The Trader Joe's Product Discussion Thread (S/D)

frozen. in a purple box!

i may have to try this!

*adds to list*

turns out trader joe's is owned by aldi - not surprising! no middleman. I love both!

but the line between inappropriately friendly crazy person and helpful TJ's employee is kind of thin

so OTM btw

Aldi and TJ are actually two separate business groups -- the two arms of Aldi were ran by brothers, one of whom recently passed away. The US Aldi stores are completely separate from TJ afaik.

I have a loyalty to Aldi that I do not have for Trader Joe's. If I want "health food" I am willing to pay $10 for an Indian frozen dinner or a $28 dollar bag of coffee and feel snooty. On the other hand it is hard to turn down 99 cent pasta or frozen veggies.

TJ's does have 99 cent pasta...

Aldi and TJ are actually two separate business groups -- the two arms of Aldi were ran by brothers, one of whom recently passed away. The US Aldi stores are completely separate from TJ afaik.

― mh, Monday, September 19, 2011 10:28 AM (4 hours ago) Bookmark

ok whatever! they still seem to share a lot of business ideas. and maybe even suppliers - the peppercorn grinder I bought from TJ's recently is exactly the same as the one I bought from Aldi a year ago, except for the label! and maybe the TJs one was a little more expensive

mango lassi was disappointing! i just assumed mango + yogurt would taste awesome. the mango yogurt gummies are pretty good, though.

german sensibilities

so what are the good TJ beers? I was overwhelmed by the choice!

last time i got beer at tj's, i just went with moretti (the italian beer). i haven't liked any of tj's own-brand beer yet.

I like the Bohemian lager tbh! I hardly ever get it only because it's so heavy to carry home w all my groceries.

name tag lager was on sale for like $3 for a sixer, should have got some

steinlager (from new zealand) is okay too.

lol that's not the sale price!
xpost

Trader Joe's Product Discussion, Whole Grains Edition

Harvest Grains Blend - it's in a bag in the shelf-stable aisle. I love this stuff. It's really easy and if you make it per package instructions (butter, broth/water, grains) it's a nice change from rice. A couple of nights ago we made this in one pot with with carrots, celery, onions, and leftover roasted chicken. A+. Also, it's cheap.

Rolled Oats - regular oatmeal, not Irish oatmeal or instant oatmeal or frozen oatmeal. Just a bag of oatmeal. I guess I've eaten too much Quaker Oatmeal in my life, because this stuff is weird. It doesn't lump together like proper oatmeal and I actually had to strain the excess water out of it because I didn't want oat soup. I could see some people liking this, if this is how you like your oatmeal, but I'm going back to Quaker after I finish this bag (and I see a lot of oatmeal cookies in my future to try and use this up).

Rolled Oats tl;dr: I'm spunky. I like my oatmeal lumpy.

jenny you should use the oats to make granola -- it's easy!

Or maybe they would work in the litter box.

jenny you should use the oats to make granola -- it's easy!

That's a good idea. Do you have a fave recipe?

Or maybe they would work in the litter box.

They don't clump!

oooh i have a rolled-oats recipe for you (cookies)

1 c rolled oats
1 c dessicated coconut
1 c sugar
1 c flour

mix

1/4 c golden syrup (or maple syrup)
100g marg/butter

melt together

2tbsp warm water
1 tsp baking soda

mix

mix everything together. roll into balls. place on parchment lined cookie sheet, flatten with wet fork and bake at 325 for 22 minutes. let cool completely before eating.

Coconut! Awesome.

the spanish deli meats are pretty good

their rice pudding is better than that at Whole Foods

their packaged deli meats are so expensive! i've taken to buying prosciutto at my local market because it's like 1/3 of the price and much better quality freshly sliced. i love prosciutto/jamon serrano, though, and eat it more than the average person should probably.

back to TJ's chatty checkout clerks: today this wholesome-looking young african/american dude said he played in a "punk/no wave duo."

Or maybe they would work in the litter box.

They don't clump!

― pullapartsquirrel (Jenny), Wednesday, September 28, 2011 8:56 AM (5 hours ago) Bookmark

Maybe they could work like the safflower seeds system I use.

i went from liking the char siu bao to not liking it to liking it again. i think i just got a bad batch that one time.

is it really sweet?

it's a bit sweet.

The chili-lime cashews are one of the best foods in life, not just trader joe's

edamame hummus is actually pretty good! strongly flavored, thought it would taste grassy but it's actually got a nice forward presence.

picked up 'stockyard oatmeal stout' and it's pretty good, but maybe I just like oatmeal stouts and I'm not capable of distinguishing between good ones and bad ones

SOMEONE FED ME EDAMAME HUMMUS LAST WEEK and I've been proselytizing for it ever since. Nice garlic kick and a tangy creaminess that is so close to mayo, it's remarkable.

the jalapeno hummus is awesome
also whatever the green one is at the bottom of the tri-color hummus... like the jalapeno but more awesomer and i wish they sold it individually!

Apple and almond stuffed pork chops: I was really skeptical of these because apple stuffing is a thing I can do and do well, but these were really tasty. For the love of god, don't cook the pork chops in the oven for the entire 20 minutes as suggested on the package, unless you like overcooked pork.

Country potatoes with haricots verts and wild mushrooms: This is one of those things that could be okay or could taste overwhelmingly like Generic Trader Joe's Packaged Prepared Food Flavor (tm). It's actually pretty good, better than I thought it would be. It's one of our regular frozen vegetable side dishes now.

And yes, we ate the pork chops and the potatoes for dinner together last week, and we'll do it again, I'm sure.

http://aintfoundagoodtitleblog.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/tj-jaipurvegetablesfront-1-e1301250270138.jpg

sometimes i'll throw the boxed indian stuff together with some rice and make a biryani. yay for cheap meal extenders!

those Maple Cream cookies are out of control good.

― brotherlovesdub, Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:34 AM

good lord these things. STILL ONLY 10% CONTAINED

the espresso pillows are unreal

http://zomgcandy.com/2010/01/08/trader-joes-espresso-pillows/

the toffee seems like game over. kinda glad in a way i miss so much walking through the aisles

Generic Trader Joe's Packaged Prepared Food Flavor (tm)

That is exactly how I would describe the frozen cauliflower & romanesco w/ basil. Another D: Sweet Potato Tortilla chips. I mean I knew they would be bad when I was in the aisle but sometimes I just need to prove things to myself. Maybe they would be OK crushed over soup but not as a salsa delivery device; not only are they too sweet, they are about 2mm too small to fit in the neck of Trader Joe's narrow salsa jars.

yeah what is up with the narrow salsa jars! why don't they just put everything in the wide mouth salsa jars.

pour it in a bowl, you uncivilized goons

There is such a thing as a bowl!

x-post

"why don't the cans of soup come with a straw?"

pouring is messy

Speaking of sweet potatoes, I tried the sp gnocchi (frozen section) a few months ago and it was pretty bad. But the butternut squash pasta (ravioli?) in the refrigerator section is very good. I had it with olive oil and garlic, no red sauce.

the sweet potato gnocchi tasted pretty good as a sample but i can def. see how it would get old fast.