Trader Joe's Products (2012–2015)

[Shel_B]

TJ's has a new Panag Curry FZ. just curry no rice. they were demo-ing it and it was quite good.

looks very similar to KB's Panag posted yest in her current 'memories' thread.

TJPanag.jpg

Is this a "hot n spicy" curry, or a mild one? Haven't yet seen it at my usual TJ's.

[rotuts]

its not spicy. ask them to get it.

the taste I had was "just right"

the have good indian, but you have to buy the rice !!!!

after you cook your rice white or brown it might improve with your own nuts that you toasted with some cilantro etc.

but in the freezer for an other day this is the Nuts.

[rotuts]

i had the curry last night . its hot here again. i thought it was delicious. for a few min. in the micro. probably not as good as KB's with the frying of the paste in coconut oil ....

its mild. chicken is tender. very good flavor.

I put it over rice and added fresh cilantro/green onions/red onions. it be better with roast nuts of your choice: i use TJ's low salt cashews but was out.

hotter you like it? as a dash of ... you fav.

it does have one 'downside' its packed in a plastic vacuum bag in one of those black plastic dishes that the frozen stuff is usually in. you poke a few holes in that plastic bag, micro, wait, etc then 'remove hot contents'

that's a little messy. it would have been better to be in a plastic micro-safe tub as a lot of these FZ TJ's stuff are in.

big plus no rice in this one: make your own // mashed potatoes // noodles // bulgur // etc.

Ill keep a few in the freezer for 'emergency' use.

tonight would be good but its too hot to shop.

Edited July 15, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

I noticed today at TJ's that they have frozen beef paties: grass-fed angus and American Kobe Beef

has anyone tried these?

[Shel_B]

Trader Joe's Packaged Leeks: For a while I've been buying TJ's packaged leeks. They come 2 to a package and weigh, I think, about a pound or slightly more. Unlike the leeks purchased in many markets, TJ's leeks are 100% useable. They appear to have been trimmed, so what you see is what you get ... no guesswork about how much useable leek there is.

But here's the biggest thing for me: the leeks have no dirt in them, unlike every other leek I've bought. Major washing is not required, although I sometime give 'em a quick rinse.

So, how is it that TJ's leeks contain no dirt? Are they grown differently ... perhaps in some artificial "soil" or hydroponically?

[heidih]

Shel - I have no clue but my first thought is that there is a lot a hydroponic stuff going on.

[Ttogull]

Trader Joe's Packaged Leeks: For a while I've been buying TJ's packaged leeks. They come 2 to a package and weigh, I think, about a pound or slightly more. Unlike the leeks purchased in many markets, TJ's leeks are 100% useable. They appear to have been trimmed, so what you see is what you get ... no guesswork about how much useable leek there is.

But here's the biggest thing for me: the leeks have no dirt in them, unlike every other leek I've bought. Major washing is not required, although I sometime give 'em a quick rinse.

So, how is it that TJ's leeks contain no dirt? Are they grown differently ... perhaps in some artificial "soil" or hydroponically?

Can't rule out hydroponic farming, but it is possible to clean a leek and leave it somewhat intact. Particularly so if you label it "trimmed." I had to do this last week when I wanted to try charred leeks I read about in a magazine (no recipe). My leeks were from the farmer's market and dirty. This is close to what I did. The linked leek vinaigrette recipe looks good.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_clean_leeks/

[Shel_B]

Can't rule out hydroponic farming, but it is possible to clean a leek and leave it somewhat intact. Particularly so if you label it "trimmed." I had to do this last week when I wanted to try charred leeks I read about in a magazine (no recipe). My leeks were from the farmer's market and dirty. This is close to what I did. The linked leek vinaigrette recipe looks good.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_clean_leeks/

Thanks for posting that link. The vinaigrette does look good. TJ's trimmed leeks seem to be perfect for the technique ... nice size and already trimmed and clean.

[rotuts]

TJ's seem to have a coconut 'cream' product in a jar. has anyone used it in say Thai-like home made?

Im thinking of trying is vs the low-fat coconut milk in the can.

Edited August 14, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[Shel_B]

Can't rule out hydroponic ...

It certainly seems as though hydroponic growing of TJ's leeks is a very real possibility. There are numerous sites that discuss growing leeks hydroponically. Here's one as an example:

http://www.maximumyield.com/inside-my-com/asktheexperts/item/175-hydroponic-leeks-a-not-so-dirty-business-after-all

Edited August 14, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[rotuts]

Ive decided to take a few Hits for the TJ's eG's team

they have two frozen 'Burger' products:

American Kobe and American Grass-fed.

here is the TJ's Kobe:

Box:

Ingredients:

and what's inside:

I was going to make one of these (1/2 of a pattie) tonight but on further thought, these seem to lend themselves to

SV burgers which ive never done:

SV 130 until pasteurized, chill a bit, brown the outside etc

these burgers are a pink (much pinker than the jpg) rather than a red color.

if you cant read the fat content, you might not want to. not only do they have saturated fat, but delicious trans-fats:

Yum ! still, Ive never had Kobe-like meat. I actually cut off the external fat on my whole beef slabs cuts of beef.

I prefer some Fat Credits for Naturally Processes Beef Fat, a favorite : ie Butter!

1 box = 1 lbs. = $ 6.00

but The Game is On.

Edited August 20, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[Toliver]

Ive decided to take a few Hits for the TJ's eG's team

...but The Game is On.

I was at my local TJ's yesterday and saw both burgers and thought about grabbing them.

Thank you for taking (an expensive hit) for the team! I look forward to hearing how they taste.

