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Trader Joe's Products (2017–)

Kerry Beal

By Kerry Beal
in Kitchen Consumer

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blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 7/14/2024 at 2:49 PM, blue_dolphin said:

Next up I'm going to try McConnell's Turkish Coffee. Has anyone compared the two? Of course that will cost about  4 x as much.

 

I popped into Whole Foods this morning in hopes of snagging some of the McConnell's Turkish Coffee but alas, all they had was their regular coffee ice cream.  I bought a pint but haven't tried it.  Of course, my TJ's coffee bean blast is no gone so I’ll have to make another trip there. 


I checked the menu at the McConnell's scoop shop in Ventura and they don't list the Turkish coffee either but have a "limited release" Brazilian coffee ice cream listed. They also have a 4 new flavors made with See's chocolate candies: McConnell’s and See’s Are a Match Made in Sweet Tooth Heaven that are on offer for the month of July so maybe I should get over there.  

 

 

Edited by blue_dolphin (log)
  • Like 1
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

Ive been getting Campari tomatoes from Tj's for quyaite a while .

 

mother onion , based on my degree of shopping is MarketBasket , bu choice.

 

Tj's were a bir better , so  Tj's

 

they change in several cycles out of synch w real weather  

 

no matter :  I avoid any yellowfins color . and indeed , that can clear up in the nest week.

 

however , the best , of really very good dependable tomatoes , comes when the tomatoes themselves

 

are larger . like in the last 10 days or so.    and Im sure each Tj's gets its Campari's  on its own

 

unique schedule   but these :

 

IMG_4315.thumb.jpeg.7f2dfce79f955ef0fa36e22548dd4bcc.jpeg

 

do very weak kept for 4 6 days.  I usual always keep the tomatoes for 2 - 3 days 

 

but longer when they all get to this size , really adds an aroma boots.   the sliced tomatoes you see

 

are similar sized , and kept 5 - 6 days .  they actually have tomato aroma.

 

so if you follow the Campari Seasons  ( they have many ) at your Local 

 

if you see larger ones , keep them a few days longe 

 

and yeas buy 4 packs instead of the usual 2 .  etc

 

enjoy

  • Like 2
Midlife

Midlife

Posted
Posted
On 7/5/2024 at 8:38 AM, rotuts said:

went to my Local this AM

 

they are changing out all their refrigerated units to new ones.

 

but noticed this ;

 

IMG_4255.thumb.jpeg.978c115b9c8847881d69724f689ab61b.jpeg

 

IMG_4256.thumb.jpeg.4d592cee9e11b82a2a35585468a1e225.jpeg

 

IMG_4258.thumb.jpeg.4a4dcffe4775cc1b3702b173f0174f72.jpeg

 

its interesting.  took forever to figure out how to open it.  there is a little plastic tap you pull off at the top'side

 

its thick , a little sweet , and tart     w a deep flavor.

 

quite some time ago I had one small bottle of Balsamic , the real stuff , in the square frosted bottle.

 

used a few drops at a tie  etc

 

this is not that.  I was thinking what I might use this for .  Steamed new bliss potatoes came to mind

 

for some reason .   the humidity here is 98 %   so won't be trying that anytime soon

 

then I thought about a thin glaze on Salmon , grilled or broiled 

 

pleased I got this .  worth a try .

 

for something .

 

Been using this for a while. It’s not a true aged balsamic at all, but it’s a simple, easy way to brighten up some veggies with dinner. 

  • Like 1
Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted

I'm weeping in my beer. The supplier of TJ's "Home made tortillas" are no longer making them. They've been a staple for us for years. Compared to any other store bought flour tortillas they were great. The ones now being stocked are more of the cardboard variety. When my husband asked about it a couple of store workers agreed it was very disappointing. I need a replacement in the bay area, Or we will have to start making our own.

  • Sad 3
Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted
15 hours ago, Katie Meadow said:

I'm weeping in my beer. The supplier of TJ's "Home made tortillas" are no longer making them. They've been a staple for us for years. Compared to any other store bought flour tortillas they were great. The ones now being stocked are more of the cardboard variety. When my husband asked about it a couple of store workers agreed it was very disappointing. I need a replacement in the bay area, Or we will have to start making our own.

