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

But I have bought the tomato and sweet potato gnocchi from TJs a bunch of times and liked them both ( I always add more seasoning though). Oddly enough I really really like the cheap monoprix brand of gnocchi a lot because it is super firm..

they currently have a "cauliflower gnocchi", in keeping with the cauliflower everything that's out there at present (pancakes, pizza dough, rice)

hello everyone...the crispy crunchy salted toffee cookies are amazing (and gluten free if you're into that kind of thing). apparently they've had a chocolate chip version of this cookie for a while that I've been sleeping on too. i generally dislike pastries made with rice flour but these cookies make it work, A++ will buy again

Mentioning alternatives to wheat, I will never ever buy lentil or chickpea flour based pasta again. These TJ products turned out inedibly mealy no matter how carefully cooked.

Also, I'm a stopped clock. Looks like I vented on this in December.

you wouldn't be a stopped clock if you ate more lentils!

this fucking place

1) stopped carrying hansen's black cherry soda
2) then stopped carrying hansen's soda completey

zhoug sauce is great!!! i am only posting this here because i don't think anyone here shops at the same TJs store I do, so if y'all stock up on zhoug sauce there will still be plenty left for me. also, i was disappointed the last time i went (Sunday) and they didn't have the almond milk egg nog.

The brown rice pasta is very good for brown rice pasta. The black bean pasta was super weird. It tasted like mexican food.

The Almond Butter Cocoa bars are AMAZING. I wish I were eating one right now.

They have semi-(sun???)dried tomatoes in evoo now for $2.99. So great. I had these once with burrata and a balsamic reduction and still remember.

Anyone tried the refrigerated pickles they have near the salads and salsas?

Yes, they are pretty crispy but not as flavorful as I was hoping

My jam lately has been those parmesan crisps they usually keep on that shelf over the frozen section for whatever reason. Crush those up in a bowl of stew = manna from heaven

The ghost pepper fresh salsa is very addictive.

Seconded.
Also been on a harissa kick this week once I realized it can be a sauce for noodles

They have a new mushroom umami seasoning blend that I got. I haven't used it on anything yet but I tasted a little and it tastes a lot like the packets in instant ramen. I brought back seven Everything But the Bagels back to chile in different suitcases because I was soooooo worried customs would take them because of the sesame/poppy seeds.

Impressive they managed that with no yeast extract or MSG, though as with all salt "seasonings" I really would prefer trying the individual ingredients rather than pay for expensive salt. Now seeking inexpensive porcini powder, everthing is is in the cupboard.

kosher salt, dried onions, ground mustard seed, porcini mushroom powder, white button mushroom powder, crushed red pepper, black pepper, dried thyme

else is in the cupboard. Late onset dyslexia seems to make me ignore the words at the end of each line...

I really should start making my own blends of things especially for indian foods that I make a lot. It would save a little time from me having to open a thousand jars of things with my grubby hands.

I do really like TJs chili lime powder thing too.

Indian themselves commonly pick a garam masala they happen to like, and then tweak it with more common spices (cumin, coriander, mustard, cayenne/dried pepper). I don't see much point in collecting all the components of garam masala (mace, cloves, cardamom) for most Western dilettantes.

I end up using the same basic things for my indian mixtures: tumeric, cumin, chili, mango powder, fenugreek, coriander, garam masala. I should just make a blend and then tweek it after.

asafoetida gets thrown in if I don't know what else to add.

Really its main place is in Gujarati cuisine, due to the Jain influence (garlic and onions is pratibandhita/forbidden).

Oh, good to know. I stayed with some Jains when I was in India. We went to a lot of Jain temples too (which were beautiful).

I find it a little weird that TJs doesn't have any dry indian spices ( I think I've seen some curry pastes).

I saw a shakshuka package in the frozen section so I thought I'd buy it, after seeing so much talk about it (shakshuka in general) on ILX. You have to add 2 eggs after it's mostly cooked. I haven't made it yet, but from the the looks of it it'll be at least OK.

Also bought some jerk spice plantain chips, these are good, definite heat but not crazily so.

Saw the latter, considered it, saw the former, bought it but haven't made it. TJs used to carry dukka spice mix, but it seems that was a one-off.

I just got my trader joes haul for this quarter or so. New things I found: Ghost Chili Pepper powder and almond butter dark chocolate cups.

I don't know if it's just on the west coast but the peonies that my trader joe's gets in may and june are completely out-of-this world amazing. they don't look all that impressive on the flower shelf but they turn into huge beautiful fragrant flowers

I have found that we go through ~1 everything but the bagel blend per month.

ohhh xpost i saw that they have peonies online. I went to the worst TJs in manhattan though so I am sure they were all out (didn't see them).

I've asked the managers at stores in two different cities where they get them from but they won't tell me

I am sad I have never had a peony in my home.

don't eat your veggies....

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/green-giant-recall-trader-joes-recall-fresh-vegetables-recalled-over-listeria/

A kind mention for the "super-firm" tofu: unique and a good value, with about twice the density as "firm" blocks.

I've been freezing it overnight for texture, thawing (still in the package) in warm water in the sink, pressing the excess water out (it only will lose about 15% of volume in my tofu press, other tofu loses 50% or more), slicing into ~7 mm cutlets, then marinating/coating, and frying.

Some marinades have worked especially well: 1 pt Jamaican jerk sauce, 1 pt oil, 1 pt water is excellent. Nutritional yeast/shoyu/oil is flexible, working in salads or sandwiches. BBQ sauce+oil is serviceable. Rosemary/majoram/pepper gyro seasoning is okay, but that spice mix remains a work in progress. Sadly, Zhoug sauce, which seemed promising, made for a terrible marinade: cilantro loses any charm when browned.

their boxed golden milk is not terrible. not as good as what i was making by hand but much less trouble for everyday consumption. i like it warmed up before bed with 2 cookies like a toddler :-/

the (new-to-me) frozen paratha is excellent.

i just looked at the what's new page and am very interested in their pimento cheese and spicy taco sauce. I don't generally like chip things but the chili & lime rolled tortilla chips are really addictive.

The buffalo hummus is my jam (literally) right jow

*now

oh yeah their fake takis are so good

Buffalo hummus! the thought is making my mouth water.

I have it spread on the spicy quinoa burgers and it is excellent

destroy: jarred pumpkin bisque

first off, it has 390 calories and 27g of fat per CUP. i saw that when i bought it but I decided it was something fun (and hopefully filling) i could take to work and have for lunch in a pinch. but it's SO sweet (this is coming from a sugar addict)...I feel like I'm eating some funky pumpkin pie filling. there's honey, tahini and apple cider vinegar in it and it's just all ott. i usually don't bother returning things but I'm gonna stick this one in my trunk until my next TJ's trip.

I like the Thai eggplant dinner thing in the frozen dinner section (no rice or noodles included). I heat and put over rice, tasty and filling.

The person who designed the Tunisian extra virgin olive oil container should be arrested, it’s impossible to pour without it splashing all over the top.

welcome to tinned olive oil. punch a tiny hole on the other side if it bothers you so much?

yeah tinned oils are kind of annoying but if some spills I usually just use it to clean some stainless steel in the kitchen.

Or get/make a smaller oil dispenser for day to day use.