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

I've ventured into Trader Joe's out of curiosity, but I always get frustrated and leave empty-handed. I can't stand the in-no-way-intuitive layout (soy sauce is stocked in the freezer section next to eggrolls?) and there are huge gaps in what they stock (Thai rice sticks were the only non-Italian noodles I could find). But I don't buy prepared foods or snacks, so maybe TJ wasn't meant for me.

ugh, we got the chili mango slices and found them GROSS.

BUT WHY TJ DID YOU STOP SELLING THE CHOCOLATE COVERED PEANUTS? My gf asked, they said they weren't selling. WTF

But I don't buy prepared foods or snacks, so maybe TJ wasn't meant for me.

Possibly. CHILXor dan m. has said the same. I don't really go nuts with all of the snacks and cookies and shit, either, but there are two things that I eat with a great deal of regularity -- cereal and sandwiches -- and TJ's is definitely good for things like cheese, soy milk, condiments, etc.

bread talk: quinoa bread is some crumbly shit.
the half-loaves of sourdough are great though. i don't really understand wholewheat sourdough, but the white loaves. also the tuscan panes and similar little seeded breads.

i remember someone speaking up for soy chorizo a while ago and being curious, because i don't really go in for faux-meat stuff. but the backlash has dissuaded me. are veggie meatballs good: for real?

also: little cherry tomatoes. can't really find them anywhere cheaper.

BUT WHY TJ DID YOU STOP SELLING THE CHOCOLATE COVERED PEANUTS? My gf asked, they said they weren't selling. WTF

― dan selzer, Wednesday, March 11, 2009 11:07 AM (16 minutes ago) Bookmark

Someone told me they have some kind of fairly strict system where they rotate out the bottom x% of products (in sales terms).

If you don't like prepared foods it's true that TJ doesn't have a lot to offer besides staples. It's definitely not a store for true foodies or cooking enthusiasts. Produce at the little green markets in the area is equally cheap and generally better. And Sahadi's and Damascus Bakery are good for specialty items.

got to chime in for this lemon pepper w/ grinder trader joe's sells. my mom bought it for us randomly and it took my wife and i a couple months to actually try it, but now we cannot live without it. which is a problem because we're running low and we live in a state with no Trader Joe's. Mom?

still so sad that tjs discontinued the flax pasta. brown rice and whole wheat is proving to be no substitute. the flax one ended up being just the right consistency -- not to chewy, but still on the firm side that let you know it was a bit more healthy than white flour. one of the managers told me a few months back they'd be trying out another flax variety, but no dice so far.

may god help me if they ever get rid of darrell lea black licorice

life without it would be bleak

omg that reminds me the 25 seasoning salute is like a gift from the heavens!

Third on the veggie meatballs...also:

-super lazy but the three-packs of frozen brown rice somehow microwave perfectly every time and are great on-the-fly

-boil-in-bag Indian dal (nice w/ their mango chutney)

-GARLIC NAAN (not frozen)

-strawberry kefir (drinkable yogurt)

-red pepper-tomato soup in the carton thingy

O yeah the carton soups have generally treated me well.

third the carton soups - the red pepper/tomato is a fave of mine too

chili mango slices <3

big fan of these.

Also, A ________ Walks Into a Bar

the red pepper/tomato is pretty good, but honestly i kind of live on Amy's low-fat cream of tomato.

Also:

Green apple granola
Vegetarian sushi
Lentil wrap

Vegetarian sushi

Should've mentioned this earlier as a do-not-want. It's kind of gross.

my boyfriend loves those soy nuggets - we discovered, by accident (lol), that the trick is to totally overbake them (45mins at 400)

Should've mentioned this earlier as a do-not-want. It's kind of gross.

It's lettuce, rice, squash and a little bit of tofu. What makes it gross?

I'm on the fence about soy nuggets.

xp They're a little sweet, which isn't something I want in sushi. I'm guessing it's preservatives.

oh those fruit leather things w/ fiber added :)

i haven't been to tj's in like, months, though.

we discovered, by accident (lol), that the trick is to totally overbake them (45mins at 400)

Wow, you have far more patience than I do. If I'm eating soy nuggets, it's because I don't want to spend more than 5 minutes preparing a meal. (I just microwave them.)

frozen mac n cheese is amazing

expensive tho

you can make real food in 45 minutes!

^^Yeah, that's my point!

i KNOW that - but cooking is one of my least favourite activities, esp since me and my bf and pretty much polar differences when it comes to tastes.

;_;

if you come visit i will teach you to <3 cooking :)

i don't have either the patience, efficiency or creativity to ever really enjoy cooking. the whole thing just stresses me out!

