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Trader Joe's Products (2002–2011)

Stone

By Stone
in Kitchen Consumer

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CanadianBakin'

CanadianBakin'

Posted
Posted

I've never been to Trader Joe's but have discovered there's one across the Canada/US border about 90 minutes away. I'm planning to make the trip down and I'm wondering what are your favourite ingredients to buy there? I want to make sure I don't miss anything.

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Orison Swett Marden

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Lisa Shock

Lisa Shock

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The pound plus chocolate bar is fairly decent stuff, and very useful when you just need to make a small amount of bonbons or something.

The bagged nuts and dried fruits are reasonably priced, and the selection is pretty good.

The house brand of organic dairy is reasonably priced (as is the non-organic) and a good deal if you can't buy from a local dairy co-op or something. The cheeses vary, and I have gotten some unusual ones there.

The snacks are good, things like tortilla chips are decent and competitively priced.

The wet cat food is very high quality, and, once again reasonably priced -about half of what you'd pay for premium food at a pet shop.

They are a major retailer of wine and beer, and do have rock bottom prices. When I managed a wine store, there was a TJ's nearby and we avoided carrying anything they had because their retail price was lower than what the wholesalers wanted to charge us for a 5-case order. I have gotten some good craft beers there.

Have you read eGullet's Kitchen Scale manifesto?

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Darienne

Darienne

Posted
Posted

We didn't buy a lot there (Albuquerque) but I found that the pound chocolate was fine for using for not top grade stuff.

However, we both disliked the dipped raspberry and orange pieces.

Another time I bought some kumquats...no problem. Much prefer Whole Foods but hey! you can't have everything. :raz:

Darienne

 

learn, learn, learn...

 

We live in hope. 

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Kerry Beal

Kerry Beal

Posted
Posted

The triple ginger gingersnaps!

Sorry about that, Kerry! :wink:

MelissaH

Indeed - I thank you on the one hand, and curse you on the other because I can't get them!

the Chocolate Doctor
www.thechocolatedoctor.ca

www.eztemper.com

 

Confectionary Course • Confectionary Course Q&A
eGullet foodblog 2006 • eGullet Foodblog 2012

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choux

choux

Posted
Posted (edited)

The corn tortillas are really good. They actually smell and taste like corn, rather than the cardboard rounds you get in Canada.

Edited to add: You have to try Fage yougurt. Liberte is good, but Fage is better.

Edited by choux (log)
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MaryMc

MaryMc

Posted
Posted

Trader Joe's has the best prices I've found on European-style butter. Their dried fruits and nuts are generally fresh and good-quality and reasonably priced (and the sesame-honey cashews are a little like crack). I keep their shredded Italian cheese blend around for a quick fix on microwave pizzas--it actually smells and tastes cheese-y, which is more than I can say for most pre-shredded cheese.

MaryMc

Seattle, WA

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  • 4 weeks later...
LindsayAnn

LindsayAnn

Posted
Posted

I think Trader Joes has carried this product for quite a while, but while shopping earlier in the week I was motivated to finally pick up a bag to try! I decided to rip em' open today (10 mins ago, haha) and they were actually really really yummy. What are they? The frozen chicken meatballs (in a bag). Pretty good size, and really yummy. Now I believe they were nicely seasoned, maybe a little but salty (which I love, I like overly salty food I think....since I salt soo soo many things that seem to be seasoned fine to others)...but these were good just on their own. I actually tried them as is....no sauce, no add-ons, just the meatballs. I did so because I wanted to determine how much I liked the actual product, not so much what I turned it into or added them to. These wold be great on a pasta, or in a meatball sandwhich! YUM! Anyone else a fan of these??? I haven't seen them mentioned yet on this forum.

"One Hundred Years From Now It Will Not Matter What My Bank Account Was, What Kind of House I lived in, or What Kind of Car I Drove, But the World May Be A Better Place Because I Was Important in the Life of A Child."

LIFES PHILOSOPHY: Love, Live, Laugh

hmmm - as it appears if you are eating good food with the ones you love you will be living life to its fullest, surely laughing and smiling throughout!!!

