Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

[lemniscate]

On 6/7/2023 at 4:36 AM, rotuts said:

Ive never had any in the several bags Ive tried.

I buy the TJ's Orange Chicken for other eaters in this household.  They've never complained of gristle either.  Believe me, I would hear about it if it was not up to their standards.  It's by far the favorite "chicken nugget" brand in this house.  Not my thing, but it's good for a "I don't know what to cook for you people" nights.   Always cooked in the cheapie air fryer too.

 

I prefer the pork potstickers and chicken spring rolls for my TJ cravings.

 

 

 

 

[rotuts]

Im going to have to remember to look for the chicken spring rolls.

 

I enjoy the thai shrimp gyoza. .

[Midlife]

On 6/8/2023 at 7:50 AM, blue_dolphin said:

Maybe I'll try a bag of that orange chicken.  It's always on lists of favorite TJ's products but I've never tried it. I'll likely skip the sauce and make up something else. 

That orange chicken is a favorite for us. I always add red pepper and either spinach or baby bok choy plus some hoisin or Trader Joe’s General Tsao stir fry sauce to hype the flavor. 
 

We recently bought a box of Crazy Cuisine brand mandarin orange chicken at Costco (based on a food board rec) but haven’t tried it yet. Looks like it might be the same or very similar. 

 

[rotuts]

trying a few new items :

 

 

TJ's no longer carries my preferred olive oil , Kalamata.   this one had good reviews.

 

the dolmas are said to be very good , cold right out of the refrigerator.

 

and we will see about the Tikka masala curry sauce .

 

over medium crispy orange chicken , san the orange sauce.

Edited June 13, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[ElsieD]

@rotuts Too bad that TJ's is no longer selling kalamata olive oil.  I buy it here at a specialty olive oil/balsamic vinegar place and love the stuff.

[kayb]

I've beern ordering a tikka masala sauce from Misfits that's pretty good.

 

[blue_dolphin]

On 6/8/2023 at 7:50 AM, blue_dolphin said:

Here's a list of new or new-ish TJ's products that includes the canned San Marzanino tomatoes that @rotuts asked about over here. 

 

I'm surprised to see the Diamond Crystal salt and will have to check out the price.  I wonder if people have tired of paying an arm and a leg for the stuff and left the company with excess stock?

 

I'll probably treat myself to the Golden Caramel Swirl Ice Cream. I usually try the new cheeses unless they are full of weird flavorings mixed in so I will try the Bucheron Soft Ripened Goat's Milk Cheese, El Cortijo Dorado and the Orange Rind Saint Paulin Cheese

 

Maybe I'll try a bag of that orange chicken.  It's always on lists of favorite TJ's products but I've never tried it. I'll likely skip the sauce and make up something else.  Maybe using some of that TJ's Ginger Spread I bought a while back. 

 

Quoting myself here after yesterday's trip to TJ's.  The Diamond Crystal salt is $8.99/3 lb box.  

 

The Golden Caramel Swirl Ice Cream is isn't bad but not a repeat buy for me.  It has both chocolate and vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel swirl.  The vanilla and the caramel are fine but the chocolate has that faint texture of cocoa powder that I dislike.  

 

My store did not have the Bucheron soft ripened goat's milk cheese yet.  I picked up the Dorado, a Spanish cow/sheep cheese that's kind of like a Manchego and despite its name, does not taste like fish!  I also got the French orange rind Saint Paulin, a semi-soft cheese. 

 

I tried the Mandarin Orange Chicken.  Mixed together some of the sauce that came in the box with some sweet chili sauce and used that as a dip and it was OK.  The coating was nice and crispy.  Not really my kind of thing but it took care of my curiosity and I've got several more servings left in the bag so I can try some other sauces. 

I posted this photo of it over in the Lunch topic. 

 

2 hours ago, rotuts said:

TJ's no longer carries my preferred olive oil , Kalamata

@rotuts, did you confirm with the staff that TJ's is no longer carrying that Kalamata olive oil?  It's gone missing for months at a time in my local stores but it's been back recently and I bought a bottle last week.  I also have a bottle of the stuff you bought and I think it's nice as well. 

[BeeZee]

@rotuts, I've bought those dolmas several times, they benefit from a squeeze of fresh lemon juice before eating.

[Vapre]

11 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

 

Quoting myself here after yesterday's trip to TJ's.  The Diamond Crystal salt is $8.99/3 lb box.  

