Trader Joe's

[Snarklepuss]

4 hours ago, chessiegal said:

I had some TJ frozen salmon with a sauce on it I decided to make for dinner. It was awful! If it hadn't said salmon on the label I would never had identified it was salmon. Maybe it's because we have fresh grilled salmon once a week. but it was really bad.

Any time I've ever had frozen salmon from any source it's been awful.  I make a point not to buy it frozen for that reason.  Maybe it just doesn't freeze well.  I'd love to know if anyone knows of any frozen salmon that's good.

[DeLurker]

Was just at Trader Joe's - they had in stock the bacon wrapped dates and bacon wrapped scallops that someone mentioned way back when.

I bought a kringle because I've never had one, along with a ton of other stuff.  Interested in seeing exactly what one is.

[Quof]

I had the pumpkin kringle a few years ago. Delish.

[biakbiak]

Tried their truffle honey dijon mustard.

[Spunkygal]

1 hour ago, biakbiak said:

Tried their truffle honey dijon mustard.

How was it? It sounds like it almost has too many flavors going on but could be intriguing.

[biakbiak]

Oops I got distracted and accidentally hit submit! I had the same thought about too many dlavors but quite liked it, it's not too sweet and the truffle is also subtle but tasty. Went well on the brats I made for dinner.

[DeLurker]

Trader Joe's salt & vinegar potato chips are good.  And there must be a typo on the bag - the servings per container says 7.  Clearly they meant 2.

[ariel]

I just got back from TJ's.  I highly recommend Hold the Cone peppermint.  They are tiny ice cream cones toped with chocolate.  I need to watch my calories & this is a perfect little dessert.

[JTMacc99]

On 12/6/2017 at 1:36 PM, DeLurker said:

Trader Joe's salt & vinegar potato chips are good.  And there must be a typo on the bag - the servings per container says 7.  Clearly they meant 2.

I looked at the servings on some eggnog at the store. For my 170 calories, I get a 1/2 cup serving.  Hmph. That doesn't seem fair, it's a food for festive times. 4 ounces isn't festive.

[film noire]

Feta and Caramelized Onion Bites:  So good, we've had them FOR dinner insead of BEFORE dinner. The cheese does not have a super strong feta quality, the pastry puffs up beautifully and it has just the right amount of caramelized onion.  Also delish with a dab of sambal olek (for heat).  

Trader Joe's Classic Lemon Bars:  Crazy good. As good as most homemade versions I've had. Great lemon/tangy flavor, great texture on the filling (not too gloopy, not too thin). Bottom layer delish. Keep cold, they get/eat mushy when too warm.

Lemon and Triple Ginger Snap Ice Cream: I love lemon, love ginger, love ice cream, but was disappointed in this combo.  Probably the guar gum /bean gum used as thickener (hate them -- I usually only eat Haagen Daz b/c they don't use them). If you don't have a thing about gums/texture, I'd recommend it if you love ginger and lemon together.

On 12/6/2017 at 1:36 PM, DeLurker said:

Trader Joe's salt & vinegar potato chips are good.  And there must be a typo on the bag - the servings per container says 7.  Clearly they meant 2.

LOL (I've never  tasted them because salt and vinegar chips are my food nemesis, and if they're  delicious  - or even only semi-delicious - or even just a competent version -- there would be no way back.) 

Edited December 8, 2017 by film noire

[film noire]

Has anybody tried the sriacha baked tofu? 

(@DeLurker -- that otter! So adorable!)

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, film noire said:

(@DeLurker -- that otter! So adorable!)

Thank you - otters make me happy!

[biakbiak]

15 hours ago, film noire said:

I've never  tasted them because salt and vinegar chips are my food nemesis, and if they're  delicious  - or even only semi-delicious - or even just a competent version -- there would be no way back.

It sounda more like a valued and trusty friend!

[film noire]

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

It sounda more like a valued and trusty friend!

LOL

[Spunkygal]

Can't remember if someone has mentioned this before, but TJ's four cheese mac and cheese really is good. My homemade mac and cheese is the best, but for a lazy day when you need a comforting side dish, this is delish. 

[DeLurker]

Can someone explain why water crackers are so expensive?  I always have a box or two from TJs on hand because they are acceptably priced.

[Mindthinkr]

@DeLurker Where are the bacon wrapped dates usually found? That sounds like a match made in heaven. 

