pie, which is pretty big. There is not as much dough as a thick crust, so I'll go with the 200 calories for dough. Light on sauce, ok 100. However, I remember the oil DRIPPING from my pizza when I got a slice. I would assume there is at least 1/2 tablespoon if not more of oil olive. So at least 50 calories for that. I think there is more than 1.5 oz of mozarella cheese, more like 2 or 3 oz. I would estimate more like 200 calories for the cheese. That comes to 550 calories.

    Here is an article from 1994 NYT which tested the pizzas from various pizzerias to get a calorie count. (Average is approx. 600 calories) https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/14/garden/eating-well-fat-by-the-slice.html
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
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    Probably very similar to a Costco pie. Which I believe is 16 inches and 6 slices

    I don't know if Costco pies differ by region but NY/NJ style pies are usually thinner/crisper crust and lighter on all sauce/cheese/toppings. In terms of volume, Costco slices are double or more the size of a generic NJ/NY style pizzeria slice.

    NJ/NY pizzeria style is more this:

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    Than this:

    mwn8scw28pfc.jpg