Tell Me about Trader Joes!

[tar heel]

My favorite thing at Trader Joe's is the frozen potstickers. First browned, then steamed, they taste just like our local Japanese restaurant.

Two things I'll never buy again:
Basmati rice -- a product I buy regularly at Indian stores and this did not taste right.
Orange Chicken -- loved the flavor but the meat quality -bleh. Reminded me of cheap chicken nuggets.

 

[pearlieq]

Their white bean hummus is sent straight from heaven. It is AMAZING!

Their mini whole wheat pitas are great for dipping in it. Their pretzel bread is really tasty too.

I love their frozen super sweet corn. Best I've found anywhere. Their frozen potstickers are really good too.

I don't let myself buy the "This Strawberry Walks Into A Bar" because I will eat the whole darn box of them if given a chance. Yum!

Panda Puffs cereal is really good--kind of like a healthier Peanut Butter Crunch.

Most of the cookies are really good too. The little letter shaped cookies are fun for kids, and the Jo Jos are great.

Now I'm hungry...

 

[tink2dw]

NO I wasn't! Which is why I never buy there! I lived in the NorthWest, wet, rainy, cold.

Feb 27, 2009 ... Customers found plastic and bone in some Trader Joe's Chile Lime Chicken Burgers

Some blue cheeses made in England and sold at Trader Joe's and other stores nationwide were recalled today because they could contain listeria, a potentially fatal bacteria.

Latest Food Safety Recall: Trader Joe's Granola Bars - TheDailyGreen

(February 19, 2010)
Trader Joe's recalls Chocolate Chip Chewy Coated Granola Bars because they may be contaminated with Salmonella.

Trader Joe's-Baby Greens and Spinach Salad with Wild Maine Blueberry Dressing (10 oz. ... agents and areas of greatest concern and to alert consumers early ...

Trader Joe's Company-12 oz jars of Trader Joe's Pinjur
Upon discovery of the problem, the product was removed from sale in all Trader Joe's stores

Salmonella fears spark recall of Trader Joe's, Health Valley and ...
Feb 26, 2010 ... trader joe's granola recall

Spinach Warning
The recalled products were distributed in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana to retail stores and ... Trader Joe's -- Baby Greens and Spinach Salad with Wild Maine Blueberry Dressing (10 oz.

Found all this with 1 google search!!!!!!

 

[brergnat]

Trader Joe's is AMAZING, although I have heard there are "regional" differences in the items that are offered (something to do with the supply chain). Being in CA, we get the "best" selection of items, but on the east coast, there are some things omitted, I have heard.

I LOVE TJ's, though. I only shop there and Target for my groceries (target for "staple" pantry type items).

I find it MUCH cheaper than our local supermarkets. I can get a week's worth of food for about $75. I actually love many of their frozen items. Their ice cream is amazingly good. Haagen Dazs quality for about 1/3 the price of HD. I like all the frozen desserts I've tried. Chocolate Lava Cake, Raspberry Tarte, Creme Brulee cups, Chocolate Souffle Cakes, cheesecake, etc. It's all good. Their Jo Joe's ("oreos") are much better than regular Oreos and they are all natural. I like that about lots of stuff there...no preservatives, artificial colors, etc. It's all good. Their woodfired frozen pizzas are imported from Italy, and really good! My fav is the Margherita pizza. I also love the french onion soup, mini tacos, chicken lo mein, tempura chicken breast.

Our produce section is very good, but maybe a CA thing...there's lots of good available local produce here.

I find the dairy prices to be EXTREMELY cheap. A gallon of milk is about $2.39 here. Supermarket prices are around $4.50/gal. I love their yogurts, butter, and eggs as well. They have a great cheese selection and their fresh meats are really good too. I buy chicken breast there, ground turkey, ground beef (organic grass fed), pork chops, and steaks.

They have wonderful fresh salsas, hummus (love the Roasted Garlic hummus), and prepared salads.

Their bakery boxed mixes are great too. Love the vanilla cake mix, truffle brownie mix, cornbread mix, and banana bread mix! I also love the Bourbon Vanilla Extract they have there.

Overall, I'd DIE without TJ's. I am so hooked on so many food items that you can ONLY get there. I love it.

 

[Jennifer in MI]

TJs is my favorite place to shop. The employees are VERY knowledgable and the food is great! But, I buy only organic, non-processed food items. So, I find their prices VERY inexpensive. Like, less than half the cost of the grocery store.

