Trader Joe's top products of 2010

13 years ago

Thought this might be interesting to some as we have so many TJ's junkies on the CF :) Got this email from TJ's today and since I'm in OHIO visiting my parents and about 5 miles from a TJ's, I will be checking out some of these produts! I can vouch for the Candy Cane Joe Joe's, hummus, bruchetta, olive oils, and the oats.

1. Frozen Mandarin Orange Chicken

2. Triple Ginger Snap Cookies

3. Hummus

4. Frozen Gyoza

5. Frozen Croissants (Chocolate & Mini)

6. 19 Ã¯Â¿Â½ Bananas

7. Charles Shaw WinesÃ¢ÂÂ

8. Greek Yogurt

9. Whole Wheat/Multigrain English Muffins

Frozen Roasted Chicken Burgers
Chocolate Covered Almonds
Candy Cane Joe JoeÃ¯Â¿Â½s*
Vanilla Joe JoeÃ¯Â¿Â½s
All Natural Brined Turkeys*
Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix*
Olive Oils
Sourdough Bread
Pumpkin Butter*
Brussels Sprouts on the Stalk*
Almond Butter with Flax
21 Seasoning Salute
Uncured Turkey Bacon
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread*
Cranberry Orange Relish*
Frozen Pumpkin Ice Cream*
Frozen JoeÃ¯Â¿Â½s Diner Mac Ã¯Â¿Â½n Cheese
Sour Morello Cherries
Peanut Butter Pretzels
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Frozen Pumpkin SoufflÃ¯Â¿Â½s*
Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels*
Organic Tomato & Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Frozen Sweet Potato Fries
Frozen Steel Cut Oatmeal
Spiced Apple Cider*
Pita Bite Crackers
Organic Olive Oil Popcorn
Frozen Mahi Mahi
Lemon Curd
Lavender Dryer Bag
Goat Cheese with Honey
Dried Pitted Tart Montmorency Cherries
Garden Patch Vegetable Juice
Instant Spiced Chai
Bruschetta
Frozen Seeded Rolls
Frozen Chicken Tikka Masala
Blue Granite Jack Cheese Slices
The Trader JoeÃ¯Â¿Â½s Crew
Sparkling Water
Frozen Vegetable Masala Burgers

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Comments (16)

seagrass_gw Cape Cod
13 years ago
I go infrequently to Trader Joe's and am usually underwhelmed by it. There's one about 45 minutes from me. I don't buy frozen entrees, frozen meat or frozen fish. I was there last Friday shopping for a party and the cheese case was the most enticing. Boursin cheese was half the price my grocery store charges for it, and I bought some very good Stilton and some nice Bavarian Cambozola. I also bought some delicious roasted, peeled Spanish almonds with rosemary but I won't be buying them often - very expensive!!

I'll be interested to see again what others consider TJ essentials.

seagrass
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
13 years ago
I've had at least 5 of those. no. 1 IS outstanding. We used to order a similar dish at a local takeout: not anymore. The TJ's version is better. Even my kids buy it and make it.

To be honest, everything I've ever tried there is good. And I'm picky. I donÃ¯Â¿Â½t even touch prepared foods at the grocery store: they all taste full of fillers and extenders to me. I've never had a bad food there.