You can order these that are made in KC and stock your freezer. They are quite good.

Deb

Liberty, MO

blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted

I saw this recipe for a tall, cool drink: Trader Joe’s Lemon Gin Refresher and gave it a try:

009F79C2-AEE0-4F76-B6FD-FF5B7C53C553_1_201_a.thumb.jpeg.09f90d481844ff00e312c3d292bfc3b9.jpeg

Refreshing and not too sweet, depending on your choice of limoncello.   I used my homemade stuff instead of purchasing the TJ's offering. 

 

 

On 7/14/2024 at 2:44 PM, Katie Meadow said:

My husband just came back from TJs with a quart of Coffee Bean Blast ice cream. It's good! Not too eggy or custardy. A little bit more intense coffee flavor than HD, which is what I'm used to. A quart, not a pint, for $4.99. A lot of artisan (or not) pints are approaching $10 around here. Next up I'm going to try McConnell's Turkish Coffee. Has anyone compared the two? Of course that will cost about  4 x as much.

Reporting here that I tried the McConnell's coffee ice cream I bought at Whole Foods.  As mentioned above, it was just labeled coffee rather than Turkish coffee.  It had a lot of fine coffee bean grit which ruined the mouthfeel for me although the coffee flavor is quite nice. I think I could tolerate a few bigger bean chunks over this much fine grit.  

I was going to go to their scoop shop last week to try the Brazilian coffee (my fish share pick-up is on the way) but the traffic was atrocious so I skipped it. Warm fish and melty ice cream are not a fine combo. Maybe next week.  

  • Like 3
Cyberider

Cyberider

Posted
Posted
On 7/1/2024 at 7:34 AM, weinoo said:

 

Full bin this morning...

 

IMG_2459.thumb.jpeg.77e7abfdb3cd6176d28a64c22df379fa.jpeg

And here's the bin at my store as it looks every morning.  🤨

IMG_20240722_081037807.jpg

  • Confused 1
  • Sad 2
blue_dolphin

blue_dolphin

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Cyberider said:

And here's the bin at my store as it looks every morning.  🤨

It’s a sign - you’re meant to have cheesecake for breakfast!

  • Like 3
  • Haha 1
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

Market Basket has almost identical looking Fz HB's

 

as I only go to MB and Tj's , that's 100 % of the store I frequent.

 

although there is no MB in AZ , Im betting any chain has the same.

 

however 

 

a more interesting question :  why does your Local sell out ?

 

have you asked the staff ?

Cyberider

Cyberider

Posted
Posted
45 minutes ago, rotuts said:

Market Basket has almost identical looking Fz HB's

 

as I only go to MB and Tj's , that's 100 % of the store I frequent.

 

although there is no MB in AZ , Im betting any chain has the same.

 

however 

 

a more interesting question :  why does your Local sell out ?

 

have you asked the staff ?

 

The frozen food truck comes in mid-morning.  Staff says that people buy multiple packages at one time and they are quickly gone for the day.  Supposedly, they are on allotment and can't get more than they do. 

 

Too hot here in the desert for me to shop anytime other than first thing in the morning so I will have to wait for cooler weather to get there later when they might be available.  In the meantime, I've tried making my own but haven't come close to matching theirs.  I've gone back to having my diced, fried, and seasoned potatoes with my eggs instead. 

 

As you mentioned, no MB here.  Will have to look at the chain stores, if I remember!

  • Like 1
Cyberider

Cyberider

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 7/13/2024 at 7:21 AM, blue_dolphin said:

I'll have to revisit those olive crackers. I thought they were soft, stale and musty and pitched them after a bite. Sounds like I may have gotten a bad pack. 

Since these were mentioned here, I picked up a package when I was at TJ's this morning.  Mine are crisp but I found the olive taste to be more subtle than I was expecting. 

Edited by Cyberider (log)
  • Like 2
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

@Cyberider

 

its a bit odd they sell out at your Local.