That said, their potstickers are to DIE,.FOR!!!!!! Seriously.

Other than that, I get:

Organic Fresh produce
Pita
cheese (their organic selection is AMAZING!!!)
Organic Salsa
Organic Corn chips
Eggs
Organic yogurt
organic all-fruit jelly
organic peanut butter
organic applesauce
organic canned tomatoes
organic pastas
Organic wines!!!!
Organic sour cream
Organic Ketchup
Organic oils
Organic vinegars
Organic mayo/mustard

ETC, ETC, ETC.

But, this is how we eat, so it's worth it for us. And, the people who work there are just SO nice and they know a LOT about their foods/wines.

 

[PatriciaH]

Their white bean hummus is sent straight from heaven. It is AMAZING!

That is my favorite too! I also like the dark chocolate caramels and the chocolate Moshi ice cream and their iced tea and cheeses. I did not like the orange chicken. I agree with the PP that the meat was gross. Sauce was good though. I still like Whole Foods better!

 

[kat08]

I love TJ's. I do most of my shopping there. The organic options are much cheaper than at other places. Also, I like that I can get dairy products that are rBGH free. We get our milk from Costco - it's cheaper. Organic milk doesn't matter to me but I don't want it coming from cows that have been fed growth hormones. Costco has rBGH free milk but I can't find rBGH free cheese except at TJ's. The organic yogurt is awesome! My fave is the TJ's brand Vanana flavor in the large container. I love the "Just the Bunches" (I think that's what it's called) vanilla almond granola cereal. I eat that in my vanana yogurt.
Other faves:
The cereal bars - kids love the apple cinnamon, DH loves the fig.
Their whole wheat tortillas - I use them as sandwich wraps.
Champaign pear vinnaigrette w/gorgonzola. I love it on a sandwich wrap w/sliced turkey or chicken, baby spinach & shredded carrots.
Organic baked beans
Turkey chili (DH loves this)
Natural, salted peanut butter
Organic grape jelly
Soy-Yaki sauce - wonderful condiment!
Tropical carrot juice
Frozen mango halves & frozen pineapple tidbits - for smoothies among other things
Frozen veggie medleys
Frozen potatoes - the wedge fries are a hit and the roasted potatoes are a DH fave
Roasted garlic hummus & pita chips
We like the potstickers, orange chicken and BBQ teriyaki chicken from the freezer section
Turkey meatballs - use them to make pineapple meatballs or just in spaghetti & meatballs
Garlic & herb marinara

Gosh, I could go on & on (as if I haven't already.) I love finding & trying new things there.

You can join the group "Cooking With All Things Trader Joe's" on FB. I get some good ideas from them.
Enjoy!

 

[A.Mickey]

I think their produce, meat, dairy and cheese is crazy expensive.

But I buy their Natural Peanut Butter for $1.79 a jar,
All their breads like Pita bread, english muffin, and wraps are around $1.70
and are 100% whole wheat!
I like their refrigerated whole wheat pizza crust for .99!
And don't forget about their ummy Hummus I think it is a little over 3 but it is large and without all the icky stuff found in others.
If you look around and price shop their are definitely some gems at TJ's! Have fun!

Oh and I almost forgot, if you have little ones, they have little carts so they can do the shopping! And cashiers will give them lots of stickers upon check out. I love how family friendly it is!

 

[Cruise]

I find it crazy expensive. Just my 2 cents.

I find it rather inexpensive, but I guess it depends upon where you live. I'm in Northern NJ and as you probably know it is a high COL area.

karenos

Ditto karenos. In LA, you save quite a bit of money at Trader Joe's over going to a "regular" grocery store.

As for the recalls, they don't have any more recalls than every other store. Bagged spinach? For a while, no one would eat it because *every* brand was being recalled. What about the massive egg recall that just happened last month? Now baby formula for bugs? Didn't Kroger and Walmart on the east coast have a beef recall for e. coli? Recalls happen to all grocery outlets.

 

[hambirg]

We like TJ soy milk,
sushi rolls,
granny smith apple granola (like crack!),
pot stickers,
frozen green beans,
jelly,
Chimchurri rice (I love this but my kids think it's too spicy),
maple syrup,
vegetarian corn dogs,
and most any of the crackers.
We like the orange chicken and have found it to be miles above any of the ones we've tried from other grocery stores but maybe I just haven't tried the right kind yet.

I find their meats and produce to be expensive for this area so I usually get those other places.

The thing that we did not like was the turkey meatballs (they just tasted weird. . .too turkey-y. ).

