Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

[lindag]

1 minute ago, FauxPas said:

On a whim I bought TJ's turkey en croute this year. I think they have a similar version each holiday season? We had been quite busy with social events for a few days before the 25th and wanted something simple for Christmas dinner. This was actually quite good, the puff pastry crust browned nicely and the turkey was tasty. The leftovers were not great, turkey seemed a bit too dry and crust too soft the next day, so I'd recommend it for a single meal. 

 

It looks very good.

[Maison Rustique]

The Butter Toffee Pretzels are officially an obsession of mine now.

 

Butter Toffee Pretzels

[FauxPas]

12 minutes ago, Maison Rustique said:

The Butter Toffee Pretzels are officially an obsession of mine now.

 

Butter Toffee Pretzels

 

My husband would LOVE those, I will have to keep an eye out for them! 

 

[Katie Meadow]

On 12/29/2018 at 9:54 AM, Maison Rustique said:

The Butter Toffee Pretzels are officially an obsession of mine now.

 

Butter Toffee Pretzels

I'm not a big snacker and we rarely buy packaged snack foods other than the occasional Kettle potato chips. But these things are frighteningly addictive. They are too sweet, too salty and really good. They pair well with a glass of whisky for a nightcap. Also they might be good for breakfast with strong black coffee. Or for high tea. Think lapsang souchong. Russian Caravan. Or go straight for the Scotch.

[rotuts]

they sampled this at my Local today :

 

 

they even let you put a drizzle of real Maple syrup on it if you wanted.

 

WoW !  just to review :  WoW¹²⁸ !

 

its sort of a pound cake , that lighter than a tradition pound cake

 

and tastes like those buttermilk pancakes you had a few times when your were 6 and got to sit on those round stools

 

covered in red plastic , shinny metal items they were , at the Breakfast Counter !

 

 

they were initially a little hard to get out of the container,

 

which seems to be one of those paper baking containers used for all sorts of things bakers bake

 

but don't want the container back.

 

tomorrow AM ;

 

Ill toast a few trance's of this in the CSO , pull out a little Real MS from the refig , and warm first 

 

with a pair of Easy-Over eggs.

 

was thinking about a pair of Jones Breakfast sausage

 

or god is my co-pilot

 

two thick crusty slices of Scrapple !

 

Ive decided that this is Soooo Good

 

Ill be doing a Study.   Im the Index , and that's all I need.

 

I like this so much , with in reason

 

that Admiral Joe is either going to ;

 

1 ) discontinue it soon  " sorry , seasonal '

 

or 

 

2 ) keep it in stock all year.

 

1 ) = they really like to drive me crazy 

 

2 ) = Ill be dropping dead because Ill eat so much of this !

Edited January 12, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[rotuts]

Remember Bananas Foster ?

 

easy and delicious ?   adding in a thick slice of toasted pound cake make it so much better ?

 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017148-bananas-foster

 

or if behind a pay wall

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bananas_Foster

 

subbing out the pound cake for a thick toasted slice of

 

Tj's Pancake Bread  

 

....

 

its back on the menu !

 

you will have to taste a slice of Tj's PB toasted to understand.

Edited January 12, 2019 by rotuts (log)

[FauxPas]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

Ive decided that this is Soooo Good Ill be doing a Study.   Im the Index , and that's all I need.

 

I like this so much , with in reason that Admiral Joe is either going to ;

 

1 ) discontinue it soon  " sorry , seasonal '

or 

2 ) keep it in stock all year.

 

1 ) = they really like to drive me crazy 

 

2 ) = Ill be dropping dead because Ill eat so much of this !

 

So @rotuts, tell us the truth, do you like the new TJ bread?  Ha, you are cute.   

 

i have to find this and try it as well. My husband would probably love it. 

 

[Miriravan]

On 12/29/2018 at 9:54 AM, Maison Rustique said:

The Butter Toffee Pretzels are officially an obsession of mine now.

 

Butter Toffee Pretzels

 

I was so sad I missed these at my TJ's, but really, in hindsight, it's probably for the best.  Just by the descriptions I would have probably devoured them by the handful.

[blue_dolphin]

28 minutes ago, Miriravan said:

 

I was so sad I missed these at my TJ's, but really, in hindsight, it's probably for the best.  Just by the descriptions I would have probably devoured them by the handful.

