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

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

I still look for it every time I go to TJs, because there is a small sliver of hope left alive somewhere my heart.

There's gotta be a relatively simple way to put it together...does TJ's sell those green and red curries by the jar?

i just learned that their roasted seaweed snacks are hella gross

i tried adding their thai green curry to some tuna and it was disgusting.

The curry sauce is good over tilapia or other fish filets, though.

Y'all are crazy those curry tuna packets were barftastic.

no way bro they were the best

Greek Yogurt Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins=goood.

Trader Joe's Sambal Matah Indonesian Salsa: very good

Avocado salsa: very good

nb: Jeff hated it. I ate the entire tub.

i never go to TJs, but if i did i need stuff where you don't have to turn on the oven (microwave OK)

Tasted like watered down guacamole.

morbs: the canned tuna is really good, the frozen indian food is really good, the cheeses in the dairy case are okay. you can do well.

The Indian food in the packets is good, too.

thanks.

i actually did turn the oven on twice recently... for samosas.

the frozen pasta single meals are not bad either. froz mac & cheese p good too

quiches and tamales

TJ's frozen falafel is very bad and tastes like horrible chicken nuggets

all the salsas i have had from TJ have ranged from awful to mediocre

the double roasted one is probably the best of the lot, but yeah.

I like the salsa autentica bc its like your standard Mexican restaurant free table salsa but the spice level can vary pretty widely from jar to jar.

the sriracha bbq sauce would be amazing if it had about a third less sugar, but that's my complaint about most commercial bbq sauces. it wouldn't be too hard to make my own, though. it's tomato paste, sriracha, vinegar, sugar, and garlic, basically.

opened a package of those steamed lentils today and they freakin' rule. made KILLER tacos, but they're already lightly seasoned so perfect for salads too or whatever

turns out Partially Popped Popcorn is quite good. Not at all difficult to munch on.

hi what shd i buy tomorrow

so far I got:

Ice cream
Pot pie
Lunches
Quiche fixins (what kind of quiche shd i make tho)
Pizza fixins
Cream cheese
Dessert mix
Focaccia

super grandma of me but i dig their fig bars

Quiche is good for using up leftover vegetables but of you don't have any of those, bacon, spinach, mushroom, and Swiss cheese is always good IMO.

omfg

crispy cookies filled w/ belgian chocolate are m/l fancy high-end milanos and they taste stunning

Most of what I buy from Trader Joe's are either bottles of wine or minimally processed items that I can use as ingredients in meals, such as cheese, nuts, or olive oil. But of their convenience foods I can recommend:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Qleo1KVNL._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg

Several other similar varieties of Indian food in pouches are also good (nb: Punjab eggplant), but this one seems the best of the lot.