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

it's so sad; they haven't had it at my local in ages.

Apparently there are 3 reasons why a product is discontinued:

1) not v popular; doesn't sell
2) too popular; sells too much and the supplier can't keep up w/ demand and there are constantly gaps on the shelves. They really do not like this
3) supplier pulls out for whatever reason

this was a #2

nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded.

i really like their tuna wraps. i hope they keep those around, and i don't even like "wraps" very much as a rule. they got rid of my favorite sandwich -- the turkey and swiss on pretzel bread.

They got rid of my favorite sandwich, the reuben wrap RIP (btw do not buy the vietnamese wrap no matter how much you love bahn mi, it was foul)

I did buy the pumpkin macarons and they were guuuud. They aren't cheap and it's very easy to eat them all in one sitting but they are a treat.

Their pumpkin bread mix is stellar as well, everyone I've made it for adores it, I'm going to buy a bunch so I can make it throughout 2013. And it's idiot-proof, just add egg, oil and water.

Their pumpkin spice coffee is gross tho. Maybe it tastes better with sugar, when I have their samples I just add cream and it was awful. In general tho I'm nhf coffees that add funky flavorings (chai coffee, chocolate coffee...just stop)

On a non-pumpkin note their pita chips with cinnamon and sugar taste like delicious little crispy churros. I also bought their chicken tikka samosas...tasty enough but if no one told you there's no way you'd know that it was tikka-flavored.

produce is still inconsistent. E.g. I bought pears there a month ago and the things did not ripen. I mean I left them in the fruit bowl for like 5 days -- these were freakishly hard pears. But then the ones I bought recently ripened in a day and were delicious.

fwiw I got a refund for my salmonella-and-flax-seed peanut butters.

the "too popular" thing is p interesting. like it's more important to their customer experience to have people know what to expect, I guess?

has anyone made the chocolate peppermint loaf cake mix yet?

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UrGaglO_Kw8/UEdb8fEy36I/AAAAAAAAAik/FazUSCcc5bQ/s320/TraderJoesOrganicStoneGroundChocolate1.JPG

The salt and pepper Mexican chocolate is bananas but really good.

Sounds good.

The panko crusted fish sticks are fabulous. I'm on a fish sticks kick though, so even Gortons are fabulous to me, but I'm pretty sure the TJ panko ones are extra-fab.

I've had the panko crusted tilapia filets. Are the fish sticks different?

Stick form.

Actually now that I think of it, they were the panko crusted tilapia filets, not sticks at all. It's been kind of a tempest of fish products around here, so I got confused.

I've been liking getting the "Pound Plus" chocolates -- if not my favorite chocolate they have, by FAR the best value and pretty damn good

pistachio white choco cookies--recommended.

The Unibroue er, broued, Holiday beer is back! (basically half-price Maudite/Trois Pistoles)

the one with the fancy Grolsch-like top?

I think it's a cork w/ wire holder like for champagne. Bought one a few days ago but haven't tried it yet. Isn't it slightly different each year? As in vary the recipe different, not random quality control different.

can I get a few rec's of frozen meals?

I love their reduced guilt mac & cheese, and from earlier updates I'm of the understanding that Vegetable Pakoras and Palak Paneer are good too. any other rec's. Kinda need to revamp my work-lunch game for days when I don't have leftovers.

the other pastas are good, esp. the fusilli one with spinach and the one with brie and asparagus (though that one's pretty heavy).

i really like their burritos :-/

tikka masala is good too

no shame in burritos. chin up, jord

i like the kung pao chicken as well but that requires a stove

yeah no stove sadly - toaster oven or nukerowave

the green chile and cheese tamales are delicious

"reduced guilt" http://www.toffeetalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/shaking%20fist.png

i like the fett alfredo - you could add some steamed veggies/roasted chicken to it

mmm yum guys! I've got a list going

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

― NYSE:JAH (get bent), Wednesday, March 11, 2009 3:56 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark

this is really good pastrami

the pastas that come in the cardboard trays have been consistently underwhleming for me; they're not BAD, they'll do, they're decent for the price but they're not zomg amazing. Brie + asparagus sounds incredible though. I haven't fucked w/ the reduced guilt mac but the regular mac is craaaaaazy good

reduced guilt mac tastes just like regular mac, is v cheesy and delicious.

like I don't feel like I'm being denied anything by having reduced guilt - honestly I just bought it because it was cheap

they charge more for guilt?!

The reduced guilt mac and cheese is just like, half the mac and cheese than what you get in the regular box. If all I'm eating for a meal is mac and cheese, I prefer the larger serving.

I like the various frozen lasagnas, although I burned out on them a little, and I second the burritos recommendation, especially the verde chicken burrito. The enchiladas are pretty good, too, although I really miss the chicken enchiladas verdes.

reduced guilt is $1 less

i have been enjoying the kimchee. it's spicy but not too much for lunch, no fermenty smell.

in fact i am eating it with my fingers right now b/c i can't find a fork or chopsticks and eating with pencils is sadder than eating with my hands.

btw i'm eating it with something (tofu & chard), not as my main dish for lunch obvs

if reduced guilt is simply reduced portion, is the price per oz still the same? it might be cheaper to pay for the guilt then split it into two portions. guilt arbitrage!

My wife and I used to make the Mandarin orange chicken relatively frequently. Once, however, we both got food poisoning from it. We were literally either in the bathroom or curled up on the floor in the fetal position for close to 12 hours. We let Trader Joe's know, and the next day we actually get a call from the owner of the company that makes the chicken, apologizing and offering to reimburse us for any missed work hours. We gave him the same response we've ever given someone in a similar situation: no, that's cool, just don't make anyone sick.

We avoided the chicken for a good 6 or 7 years after that, and then tried it again a few months ago. It was totally gross.

Also, mentioned on the Taylor Swift thread (obviously), but I thought the frozen falafel was awful, even after I heated it. (old-school joke)

apologizing and offering to reimburse us for any missed work hours. <---- whoa

Maybe that was intentional. We were so taken aback that we didn't know what to do.

who was the chicken culprit, if you remember? did they reveal their private label source?

The frozen Bibimbap bowls are super-delicious, and pretty filling too.

Really! I will try them based on your recommendation.

I didn't like the Bibimbap. Or the pho. Haven't tried the bao yet. I'm afraid. But I like to keep the various DUMPLINGS! and shu mai around to snack on.

I'm really bummed that they no longer carry the vegan blintzes. They were good.

Private label chicken guy I forget, but I'm pretty sure it was in San Francisco and he was Asian.

I dunno why but I can't eat bao. I always think I will like them but the texture of the steamed dough just skeeves me out

;_;

Get thee to Chiu Quon.