-GARLIC NAAN (not frozen)

This is mad tasty (although I prefer the tandoori naan) but I end up freezing it anyway because otherwise it goes bad v quickly

xps: yeah, as someone who doesn't enjoy cooking at all (although my capabilities in that department are pretty good, tbh), TJ's is a godsend

me too, rev - i CAN cook, and often do a reasonably good job of it. i was cooking family meals for 5 most week nights from the time i was 12-13. but i hate thinking about food and how to make it. which is also why tj's is so good - i can eat prettily healthily without putting much effort in.

Recent TJ's classicness:
Asparagus Risotto (might be too salty for some, but this is pretty much all I'm getting from the frozen aisle)
German Mountain cheese
Chicken sausage and polenta lasagna

Love:
Columbus Salame Co. coldcuts (although these are not TJs exclusively)
Cheaper prices on vino and booze, even if maddingly inconsistent stocking of beer brands
Flavored pita chips - OMMFG.

Hate:
Milk - sour in like, 4 days
Produce - just not well-looked after, even in CA

On the whole, TJ for froze and pre-packaged, and bread if I'm feeling meh about Von's selection. As detailed on numerous other threads, the South Pasadena area has an embarassment of riches when it comes to grocery stores - WF, TJ, Vons, Ralphs, Bristol Farms and Pavillions all within 2 miles, and a BevMo in the mix, as well.

You pretty much can cook anything you want on an hour's notice.

never had problems with TJ's milk

i can eat prettily healthily

Not to sound self-righteous -- because God knows I'm not the healthiest eater -- but if you're buying anything that's prepackaged (unless it's just like frozen green beans or whatever), you're definitely sacrificing a certain amount of healthiness. Trader Joe's items are usually better than what you'd find at a mainstream supermarket (I don't recall seeing high-fructose corn syrup in any of their products, for instance), but any ready-to-eat product is still going to have way more sodium and other chemical preservatives than if you just made it yourself.

This is a big part of why I gave up those TJ's burritos. For a while I told myself they were a cheap, healthy meal -- vegan even! -- and then I read the nutritional info more closely. TJ's also has a tortilla soup in a jar that I had a couple times and liked but stopped buying when I realized it contained like 80% of your RDA of sodium.

IIRC, South Pasadena has a pretty good farmer's market on Thursday.

And yeah, TJ's produce is uniformly poor but I do like those big tubs of fresh basil.

that's why i said 'pretty healthily' - i do realise i don't have the most amazingly nutritious diet, but i have to make a compromise: i could eat super healthily and feel stressed about it every day and dread coming home to cook, or i can do what i'm doing now.

and then I read the nutritional info more closely

this is where you went wrong, I think

god please bring one of these yuppie huts to walkable distance from my jersey city home thanknig u in advnce

xxp Totally. I feel much the same way, J.

xp: tehresa - Trader Joe's has booze in the locations I go to - the San Francisco one, one in Emeryville, CA and new one in Oakland, CA. I think they're trying to open a store in Berkeley, and the city is hassling them about selling hard alcohol because it is on a street homeless people frequent, and Berkeley is concerned that Trader Joe's selling booze will somehow enable their already existant substance abuse problems. So maybe your TJ's lack of booze is the product of some city zoning issue.

the half-loaves of sourdough are great though. i don't really understand wholewheat sourdough, but the white loaves. also the tuscan panes and similar little seeded breads.

It's sourdough bread made w/whole wheat flour. Or is it that you don't understand why this product would exist? I think the bread I was thinking of was the tuscan panes, though. I'm not a fan of pre-sliced bread, but I struggle to use up a whole loaf before it goes hard. The tuscan things actually last quite a while.

So maybe your TJ's lack of booze is the product of some city zoning issue.

― what happened? I'm confused. (sarahel), Wednesday, March 11, 2009 4:56 PM (15 minutes ago) Bookmark

In NYC I think it's a limit on the number of liquor sale licenses in a geographical area. The Brooklyn one has beer but not wine or liquor.

(although I have a feeling they get away with beers that approach wine-levels in ABV)

I think they're trying to open a store in Berkeley, and the city is hassling them about selling hard alcohol because it is on a street homeless people frequent

as opposed to every other street in the city. god I hate berkeley sometimes - opening up that trader joe's is the nicest thing that could ever happen to that area. (I used to live a few blocks away)

in ny though there are rules about selling both beer and wine, that's why it's always one or the other and not both.

There's a lot to loathe about berkeley. However they do have the best record store, video store, and book store in the East Bay.

There's already a TJ's on College. How many do you need?