Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

[Shel_B]

9 hours ago, rotuts said:

TJ's  Fish Nuggets and TJ's TaterTots 

 

from Fz , AF  cooked togheter:

I've also enjoyed those, although made in the Breville countertop oven.

[palo]

Trader Joe's nuts recalled:

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/trader-joes-branded-cashews-sold-16-states-recalled-salmonella-concern-rcna143885

 

p

[blue_dolphin]

I finally got around to trying these TJ's Brown Beech Mushrooms that they've been selling since last summer. Also known as buna-shimeji or clamshell mushrooms. 

$2.49 for this little 3.5 oz pack which happens to be a nice amount for me to cook and eat at once and not have leftovers moldering in the fridge. 

 

I followed this recipe to cook them up and had them for breakfast with grilled asparagus and a fried duck egg:

 

I can see these becoming a regular purchase for me. 

 

Also, the TJ's dulce de leche ice cream is quite nice. $3.79 for a pint.  It's a seasonal item so no telling how long it will be around. 

 

[liuzhou]

We get these here. In Chinese they are 真姬菇 (zhēn jī gū), which means 'true woman (or true concubine) mushrooms' or 玉皇菇 (yù huáng gū), 'Jade Emperor mushrooms'.

 

There is also a white type called 白玉菇 (bái yù gū), meaning 'white jade mushrooms'.

 

Do you get Jade Gill Mushrooms, (海鲜菇 hǎi xiān gū, literally "seafood mushroom") or 蟹味菇 (xiè wèi gū), crab flavour mushrooms'? They are a variety of the shimeji mushroom. Shimeji normally grow in clusters but when they grow individually they are referred to as jade gill mushrooms. 

 

Jade Gill Mushrooms

 

By the way the Japanese for the beech mushrooms is ブナしめじ, buna-shimeji, buna meaning 'beech'.

 

Don't be tempted to try any of these raw. They're not poisonous but very bitter if not cooked. Don't ask me how I know!

 

 

Edited March 25 by liuzhou (log)

[blue_dolphin]

24 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

Do you get Jade Gill Mushrooms, (海鲜菇 hǎi xiān gū, literally "seafood mushroom") or 蟹味菇 (xiè wèi gū), crab flavour mushrooms'? 

Yes, they are available at Asian markets, usually labeled seafood mushrooms, but not so much at regular supermarkets in my area.
Also, the beech mushrooms, both brown and white, are available at Asian markets at a much lower price than my little Trader Joe’s packet but I’d spend a bunch of gas money to get there!

[rotuts]

@ Tj's this AM :

 

I was looking for the Chili  crunch or crunchy or ...

 

and the only item that was close  was crunchy chili corn 

 

or some such .

 

is that Tj's version of chili oil w chili and some sort of crunch factor ( garlic ? shallots ? )

[blue_dolphin]

I have tried the original TJ's Crunchy Chili Onion, the Crunchy Jalapeño Lime and the Crunchy Chili Cranberry Orange Onion. The last 2 were limited and haven’t been around for a while. 
I haven’t seen a corn version yet but will look. 

[rotuts]

 for got to mention :  bananas here ( inorganic ) 23 cents //lbs.

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin

 

is the ' Crunchy '  genre  the shallots and garlic addition ?

 

than they sprout out from there ?

[blue_dolphin]

6 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@blue_dolphin

 

is the ' Crunchy '  genre  the shallots and garlic addition ?

 

than they sprout out from there ?

No shallots in the Crunchy Chili Onion. Per the TJ's website, ingredient are:

OLIVE OIL, DRIED ONIONS, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED RED BELL PEPPERS, CRUSHED CHILI PEPPERS, TOASTED DRIED ONIONS, SEA SALT, NATURAL FLAVORS, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN (COLOR).

