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

soy chorizo - why do they put it in a casing? when you take it out it looks like ground meat (being generous) or babyfood. pretty good though

pumpkin cream cheese!!!

I have since learned that chorizo is supposed to come in a casing? not sure though.

-goat cheese and sundried tomato ravioli - boring! kind of salty, no flavor, no tanginess of the sun dried tomatoes.

usually it does -- mexican chorizo does usually come in a casing ime
don't most sausages come in a casing, regardless of whether you eat it in or out of the casing?

isn't that what sausages are?

this one said you had to remove the casing. it was plastic, I think.

oh yeah you totally have to squeeze it out or cut it out or whatever. it really does not do any favors to the texture of that stuff. i have eaten it, but i can't recommend it.

fucking heavy w/ LEMON CRISP cookies... little lemon cookies with powdered sugar & chocolate. and i don't really like sweets.

also, brioche rolls: dope

was kinda pissed that my store didn't have CHORIZO, which is the only sausage i really like. they had SOY CHORIZO or some some such nonsense tho. also their fresh fish selection is kind of wack... it's mostly just salmon, at least out here. also they sell grated parm for $6 or something which i mean c'mon.

i'm not really into their fish selection although i bought some of the frozen swordfish steaks the other week and they were dece

The grated parm I get is like $4, which is probably what a can of bland kraft parm costs.

buy a block and a grater for $5 and grow some arm mucles

…you dainty little man.

I bought a fucking stalk of brussels sprouts at TJ! amazing. wondering if I can just roast the stalk whole. what a weird plant! so noise.

http://summertomato.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Brussels-Sprouts-Stalks.jpg

Let it be known: puff pastry season has begun
I bought some this week, haven't decided what I want to do with it first.

pumpkin ale is shit

what a weird plant! so noise.

you could convincingly post that in whatever weed thread is on the noise board imo

How much did you pay for puff pastry? I've only seen it frozen in Whole Foods for like $10. I was so disgusted I actually made some and it was successful! Still have some in the freezer: TARTLETS TIME

The only way I got myself to do the shopping this eve was by promising myself edamame hummus.

i've been buying/cooking those brussels sprouts like crazy.

i really like the vegan trail mix cookies. it is hard not to eat more than one at a time.

It's like $3.99 maybe? Not $10 for sure.
It's totally tartlet time.

The only way I got myself to do the shopping this eve was by promising myself edamame hummus.

There was a regular old normal looking young woman eating carrots and TJ's edamame hummus next to me on the train this afternoon.

i'm incredibly intrigued by this hummus

i wish everything there was able to taste

the dark chocolate bar w/caramel and sea salt is great, though I feel like it would be even better if it was thicker/firmer? I keep them in the fridge, too.

oh and i was gonna post about how awesome the meyer lemon thin cookies were the day ilx went down.

that bar is a poor substitute for the christmastime dark chocolate covered caramels with sea salt. they are thicker! the bar is v messy and we even tried cutting w/ knife but it still broke weird and got all messy.

Jordan, rode the Red Line more and you might be able to get to try the hummus.

Since my move I only get to TJ's every few weeks or so. Do they have the holiday ale yet?

Jordan, rode the Red Line more and you might be able to get to try the hummus.

― pullapartsquirrel (Jenny), Thursday, October 20, 2011 11:06 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark

*furiously scribbling notes*

Lord, you are a champ for even being able to parse that sentence.

S: Truffle brownie mix. So delicious, probably because you add your own melted stick of butter at home. I've made brownies from scratch plenty and they are a huge pain in the ass and never as good as this box mix.

D: The pre-made, as in just open an envelope and pour it out brownie mix. It's pretty gross. Caveats: I put the batter in the oven directly after removing a roasted chicken and accidentally turned the oven off. I didn't realize it until the timer went off, at which point I restarted the oven and baked them until a toothpick came out cleanish. This might have impacted the texture. Also, putting them in right after the chicken made them taste vaguely like roasted chicken, which was really awful. However, the truffle brownie box mix is so easy that I haven't felt compelled to try this brownie mix again to see whether it was me or the mix.

the hybrid corn-wheat tortillas are not half-bad! they've managed to last a few days without getting the rancid-corn smell.

my favorite are the chili flour tortillas.

"spicy, smokey peach salsa" really livened up tonight's boring old grilled chicken breasts

habanero and lime salsa too salty, lime flavor doesn't keep well in the jar

potstickers are really good

their normal salsa sux

yeah I'm not wild about jarred salsa in general but the peach (w/tomato) was pleasant surprise

The potstickers are as good as any from the Asian restaurants and stores, but the gyoza sauce is terrible. Gyoza sauce is such a simple thing (soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic) and I think TJ ruined it by trying to jazz it up.

most of tj's chinese/japanese sauces are terrible. just make your own; it's so easy.

the sauce for their korean chicken wings was a disgrace.

better/cheaper sauces at asian mkt, not difficult to stock up periodically
but the gyoza themselves are pretty good i think -- shrimp are my favorite, first pan fried then steamed to heat through

And for Eastern European gyoza, the pierogies are very good if you make them per instructions - boil ~ 3 minutes to heat through then pan fry (in bacon grease for that extra touch). I like the potato and cheese ones better than the chicken.

I miss living near the big pan-Asian supermarket (Pacific Sun?). I would regularly stock up on Srirachia, gyoza sauce, sweet chili sauce, and 1/2 gallon jugs of soy sauce. And peeled garlic! I wish they sold gyoza sauce in enormous jugs. Those little bottles don't last long. Or I wish my homemade sauce tasted as good. It is super simple, but it is never quite right.

get bent otm - spend money on different varieties of soy sauce instead

Golden Pacific! I like Tai Nam these days though.

Last time I was there, I tried a new cheese. I don't know if they've always had it? Or not. But it was AWESOME and also like THREE DOLLARS for a wedge! It's called Toscano, I think?? Tastes like parmesan but less dried, but still having crunchy bits in it, and the rind is soaked in red wine.
WOULD EAT ALL OF.

In fact I did eat all of. Now I have to go back for more.

more stuff that I kinda knew was not going to be good but I am dumb:
the applegate turkey baloney.
just don't
why did i
i don't know

Actually, you know what? This will be a good experiment in Sandwich Theory. Is the turloney capable of redemption through advanced application of condiments, cheese, and bread?

I'd try frying, everything is better fried.

grilled/fried turloney w/cheddar/gruyere hybrid