If you have the option of a Wegmans, the ones near me at least (VA - Charlottesville/Richmond) list it at $5.99/3 lbs

[rotuts]

@ElsieD 

 

some time ago , when TJ's created my local store 

 

12 minutes away 

 

there was a WholeFoods right across the street.

 

Id had soe previous experience w WF , in California 

 

however , I used to stop at the WF , across the street 

 

as they had EVOO  ti taste , 2 to 3  items , s cut fresh bread.

 

very interesting to try a few EVOO at the same time 

 

a bit spicy ?   a sonderfull fugl mouth feel ?

 

etc.

 

and indeed a long time ago , my sister sent me two gallons 

 

of olive oil , from a convent in the east bay area 

 

CA , from the Sisters own trees 

 

I took very good care of those two gallons  

 

as I had a spare refrigerator in the garage.

 

Ive learned that its more important for me

 

to take care of any EVOO I get 

 

refrigerating 

 

as , in the past I had two very nice ones 

 

but after I added the to this aa that

 

I doubt I could say , in the fine dish 

 

which was which .

 

but , Ive learned to take care of any oil 

 

refrigeration etc 

 

and Im fine w what I can find 

 

these day 

 

just not so much Italian processes Tunisian Crank case oil. 

 

of note :   the Kalamata moved from the glass bottle 

 

@TJ's  to a metal bottle , that was very difficult to open.

 

MarketBaket seems to now have a Kalamatan Oil

 

Ill keep that  in mind

 

I do love Kalamata olives .

 

and I might go back to a place fairly near me

 

and get them out of a 5 gallon bin

 

 

 

 

 

 

[blue_dolphin]

10 hours ago, Vapre said:

If you have the option of a Wegmans, the ones near me at least (VA - Charlottesville/Richmond) list it at $5.99/3 lbs

 

Very good price but probably not worth a cross-country trip to pick up!

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin 

 

I asked at my TJ's this AM:

 

the Kalamata will be back ' this spring '

[blue_dolphin]

2 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@blue_dolphin 

 

I asked at my TJ's this AM:

 

the Kalamata will be back ' this spring '

 

That's good news!  Maybe I'll pick up another bottle to last me 'til then!

[rotuts]

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.

 

made me thick of those  FastFood  ' crispy ' sandwiches 

 

w the proper bun , and amendments 

 

this would beat any crispy sandwich anywhere 

 

if you like fish.

 

I did note that Tj's has fz ' fried ' fake fish  next to these in the frozen case.

 

not sure why fish has to be fake , but its there for you , just in case

 

Im waling for Plant based Plants :

 

grind up your unpopular ( cheap ) Plants , add all sorts of stuff to that mixture

 

and then you get fake Cauliflower .

 

I just can't wait.

 

 

Edited June 15, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[blue_dolphin]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

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

 

has produced the Tj's fish nuggets :

I have used them to make lazy person fish tacos.  

 

The fake fish doesn't appeal to me either but the whole fishing industry is so fraught with concerns, I can see why some people might want to give them a try.  

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin 

 

the taco idea is a good one.

 

had not thought of that.

 

thanks .

[rotuts]

 

TJ's Dolmas ( the white can , pic's previously  

 

one layer's worth , cold from the refrigerated can .  Kikkoman's Lime Ponzu ( as i had some )

 

absolutely delicious , on a hot day .

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

TJ's Dolmas ( the white can , pic's previously  

 

one layer's worth , cold from the refrigerated can .  Kikkoman's Lime Ponzu ( as i had some )

 

absolutely delicious , on a hot day .

Thanks for that review. TJ's used to sell some nice rice-stuffed dolmas in the refrigerator section. I used to like making up a little plate with them, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, feta, red bell pepper strips, pita or crusty bread for an easy summer meal.
They’ve been long gone and I always assumed the canned version wouldn’t be as good but should give them a try. 

[rotuts]

@blue_dolphin  

 

Ive had dolmas , in many delicious ways

 

this canned 

 

Im keeping for 

 

ice cold from the refrig

 

for a overshot day

 

thinking about what you said

 

these ,, very neutral 

 

I might add to them

 

room temp.

 

these dolmas , thrive

 

w your help.

[ElsieD]

I haven't had dolmas in a very long time.  My Lebanese ex-MIL taught me how to make them, they were always stuffed with rice and ground beef and I forget what else.  I remember that when cooking them you had to fit a plate in the pan to cover them ot they would unravel.  They were always served with lemon juice.

[rotuts]

you bet .

 

these are well made, very very neutral

 

and in a can

 

when cold ,  these can be quite tasty

 

w minimal amendments

Edited June 18, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[Midlife]

On 6/14/2023 at 5:47 AM, rotuts said:

@ElsieD 

 

some time ago , when TJ's created my local store 

 

12 minutes away 

 

there was a WholeFoods right across the street.

