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

i'm curious about the beer btw...it says it's made by a brewery here in wisconsin, but is that true for trader joe's everywhere? or do they get different local breweries to make beers for their brands?

says it's from wisconsin in the california TJs too

also there is this alternate $3 beer that they have at some TJs - I forgot the name, but wow, it was godawful stuff

yeah i think i tried that (once)

they have some decent booze that i have a hard time finding elsewhere.. rear admiral joseph gin, monopolowa vodka

and they tend to play pretty good music in tj's

they have some decent booze

tj's, sadly, cannot sell booze in Oregon. I do like their dried fruit and nuts. Charles Shaw plonk is classic plonk. I drink it religiously, in conjunction with tj's scrumptious Body of Christ wafer cookies.

damn this 'spicy smoky peach salsa' is hella good

Dudes, have any of you tried Trader Joe's cornbread? I've made it twice now, and it's excellent. Just the right amount of sweetness.

guys have we discussed the cinnamon and sugar pita chips?

I just spent $175 at trader joes! I hope my freezer is big enough.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2496/4000032126_ba4f711ae4.jpg

Black bean and roasted corn salsa, so good.

http://failblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/epic-fail-mushroom-medley-fail.jpg

the beer bread mix is tasty!

I'll be making some Trader Joe's cornbread later tonight. So so so good!

Serious questions for those of you who feel positively towards TJ's cornbread and pumpkin bread, etc: how do these mixes stand up against scratch versions of these various quickbreads? What are you supposed to add to the mixes ?

i am a fan of tj's cornbread. i've never been quite able to make it quite as delicious myself, and it's just eggs, oil, and mix. (i think) not being a huge cornbread fan in general, though, i could have low standards.

I trust your opinion, Amanda! I can potentially make pretty good cornbread, but it's not very consistent and the best recipe I have requires the use of the food processor, which is a pain in the ass to get out and clean and put away. Okay, I think I will expand into the quickbread mixes on my next TJ's trip.

also there is this alternate $3 beer that they have at some TJs - I forgot the name, but wow, it was godawful stuff

― iatee, Thursday, 8 October 2009 22:19 (1 week ago) Permalink

Red Oval. DUD. Go with Simpler Times, much much better. The Simpler Times pilsner is almost sweet tasting, but I like the lager better. Excellent cheapie beer.

I'm not savvy enough to make cornbread from scratch, but I can say that Trader Joe's cornbread is the perfect consistency and tastes just sweet enough. Way better than the premade shit I was buying from Shaw's bakery before.

OMG the cornbread!!! this thread pushed me towards buying it, i just made it and it is so good. "Just the right amount of sweetness." is exactly right.

wow so new 'dark chocolate lover's' 85% tj brand chocolate is goooood. fruity tasting. rich. and cheap!

red oval beer tastes better than simpler times and is cheaper

$2.99 for a six pack its like--how can you NOT buy this beer

in bulk

yeah i had some on new year's and it was pretty tasty

in the frozen appetizer section: arancini with fontina cheese --> delicious

DELICIOUS!

I made a special trip to TJ's on Sunday to get a pint of their chocolate sorbet and the fucking hippies stopped carrying it.

Their honey-sesame coated cashews are to die for.

I wish that TJ's delivered, like Pea Pod, because I'm just far away enough from a TJ's to make getting there a pain in the ass, but boy do I miss having a freezer full of food that requires nothing more than a couple Ts of water and the application of heat to turn it into dinner.

Dark Chocolate Covered Powerberries <3 <3 <3

products i have mourned:
coconut sorbet
puff pastry that is not rolled, but lies flat in a sheet
coconut cashews (RIP homies, i loved u truly)

red oval beer tastes better than simpler times and is cheaper

wtf soooo not otm

u have no taste buds imo

simpler times tastes like bad coors light
red oval tastes like bad red stripe

oh man i am sort of one of those anti-prepared food people but this thread just makes it sound so good. (is it really?)

yes. And what isn't good is made up by the fact that your not preparing food, which is priceless.

I used to buy frozen burritos from TJ's every now and then until I got freaked out by all the sodium.

Like I said on the Friday night thread, TJ's gluten-free ginger snap cookies are CRACK IN A BISCUIT.

I don't give a crap about sodium but I like tj's for easy solutions to common problems: quick cook steel cut oats, cheap and decent olive oil, samosas I can make in my toaster oven, shit like that. Also decent cheap wine. (not chuck, but lots of other $3.99 brands)

ehh...turns out the nearest trader joe's is pretty far anyway. (10 miles, but probably almost a 30 min drive due to traffic lights, etc.)

I made a special trip to TJ's on Sunday to get a pint of their chocolate sorbet and the fucking hippies stopped carrying it.

― Darin

this is my husband's main addiction. they were still carrying it at our TJ's but he is trying to wean himself off.

also: i highly recommend this pizza thing (i forget the name/brand), that is a super thin crust, caramelized onions, couple cheeses and prosciutto. it's amazing.

I will confirm -- that flatbread thing IS good.

arancini with fontina cheese --> delicious

these taste surprisingly like the ones my mother-in-law cooks

anybody know what happened to the cocoa powder covered hazelnuts? last seen maybe 5 years ago. :/

can't tell if that's an endorsement or not (xpost)

she's italian so yeah, tj's are better than i would expect

also: i highly recommend this pizza thing (i forget the name/brand), that is a super thin crust, caramelized onions, couple cheeses and prosciutto. it's amazing.

I like these too, they're not called pizzas, um, tarts maybe? Some kind of French-ish name.

I like the made-in-Italy pizzas, they have a few types, thought they seemed to have stopped carrying my favorite, the goat cheese and black olive one.

they have this new product that's polenta balls, spinach, and peas in a tomato cream sauce. i bought it based on trying a sample a few visits ago, and it's fuckin great. will buy again.

"fuckin great" may be an overstatement, but it is pretty nice.