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

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.

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

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, November 13, 2012 5:30 PM (7 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i'm w/ u

steamed dough makes sense if you like soft mashed things like tteok or mochi or root vegetables but don't like oily things like fried dough; the texture is probably too wet if the first starch you had as a baby was bread; it doesn't have any air and that could be gross if you are used to airy starches.

yeah I still get weirded out by the texture of roasted sweet potato, that slightly slimy dense thing is just not quite for me.

i love the frozen chicken Gorgonzola, but it's a 2-serving (or even three) package.

I like the bao at TJs.

savages

It's hard for me to justify buying Asian foodstuffs at TJ's when I'm a 5-10 minute bike ride from about 5 huge Asian supermarkets

the mochi ice cream at TJ is about a dollar cheaper than most asian supermarkets.

never had it but wei chaun DUMPLINGS! are the same price as/cheaper than TJ's and also better

Texture of bao is pretty bad. I eat them, but I keep each bite off my molars until I've chewed past the springiness.

I peel mochi and enjoy the ice cream.

i love the frozen chicken Gorgonzola, but it's a 2-serving (or even three) package.

― nickn, Tuesday, November 13, 2012 3:45 PM

Agreed - it's too much, but I like it as a lunch option. Also, relatively low carb.

I hauled a few different frozens after work - chicken verde burritos, japanese fried rice, palak paneer and tikka masala...weee I'm so excited to eat not-boring lunch now

Their tamales are pretty solid.

My kids love their Ritz crackers so much that they don't even know Ritz crackers exits. They just call them all Golden Rounds.

TJs asian foodstuffs are pretty underwhelming all-in-all. what is not underwhelming is the great deal on smoked salmon (though it has gone up a little in the past month). Also goat creamy cheese is a healthy lo-cal thing to put on toast.