Me, too.  I looked for them several times but I never found them.  Like you said, probably for the best.  

[Katie Meadow]

13 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Me, too.  I looked for them several times but I never found them.  Like you said, probably for the best.  

Not for the best. My husband came back empty handed as well the other day and I had a breakdown. I really hate the concept of "seasonal." A candy cane, maybe, but a goofed up pretzel? It isn't red or green for god's sake.

[MelissaH]

We were at TJ's yesterday. We're big supporters of our university's women's hockey team, and like to get them treats for their overnight road trips. One favorite is the individual packaged breakfast mix (think granola clumps with dried cranberries and white yogurt chips), sold in bags of 10 "handful" packages. But one of the team members can't eat gluten, dairy, or eggs, so for her we've always gotten a box of the brown rice treats, which are sort of like rice krispie treats but basically contain about three versions of rice and nothing else. Yesterday, I looked all over the store, trying to find the rice treats, without success. I finally asked a worker, and was told they've been discontinued! I expressed my dismay, and will be writing to TJ's HQ to let them know how disappointed I am.

 

In the meantime, the worker steered me to a snickerdoodle cookie that's free of gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, and pretty much all the other common allergens and some other less common allergens also. That's the best I can do, for now, although if I get inspired, I'll buy a box of GF cereal and make some treats myself. I'll have the vegan Earth Balance spread left from another use.

[rotuts]

One thing about Tj's Ive visited :

 

if you ask about things in a polite way

 

and possibly they recognize you 

 

or not

 

the staff can be very very helptfull

 

I expressed a bit os dismay that a certain cookie in the plastic tubs had been discountinued

 

to staff on the floor

 

they said 

 

what about this ?

 

and broke open the packed and I tried one

 

very nice

 

I get those from time to time

 

gluten free  crispy cookies

 

gluten is not an issue for me

 

but a crispy cookie is.

[heidih]

When I have spoken with a manager about  discontinued item the reason for disappearance iss usually an issue with the packaging vendor or the distriibution chain. I agree they are quite helpful and definitely focus on custommer service.  I interviewed at their headquarters once and it is an interesting office culture. Very interactive and Hawaiian shirts are the dress code.

[blue_dolphin]

Two TJ's items that may be of limited interest

 

The 2016 Hillersden New Zealand Pinot Gris is a very acceptable, food-friendly, white wine for $3.99.  It's surely a limited-time offering but worth snagging if you see it and enjoy such wines.

The Bloom Avocado Honey is a local product to my area and the Bloom website says their honey is being sold at TJ's in Southern California.  The 16 oz jar was $7.99.  The label says it has subtle hints of avocado.  I can't say I can taste avocado specifically but it has a definite savory note and quite a deep color. 

 

They also had lots of the Organic Brown Rice Treats that @MelissaH learned were being discontinued.

I forgot to look for the pancake bread. 

Edited January 13, 2019 by blue_dolphin (log)

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin

 

nice

 

in MA there is at least a $ 1.00 or more

 

Graft and Corruption Tax for wine.

 

2 buck chuck is 3.99

 

not that anyone should drink it

 

it goes to some commissioners lost nephew

 

as no one touches the wine before it gets to TJ.s

 

but some one collects at least 1 - 1.5 $$ / bottle

 

Ill ask about the bottle you recumbent.

 

if its here , and probably not

 

it will be 5.99.

[heidih]

@blue_dolphin  Wow that honey is dark. Generally that is a tell for a.n more intense flavor. Maybe next time. Thanks!

[weinoo]

I'm sure I've thrown Trader Joe's under the bus, either in this thread or on some other, more local boards I frequent. Probably both.

 

So, when the largest Trader Joe's on the east coast opened with 2 minutes (walking!) of our apartment, I was caught between a rock and a hard place; stick to my guns and never set foot in the place, or join the many devotees who love the place.  I joined.

 

Not that I love or even like anything that much; yeah, yeah, I get it, the nuts are cheap, peanut butter's good, cereal, etc. etc. But there are also tons of sodium in the stuff I'd never buy, and you really, really have to practice mindful shopping, especially when it comes to stuff like their produce. 

