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

Yeah, produce is generally hit or miss. I like buying their big bags o' mixed chard or "southern greens." I love cooking greens and cleaning/cutting them is such a pain, especially in my tiny-ass kitchen.

As far as crowds -- best time to go is 10AM or earlier on a weekend (well, excluding going on a weekday during work hours, which you probably can't do). Another good time -- dinner hours, Friday evening.

their fresh fruit is shit - every time we get stuff from there it goes rotten in a couple of days

the way they treat their apples makes me want to cry. you can paw through a whole shelf of apples and find none that aren't bruised

i always feel sorry for the people who are holding the signs that shepherd the line. at first i thought it was a pretty good lazy job, then i realised that it's queueing, ALL DAY LONG, never getting anywhere. when you're at the bank and there's a massive line, you always rely on that schadenfreude of other people piling up behind you and having to wait longer. but if you're the trader joe linesman ... always at the end of the line.

they also call it 'twelve items or fewer' which is nice

I always find the cashiers super nice -- do they pay unusually well or something?

their bagged greens do seem to last really well - we get the baby spinach a lot, it's a big bag and stays fresh for close to two weeks.

dinner hours?? no way. that is also known as 'after work' when everyone in the world goes!

omfg
http://justinsomnia.org/images/trader-joes-chocolate-croissants.jpg

dinner hours?? no way. that is also known as 'after work' when everyone in the world goes!

But Friday night it seems to work, like maybe 7:30 or later.

good:

bread
peanut butter (also almond butter)
three cheese frozen pizza
sole filets
sharp cheddar (cheap!)
chocolate-covered edamame
tomato soup (okay, not as good as Amy's)

always disappointing:

anything salsa-related
produce

i stay away from the frozen dinners and pre-marinated crap too, and the overpriced meats.

they have nicely prized frozen meats.
i prefer whole foods' frozen fishes.

cheeapest clif bars off the net!

"good:

bread"

But not good, the plain-old "Whole Wheat Bread" (the one with very small slices) -- cardboardy. Same with the bread that comes in imitation Alvarado Street Bakery packaging.

It's funny how TJ will have like five different brands of the same product that are all TJ's and all knockoffs of other brands, and then they compete against each other.

classic x100:
free samples of coffee

i always feel sorry for the people who are holding the signs that shepherd the line. at first i thought it was a pretty good lazy job, then i realised that it's queueing, ALL DAY LONG, never getting anywhere. when you're at the bank and there's a massive line, you always rely on that schadenfreude of other people piling up behind you and having to wait longer. but if you're the trader joe linesman ... always at the end of the line.

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― deveraux billings (schlump), Tuesday, March 10, 2009 10:02 PM Bookmark

I have never seen this

I like the "New Zealand Grass Fed Organic Cheddar" -- very cheap! (not as yummy as Cabot, but, you know, in this economy...)

i have never bought any of the cheese/fresh meats because the line wraps around the store and makes it impossible to get to anything in that case

I have never seen this

do you live in somewhere with a breezy, unencumbered open plan trader joe's? like one in arizona where they test out new products?

i think there is a bit on the website dedicated to regional variations, if anyone is keen for more idiosyncratic tj innovation

I like the "New Zealand Grass Fed Organic Cheddar" -- very cheap!

That stuff's good -- it's a little earthy-tasting, though. I usually just get the Wisconsin sharp white cheddar.

You know what's pretty good, and new I think (at least in my neck of the woods)? The edamame hummus.

My favorite of their hummuses is the Mediterranean Hummus

should be its own thread/poll, but i have come to the conclusion that all other houmouses are bullshit. i have been burned too many times. original is BEST, though red pepper is sometimes acceptable.

Do you specifically mean Trader Joe's original or are you just against flavored hummuses in general?

The cioppino is the absolute most refined, delicious, and clutch frozen dinner I have ever had. Throw it on some spaghetti and you have an even bigger meal.

― throwbookatface (skygreenleopard)

One of my all-time faves too. I put it on rice at first but it's even better on pasta. And you can cook the seafood/sauce in a pan - no microwave necessary.

Also the Chicken Gorgonzola in the frozen section is classic. Make a sandwich with their cibatta.

A lot of their frozen stuff works in the toaster oven if you can wait around for a little while.

their veggie meatballs are awesome. also, their wheat tortillas are shit for everything EXCEPT making enchiladas, we discovered today, in which case they are the best tortillas you can possibly buy.