 

Id had soe previous experience w WF , in California 

 

however , I used to stop at the WF , across the street 

 

as they had EVOO  ti taste , 2 to 3  items , s cut fresh bread.

 

very interesting to try a few EVOO at the same time 

 

a bit spicy ?   a sonderfull fugl mouth feel ?

 

etc.

 

and indeed a long time ago , my sister sent me two gallons 

 

of olive oil , from a convent in the east bay area 

 

CA , from the Sisters own trees 

 

I took very good care of those two gallons  

 

as I had a spare refrigerator in the garage.

 

Ive learned that its more important for me

 

to take care of any EVOO I get 

 

refrigerating 

 

as , in the past I had two very nice ones 

 

but after I added the to this aa that

 

I doubt I could say , in the fine dish 

 

which was which .

 

but , Ive learned to take care of any oil 

 

refrigeration etc 

 

and Im fine w what I can find 

 

these day 

 

just not so much Italian processes Tunisian Crank case oil. 

 

of note :   the Kalamata moved from the glass bottle 

 

@TJ's  to a metal bottle , that was very difficult to open.

 

MarketBaket seems to now have a Kalamatan Oil

 

Ill keep that  in mind

 

I do love Kalamata olives .

 

and I might go back to a place fairly near me

 

and get them out of a 5 gallon bin

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very curious about refrigerating olive oil. I worked in a specialty olive oil shop for three years and one of the first rules was that olive oil should NOT be refrigerated. (#s 2 and 3 were keep it in dark glass and away from light.) It tends to thicken and lose flavor when cold. Sounds like your experience is different. Can you please elaborate?

[rotuts]

@Midlife 

 

my goal was to retard oxidation by lowering the temp.

 

indeed , the EVOO in the refrigerator  does solidify over time.

 

I decant a few oz into a plastic squeeze bottle w a secure , and easy to open top

 

 

I use the small bottle for EVOO I use , direct from the refrigerator 

 

if its semi solid , I unscrew the top , and squeeze out a glug .

 

I do have to take out the larger bottle some times from the refrigerator 

 

to liquefy when doing a refill of the smaller bottle.

 

I can't say this is the best way to keep EVOO 

 

but the results seem fresher to me than keeping the large bottle at room temp , even if in the dark

 

that large bottle lasts me for many months.

 

P.S. :  ' lose flavor when cold '

 

im guessing that most of that flavor comes back when it gets to room temp.

 

I haven't don e any experiments , but i do know was oxidized ( ie rancid ) 

 

EVOO tastes like .  refrigerated and then back to room temp EVOO

 

doesn't taste oxidized // nor rancid.

 

and of course , very important :

 

its easy to do.

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by rotuts (log)

[Midlife]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

@Midlife 

 

my goal was to retard oxidation by lowering the temp.

 

indeed , the EVOO in the refrigerator  does solidify over time.

 

I decant a few oz into a plastic squeeze bottle w a secure , and easy to open top

 

 

I use the small bottle for EVOO I use , direct from the refrigerator 

 

if its semi solid , I unscrew the top , and squeeze out a glug .

 

I do have to take out the larger bottle some times from the refrigerator 

 

to liquefy when doing a refill of the smaller bottle.

 

I can't say this is the best way to keep EVOO 

 

but the results seem fresher to me than keeping the large bottle at room temp , even if in the dark

 

that large bottle lasts me for many months.

 

P.S. :  ' lose flavor when cold '

 

im guessing that most of that flavor comes back when it gets to room temp.

 

I haven't don e any experiments , but i do know was oxidized ( ie rancid ) 

 

EVOO tastes like .  refrigerated and then back to room temp EVOO

 

doesn't taste oxidized // nor rancid.

 

and of course , very important :

 

its easy to do.

 

 

This is one of those ‘if it works for you’ things apparently. Good quality olive oil will normally be at its best for about a year after it’s made. Then it starts to degrade but, like wine, it’s about how it’s stored and whether the user’s palate cares. I’d be curious as to how cooling and warming repeatedly affects it in a taste test. 

[rotuts]

@Midlife 

 

that would be interesting to see if there was any difference

 

warming here is to room temp , at the highest .

 

but by the room itself .  no other heat source 

 

and most of the time , I just use the EVOO

 

right out of the refrige   

 

the EVOO final temp will be the temp of the salad 

 

the soup , the pasta dish , etc.