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

It's probably more like...put the first 6 in the oven, heat, eat. A couple of hours later, think, man those were really good...and I still have 6 more....

― Orson Wellies (in orbit), Tuesday, January 27, 2015 5:26 AM (7 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

io has clearly been spying on me.

I'm eating a maple walnut blondie right now...mmm

And apparently the raspberry macaron cake has been discontinued :( you can still buy bite sized pieces as part of the sweet bites box so I hope it comes back randomly like it has done before. Different stores seem to tell me that it's either discontinued or seasonal, hoping it's the latter.

biscotti are pretty easy to make for yourself. the ingredients are simple and the process is pretty straightforward. the hardest thing about them is you need to bake them twice.

Whole Foods' biscotti (sold in their bakery, not the prepackaged stuff) is some of the best biscotti I've had.

okay so you know how TJ's produce flat out sucks, right? Right??? WELL, have I got news for you!! They have these fancy oranges called Sky Valley Heirloom Navel Oranges at the very unfancy price of $3.99 for a 4lb bag just like all their other oranges. They are the sweetest juciest most amazing oranges I have ever had in my life, oh my god, idk if I've ever even just bought oranges for eating before as an adult but these are INSANE

also the Inner Bean snacks are just weird

http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/2015/02/trader-joes-fireworks-chocolate-bar.html

can't wait to try this one

the green curry shrimp gyoza are awesome. i made my own sweet chili sauce for dipping and they were even better after that.

and there's a new flavor of frozen naan now, with paneer. it's in my freezer -- haven't tried it yet.

Naan masala or something? Had it, pretty good but a little onion-y.

http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/2015/02/trader-joes-fireworks-chocolate-bar.html

Oh man, I've had a non-TJs bar like this and it was amazing, hope this one's as good.

not crazy bout that masala naan (the garlic one is the best of the three) but the vegetable samosas are delish. does tj's sell tamarind paste?

i bought the fireworks chocolate bar and ate two pieces like i normally eat chocolate, by chewing it, and it was tasty but didn't seem that special. then i was told that you have to let it melt on your tongue and it distinguished itself as different from other chocolate bars. recommended for sensory-overload enthusiasts!

i think maybe I'm the only person who finds pop rocks profoundly unpleasant

oh i'm sure you're not the only person!

We tried that chocolate bar and I couldn't eat more than a square or two in one sitting. It was so weird.

I loved it. Could eat 37 of them.

I like em, but I usually just have two squares. The Chuao Fireworks bar, on the other hand, I could eat in one sitting.

I've been loyal to the garlic hummus for years but decided to switch it up last night and get the "Mediterranean Hummus" ("creamy and smooth").

it is so abhorrently salty that i'm going to return it tonight (a TJ's first for me)

and i love salty stuff!

aw man i love the meditteranean!

i've never noticed the saltiness tbh

I like that hummus but the Alton Brown recipe that is the first google result for 'hummus recipe' is so easy and good that I stopped buying it.

it could have been a bad batch

also i am ashamed to report that my resolve crumbled and i did not return it to the store but instead ate it in tiny bites until the container was empty

Coconut Creamer: dafuq IS this?? There's no fat in this so it's thick but not really ~creamy~ the way I expect creamer to make my coffee. Also you need to use a SHIT TON of it for it to actually lighten and thicken your coffee. Also it is super grainy once you get to the bottom of the coffee cup.

http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/2015/04/trader-joes-dark-chocolate-covered.html Joke, but they should make them because it has all the things that are good in the world.

They changed their toilet paper for the worse. Noticeably less soft.

fan of the jarred beets in vinaigrette -- better than the ones in the veggie section! easier to store and only $1.69 vs like $2.99 iirc

the organic cottage cheese is ok but not what i've come to expect from organic cottage cheese

cookie butter sandwich cookies are ok but too buttery/shortbread-y imo

not as gamechangingly delicious as i had hoped

giant cornuts are back. thought they were discontinued. trader joes assured me they were not. i head that story before. but this time they speak truth.

was not too thrilled by the South African potato chips -- taste like standard bbq flavor plus gritty residue that gets under the fingernails and smells weird

Oh agreed, they were disappointing.

have you guys ever taken advantage of trader joes' standing offer to rip open a package and let you sample anything in the store?

Wonder if they would do it with beer.

I would feel too guilty if I decided I didn't want what they opened for me. I do enjoy it when other people ask though, more samples for me.

BTW the danish kringle is back...in pecan form! Pecans >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> almonds so it's an excellent choice.

I sampled that kringle. It was unbelivable. Also, too large and too much money.

i dont understand what it is...?

is it cake? it's so flat

What? It's coffeecake.

It's made of dough with butter layers rolled into it, idk kind of between a pie crust and a croissant? And there's some kind of filling.

mmm

^^ otm

yeah it's basically soft croissant dough with filling and icing, it's so good yall

i may need this in my life

the almond kringle is literally one of the best things on earth. pecans are good too but i hope tj's isn't bowing to bourgie pressure by getting rid of the almonds (people who don't normally give a shit about the environment are sanctimoniously tearing heads off left and right when it comes to almonds' effect on the water supply).

"dinner hack" i tried tonight to great success: combining the frozen mahi-mahi w/ the frozen channa masala. i made a spice rub for the fish w/ some salt, pepper, grated ginger, garlic, and dried orange peel, and yr basic curry ingredients, then broiled the fish in a low-temp oven until it was cooked through but still flaky and tender. i had the chick peas heating on a burner with some extra butter and ginger while the mahi-mahi was going, and at the end i just turned off all heat sources and mixed in the shredded fish. really good, comforting and aromatic and not too heavy and thick enough on its own that you don't need naan or rice.

tj's has decent prices for the non-salmon non-tuna frozen fish. i've been taking advantage of that a lot more lately. i understand their sustainability practices have improved, or at least i will let myself believe that until someone taps me on the shoulder and tells me i'm a monster.

(psst—monster!)

Anyone remember the heady days of boil-in-bag thai-curry tuna?

my blood-mercury level is probably 2.5 thanks to that deliciousness

I miss that stuff.

I wonder if there's a version (or even the same product) in the non-TJ world.

that stuff was godhead