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  • 3 weeks later...
rooftop1000

rooftop1000

Posted
Posted

Trader Joe's Company Voluntarily Recalls Chocolate Chip Chewy Coated Granola Bars

Company Contact:

Trader Joes Customer Relations

626-599-3817

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 10, 2010 - Monrovia CA – Trader Joe's Company of Monrovia, California is voluntarily recalling Trader Joe’s Chocolate Chip Chewy Coated Granola Bars, UPC 82818, Use by Dates/Lot Codes 16JUL10H2 and 17JUL10H1, manufactured by Bloomfield Bakery, a subsidiary of Ralcorp Holdings, Inc. because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.

The product involved in this recall was distributed at Trader Joe’s stores nationally and comes in a 7.4 oz box marked with Use by/Lot Codes 16JUL10H2 and 17JUL10H1 on the top of the box and stamped individually on the side of each granola bar. Production of the product has been suspended while FDA and Bloomfield Bakery continue their investigation.

The great thing about barbeque is that when you get hungry 3 hours later....you can lick your fingers

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Special K

Special K

Posted
Posted (edited)

At our TJ's a couple of weeks ago (in the new Ballard/Seattle store) I found "Dover Sole Fillet(s), wild caught" - I know there are probably not real Dover sole fillets, since they appear to have been caught in Monrovia, CA, but daaayum!!! they were good!! I just did a simple sole meuniere (and isn't it odd that there's no recipe for that in MTAOFC??) and we were in heaven.

Went back yesterday to stock up, and hey! Since it was the day after Valentine's day they were giving away bouquets of a dozen red roses. Coincidentally, yesterday happened to be hubby's birthday, so that was pretty darned cool! (Guess what we had for dinner?) :smile:

Edited because the color "red" has no "a" in it. Sheesh.

Edited by Special K (log)
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LindsayAnn

LindsayAnn

Posted
Posted

A new product I picked up yesterday....forget the name of them (threw out the packaging already to save space in freezer, packed em' in a ziplock baggie instead :biggrin: )....but they're these Japanese Rice Snack...found in the freezer case. Little triangles on white sticky rice surrounded by some sorta breading type thing....flavored with soy, bonito, and some other things right along the lines of those flavor profiles. They're really really YUM! You just throw them in the oven at 350 for 10 mins or so, or you can even microwave (I did mine in oven to make them better). 8 come in a package, 80 calories each and fat free! Those are just added perks. They are really good. I have never had them before but I guess they are popular...again, they're Japanese.

TRY THEM!

Anyone know what these are called?

"One Hundred Years From Now It Will Not Matter What My Bank Account Was, What Kind of House I lived in, or What Kind of Car I Drove, But the World May Be A Better Place Because I Was Important in the Life of A Child."

LIFES PHILOSOPHY: Love, Live, Laugh

hmmm - as it appears if you are eating good food with the ones you love you will be living life to its fullest, surely laughing and smiling throughout!!!

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chezcherie

chezcherie

Posted
Posted

A new product I picked up yesterday....forget the name of them (threw out the packaging already to save space in freezer, packed em' in a ziplock baggie instead :biggrin: )....but they're these Japanese Rice Snack...found in the freezer case. Little triangles on white sticky rice surrounded by some sorta breading type thing....flavored with soy, bonito, and some other things right along the lines of those flavor profiles. They're really really YUM! You just throw them in the oven at 350 for 10 mins or so, or you can even microwave (I did mine in oven to make them better). 8 come in a package, 80 calories each and fat free! Those are just added perks. They are really good. I have never had them before but I guess they are popular...again, they're Japanese.

TRY THEM!

Anyone know what these are called?

they are called yaki onigiri --rice snacks. i like 'em too.

"Laughter is brightest where food is best."

www.chezcherie.com

Author of The I Love Trader Joe's Cookbook ,The I Love Trader Joe's Party Cookbook and The I Love Trader Joe's Around the World Cookbook

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chappie

chappie

Posted
Posted

Whoa. I just opened a jar of Trader Joe's Dijon mustard and spread some on a sausage, took a bite -- and only 10 minutes later am I beginning to recover from the all-out assault on my nasal passages, throat and tear ducts. Jesus. Straight wasabi isn't this extreme.