I was disappointed to find out that their Beef Steak Frozen Burritos were missing in action. This was the second month I couldn't find them in the frozen food case. An employee told me they were being "reformulated" and would eventually return. I'm scared of what "reformulated" could mean. They were good as they were, so why change them? It reminds me of Costco where a perfectly good name-brand item is discontinued only to be replaced by a Kirkland version (sometimes at a higher price! ).

They've seemed to stop carrying their Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables, as well.

On the plus side, TJ's did have oodles of Cookie Butter on display, as well as a chunky version. Sometimes Life is good.

edited for spelling

Edited August 21, 2013 by Toliver (log)

[rotuts]

I also plan to Flesh Out

the Free Range Burger.

Grilled and SV. this may take some time.

its worth understanding the TJ's no longer has an Admiral in charge. It was sold a long time ago to a German

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus-Stiftung&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtrust%2BMarkus-Stiftung%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26hs%3DTLE%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official

dont think for a minute the bean counters don't spend their time counting the beans.

you can sort of help by taking back what you do not like and tell them why. thats important as some of this

goes back to those same counters. some.

Edited August 21, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

I had the Kobe (1) last night. on a thick slice of Crustless HomeMade (Machine) Bread

im no expert at kobe beef, Ill leave that to PB. i made mine in a hot pan with Penzy's Chicago Steakhouse seasoning, a favorite of mine. it was med-rare in the middle, and a nice crust on the outside

it was very rich, tasty, but near the end of the meal just tasted fatty. I have no idea if its beef-ness was related to kobe or not.

my guess, and Im no expert, is TJ's 80/20 'chuck - if its chuck' with added fat to get to this fat content would be very similar ...

and a lot cheaper. this product might do better as 1/4 lb slabs rather than 1/2 lbs. thats a lot of fat.

so for me it gets thumbs down on $$$ and its way too fatty for me. If you are into Fatty, might just be the thing for you!

I do understand kobe is about the fat. but I wonder if intramuscular fat in a steak might be different than fat in a ground meat product.

On to my grass-fed studies once my Constitution Recovers.

Edited August 23, 2013 by rotuts (log)

[Hassouni]

56g of fat! Wow. What's the grass-fed weigh in at?

[Shel_B]

Trader Joe's Vegetable Masala Burger: These are quite tasty. If you're looking for some sort of frozen, meatless burger, these are definitely worth a try. They're not too spicy, but far from bland.

WebMD gives them high marks: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/taste-test-best-veggie-burgers

Edited August 24, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Bill Klapp]

I did not read the whole thread, but has anybody seen a SWEET black olive preserves product? Seems to me that it was from Lebanon or Turkey (maybe Greece, but I think not), and definitely wonderful for spreading on toast like strawberry jam (with many other uses, I am sure). May sound strange, but it was out of this world. I am not aware of it being a traditional product of any country or culture, but maybe I have just missed that bit of knowledge. It was readily available, and then just disappeared some years back. I can imagine it not being popular with those who had never tried it (and possibly not with some who had!). I would be delighted to know if, outside of Trader Joe's, this is a common product somewhere in the world, so that i can track it down. It would probably be easy enough to make my own, but the Trader Joe's version was first-rate...

[huiray]

Unless TJ got their "Kobe beef" from the designated producers in Japan itself then their "Kobe Beef Burgers" are illegally labeled (let alone incorrectly labeled) even if they say it is "American Style".

Edited August 24, 2013 by huiray (log)

[rotuts]

bummer. better call them up and let them know!

[kayswv]

I did not read the whole thread, but has anybody seen a SWEET black olive preserves product? Seems to me that it was from Lebanon or Turkey (maybe Greece, but I think not), and definitely wonderful for spreading on toast like strawberry jam (with many other uses, I am sure). May sound strange, but it was out of this world. I am not aware of it being a traditional product of any country or culture, but maybe I have just missed that bit of knowledge. It was readily available, and then just disappeared some years back. I can imagine it not being popular with those who had never tried it (and possibly not with some who had!). I would be delighted to know if, outside of Trader Joe's, this is a common product somewhere in the world, so that i can track it down. It would probably be easy enough to make my own, but the Trader Joe's version was first-rate...

Bill, it appears that others missed the jam also. You might find this link helpful.

http://slowtalk.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/8566036302/m/6991014153

Kay

[Bill Klapp]

That was it, Kay. Thanks for the thread!

[MelissaH]

Does Trader Joe's ever have pistachio butter? (I'd go and look myself, but we're now "only" 90 minutes from the nearest location, and I don't have plans to travel that way any time soon.) It seems like the sort of item they might carry.

[rotuts]

call your Local and ask.

[Hassouni]

The Entertainer crackers are back!!! Now under the name "Some Enchanted Cracker" with the subtitle, "the perfect cracker for entertaining" or something like that. These were the best crackers EVER, and they're back after a year or so's absence!

[Shel_B]

Trader Joe's Low Fat (1%) Plain Kefir: Recently I started enjoying kefir, using it for smoothies, putting it on cereal, and sometimes just enjoying a nice cold drink of the stuff. I didn't know TJ's carried the item, and purchased a couple of different brands at some other local stores. They were very spendy, with prices well above $4.00 for a quart. So, when I saw that TJ's carried the item for only $2.99, I had to give it a try.

Well, it's quite good - better tasting to me than the other, more expensive brands I tried. So, if you like, or want to try, a plain kefir, this is a good choice. BTW, it's 99% lactose free ... and the San Francisco Chronicle gave it very high marks in their recent tasting ... it beat out all the other kefirs that were tasted. Here's the article: http://www.sfchronicle.com/food/tasterschoice/article/Trader-Joe-s-kefir-stays-ahead-of-the-pack-4704163.php