Trader Joe's Products (2002–2011)

[Shel_B]

[...] The jarred roasted red peppers are also good.

Have you tyried the jarred roasted piquillo peppers? I dice 'em and add them to their boxed organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Nice combo.

[Rich Pawlak]

Trader Joe's coffees are a ridiculous bargain, especially for the French Roast, Bay Blend and Volcano dark roasts, and their new whole bean "Joe" line, which makes a fabulous cup of coffee, $3.49 for 12 oz of the "Joe" beans. Ridiculous.

Edited March 9, 2010 by Rich Pawlak (log)

[LindsayAnn]

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 !

Glad you liked (since i suggested! Also - glad I am not alone in my fondness of them

[KathyP]

My Cincinnati Trader Joe's has several products I love:

Basmati Rice Medley (white/wild rice with herbs and veggies). Wonderful aroma. Yum. Goes great with...

Orange Chicken from the freezer case ($4.99). More yum. Great for a quick meal.

TJ's nan bread in the freezer case. Much cheaper than nan at Whole Foods. Just as good.

But the best item is Volpe Salami. Comes flavored with red (chianti), white or rose wine. $3.99 at TJ, a real bargain and it tastes great. Murray's Cheese shop within our Kroger markets here is $7.99. Same stuff. Go figure.

[Shel_B]

Trader Joe's coffees are a ridiculous bargain, especially for the French Roast, Bay Blend and Volcano dark roasts, and their new whole bean "Joe" line, which makes a fabulous cup of coffee, $3.49 for 12 oz of the "Joe" beans. Ridiculous.

I've been buying their Pajaro blend and it's pretty darned good, especially considering price and convenience. It's about $8.00/lb and Peets (at the Peet's stores) is quite a bit more.

The Pajaro blend is organic, fair trade, and one of the darkest, richest blends TJ's carries.

http://www.viewpoints.com/Trader-Joes-Winter-Blend-Coffee-reviews

Edited March 10, 2010 by Shel_B (log)

[Shamanjoe]

When I used to read about Whole Foods, I got really jealous. We didn't have any here, and it sounded like Mecca. Then we got one. It's not Mecca.

Now I read about Trader Joe's. I feel jealous again. It sounds like Mecca.

I certainly wouldn't call Trader Joes "Mecca" or even (Mecha). There are large product categories where they either suck or carry no products at all. But their good stuff is generally either very good or excellent and the cheapest you will find anywhere.

Whole Foods seems like it's trying to be Mecca, and for the most part they are great. Just not the place to go for low prices.

I have to admit I love Whole Foods, but only a specific one with a great meat counter that happens to be 45mins away from me. TJs is only 10mins away though, and I love the cheese section almost as much as the one at Whole Foods. And for a long time, it was the only place I could find Kerrygold Irish butter, and their aged cheddar, which to me is just heavenly.

[andiesenji]

[...] The jarred roasted red peppers are also good.

Have you tyried the jarred roasted piquillo peppers? I dice 'em and add them to their boxed organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Nice combo.

I LOVE the piquillo peppers. I stuff them with homemade cream cheese into which I have mashed some onion confit, then roll them up in a section of flour tortilla and top with a dollop of guacamole or sometimes just a piece of avocado. Wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

[chezcherie]

i'm playing with the piquillos today, recipe-testing for my second "]trader joe's cookbook. i combined a drained tin of tj's smoked trout with a little butter, lemon juice, a couple piquillos and some chopped walnuts. filled romaine hearts with some of that goodness....pretty and tasty!

Edited April 4, 2010 by chezcherie (log)

[Shamanjoe]

[...] The jarred roasted red peppers are also good.

Have you tyried the jarred roasted piquillo peppers? I dice 'em and add them to their boxed organic roasted red pepper and tomato soup. Nice combo.

I LOVE the piquillo peppers. I stuff them with homemade cream cheese into which I have mashed some onion confit, then roll them up in a section of flour tortilla and top with a dollop of guacamole or sometimes just a piece of avocado. Wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

I forgot all about those! I love to buy the peppers, some prosciutto and a block of good aged white cheddar. I take a piece of the cheddar, wrap it up in a bit of prosciutto and stuff it into the pepper. I never make enough to serve because they all end up getting eaten about as soon as they are made..

[Shel_B]

Recently the local TJ's has started carrying Trader Joe's Whole Grain Dijon Mustard. It's a fairly strong, deep flavored mustard. We like it quite a bit - much better and more interesting than the earlier TJ's Dijon that we tried. Anyone else try it and like it?

[maggiethecat]

Recently the local TJ's has started carrying Trader Joe's Whole Grain Dijon Mustard. It's a fairly strong, deep flavored mustard. We like it quite a bit - much better and more interesting than the earlier TJ's Dijon that we tried. Anyone else try it and like it?

Yes, and yes. I think it's a terrific product.

[Toliver]

I'm sure it's been mentioned already but I'm liking the Trader Joe's Lightly Salted Sweet Potato Chips. They're rather odd for potato chips. Of course, they're not very salty and they do have a sweet taste to them.

At first bite it seems like they're stale but yet they do have a crunch to them. The chips are either thicker or are more moist than regular potato chips which may be why I think they're stale-ish. Also, almost every chip is folded over on itself as opposed to regular flat-ish potato chips.

I've discovered they're addictive, too. Surprise.

[Katie Meadow]

I don't load up my cart like some shoppers, but I regularly buy the Empire Kosher Chicken, the "home-made" flour tortillas, the frozen edamame (as good or better than any I've tasted from Japanese markets) and now I am unfortunately addicted to the Pita Puffs snack. I hope I get over that soon.