Do the frozen stuff (entrees & such) on the stovetop with a little oil, maybe a little water--set it on medium-low and stir.

best:
chocolate covered pretzels
chocolate mint hot chocolate
chocolate covered fruit
lacey cookies
brie - good price compared to Whole Foods
some of the frozen appetizers - mushroom turnovers I remember being pretty yummy, though I haven't had them in awhile
greek style yogurt
decent prices on fancy brand hard liquor
big jugs of juice
spiced apple cider

they have nicely prized frozen meats.
i prefer whole foods' frozen fishes.

agreed - Whole Foods has frozen soft-shell crab. They spent almost a year building a Whole Foods down my block, and I resented it a lot. Then I saw the frozen soft-shell crab. Best sandwich I've ever had was a soft-shell crab prepared burger like. Sorry to derail TJ thread with WF talk.

I fuck w/ the mushroom turnovers

i don't really buy stuff from the freezer aisle much, but the frozen naan is classic! dud: i bought some frozen egg rolls recently and they came out kinda mushy and greasy. but classic: frozen puff pastry. and their pizzas aren't half bad, esp. the roasted vegetable one.

i'm stoked that they have the winter loaf fruit and nut bread right now! it's super-delicious, esp. the bits of candied orange peel.

one of my other favorite things is the nitrate-free pastrami, which has a very beefy/briny flavor.

if i buy pre-sliced sandwich bread at all, i buy the milton's whole grain bread or the new repackaged TJ's version of it (it's cheaper).

the cheese selection is somewhat meh, but i'm all about that cotswold cheddar. and i've been keeping little hunks of their grana padano around to grate on pasta, etc.

they used to have these triple-shot cans of iced espresso at a very good price. i'm deeply dismayed that they've stopped carrying them.

so many things i've had from TJs were good or great the first time, horrible the second. the veggie chorizo, for instance. i hardly buy anything but staples there these days, the occasional lazy can of veggie chili... my wife loves their frozen pizzas. i find them pretty disgusting. they got rid of a lot of my favorite stuff in the past year or so.

quinoa bread - yum. not good for toast, though, just making sandwiches. everything bagels are okay. i'm really straining to think of anything exciting... um, chili-lime pistachios.

the balsamic veggie medley - blarrgh. canned soups - blarrgh.

when has something called a "veggie medley" EVER been good?

they had this half-round of sourdough bread, might've been whole wheat sourdough that was awesome.

when has something called a "veggie medley" EVER been good?

maybe if it was fried veggie medley, it'd be good. However, most things called "veggie medley" tend not to be fried.

veggie medleys/mixed vegetable mixes are never good, this is true

pretty good -
moroccan salted olives
greek yogurt
baby beets
ginger cookies, the small ones that come in a round plastic container
some of the frozen enchiladas (chicken chile verde)
relatively inexpensive walnuts, almonds, also almond butter

yes:
veggie meatballs (addicted to these)
garlic hummus dip
coffee

no:
produce (obviously)
"soy nuggets"

I'm still into soy nuggets, though my girlfriend has gradually lost interest in them.

Other likes, with caveats:

margarita pizza (though it's no substitute for the great goat cheese pizza, which has since been discontinued)

frozen mildly spiced vegetable burritos (though I stopped buying them after I realized how calorie-laden they are)

fresh mild salsa (though it tends to get overly acidic after a couple of days)

I guess I have no complaints about the frozen seafood I've bought there.

My gf also just walked into the room and said, "Did you mention BRITISH MUFFINS?" I said no because I don't give a shit about them, but for posterity, I should mention that she eats the cinnamon raisin variety pretty much every day.

^different from English muffins?

Not that I can tell.

Wait, I take that back: I guess they don't have Thomas-style nooks and crannies.

That's the Welsh influence.

Undoubtedly.

decent prices on fancy brand hard liquor

where do you live that they do this? i want to move there.

should mention that i've grown past charles shaw (hooray i am old!) but i still like to buy wines at their wine shop cause they're about $3-8 cheaper for most things than the shop in my neighborhood.

they dont have liquor or wine @ the bk outpost

tbh i have not really been feeling tjs lately after eating nothing but stuff from their store all thru college

will ride for the chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels tho

those Maple Cream cookies are out of control good.

that sounds absolutely disgusting

chili mango slices <3

These are not being appreciated enough.

There is a store in Pasadena that does that, though I've never tried it. And we used to have a food co-op where you could do that for some items.

