Trader Joe's Food Finds

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Toots

Head Chef
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Messages
1,580
Location
Austin TX
OK, I rarely go to Trader Joe's but recently I've been there 2 weekends in a row. Yesterday I bought the frozen chocolate croissant bread dough. You proof the dough overnight and bake it in the a.m. and I figured for $3.99 I could try it. We had warm from the oven chocolate croissants this a.m. and they were very good.

This got me wondering, what do you buy at Trader Joe's? I buy their frozen fruits, hericot verts, frozen naan and now their chocolate croissant dough.
what else is good?
 
OMG! I'm there every week. I just give SOME of my favs:

Their flowers, cheese (great prices on the brie, parm, and smoked mozz I go for), hummus (roasted red pepper is our fav), bread, ribs (DH likes these, meaty and well trimmed), applewood bacon, low fat sausages, olives and olive oil, frozen french toast, pet food, and of course $2 buck chuck (not great wine but fine for everyday and cooking IMO). Oh, and their TJ regular bottled salsa (with the chips) is the best bottled salsa I've ever had!
 
I buy many many things there, but my favorite would be their extra virgin olive oils. The one I am using right now is a kalamata olive oil and it is great.
 
I like their Asian & Indian "simmer sauces". A pound of meat or tofu, some veggies & rice, & you have a very nice meal on the table in about 30 minutes total. I also like their cheeses, inexpensive wines, interesting condiments, nuts, pastas, & pasta sauces. To be honest, the only thing I habitually steer away from at TJ's is their produce. It's always kind of sad & sometimes even at the "turning" point.
 
Simmer sauces (such as Koorma and Cacciatore), chutneys, blueberry preserves, various frozen asian food products (like chicken-and-vegetable dumplings, chicken fried rice), cheeses, and so on. There always seems to be some new product to tempt me (particularly in the frozen food section), and the prices are reasonable enough that they seem worth trying. Rarely am I disappointed.

I think I can spend 20 bucks at Trader Joe's about as well, if not better,than I could anywhere else. Excellent value for the money, and an altogether pleasant shopping experience, compared to the supermarkets. If they were closer to home, I'd be there weekly; as it is, once every 4-6 week or so.
 
The Trader Joes we have just opened about a month ago. It takes a while to really browse that store, there is so much. I'm gonna have to try the croissant dough! Along with many other things.

We really like the fresh pizza dough. It's nice not to go through the mess of making it myself.
 
No Trader Joe's around here, either ... but I've got both a Whole Foods and a Central Market (I prefer the latter).
 
splurge on their expensive butters from Europe
raw nuts of all kinds
coffee cream for the man
white balsamic vinegar
sour dough bread for the man
real maple syrup
capers
risotto rice [arborio]
olive oil
Our TJ is lousy, but one I went in California had so much nice cheese, yum.
In my NSHO, TJ has gone downhill in the last 20 or more years. Their stores are smaller, their selection much smaller and the 'taste as you go', is all but gone mostly too.
Still, if you've not gone many years before, you'd still think it was a great place. I'm seasoned is all, and spoiled by yesteryear I suppose.:neutral:
 
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I just found one of THE best cheeses I've ever had at TJ's!!

It's the smoked Monterey Jack! It looks like a wedge of cheese that's been painted with dark brown stain (probably Liquid Smoke). Very smokey on the outside and creamy on the inside.

Had it with crackers on Halloween night, and melted on cheeseburgers tonight! Fantastic!

Lee
 
I love Trader Joe's and everything everyone already mentioned. Also I like the frozen gnocchi (complete meal in a bag!) and their soups in the cartons. The sourdough bread makes the best toast ever (imo) The Trader's nearest me does not carry a lot of fresh produce but does carry all the great cheeses and condiments and wine.
 
Olive Oil
Arborio Rice
Chicken Stock
Frozen Mexican Burritos for my husband
Corn Salsa (mix with some sour cream and hot sauce - YUM!)
Tortilla chips
Dunker cookies

They used to have awesome potstickers but they no longer carry them which is okay because I go to the Asian market and get better quality ones now.
 
Trader's is the only place I can get Applewood bacon. It's the best I've ever had. Unfortunately, it is no longer smoked so the flavor is not as intense as it used to be but still better than hickory smoked bacon.

They were giving out samples of a Swiss cheese made with yogurt a few weeks ago. Had to be the best Swiss I ever ate so now this is my new found "treat" at T.J.'s. Try this great yogurt cheese, it comes as plain Swiss or Pepper Jack and it's in the sliced cheese dept.

T.J's is also the only place I can buy a huge plastic container of fresh, really fresh basil. And McCann's oatmeal.

As for the potstickers, I buy them too and the T.J.'s near me still carries them. I buy a couple bags and keep them in the freezer. I make my own dipping sauce.
 
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We buy their frozen vegetables, they can't be beat for taste. After eating Trader's Joe frozen corn, no one would ever willingly go back to grocery store canned or frozen corn, lol.
 
Oh yes, my dh loves their potstickers, too! I can't eat them due to my allergies, but they do look good.
 
Genova canned tuna in olive oil. Four times the price of Sunkist (Worth It!!)
Half the price of the really good ventresca Italian tuna.

Charlie, Have you tried the new one in Woodbury?
 
These are what I buy:
bananas
apples
Gluten Free Ginger Snaps
Flourless Chocate Cake
Gluten Free Frozen Waffles
Gluten Free Frozen Pancakes

My finance buys:
Candied walnuts
dried cranberries
 
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