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judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted

Whoa. I just opened a jar of Trader Joe's Dijon mustard and spread some on a sausage, took a bite -- and only 10 minutes later am I beginning to recover from the all-out assault on my nasal passages, throat and tear ducts. Jesus. Straight wasabi isn't this extreme.

WHOA! Thanks for the warning! :laugh:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

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  • 2 weeks later...
MarkIsCooking

MarkIsCooking

Posted
Posted

I can't say that I find tons of stuff I love at TJ's, but here's one my wife discovered recently that amazed me. They have small boxes of frozen croissants (plan or chocolate - 4 per box). Here's the drill. You take them out of the freezer at night before you go to bed and place them on a sheet pan with parchment. Let them sit out overnight. Through the night, they defrost and then proof. When you wake up, they're ready to bake. I'm telling you, fresh out of the oven, they are amazing and the quality will surprise you. Worth a try.

-mark

---------------------------------------------------------

"If you don't want to use butter, add cream."

Julia Child

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Kim Shook

Kim Shook

Posted
Posted

I can't say that I find tons of stuff I love at TJ's, but here's one my wife discovered recently that amazed me. They have small boxes of frozen croissants (plan or chocolate - 4 per box). Here's the drill. You take them out of the freezer at night before you go to bed and place them on a sheet pan with parchment. Let them sit out overnight. Through the night, they defrost and then proof. When you wake up, they're ready to bake. I'm telling you, fresh out of the oven, they are amazing and the quality will surprise you. Worth a try.

-mark

I second this. I've had the VERY expensive mail-order ones from Wms-Sonoma and these are SO much less expensive and every bit as good.

Kim

Kim's Cookbook

What Fresh Hell is This?

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Pierogi

Pierogi

Posted
Posted

I can't say that I find tons of stuff I love at TJ's, but here's one my wife discovered recently that amazed me. They have small boxes of frozen croissants (plan or chocolate - 4 per box). Here's the drill. You take them out of the freezer at night before you go to bed and place them on a sheet pan with parchment. Let them sit out overnight. Through the night, they defrost and then proof. When you wake up, they're ready to bake. I'm telling you, fresh out of the oven, they are amazing and the quality will surprise you. Worth a try.

-mark

I second this. I've had the VERY expensive mail-order ones from Wms-Sonoma and these are SO much less expensive and every bit as good.

Kim (and Mark), they're as good as the ones from W/S because they're the SAME as the ones from W/S !! Same purveyor, different labels. Obviously, different price. TJ's does that a lot. Much of their private-label stuff is made by purveyors who also supply the big gourmet guns.

The chocolate croissants are in my freezer at ALL times. They are just sublime.

--Roberta--

"Let's slip out of these wet clothes, and into a dry Martini" - Robert Benchley

Pierogi's eG Foodblog

My *outside* blog, "A Pound Of Yeast"

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Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted

Whoa. I just opened a jar of Trader Joe's Dijon mustard and spread some on a sausage, took a bite -- and only 10 minutes later am I beginning to recover from the all-out assault on my nasal passages, throat and tear ducts. Jesus. Straight wasabi isn't this extreme.

Interesting. I bought a jar of TJ's Dijon last year and found it rather mild, certainly nowhere as intense as you've described.

 ... Shel


 

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Shel_B

Shel_B

Posted
Posted

I think Trader Joes has carried this product for quite a while, but while shopping earlier in the week I was motivated to finally pick up a bag to try! I decided to rip em' open today (10 mins ago, haha) and they were actually really really yummy. What are they? The frozen chicken meatballs (in a bag). Pretty good size, and really yummy. Now I believe they were nicely seasoned, maybe a little but salty (which I love, I like overly salty food I think....since I salt soo soo many things that seem to be seasoned fine to others)...but these were good just on their own. I actually tried them as is....no sauce, no add-ons, just the meatballs. I did so because I wanted to determine how much I liked the actual product, not so much what I turned it into or added them to. These wold be great on a pasta, or in a meatball sandwhich! YUM! Anyone else a fan of these??? I haven't seen them mentioned yet on this forum.

A few weeks ago I tried their chicken meatballs with sun dried tomatoes. Really good !

 ... Shel


 

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