 

seems the freezer has similar sauce a my Local nd @weinoo 's

 

interesting the item next to the potatoes is the same item next to the potatoes 

 

@weinoo 's.

 

maybe they use those potatoes differently in AZ ?

  • 3 weeks later...
Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted
On 7/14/2024 at 3:10 PM, weinoo said:

 

McConnell's make my favorite ice creams.  At the little bodega down the block, they're $11/pint. Expensive? Sure. Worth it? Absolutely.

Finally an occasion for a taste test: McConnell's vs TJ's. Coffee Bean Blast. Could not find either Turkish Coffee or Brazilian McConnell's,, so we had just the straight McConnell's Coffee. Blind test, but simply which you preferred. There were four of us; two liked the McConnell's better, two liked the TJ's better. Both have good coffee flavor and both have flecks of coffee. The McConnell's was deemed creamier and richer. The TJ's had a slightly bitter coffee aftertaste which I really liked. But I would happily eat either one, especially if someone else paid for the McConnell's.

  • Like 1
Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted

Somehow that cracks me up. Any candle is a fire hazard. Especially if you have cats. Only electric candles in this house now.

 

On a Trader Joe's note, I picked up the green olive flatbread crackers last week and tried yesterday just as a nibble while I was heating some soup. I like them. I really think I'd like them with the cream cheese anchovy spread that was discussed elsewhere. I think it was @Tropicalsenior's recipe, or am I remembering wrong?

Deb

Liberty, MO

MaryIsobel

MaryIsobel

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

Somehow that cracks me up. Any candle is a fire hazard. Especially if you have cats. Only electric candles in this house now.

 

On a Trader Joe's note, I picked up the green olive flatbread crackers last week and tried yesterday just as a nibble while I was heating some soup. I like them. I really think I'd like them with the cream cheese anchovy spread that was discussed elsewhere. I think it was @Tropicalsenior's recipe, or am I remembering wrong?

I really like those crackers too! For me, TJ's is an across the us/Canada border trip, about an hour each way, so I rarely went until my daughters started going south of the 49th regularly to shop. They know that if they are going to TJ's, to call me and I drop everything to go.

  • Like 2
RWood

RWood

Posted
Posted

These are some tasty little crackers, but the box is waaay to small 😏

 

IMG_5335.jpeg

  • Like 2
Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted

Completely agree on the triangles! I stopped myself but easily could have eaten it all by myself in one sitting. Embarrassingly too small. 

  • Like 1

Deb

Liberty, MO

  • 4 weeks later...
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

three new items , to me :

 

IMG_4576.thumb.jpeg.20b7c28902372e0e081045123c3f4bfa.jpeg

 

EVOO :  its not quite as green looking as the pic.  it has a more ripe flavor than green flavor , and has a nice

 

spice finish.  it will be in my standard Tj's EVOO rotation .

 

Black Garlic :  its finely minced , not powdered .  it has a hint os sweetness , and good raw garlic flavor. 

 

Im not a bit fan of roasted garlic , as its sweeter than I like , and has muted bite. this version needs a bit of hydration

 

to bring out its flavor and qualities , powdered hydrates faster that finely minced.  I like it.

 

Maple Syrup.  Tj's brand , and its Dark .  very nice dark flavor , which I like and a bit of a price knock off

 

via the Tj brand .  a keeper for me

  • Like 2
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

A P.S.:

 

this is what the Black Garlic looks like , in the same dish as the EVOO for perspective :

 

IMG_4583.thumb.jpeg.ae77fd2749ea9e9344450ed4b3a04927.jpeg

 

I don't  know what the ' black ' adds to the garlic flavor , other than being black.

 

Id love to see this style , in some garlic my mother raised as I did :

 

Russian Red , hard neck ,  etc.  ( apologies for not quite the correct term )

Edited by rotuts (log)
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Maison Rustique said:

I have that black garlic and forgot I had it. I need to dig it out of the panty and use it.

 

I wouldn't keep the black garlic in your panties.

  • Haha 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

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