 

That said, a Sunday morning stroll through the store netted me this product:

ct:

Imported from Italy, only 190mg sodium per 4 oz serving, it's 3 or 4 types of mushrooms, including boletes. With half a bag, I made this:

Spaghetti with 1/2 bag of those mushrooms, a few cherry tomatoes, and a good handful of parmesan and pecorino. Took 20 minutes, start to finish.

 

I also picked this up, and it's in the sous vide rig right now...

Along with a rib eye. Not a bad looking steak.

 

 

[pastrygirl]

Has anyone tried the dried, candied hibiscus flowers?  I don't know if they're new or not, just noticed them today.

[Katie Meadow]

I don't know if some of the TJ's products are limited to certain areas, but here are the few things we routinely buy and find to be good quality and a reasonable price. It would be very unusual for us to come out of TJ's with more than 2 or 3 things.

 

VALRHONA 71 % Le Noir chocolate bar. You cannot beat the price for this quality plain dark chocolate, although I do know how personal chocolate tastes can be. This one is great for nibbling and for using in some baked goods. I'm super picky about my chocolate, so that might help or not.

EMPIRE KOSHER ORGANIC CHICKEN. Has to be both kosher and organic to be best.

TJ's HOME MADE (OR HAND MADE?) FLOUR TORTILLAS. Excellent for a commercial product when you just don't have the energy to make your own. Best when fresh; they don't keep well beyond two or three days. 

TJ's MINI CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT BISCOTTI. The plastic box says "soft bite" but they are not soft at all. If you are a person who likes the flavor of the oreo chocolate discs or Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers these biscotti evoke something similar, at least for me. They are definitely not over-sweet. They are always in stock, they are cheap,  and great if you suddenly have guests coming over for ice cream or whatever and don't have time to go cross town to your favorite bakery.

 

There are a couple of products that I was addicted to that have gone the way of the dodo. Then there are the seasonal products like the recent depressing episode of the Butter Toffee Pretzels. It was totally embarrassing how much I loved them. I don't even like pretzels. I tried sleeping until next December, but I woke up this morning. 

Edited January 15, 2019 by Katie Meadow (log)

[heidih]

My vegan friends (yah I know don't judge) find it the best source for canned jackfruit which is 
the new black:. 

[weinoo]

11 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

 

 

Sometimes looks can be deceiving.  So while the above steak was nice and tender, as was the rib eye, their flavor left me wanting.

 

I'm sure on the grill they can be a little bit tastier, but who has a grill?!  In any event, I doubt I'll be buying many more steaks from TJ's.

My next attempt may be with one of the New Zealand racks of lamb this TJ's carries, also at a reasonable price. 

[rotuts]

TJ's in my area carries racks of lamb , Fz , from Canada.

 

excellent.  they are seasoned which seems problematic , the the seasoning works.

 

just don't follow their cooking directions.

 

interewting to caompare in price to NZ.   Ill have to take a peek.

 

in the NZ fresh ?   I did note they now also have fresh racks.

 

too bad about that steak.

 

15/lbs for non-flavor is a bit much.

 

have you tried the RB40 Rx ?

[heidih]

6 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Sometimes looks can be deceiving.  So while the above steak was nice and tender, as was the rib eye, their flavor left me wanting.

 

I'm sure on the grill they can be a little bit tastier, but who has a grill?!  In any event, I doubt I'll be buying many more steaks from TJ's.

My next attempt may be with one of the New Zealand racks of lamb this TJ's carries, also at a reasonable price. 

 

Hey Melissa Clark writes about grilling in NYC

[weinoo]

I think she lives in Brooklyn, so while it is NYC, it's not an NYC apartment!

[FauxPas]

10 hours ago, weinoo said:

 

Sometimes looks can be deceiving.  So while the above steak was nice and tender, as was the rib eye, their flavor left me wanting.

 

I'm sure on the grill they can be a little bit tastier, but who has a grill?!  In any event, I doubt I'll be buying many more steaks from TJ's.

My next attempt may be with one of the New Zealand racks of lamb this TJ's carries, also at a reasonable price. 

 

We were disappointed with the NY Strip steak that we bought from TJ's also and I am pretty sure that my husband cooked it on the grill. It was quite a while ago and all I really remember is that we said we wouldn't buy another one.