Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

[rotuts]

@Smithy

 

no problem at all.  Im pleased I tried these.

 

Ill just take them back..   I will try to take off a leaf or two and try again drained.

 

Id love to find a jared artichoke ' bottoms '  that suit me.

 

so the trial was worth it.

[lemniscate]

@rotuts  Do you have a brand of artichokes you prefer?   I shop at World Market a bit, and they have Mezzetta brand marinated artichokes.   The other they have is Cucina & Amore grilled & marinated, based in Novato  CA (which was promising) but the artichokes are from Peru according to the jar (disappointment).  I haven't tried either yet.   Costco occasionally carried marinated artichokes in jars, but I can't recall the brand.

[rotuts]

@lemniscate

 

world market is Cost Plus ?

 

yes there is one very near me.

 

I went their for the first time a few weeks ago

 

and was impressed on some of the imported foods.

 

that's a nmoce tip

 

Ill make a note and look for MA's there

 

I think a long long time ago there were small jars

 

Cara Mia ?   but I think those are only via the web these days.

 

it must be very difficult to get rid of a layer or two of fibrous leaves

 

\as these are probably mechanically processes

 

two sets were OK , then three more were very fibrous , and I dissected them out 

 

it was the outer leaves.

[weinoo]

I generally have a preference for artichokes which,  in my opinion, need to be fresh and cooked at home.

 

Otherwise, the best stuff I've had are grilled Roman artichokes, imported from Italy, packed in olive oil. They're quite large, and sold by the piece at places like DiPalo's and Formaggio Kitchen (which might be good for you, @rotuts).

 

Expensive, but the best of its kind.

[blue_dolphin]

Today's find at TJ's was this Beecher's cheese box.  12 oz total for $9.99.  The sign said, "seasonal" so I imagine it will be gone before long.  I may go back and pick up another box or two.  The "best by" date on the box is Feb 2020 so I'd have a little time to enjoy them. 

 

Here are the descriptions of the cheeses from the back of the box.  Flagship is the only one I'm familiar with. 

 

I've never seen Beecher's cheeses at my local TJ's (only on my east coast travels) so this was a first. 

[heidih]

Not sure if I noted this before but they always have available Dijon mustard. it is a DEAL> I used to get a ginormous jar of Grey Poupon for uber cheap at Smart & Final but several years ago they changed their inventory. I use lots of mustard; and no not grainy though the TJ ceramic pots were my pen/pencil holders for years - clients always commented. 

@blue_dolphin  hhmm the cheese box entices.

Despite being in a rural community I have 3 (!) TJ's w/in 2 to 3  miles or so.   https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS755US755&sxsrf=ACYBGNREarxsDY6tZbvyf6qNtJ3AP8Ye5A:1570707660428&q=trader+joe's+palos+verdes+peninsula&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=33769985,-118359071,4960&tbm=lcl&ved=2ahUKEwji9JSBzpHlAhWNTt8KHbChBjUQtgN6BAgKEAQ&tbs=lrf:!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:4&rldoc=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[33.7931197,-118.3057494],[33.7468514,-118.4123934]];tbs:lrf:!2m1!1e3!3sIAE,lf:1,lf_ui:4  And there is another quite close in Redondo Beach. Crazy but we are their home base from the beginning.    https://www.traderjoes.com/our-story

Edited October 10, 2019 by heidih (log)

[Shelby]

I'm going to be having appointments in the big city fairly often at the periodontist  --my teeth are great....some of my gums, not so great.  However, the up side (can there be an up side lol)is that I'm in a part of town that I don't get to very often.  As a reward to myself for doing all of this horrid stuff, I am stopping at different places (Whole Foods was last week).  

 

Anyway, a Trader Joe's just opened a couple of weeks ago and I'm planning on going Wednesday (if I don't feel too crappy after the appointment, that is).  I'm excited.  I signed up to get their flyer by email so I will peruse that and see if there are things we might want to try.