 

The cranberry one has:

OLIVE OIL, ANCHO CHILI PEPPER FLAKES, SWEETENED DRIED CRANBERRIES (CRANBERRIES, CANE SUGAR, SUNFLOWER OIL), DEHYDRATED ONIONS, DEHYDRATED RED BELL PEPPERS, CRUSHED CHILI PEPPERS, BROWN SUGAR (CANE SUGAR, MOLASSES), NATURAL FLAVOR (ORANGE OIL), SEA SALT, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN (COLOR).

 

The jalapeño lime has:

OLIVE OIL, DRIED ONIONS, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED JALAPEÑO, DRIED GREEN BELL PEPPER, SEA SALT, CILANTRO FLAKES, CITRIC ACID, NATURAL FLAVOR, LIME OIL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5 by blue_dolphin
To add other flavors (log)

[Dave the Cook]

Inspired by @rotuts . . .

 

On 6/15/2023 at 8:10 AM, rotuts said:

again , the Combi ,  ie Tj's and the CSO

 

has produced the Tj's fish nuggets :

 

 

these were conventionally bakes @ 425  for 18 minutes , flipped , 16 minutes and then I added 5 more minutes.

 

very nice crisp to them , sizzling when I took them out.   still very moist and tender inside.

 

 

. . . and @blue_dolphin in her subsequent post:

 

On 6/15/2023 at 11:39 AM, blue_dolphin said:

I have used them to make lazy person fish tacos.  

 

I was reminded of something. I reminisced and researched a bit, and came across this, from member Pierogi (RIP), way back in 2010:

 

Quote

Frozen fish sticks make GREAT fish tacos when you either don't have the time to fry your own filets or don't have fresh (or good frozen) fish. Heat those babies up in the oven, toss them in a warm tortilla with some cabbage, cilantro and white sauce, squeeze the lime, oh yeah babe. As a matter of fact, that's dinner tomorrow.

 

We got a box of the recommended product, and I can confirm that all of the above is true. Tacos made from TJ's fish nuggets (with cabbage slaw and avocado crema) easily meet our 80/20 rule; getting  80% of the food experience while expending 20% of the effort. They'd have been 90/10 if we'd baked them in our BSO, but we added the step of shallow-frying them. They went from pretty good to exceptional.

[rotuts]

@Dave the Cook

 

excellent post .  thank you.

 

TJ's FT's are excellent in the CSO , w no flipping.

 

if you have an AF

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/143952-the-air-fryer-topic/page/37/

 

they get crispy , to any degree of crispiness you desire   no flipping

 

and stay moist .  they stay moist in the CSO because it is a sealed oven.

 

they stay moist in an air fryer  ( 400 F )  because you get to your desired crispy level  in 12 minutes  +/-

 

if you want to move your FT;s to a different dimension , ( not necessarily better , but different )

 

try the fish nuggets .  CSO or AF   you will ge a crispiness ( any level ) that is delicate 

 

and the fish , base on it more compact geometry , moister.

 

both ae excellent.  faster min the AF , w different inner characteristics.

 

[blue_dolphin]

I tried a new-to-me cheese, this Ivy's Reserve Somerset Red Vintage Cheddar.  It's from the UK, aged 12 months and has a nice tang. It reminds me of a Red Leicester.  

It's TJ's April "spotlight cheese" so it probably won't be around for long.  It was $5.49 for a 7 oz package.  The best by date was Dec 2024 so I might pick up a few next time I'm there. 

 

They also had Dorothy's Garden Secrets the soft ripened cheese with herbs that comes in a little flower shape.

They've carried this before as well as other Dorothy's varieties and they have all been very good but it doesn't usually hang around for very long.  It's $7.99 for a 7 oz package. 

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin

 

I saw the Red the other day .  but int bit.

 

Ill give it a try.

 

I usually tick w old favorites.Ill branch out nd look for the garden secrets.

[rotuts]

TJ's has a reputation for its bananas.

 

used to be $ 0.19 // banana , now its $ 0.24 // banana.

 

these are the inorganic bananas.

 

TJ's is also an internet favorite for buy this not that etc etc.

 

there have been articles on banana pricing.  why weigh a  banana ?

 

why bundle a banana in plastic ? etc etc.