I love TJ's cheddar with caramelized onions. It's a bit crumbly but good if it's on a cracker or part of a charcuterie. 

[DeLurker]

2 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Where are the bacon wrapped dates usually found? That sounds like a match made in heaven. 

I think it is a seasonal item.  The TJ I go to has two upright sections in frozen foods (the rest are open topped chests) and it was in one of them.  Not sure that will be helpful for any other store though...

[spiderpig]

21 hours ago, DeLurker said:

I think it is a seasonal item.  The TJ I go to has two upright sections in frozen foods (the rest are open topped chests) and it was in one of them.  Not sure that will be helpful for any other store though...

The same with bacon wrapped scallops.  They're available between Thanksgiving and Christmas and that's it.

[chessiegal]

My husband made a rare trip grocery shopping with me today that included a stop at TJ's. I wanted to get the spatchcocked lemon thyme chicken and the cabernet marinated pot roast. They didn't have the pot roast. I should have asked, sometimes I forget how helpful their employees are, as I don't shop there often. When we checked out, the young man said he had a question no one else would ask us today - Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd? I never listened to either, but listening to classic vinyl on satellite radio I can now recognize a Grateful Dead song, so I said GD. Oh no, he said, has to be PF. My husband then named a PF song that was playing as we were driving there. All lost on me!

[ariel]

I would have gone with Pink Floyd.  I saw The Wall live. Incredible. 

[Qoass]

To me, they're apples and oranges!

[annzeepark914]

I probably mentioned TJ's Spicy Chai Tea mix before but what the heck.  I'm sitting here sipping a mug of chai tea that I squirted Reddiwhip onto & the whipped cream has melted into the chai tea and it's sooooo very good on a chilly day.  It's almost as good as Starbucks chai tea latte (and a heckuva lot cheaper!!)

[DeLurker]

Before Christmas, I bought a tin of the Belgian Cookie Collection as my just-in-case I need a gift for someone and don't have one.  The holidays came and went, so the cookie collection was opened last week.  They are so so good!  I wish I had bought a few more back up gift tines.

[annzeepark914]

I was trying to lighten the load in the freezer and one of the things I got out and tried was a box of frozen mussels from TJ's.  I think I'd had them in the freezer for several months. Anyway, they were not good (forgot to save the box so I could let TJ's know).  In the future I'll stick with the bags of fresh mussels that the supermarkets sell.  They've always been good.

[Mindthinkr]

Found two good wines that I’ve only been able to find at Trader Joe’s. They are both Reds. Pinot Noirs. Liberte and Cotillion. At $9.99 they are the best I’ve tasted in that price range (and higher price points as well). Good bang for the buck. 

[mansonlamps]

I just found 2 Trader Joe gift cards that I had been given for past holidays,so I perused my flyer and headed out.  Got everything on my list and the bill came out to be exactly .30 over my gift card balance, what a great shipping trip!  So far I've tried the chicken Shawarma (with cauliflower rice) and the pretzel bagels, both pretty good.  I made the chicken in the instant pot and the flavor was good, but the presentation left something to be desired.  Next time I will grill or roast.

[MargeGunderson]

Currently enjoying the chocolate patisserie cake from TJ’s. Mmmmmm.....chocolate.

[gatopretoNYC]

Finally tried the Steak & Stout pies. I didn't care for them. They had a strange sweetness. Also, there was hardly any steak in them - they were mostly filled with potatoes. Boo.

I found the chocolate pecan pie bar quite good, though.

[fairffaxx]

I just saw cocoa powder for sale at Trader Joe's in a 9 ounce box for $3-something, which is a little cheaper than Hershey's 8 ounce box for $4-something at various supermarkets.

Has anyone tried the Trader Joe's?  I don't see current reviews on-line -- I assume it's OK, since I've never had anything horrible from Trader Joe's, but I do wonder what people think about it. 

[Mindthinkr]

Even though I make a lot of my dressings, sometimes I’m lazy and just want to pour out of a bottle. I just got some TJ’s Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic vinegar. I was impressed. Usually dressings have way too much salt for me or leave an aftertaste. This was not full of sodium and enjoyable. I actually want to make another salad just to have more of it. 

[EllieH]

On 5/10/2018 at 4:01 PM, fairffaxx said:

I just saw cocoa powder for sale at Trader Joe's in a 9 ounce box for $3-something, which is a little cheaper than Hershey's 8 ounce box for $4-something at various supermarkets.