[blue_dolphin]

13 minutes ago, Shelby said:

I'm going to be having appointments in the big city fairly often at the periodontist  --my teeth are great....some of my gums, not so great.  However, the up side (can there be an up side lol)is that I'm in a part of town that I don't get to very often.  As a reward to myself for doing all of this horrid stuff, I am stopping at different places (Whole Foods was last week).  

 

Anyway, a Trader Joe's just opened a couple of weeks ago and I'm planning on going Wednesday (if I don't feel too crappy after the appointment, that is).  I'm excited.  I signed up to get their flyer by email so I will peruse that and see if there are things we might want to try.

 

Sorry that you have to deal with the perio-crap 😟 and hope you'll be feeling up to some browsing afterwards.  

This Chimay Autumn Cheese is in their current flyer and one you might like to try.  

The frozen puff pastry is back in stock.  It usually disappears at the end of Dec.  

Also in this flyer is the spicy cider.  It's not really spicy, just lightly spiced.  I like it heated up in a warm mug.  I dilute with some water but also like to add a glug of rum or apple brandy. 

Since it's October, the flyer is full of pumpkin stuff, much of which I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole but I do like the pumpkin biscotti and the little pumpkin cranberry crisps are very nice with goat cheese. 

Also in the flyer is this Phigment Red Blend wine which I thought tasted quite reasonable for a $5.99 bottle - gotta economize somewhere 🙃. Some inexpensive reds taste like Skittles to me but I thought this one had nice tannins to balance out the fruit.

[rotuts]

found this site :

 

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/trader-joes/inside-trader-joes/e/62129503

 

its a little dated and i don't know how often over time .

 

also

 

https://www.bustle.com/p/why-does-trader-joes-discontinue-products-heres-the-reasoning-19201696

[Shelby]

5 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

taste like Skittles

I love Skittles 😁

 

Thanks for the great suggestions!!!  You know me and new cheeses.  And the puff pastry is definitely going on my list.

[heidih]

@Shelby  that TJ Flyer is more enabling then eGullet!  nd they do try for humor with the cartoons and captions. Have fun 

[lemniscate]

There are some things I consistently buy at TJ's.  I will try lots of the new offerings all the time, but there are some things that always come home with me.

 

My go-to's at TJ's over the years are their jarred Salsa Verde.  It's a tomatillo based salsa.  

I like their cottage cheese a lot.

The flax seed corn chips.   The white cheddar popcorn (probably not dental work friendly at the moment for you @Shelby)

The little tiny stroopwafels called caramel bites are great. 

I like the frozen mango chunks.

I like their TJ's rebranded Unibroue beers (Providential, Audiciter, Vintage Ale) so good and so inexpensive for Unibroue. 

Gerolsteiner mineral water.

The dried pineapple rings, mango slices, coconut cashews, roasted sunflower seeds......the nut and dried fruit offerings are really good.

+1 on the Chimay cheese, it's buttery.  Unexpected Cheddar is so good.  The aged Goudas they offer.   They have a good version of Pub Cheese spread.  Easy to go a little crazy in their cheese bin.

The Everything Crackers and Cornbread crisps to go with the cheeses.

Their tricolor radiattore pasta is my favorite shape ever.

I like their canned Marinara pasta sauce. 

The garlic stuffed olives.

 

I don't buy the fresh meats, prepared meals or sandwiches or salads at TJ's.   I know people really like their frozen pizzas and orange chicken.  I don't buy those things either.   I usually only buy fresh apples at TJ's when they carry the Jazz variety. 

 

Wine seems to fly out the door at TJ's.  I see people buying cases every time I shop.

 

 

 

 

[rotuts]

@lemniscate

 

certain " table wines "  I think are excellent value at TJ's

 

their Varnish-Shaw's wine  keeps Tj's in business    not for us.

 

for me a Table-Wine   is inexpensive ,  dry , no oak , and no ' benzene '

 

I define ' benzine '  as flavors , chemical like , that don't reming me of grapes.

 

I prefer grape flavor , not so much cherries , tobacco , etc.