 

[jakenjess]

Thank you all for your wonderful replies! I understand that organic foods are going to be more expensive, but we are trying to buy more organic and non-processed foods and Whole Foods just is over-the-top expensive. Our grocery stores have a very nice produce and meat selection at reasonable prices, so I'm not as concerned with that, but it would be nice to get some good snacks and frozen foods that are healthier but not too pricey. I'm going to start a list from all your suggestions to get me started!

 

[lucyem]

Chocolate croissants

We are not too far from you. Trader Joes is certainly less expensive then Wholefoods. Boy that store was a shock I like TJ's especially because they have unique items that you cannot find anywhere else around here. A friend of mine and I try and visit once every few weeks to stock up. It is far enough away I never go there for staples so am not sure how it would compare to Market Basket or Shaws.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

We don't do our main shopping at TJ's, but we like to stop in there for snacky type things that aren't so bad for you or full of preservatives and junk. Love the vanilla bean Jo-Jo's and the chocolate chip Dunkin' Sticks. Lots of good salsas. Love the jalapeno stuffed Collosal Olives. Great coffee selection. When the weather gets cold, try the Winter Blend whole bean. It's mixed with cinnamon sticks, cloves and red and black peppercorns. Nice, spicy cup that really warms you up on a cold day.

 

[cookies]

Pizza dough! plain, whole wheat and herb. All wonderful and 0.99$. Frozen Mahi Mahi burgers are great! Much cheaper than Whole Foods. I buy produce at wegmans or local markets.

 

[Swimalie]

We don't do our main shopping at TJ's, but we like to stop in there for snacky type things that aren't so bad for you or full of preservatives and junk. Love the vanilla bean Jo-Jo's and the chocolate chip Dunkin' Sticks. Lots of good salsas. Love the jalapeno stuffed Collosal Olives. Great coffee selection. When the weather gets cold, try the Winter Blend whole bean. It's mixed with cinnamon sticks, cloves and red and black peppercorns. Nice, spicy cup that really warms you up on a cold day.

And don't forget the peppermint Jo-Jo's at Christmas time. Yum!!

 

[CaFeeney]

We shop weekly at TJ's and find that although we can't do all of our shopping there we really love it for snacks and one of a kind items. If you are used to the Whole Foods prices I think that you will find TJ's much cheaper.

Some of our favorite products are the:
Frozen Garlic Naan
Fresh Masala Naan
Frozen biryani rice (Yum)
Olive oil
Nuts and dried fruits for baking (MUCH cheaper)
TJ's chocolate chips
Buried Treasure (TJ's version of Pirate Booty) BIG bag for $1.99!
Dark Chocolate covered pretzels
Hummus
All variety of cheese (WAY cheaper than WF) and a nice selection
Gingerbread coffee at the holidays - Peppermint Jo-Jo's...mmm
Frozen mac & cheese.. OMG it is so bad for you but soooo good!
Tangy frozen yogurt, great with any type of fruit

I am surprised that people find it expensive, we typically buy our meat and produce at our local Market Basket but there are some things that they have at TJ's that make it worth a special trip.

Also, my DD LOVES the little carriages - she actually likes us to go to one store over another just so she can push the shopping carriage.

All I can say is that in the immortal words of Yo Gabba Gabba "Try it, you'll like it"!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

we LOVE Trader Joe's. We don't have one and it's such a treat to go to one when we travel. I am addicted to their pineapple salsa -- pour it over chicken or on cream cheese and add tortilla chips. yummo!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Pizza dough! plain, whole wheat and herb. All wonderful and 0.99$. Frozen Mahi Mahi burgers are great! Much cheaper than Whole Foods. I buy produce at wegmans or local markets.

is this a pizza dough mix? or already made? or frozen?

 

[kat08]

is this a pizza dough mix? or already made? or frozen?

It's fresh pizza dough. They sell it in the refrigerated section near the cheeses, hummus, etc. Yum!

 

[java]

Shoot I should have bought the herb pizza dough today- I forgot!!
I got the Lemonade- (pink, regular ect)
frozen garlics(6 of them!)
some wine
wasabi peas in a spicy mix
a stuffed flounder filet for lunch this week
gnocchi from the freezer section that's for tonite.
Pizza for the kids(they love the package of 4 that come in the box
fried rice
Cheese and pepper puffs
corn chips
Chipolte salsammmm
Oh and Garlic Fries they are so delicious but oh so caloric!