Has anyone tried the Trader Joe's?  I don't see current reviews on-line -- I assume it's OK, since I've never had anything horrible from Trader Joe's, but I do wonder what people think about it. 

I've got that at home now, and have not had any complaints with it.  Very similar to Hershey's, I'd buy it again.

[fairffaxx]

Thanks, EllieH.  I went ahead & bought it (the price was actually $2-something, so quite a bit less than Hershey's) but haven't tried it yet -- good to know that you've found it satisfactory compared to Hershey's.  Trader Joe's is always willing to accept returns if a customer doesn't like something, so that's a pretty safe bet -- & I've never found any of their products to be defective, just a matter of personal preference.

[Giselle]

8 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Even though I make a lot of my dressings, sometimes I’m lazy and just want to pour out of a bottle. I just got some TJ’s Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic vinegar. I was impressed. Usually dressings have way too much salt for me or leave an aftertaste. This was not full of sodium and enjoyable. I actually want to make another salad just to have more of it. 

Have to give it a try. Hubby likes my balsamic dressing so I don't usually buy it

I bought some of their Carrot Ginger salad dressing Friday. I haven't tried it yet, when I do I'll report back.

Hubby and step-daughter are crazy their dried chili mango. I like their dried orange slices, dried Montmorency cherries  and peanut butter pretzels.

Even with lemon trees we always keep a jar or two of their lemon curd and mesquite honey in the pantry.  

[BW Manilowe]

I recently bought a package of their freeze dried strawberry slices through Amazon (my hometown doesn't have a TJ's... yet--but we just got a Ruth's Chris steak house & a PF Chang's is forthcoming at our indoor shopping mall, according to the local media). Honestly, I'm not sure I'd buy them again once I finish the bag I have. I feel like the strawberry taste is non-existent, or it's at least not as pronounced as I'd like. To me, it's like eating slices of styrofoam made to look like strawberry slices. I dunno... I really like the idea of dried fruits (& my dad liked those wicker platters you could get at, like, Hickory Farms, I think, &/or other places that were a combination of nuts & dried fruits), but maybe dried fruits actually aren't for me. (Shrugs)

[Mindthinkr]

10 hours ago, Giselle said:

Even with lemon trees we always keep a jar or two of their lemon curd and mesquite honey in the pantry.  

Jealous of your lemon trees...in the nicest way possible. 

I always keep lemon curd around. Also those small (1”) phillo shells. I put the curd in the shells and top with whipped cream and boom...desert for home or to go. I’m sure there are many uses for it. What do you do with it? 

[DeLurker]

20 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

Even though I make a lot of my dressings, sometimes I’m lazy and just want to pour out of a bottle. I just got some TJ’s Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic vinegar. I was impressed. Usually dressings have way too much salt for me or leave an aftertaste. This was not full of sodium and enjoyable. I actually want to make another salad just to have more of it. 

I started making my own salad dressing about 18 months ago when I was trying to make a particular dressing.  After doing that, I found premade salad dressings very unsatisfactory - too much salt, a bit chemically (for lack of a better word) and greasy.  So I started spot checking the ingredient list in my former brands I bought and immediately horrified myself with all the preservatives, stabilizers and salt content.

I decided to see what was in the TJ's Tuscan Italian and was thrilled to only find:  Water, vegetable oil, balsamic vinegar, sun dried tomatoes, salt, garlic, spices and xantham gum.

I bought a bottle to keep on hand for anyone who might not care for my preferred recipe.

[Giselle]

Don't waste your money on their carrot ginger salad dressing, it's heavy on the carrot very little on the ginger. It had no zing and not much flavor.

I grated some fresh ginger into it and added some honey and it tasted much better.

Just easier to make it from scratch.

[Wishing Well]

Current loves:

 

Carrot zucchini bread in their sliced bread section - SO DELICIOUS.  It’s so soft and m*ist with golden raisins in it.  Perfect sweetness.

 

Colombre draft lattes - ehhh. There’s a big cult following on the Eastside (Seattle suburbs) for these but they don’t compare at all to a real latte, and it’s $3 a can.  Just pay the extra $1 and get even a Starbucks.

 

Dill pickle popcorn - LOVE THIS.

