I like most of there items but I always buy TJ's white Balsamic Vinegar & Olive Oil I like there cheeses and great prices too on Nuts for holiday or anyday baking

A TJ's opened in Des Moines today....I didn't go....figured everyone else would be there so I'll wait....maybe Monday things will have calmed down....

The tamales (chicken OR cheese & green chilies) are good. My friend Elda is from Mexico - and she even likes them! The pappardelle is good and hard to find here in Minnesota. They have all kinds of interesting crackers. They have nice small pieces of specialty cheeses are great prices. And they always have an interesting offering of fresh plants. I got a lemon cypress (I think that was it) for my Mom. It looks like a small conifer and smells great!

I have not been very fond of their breads that I have tried. But the naan is good and the hummus is great!

Have fun!

If you do a search on Trader Joe's, you should bring up several similar threads with lots of suggestions.

I'm a big fan of their white bean hummus!

Sue

I like that if you cannot find something when checking out, they will send someone to pick up what you couldn't find. The last time I could not find sesame oil, and someone got it for me. I asked for popcorn, but all they had was MW popcorn, and I wanted old fashion pop-in-oil popcorn, which they do not have.

They are very good for nuts and cheese, and this time they had Parmiggiano Reggiano aged three years for a very good price, and so I bought two packages. I love their home made style flour tortillas - the ones that say on the package to refrigerate immediately after opening. They also have naan and a few other interesting types of bread. I only buy chocolate there - Pound Plus for making candy. I don't especially like their vanilla ice cream, however. They have excellent fresh ravioli - I usually buy extras and freeze some of them.

Lars

Their frozen Mac and Cheese is fantastic. I also like the Sweet Potato Frites. Also, their frozen haricot vertes.

Don't have a TJ's that "on the way" for any of my errands. If I'm REMOTELY in the area, I make sure to stop in looking for something interesting. The DARK chocolate covered raisins are pretty sinful! Only saw it one time and wish I had splurged on more than one... big, solid pieces of tuna, in olive oil, in a JAR. Probably 2 times size of standard can and at least twice as much in cost... but totally worth it.

Well the last time I was there they didn't have them (ours is sort of small and I don't go that way much) but what I usually buy is the jarred cherries in a very light sugar syrup. This is what I use for cherry pie. If I have regular frozen Montmorency I mix them. I think these cherries are a european variety and aren't packed in that goop you get in cans. So far that's about it for me.

Just tell TJ's that you belong to the very powerful CF, with many members, and if they don't treat you well, you will write a nasty review about them.

:-)

Don't buy their organic free-range chicken. Expensive, not any better taste.

dcarch

I can't get excited about Trader Joe's. Haven't found anything I'd go out of my way (45 mins) to pick up. I see lots of people buying lots of stuff, and have sought out things recommended by people on this forum but overall, I can get what I need closer to home. The other day, I overheard a well-dressed older woman tell her friend that the precooked, frozen packaged rice was such a time-saver.

????

seagrass

Thanks guys!! I sent her a link of the other TJ posts, am just so pumped about the opening.... and most people in Omaha or Lincoln have no clue. When she asked me how I knew about TJ's, I told her it was all my imaginary friends on the Cooking Forum.

Stacie

I lived in Omaha from 2004-2007, miss it. Nice place, very underrated.

I love Trader Joe's! It's become my favorite grocery store. I like that it's cheap, there are many vegetarian options and I'm not afraid to waste money trying things because I trust the quality.

I'm guilty of using their frozen rice! It is a time saver for me in a lot of ways. I live alone and work a lot so if I come home famished and tired, I can make a healthy dinner in about 5 minutes by microwaving their brown rice and some vegetables. Not gourmet by any stretch but cheap, easy and healthier than ordering in pizza!

It's actually not bad either. I've had the brown rice and the jasmine and both are similar in quality to rice that I've cooked myself. And yes, I know it's very easy to cook rice but there are days where it's just too much effort to boil water. :P

I also really like the veggie pot-stickers with the Gyoza dipping sauce. The General Tso sauce is good too. The frozen roasted corn is good. Their big bars of chocolate are really well priced and I use them for holiday candy making. The nuts are the cheapest I've seen in any store around here.

The Tomato Basil Marinara jarred pasta sauce is hands down the best jarred sauce I've ever had, close to Rao's for me. And it's only $1.79. Not the organic one but the one with the red label. It's great as a base to doctor up as well.

One thing I didn't like was the yeast packets. I tried to make pastry that I've done many times before but the yeast was completely dead. I tried each of the packets and none of them bubbled at all. Maybe it was just a bad batch that I got but I won't buy it from there again.

The last time I was at TJ, picking up various things to bring home to Texas for my mother, I was standing in the long aisle, starving. Right in front of me, the last cookies were taken from the free samples. I was heartbroken.

Until a TJ employee brought me a steamed pork bun, after overhearing my hunger-related complaints to my girlfriend.

The pork bun was delicious, and for only 2.99 for the package, I decided to grab a package.

Well, I just ate the package, and let me say: delicious. Super easy (microwave or steamer), and super delicious. I searched for a recommendation on here for them, but as I could not find one, I figured it would be wise to shout out to others: the TJ pork buns package (Char Siu Bao) is delicious and worth every penny.

I can't remember all of the things I buy there, but here are the must-do purchases: fresh mozzarella cheese (too expensive anywhere else), fresh Tomato Basil Humus, pineapple salsa in a jar, mango slices, multi-grain tortilla chips. And many many more things.

One thing I really like about Trader Joe's is their selection of salt-free or low sodium products. Since my husband is on a low sodium diet, I use many of the TJ products. They have low sodium broths & soups, a marinara sauce, salsas, sliced turkey breast, sliced bread, and more. It's helpful on days when I'm rushed for time or I've run out of my own homemeade versions.

I can only say one thing, "Buy the Ginger thins!!!!!!!!!!". I have never stepped foot in a Trader Joe's (because I live in Germany), but a wonderful friend sent me some in a package and they are just wonderful. I can't say enough about them.
Lisa