 

one gets the impression that bananas are quite the deal @ Tj's/

 

I got 6 bananas the other day , at the going rate,

 

these were a bit larger than ' medium '

 

a mathematical analysis revealed these bananas came to $ 0.62 // lbs.

 

this week @ market basket bananas are $ 0.39 //lb , on sale , $ 0.10  off.

 

of course to take advantage of the Market Basket price , you have to go to M.B.

 

an added expense .

 

on that same vein :  Joe's O's are cheaper @ TJ's , then M.B.'s generic ' O's '

 

and Tj's ' bite sized ' generic shredded wheat are ~ $ 1.00 ++ more than M.B's brand 

 

and now Ill be taking a nap.

 

enough exercise for one day.

Edited April 7 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Another new-to-me TJ's item I picked up the other day is this lemon pasta.  I believe it was around last year but I must have missed it. 

The color is quite a sunny yellow (there's turmeric added for color) and the lemon flavor is noticeable and pleasant.  Cooking time is listed as a quick 6-7 minutes but if you are going to finish it in a pan, then I wouldn't go beyond 5 min.  The bite is rather delicate, similar to a fresh pasta. 

I cooked some up for today's lunch with asparagus and red bell peppers and added lemon confit and some lemony breadcrumbs. 

Would be quite nice with shrimp or other seafood, I think. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 8 by blue_dolphin
to add cooking time (log)

[Shel_B]

1 hour ago, blue_dolphin said:

Another new-to-me TJ's item I picked up the other day is this lemon pasta.  I believe it was around last year but I must have missed it. 

I've not seen it in my TJ's.

 

Allrecipes did  a review of this pasta ...

 

https://www.allrecipes.com/new-favorite-trader-joes-lemon-torchietti-pasta-7550002

[FrogPrincesse]

All their artisan-type dried pastas are good in my experience, that one included. Another good one is the trofie which works especially well with pesto.

[FrogPrincesse]

A few days ago I finally got my hands on the tik-tok touted kimbap (3 per person maximum!). I don't have a microwave so I reheated them in a pan with a little bit of oil. It smells very good and my daughter loved it!

(Picture taken before cooking).

 

 

[palo]

Are you one of the "lucky" ones:

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/salmonella-outbreak-prompts-trader-joes-recall-herbs-sold-29-states-rcna148356

 

p

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, palo said:

Are you one of the "lucky" ones:

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/salmonella-outbreak-prompts-trader-joes-recall-herbs-sold-29-states-rcna148356

 

p

Looks like we're safe from this one here on the left coast.  I usually get herbs at the farmers market but do occasionally pick up Italian parsley or cilantro at TJ's.  Both are from a local grower in Oxnard. 

[FrogPrincesse]

My Trader Joe's had these mangoes a couple of weeks ago. Only got a box, and regretted not getting more. It looks like they didn't get more.  They were really good.

 

 

 

Funny now I see the fine print: distributed by "Amazon Produce network"! (odd, especially after reading this)

[FrogPrincesse]

1 minute ago, FrogPrincesse said:

Funny now I see the fine print: distributed by "Amazon Produce network"! (odd, especially after reading this)

Never mind. Amazon Produce network is the larger importer of mangoes into the US, and has no connection to Amazon. Sigh of relief!

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Here is dinner I made two days ago using all TJ's products: sweet corn burrata ravioli, pesto, ricotta, and arugula. Out of these 4 products, the ricotta is the standout for me: it tastes as good as the one I make from scratch! It's a great product. On the other hand, the pesto tastes very vegetal if that makes sense, and not very basil-y. Homemade is clearly a notch above. The ravioli is decent, good but not great.

 

 

 

[rotuts]

@FrogPrincesse

 

what ravioli did you use ?

 

does TJ's still have Dorot Fz basil , in the container w the small segments ?

 

try that for the basil part next time , w TJ's various EVOO's from Italy

 

you will get close enough to pesto , and add some of Tj's parmesan - rsh.

 

thank you for the reviews of the TJ's items .