[emmalish]

One of my coworkers just came back from vacation with a huge supply of Trader Joe's products for the office. I'm finally going to get to try some! It's all sugary treat-type stuff. Chocolate mints, chocolate pistachio brittle, chocolate peanut butter cups, various chocolate coated fruit-type things.

edited for spelling

Edited April 19, 2010 by emmalish (log)

[ethermion]

Do not know if was mentioned previously in this long thread, but people should be aware that not all TJs are the same. I have three in my area. One is completely forgettable, the other two are quite nice with a somewhat different selection. Apparently each store manager orders what at will what is likely to sell in that area. Wine selection is different, beer selection is different, cheeses, meats, frozen meals, teas, snacks, candies, etc all different.

[Shel_B]

I LOVE the piquillo peppers. I stuff them with homemade cream cheese into which I have mashed some onion confit, then roll them up in a section of flour tortilla and top with a dollop of guacamole or sometimes just a piece of avocado. Wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

You might like this idea for Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

Edited April 26, 2010 by Shel_B (log)

[Pierogi]

NEW ADDICTION ALERT !

At least in SoCal......Trader Joe's "Carmelized Nut Trio" mix. Ohhhhhh, man. Cashews, almonds and walnuts in a caramel toffee coating, that's also slightly salty. Think upscale tofee'd peanuts.

These things are damned dangerous. I'm on my 2nd tub in 2 weeks.....

[ChickenStu]

Mochi Ice cream for $3.50, ftw.

I had been to a few TJ's in Washington but never realized how cheap it was until I got to NY. Crazy to see the shelves after the evening rush...

[Shel_B]

I found dried wild blueberries (the tiny ones) at our TJ's yesterday.

The frozen Wild Boreal Blueberries are terrific. A few years ago I drove to Alaska and had blueberries from the Boreal forest. These are the next best thing - far superior to big, fat, commercial blueberries that are pretty much flavorless by comparison. If you like blueberries, they are certainly worth a try (Eating some now for breakfast).

[Special K]

Thanks, Shel_B. I'm stocking up this weekend, so I'll look for them.

[Shel_B]

What are your favorite TJ's cookies? I like the Triple Ginger Snaps, but rarely buy cookies. I want to bring s package or two of cookies to the local senior center so the good folks there might enjoy them with the free coffee in the morning. I'm thinking that the ginger snaps may be a little much for the folks there - looking for something everyone might enjoy. How are the chocolate chip cookies? Is there some kind of cookie that might be a little healthier - lower fat, less carbs or sugar?

Edited May 20, 2010 by Shel_B (log)

[llc45]

I LOVE the piquillo peppers. I stuff them with homemade cream cheese into which I have mashed some onion confit, then roll them up in a section of flour tortilla and top with a dollop of guacamole or sometimes just a piece of avocado. Wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

Thanks for mentioning this. My local grocery store doesn't carry so I stopped by a TJ on my way home from vacation and stocked up. Like to stuff them with goat cheese, warm them up, and just serve with sherry vinegar, oil , and parsley. Yum.

[Shel_B]

I LOVE the piquillo peppers. I stuff them with homemade cream cheese

Thanks for mentioning this. My local grocery store doesn't carry so I stopped by a TJ on my way home from vacation and stocked up. Like to stuff them with goat cheese, warm them up, and just serve with sherry vinegar, oil , and parsley. Yum.

Try stuffing with goat cheese, some ground cumin and orange zest. I saw that idea somewhere, tried it, and liked it quite a bit.

[Toliver]

What are your favorite TJ's cookies? I like the Triple Ginger Snaps, but rarely buy cookies. I want to bring s package or two of cookies to the local senior center so the good folks there might enjoy them with the free coffee in the morning. I'm thinking that the ginger snaps may be a little much for the folks there - looking for something everyone might enjoy. How are the chocolate chip cookies? Is there some kind of cookie that might be a little healthier - lower fat, less carbs or sugar?

I've posted earlier about them but the Lemon Ginger cookies are quite good...Refreshingly lemony with a little spicness from the ginger.

The Maple Leafs are OMG good and addictive.

And at Christmastime for the last couple of years, my sister-in-law has given me the Chocolate Dunkers which look like biscotti but aren't. They're chocolate chip cookies in a biscotti-like shape with one side covered in chocolate. Come to think of it, they're almost madeleine in shape. I haven't looked at the ingredients but they taste like they also have some cocnut in them, as well.

As for "healthier cookies"...I don't buy cookies very often so I don't mind that they're not healthy food items. I'm sure, though, that TJ does offer some sort of healthy cookie.

[Shel_B]

I've posted earlier about them but the Lemon Ginger cookies are quite good...Refreshingly lemony with a little spicness from the ginger.

The Maple Leafs are OMG good and addictive.

And at Christmastime for the last couple of years, my sister-in-law has given me the Chocolate Dunkers which look like biscotti but aren't. They're chocolate chip cookies in a biscotti-like shape with one side covered in chocolate. Come to think of it, they're almost madeleine in shape. I haven't looked at the ingredients but they taste like they also have some cocnut in them, as well.

As for "healthier cookies"...I don't buy cookies very often so I don't mind that they're not healthy food items. I'm sure, though, that TJ does offer some sort of healthy cookie.

Thanks for the suiggestions. I'll check them out at my next TJ's visit. I may get the Lemon Ginger cookies for myself as I like both flavors. Don't recall seeing them at my local TJ's though ...

Edited May 21, 2010 by Shel_B (log)