 

these are not chit-chat wines , but decent ones to enjoy w a meal

 

andy meal , or 

 

while Re=Hydrating  studying  e.g..

[lemniscate]

Wine is lost on me.  I do not drink wine voluntarily.

 

[weinoo]

I've really narrowed it down.  

 

Some produce, when necessary, with lots of inspection.  I like the small apples in a bag this time of year; good for snacks to pack in a lunch bag.  

 

Frozen Argentinian wild shrimp are quite decent. Those New Zealand lamb racks, too. And ours has kosher chicken in various iterations.

 

Eggs when I haven't shlepped to farmer's market.

 

Certain cheeses, nuts, dried fruits are all fine. The latter especially for baking.

 

We have a nice selection of cut flowers too.

 

[rotuts]

interesting Tj's stuff men mentioned here :

 

https://kirbiecravings.com/trader-joes-october-edition-6/

 

Om not so keen on so much pumping , but .....

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

I usually keep the little tins of TJ's smoked trout on hand for making appetizers. I think they're $2.99/tin.  

The other day a friend served these smoked rainbow trout fillets at a gathering she hosted.  I don't think they're new but I'd never noticed them before.  Quite good so I'm recommending them if you like smoked fish but don't smoke it yourself or have easy access to superior products. 

They're in the refrigerated section by the smoked salmon, etc.  $7.99 for that 8 oz package. 

 

The tinned fish is skinless but the other has the skin on as you can see from the back of the package:

 

I don't usually go for the frozen foods but I tried 2 of them a few weeks back when I was staying in an empty house.  There were appliances in the kitchen but nothing else.  I actually had to go buy a knife, fork and spoon. 

Anyway, I picked up this Paneer Tikka Masala with Spinach Basmati Rice.  It heats up very quickly in the microwave, less than 5 min, so it would be good for a quick work lunch.  As you can see in the photo below, it's a lot more saucy than the photo on the box. 

I thought it was quite good though the amount of sodium on the label is rather alarming.  Needed some chutney or something for a bit of spice/acid/sweet contrast.  I had some apple salsa which did the trick.  I'd buy it again if I was in a similar situation and not worried about sodium.

 

 

The other new-to-me item that I tried was this Burrata, Prosciutto & Arugula flatbread @ $4.99. It was a bit of a disappointment.  I was actually impressed by the quality of the toppings but the flatbread was meh to me.  No flavor, no chew and the texture was either doughy (with less baking time) or unpleasantly cracker-y and hard with more. 

Also, for something that's supposed to be quick, the instructions say to first remove it from the box and let it sit at RT for 20 minutes before it goes into the oven. If I've got that much time, I could make something better.  

You put the prosciutto on after it comes out of the oven. If you get this, it would be wise to cut it into smaller pieces and distribute it more evenly rather than my artistic replication of the box photo.

The cheeses were nothing like a fresh creamy Burrata but certainly a step up from the rubbery mozz that's on most frozen stuff.  

I've seen good reviews of this online so maybe I was just in some kind of cranky mood.  Maybe I'll try it again someday but at this point, I don't recommend it. 

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin

 

Ive had both of those smoked trouts :

 

I also keep a few cans in the cupboard 

 

the packing looks different for the smoked trout ( refrigerated ) 

 

than I recall , but Im betting its the same stuff.

 

very nice for Hors'doovers   :   cracker or fresh bread , sour cream  , pice of trout . etc

[Katie Meadow]

I still like the Empire Kosher chicken. I prefer the organic when available.

Chocolate biscotti: simple, dry, not too sweet.

Tart cherry juice, although mostly I drink it in warm weather.

Valrhona chocolate bars, 71 percent, perfect dark chocolate, great price for addicts like me. 

TJ's flour tortillas. 

 

Saddest losses:

Pane Guttiau, Sicilian parchment crackers. Gone. Fantastic. You can buy similar crackers on Amazon, but they cost 5 times the price.

Chocolate coated sunflower seeds. Not as good as the high price brand but cheap. No longer available.