 

Dried persimmons - first time I tried these was at a SF farmers market.  These are just as good, but a little pricey at $4 a bag.  I ate two bags for dinner the other night and almost went into sugar shock.

[chessiegal]

Anyone know if Trader Joe’s sells chili? I have a good recipe (no beans) but it’s really labor intensive. I was watching Food: Fact or Fiction this afternoon where they were talking about the origins, and had a hankering for some I could buy. Also having a craving for a chili dog.

[BW Manilowe]

5 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Anyone know if Trader Joe’s sells chili? I have a good recipe (no beans) but it’s really labor intensive. I was watching Food: Fact or Fiction this afternoon where they were talking about the origins, and had a hankering for some I could buy. Also having a craving for a chili dog.

I Googled. TJ’s sells turkey chili with beans, beef chili with beans, & organic chili. You can also get them all through Amazon, but you usually have to get them in multiple can packages (like 3 cans) & I’m not sure the per can price is worth it. Unless, of course, you’re a Prime member & can get them for the Prime Pantry price (which is usually the lowest available price & requires the smallest quantity purchase of the item at a time—like a single can, instead of 3) if they have 1.

[DeLurker]

14 hours ago, chessiegal said:

Anyone know if Trader Joe’s sells chili? I have a good recipe (no beans) but it’s really labor intensive. I was watching Food: Fact or Fiction this afternoon where they were talking about the origins, and had a hankering for some I could buy. Also having a craving for a chili dog.

I need to go to my TJs this morning so I will take a peek to see if they still carry chili.  I would think it would be a standard item.  I've bought it there before but not often.

The new produce bags make me ridiculously happy.  They are compostable and fit very nicely into my sink side compost pail.

[DeLurker]

@chessiegal - My TJs has the following:

Turkey Chili with Beans

Chicken Chili with Beans

Organic Vegetarian Chili with Beans

Beef Chili with Beans.

[chessiegal]

5 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

@chessiegal - My TJs has the following:

Turkey Chili with Beans

Chicken Chili with Beans

Organic Vegetarian Chili with Beans

Beef Chili with Beans.

Thanks!

[MargeGunderson]

I can testify that the vegetarian chili with beans is excellent for chili dogs.

[annzeepark914]

I just tried TJ's pulled pork today (had it with cole slaw). I poured some Famous Dave's BBQ sauce on it.  It was very tasty.  They had samples out last week when I was there and I tried it and bought a package.  Think I'll get some more to keep on hand.

[MargeGunderson]

18 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

I just tried TJ's pulled pork today (had it with cole slaw). I poured some Famous Dave's BBQ sauce on it.  It was very tasty.  They had samples out last week when I was there and I tried it and bought a package.  Think I'll get some more to keep on hand.

I’ve enjoyed the pulled pork and the pulled chicken. I noticed last week that my store had rosemary balsamic steak tips in the meat section so I’m going to pick up a package to try this weekend.

[biakbiak]

My boyfriend accidentally grabbed their brown rice tortillas instead and they were absolutely awful both in taste and texture and broke about when you tried to roll them. I am so happy that I don’t have a gluten issue because I would be so sad if that was my only recourse when I craved a flour tortilla for tacos or burritos.

[Spunkygal]

On 5/28/2018 at 2:04 PM, Mindthinkr said:

Even though I make a lot of my dressings, sometimes I’m lazy and just want to pour out of a bottle. I just got some TJ’s Tuscan Italian Dressing with Balsamic vinegar. I was impressed. Usually dressings have way too much salt for me or leave an aftertaste. This was not full of sodium and enjoyable. I actually want to make another salad just to have more of it. 

I remembered your suggestion when I was in TJ’s the other day and got this dressing. It is delicious. So flavorful. Thanks! 

I also got their marinara sauce. It is not jarred but in a plastic container in the refrigerated section. Made Ina’s eggplant gratin with it. It was really good. I will go back and get several containers to freeze.

[Mindthinkr]

2 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

I remembered your suggestion when I was in TJ’s the other day and got this dressing. It is delicious. So flavorful. Thanks! 

I also got their marinara sauce. It is not jarred but in a plastic container in the refrigerated section. Made Ina’s eggplant gratin with it. It was really good. I will go back and get several containers to freeze.

They also have an Organic Vodka spaghetti sauce that’s pretty tasty. 

Glad that you liked the dressing!