The Trader Joe's Product Discussion Thread (S/D)

i have two boxes of their mac in the freezer.

Have not had best luck with TJ's cheese - although the "Italian Truffle Cheese" is hard to stop eating.

The Old Amsterdam Gouda is pretty good, but Their Stilton was sub-par (but half what a good one costs). It's not really a place for high-end cheeses.

yeah, the cheese section is 2nd rate, i mostly go for the cheap booze and some stuff my kids like

They don't have many, like "real" cheeses in the chese snobby sense - like the kind that stink a lot and taste better when you leave them out.

I wouldn't say 2nd rate, just not top-end. I also like the Black Diamond Swiss (sliced), and most are acceptable (and priced accordingly).

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I have only recently starting going to TJ's, here are my yays and nays:

nay:

Vietnamese sandwich-style wrap (it was just gross)

eh:

candy-cane jojos (they were good but a bit too minty)
microwavable pad thai (sold in a little blue take-out container, tasty but it was all noodles and sauce, some veggies would have rounded it out nicely)

yay:

vegetable masala burger (indian spiced veggie burger, YUM)
goddess dressing (i use it as sauce for a wrap i make with the masala burger)
spice chai latte powdered (chai powders are so hit and miss, theirs is very very good)

I bought a wrap at a coffeehouse in san francisco that I loved, and I recognized the veggie burger and found the right dressing so I could make it myself. i make it at home with a tortilla, tomatoes, spinach and red onions, it's delicious.

The frozen chana masala is pretty yum, as are the boxed daals and curries in the pouches.

The frozen mac and cheese is so holy shit yum.

Cornbread is way too sweet. I prefer mine more savory.

It taste like a breakfast muffin.

vegetable masala burger (indian spiced veggie burger, YUM)

These are pretty crappy imo. Much cheaper than most veggie burgers but they really aren't the same thing. 1st ingredient is potatoes; v. little protein.

if you want protein eat a real burger.

Frozen avocado halves: sounded like a bad idea, was a bad idea.

Two things have been getting to me lately:

1) How everything has so much packaging (like why do I need to buy two zuchinnis on a little tray with plastic wrap -- can't you just sell me zuchinnis?)

2) How bad I feel from eating too much of their frozen stuff - probably because of fat and sodium. This is not actually healthy food.

1) otm
2) but it's tasty!

spice chai latte powdered (chai powders are so hit and miss, theirs is very very good)

yeah I luv this stuff, it was out the last time I went :(

they have a frozen pesto tortellini that's quite nice. yeah i know frozen food is not great for you but i keep some things around for nights when i don't feel like cooking.

1) How everything has so much packaging (like why do I need to buy two zuchinnis on a little tray with plastic wrap -- can't you just sell me zuchinnis?)

hey my trader joe's had a sign up that said they are going to start offering more individual fruits and vegetables in an effort to be more eco-friendly. the only problem w/ this is that they sell them individually, not by weight, which probably makes things more $. but maybe not. anyway, i think my store is about half and half now in terms of loose vs. prepackaged produce.

my TJs has gone in the other direction. kiwis in plastic trays! how am i supposed to tell how ripe they are?

i bought a tray of bran muffins from tj's a few days ago and just noticed the mold growing on them. serves me right for not checking the expiration date?

fucking obsessed with the "Soy Nuggets"

considering how incredibly busy our local TJs is, i'm always surprised by how often we buy stuff from there that is moldy.

classic: the frozen lava cakes

i bought some baaaad oranges the other day ;_;

i got some bad tomatoes a few weeks ago :(

This is why, although I like many of the things the sell, I find myself going there so infrequently; because I'd have to go to another food mart anywa to get fruit/veggies and some other staples.

yeah tj's produce has fucked me over on enough occasions that i only go there for about three things now

i'm guessing that it's a matter of location. when i lived in ny, the veggies were terrible, but in wa, they are pretty good. they are my go-to for zucchini, spinach, blackberries, apples, red peppers, artichokes (in summer). and their brussels sprouts are generally better looking and cheaper than safeway.

i dig their tomatoes tbh

I liked trader joe's a lot more before moving to ny.

I mean I still mostly only shop there, but the process has gone from 'annoying' to 'incredibly stressful'...maybe this will be better when they open the chelsea and uws shops

but yeah the overall variety of stuff + produce + shopping experience was way better in california

They have a new type of mustard with mustard seeds. I like it. I also like their multi-grain or whole wheat pretzels and their peaberry coffee and their cheap coffee filters and their low sodium whole wheat bread and their low sodium tongol tuna, which must be a unique Trader Joe's species. I bought some Granny Smith apples there last weekend and they are pretty good and not too bruised. However, their bagged oranges were much worse than the ones they have at Shaw's.

At the Trader Joe's in Irvine, I bought La Crema Pinot Noir, which was pretty good -- balanced, elegant -- but that is not a Trader Joe's brand.

Search: beer bread box mix. It's delicious and super easy!

there used to be excellent tom yam cashews <a href="http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/thestew/2009/07/trader-joes-chewy-crisp-tom-yum-cashews-like-a-drug.html";>that were like this</a> but TJs discontinued them, for no good reason. anybody know where i can get more? those motherfuckers were incredible.

i bought those once! they were delicious. that's two delicious cashews that have been cancelled. the other were coconut cashews and they were DIVINE. RIP.

i'm addicted to those frozen lava cakes. so amazingly good.

i just discovered they have chipwiches! i used to freaking love chipwiches.

i had to buy ice cream sandwiches in honor of greenberg, which i saw today. i got white wine instead of whiskey, though.

UNGH I am soooooooooooo loving this Triple Berry-O's cereal. I am really excited about the Soy Chorizo in my fridge, too, and the Roasted Garlic Marinara I caved and bought (I haven't purchased jarred tomato sauce in abt 3 years but I have a hunch this one is rly rly good). I also have the Vegetable Masala burgers in my freezer which I already love.

oatmeal. raisin. cookies.

I live by one of these now, however it's too full to get IN THE DOOR most of the time. Is it worth my taking a couple of hours off work to try to do some shopping? Am on super-tight budget for a while longer, maybe I should be looking at TJ's...?

Triple Berry-O's cereal = yesss, I just restocked on this yesterday.

The best TJ's shopping experience Jeff and I had was when we went late on the Saturday adjacent to St. Patrick's day and in a snow storm. There was room to move around in there!

Is it worth my taking a couple of hours off work to try to do some shopping?

yes...unless you mostly buy produce

lol @ city folks, my average trader joes shopping trip from walking in to walking out is ~5 min

That TJs on Lincoln/Grace is expanding into the old CB2, fortunately.

I know! That's super exciting.

i meant to offer my support for the panang curry sticks. they're delicious and so quick in the toaster oven.

making their nitrate (etc) free hot dogs tonight, along with their chicken sundried tomato sausage.

me n the gf ate considerably more than half a box of ginger snaps yesterday night. I think that might be my POO: tj's answer

i still haven't kicked my tj's tikka masala habit and i've added their nan to the problem.