 

On the bright side: for those of you who have my sickness: the seasonal Butter Toffee Pretzels are back, at least at my local store.

[lemniscate]

19 minutes ago, Katie Meadow said:

Pane Guttiau, Sicilian parchment crackers. Gone. Fantastic.

I MIss These So Much!

[rotuts]

my ref. yesterday . was dated it seems.

 

no more of the two ice creams the ref posted

 

so beware of disappointment.!

 

they had three new sweet dessert wines.

 

the TJ's Wine'os  Wine Enthusiasts whom I talk to about their wines 

 

pointed them out to  me :

 

two came from 

 

https://www.vivino.com/wineries/levesque-estates

 

and as I understand it , its in Ontario , which is part of the  GTA,   So I opted for the IceWine

 

 

 

the Cab didn't get as many Oooooo's and Aaaaaaah's

 

the other  dessert wine was not from the GTA !

 

not tasted just yet.

Edited October 21, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

Tj's has quite a bit of refrigerated prepared foods.

 

I noticed that they have Turkey and Chicken ' Pot ' pies.

\

I decided to try the Turkey :  $ 6.99 I think

 

 

 

out of the box , ready for the CSO.  I used the box's times and temps on steam-bake

 

 

I added two minutes to the suggested time , as it wasn't really very brown.  one minuite might have been enough :

 

 

the crust didn't really suffer for the extra minute.

 

the gravy was OK , not gloppy or glue-like.  topping fine , plenty of turkey , but white meat not dark.

 

cornbread stuffing on the bottom also OK

 

over all I liked it , would have liked a little less salt , but what can you do ?

 

"" Less Salt !  Feel Free to Add Your Own @ Home "   

 

doesnt seem to have caught on .

 

too bad.

 

over all I liked this enough to get it again from time to time.

 

its probably better than other commercial brands ,  Fz or not.

 

I grew up having Swanson Pot Pies from time to time , and liked them way back when.

 

this version is generous in its quantity . and satisfies when one might want a " Turkey dinner "

 

but not want to make the dinner yourself.

 

nice w M.R. or two. 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

The TJ's Reserve Brut Rosé North Coast Sparkling wine that makes its appearance around the holidays every year was in my local store yesterday, along with it's non-rosé sibling for the usual $9.99/bottle.

I'm partial to the rosé and still have some of last year's hoard left.  

I will stock up on the new stuff, drink bubbles with abandon and cart bottles to all sorts of gatherings until it disappears from the stores when I will begin hoarding again.  If you enjoy dry sparkling wines, it's surely worth a try.

 

I've heard TJ's staff speculate that it's a Schramsberg product. I wouldn't know how to verify that but Schramsberg is a favorite of mine and the TJ's certainly tastes like something in their price range, 2-3X more than they're selling this for. And you won't find many methode champenoise sparklers for this price. Edited to add that the label says it's a blend of pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot meunier.

Last year, they also had a Platinum Reserve Brut sparkler for $14.99. I thought it was excellent, but I didn't find it head and shoulders above the regular Reserve.  I haven't seen that one yet but if it turns up, I'll devote some more serious study to it...

Edited October 24, 2019 by blue_dolphin (log)

[David Ross]

On 10/9/2019 at 9:37 PM, blue_dolphin said:

Today's find at TJ's was this Beecher's cheese box.  12 oz total for $9.99.  The sign said, "seasonal" so I imagine it will be gone before long.  I may go back and pick up another box or two.  The "best by" date on the box is Feb 2020 so I'd have a little time to enjoy them. 

 

Here are the descriptions of the cheeses from the back of the box.  Flagship is the only one I'm familiar with. 

 

I've never seen Beecher's cheeses at my local TJ's (only on my east coast travels) so this was a first. 

That's a good price.  It's made in Seattle and the prices even in the home town are pretty steep.

 

[lemniscate]

I looked for it in my local TJ's previously.  No luck.  Hoping it shows up for Holiday supplies.