There are a few places/products that encourage that, especially for shelf-stable stuff like shampoo. A few years back I want to say I heard a radio piece on how difficult it was to find a pizza place that would allow you to pick up the pie minus the box, using your own container.

https://www.wbez.org/stories/can-you-get-takeout-without-a-side-of-trash-in-chicago/fdab4761-534c-4cb2-9131-17979e34ae66

https://preview.redd.it/gdbv8dnsntta1.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=133b2e5b0d90d6574e60b0667937f0cde3ea41da

Top two look like hippos, middle two like goats, far right is a horse, lower left maybe a tiger, or a polar bear.

Maybe top center is a rhino with a truncated horn.

animals.

I just ate an entire Jalapeno Cheddar Bread in one and sitting and aside from feeling like I'm about to burst, my biggest regret is that I don't have any more to eat tomorrow.

The French onion focaccia is really good too. Also those new Thai noodle rice snacks.

Picked up the chai black-tea concentrate last week, mixed it with milk, and am absolutely hooked.

how caffeine-y do you feel it is (one tbsp for 2hrs alertness, 5tbsp for neversleep)?

TRADER JOES AMERICAN CHEESE DOES NOT MELT CORRECTLY

I'm usually pretty good about bringing my own bag to Trader Joe's, but after making an impulse stop last night (I was getting my 16-yr old some driving at night hours in on the road) I realized I forgot one. "What about that?" she asked, pointing to the collapsable crate I'd bought at Costco but not yet brought out of the car. "That's perfect!" I said, excited. And boy did the Trader Joe's crew get a kick out of my BYO crate, ooh-ing and ah-ing over it, pawing at it, congregating by the register to admire it. And as I left I absolutely know the guy scanning my stuff loved telling me "your receipt is in the crate."

lol

Okay, my local was out of Vermouth so I decided to try this oddball instead... Pronto! Made in Italy, 24% abv, $9.99 for 750ml

Bitter, sort of like Campari or even Cynar, a muted plum color... poured over ice with a splash of lemonade (in the American sense), it's pretty darn good for the price! The label mentions 'intriguing aromatic herbs and a hint of orange peel'.. I might be buying this again, very refreshing in the hot California sun

https://i.imgur.com/NCRHhXO.jpg

good to know! Very sad about the hatch unexpected cheddar spread being done.

huh, really curious who is actually making that amaro

the amaro person

less paper plane and more budget airline.

Going to try out their porchetta tonight...

Porchetta worked out great. Had it out of the fridge most of the afternoon, had it in the oven a bit longer than instructed. Tasty!

Damn do I love their pastrami-style smoked salmon.

Enjoying snacking on the spicy tempura seaweed and the rosemary nuts

Did they discontinue their jalapeno cheesy bread?!

I’m bummed out over their decision to stop carrying the “Simply Eggless” egg substitute. It was way better and cheaper (by a few dollars) than the Just Egg. It was so easy to work with and never stuck to my cast-iron pan.

The Trader Joe's Soyaki sauce is quite nice. However I've been informed by those in the know (i.e. my wife and her friends) that labelling it as a 'Trader Joe san' product is inaccurate, as you can't use the '-san' suffix for yourself in Japanese culture. Instead, it translates as "Dear Trader Joe, from Soyaki" or possibly "Dear Trader Joe, here is Soyaki from Japan".

Perhaps they meant that?

The proof

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31L0m5W1imL.jpg

The fact that they still do this kind of "ethnic" "marketing" (or mockery, as I would call it) is truly insane afaic.

That said, had a few people over about two weeks ago and the "everything but the bagel" dip literally disappeared in about five minutes.

there's also the whole "dismantle the administrative capacity of the federal govt" thing :(

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/10/starbucks-trader-joes-spacex-challenge-labor-board

well if you choose to boycott TJ's for their stance on the NLRB you can always buy the name brand version of that product. I have been marinating salmon in it for years (and it has its own ethnic marketing spin that as a Jew I have never decided how I feel about)

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71AeHdXtmiL._SX679_.jpg

As a child, i was forced to attend las vegas for an extended family vacation with cousins. Our parents also made us wear hawaiian shirts like the griswolds for a day. Nobody should be forced to wear a hawaiian shirt at their job.

Doesn't teriyaki sauce always have soy sauce? A bit like making your own ketchup mix and naming it "Tomatchup"

yeah you can make it with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar

I think the TJ's one and others throw in garlic and ginger, but you can do lots of variations

thought the revive might be for this

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/madness-trader-joes-mini-tote-bags-reselling-for-up-to-500-amid-social-media-craze/ar-BB1jI1r3

people are insane