The cheese is good, as mentioned: I always buy a case of C Shaw wine when I'm there. Jams are very good: love the marmalade and raspberry preserves. Tuscan Pane bread is very, very good. All the chocolate is good. Does not taste like wax, like most American brands do to me. I buy all breakfast cereals there too: their own label.
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I had the extreme pleasure of touring a Trader Joes this past Wednesday in Pittsburgh. That is about 35 miles down the road and into the city, so I don't get there often. Happens that I had an appointment at one of the hospitals at 10:30 and DH had one at another hospital across town at 2:30. So between appointments we did Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Spent about $100 on all kind of goodies, but I was able to pass up those pb cups. Did give in to the Dark Chocolate Covered Ginger though. I really prefer Whole Foods over Trader Joe's. W F's specialty fresh sausage, (like Spinach and Feta Chicken sausage) is to die for. Lunch at Whole Foods that day was a real treat.
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I live within driving distance of 4 TJ's and go to one about every week. I like to stop in and get a mini-cup of coffee and try whatever they are sampling. When we had our grocery employee strike a number of years ago, it was one of the few places we could shop without crossing a picket line. The staff is generally very friendly and helpful. Many of their prices are very reasonable (bread, peanut butter, milk). Some of the meat is higher than the grocery store, but it is better quality too. I would say only half of the produce is organic, and a lot of it is pre-packaged. Bread is well priced and a good variety. Cheese--imported is good but the stuff with their name on it isn't that good. Frozen veggies are good, especially that roasted corn. Cards are a buck and very nice; I like them better than any others because they are short and sweet. Oh, if you like peanuts, get the blister peanuts. Salads are inexpensive, easy to pick up for lunch and a wide variety. I'm not too crazy about their prepared foods (enchiladas, for example). Have fun, Glenda. This post was edited by socks12345 on Fri, Sep 19, 14 at 9:31
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Twenty-five to thirty years ago, in SoCal, TJ's would definitely save one money over Ralph, Vons, etc. on certain items. By far the best prices on frozen fish (and better quality -- but I am not comparing to buying fresh at the docks, mind!), dried fruit/nuts, wines, cheese, chicken sausage (a rarity then), jarred condiments, cookies and chocolates and crackers. I adored the Crystal Geyser brand pink lemonade and key lime drinks (never seen anywhere else but no longer made, sadly -- I would even pack several bottles in my luggage when returning from a visit after I moved to the Midwest). At that time their baked goods were good but not awesome and a more limited selection, but increasing steadily. There were many things that I would put in the junk category, like the European cookies and chocolate, that they carried that just weren't available in mainstream stores and were also less expensive than the standard US brands. Those were my indulgences! I had to drive about 10 miles to get to one, so it was always a planned trip to stock up. I was so excited when TJ's opened here about 8 years after we had left SoCal. But, the price differential really is not so great anymore -- in fact the big local chains are highly competitive -- many of the once unique items can be found in many stores. Many of my favorite items were gone (I learned that the west coast and east coast stores have some differences) and I find the fruits/veggies actually more costly so I don't buy there. I drop in every 3 months or less now, or maybe a quick stop if I go past and am craving their tart d'Alsace. We do have a tradition of buying a selection of their frozen appetizers/munchies for our Christmas tree decorating.... mini quiches, mini samosas, that sort of thing, and usually find them quite tasty. Yep, Aldi far from upscale here either, and I buy my haricots verts and organic greens there (same product, different package) for less than at TJs.
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Love Trader Joe's. Wish there was one closer to me. The one nearest is about 25 miles away on the worst street in Lexington for traffic. I do go every couple of months and when my daughter lived there I'd make it a point to drop by there when we planned to get together. She's a little bummed out that there isn't one in her new city. I like their pork gyoza, fresh flowers, guacamole, Red Pepper spread, wine for cooking, multiple bagged frozen foods that I can only think of the fried rice right at the moment but there are others, one with noodles and muchroom sauce, Monterey Jack cheese sticks, and there are others but can't think of them. There are other things I've tried that I didn't like at all, like their frozen tamales. Which I sometimes forget that I don't like and then buy them again only to realize that I don't like them. I wish they still had the multigrain oatmeal I used to get but they don't sell it anymore.
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Terri_PacNW
13 years ago
I have the email in my in box and just hadn't opened it yet..

I'm thinking I'm going to TJ's on Friday..yep Christmas Eve Day...LOL I have to travel an hour plus 20 to get there..but I'll be about half way there already with my Costco run.
claire_de_luna
13 years ago
Thanks for sharing the list with us Tracey. Our Trader Joes is set to open soon in 2011, and I can hardly wait! It's less than a mile from my house, and will actually be my closest grocery store. I'm really looking forward to trying some things out of their frozen food section since I've never been close enough to do that before. I can vouch for the Triple Gingersnap Cookies, the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramels (my favorite), Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups and I always buy a jar or two of Lemon Curd when I'm there. (Yes, I usually make it, but why not?)
arley_gw
13 years ago
One just opened about an hour and a half from me. I'm in the middle of a kitchen redo, so when it's time to restock my staples I'm gonna make a trek and try out some of this stuff.
edie_g
13 years ago
I've been shopping there forever. If it weren't for TJ's, my family and I would have starved to death. :)

My shopping list has two columns: TJ and "other". What I don't buy at TJ's would be a much shorter list. I'm there every week.
mitchdesj
13 years ago
This long thread on TJ favorites gives tried and true insight on a lot of those products and others also, it's worth the read if you're a TJ fan.

Here is a link that might be useful: chow opinion on TJ products
cloudy_christine
13 years ago
Well, this is timely. We've been away at our daughter's house and the accumulated mail just came, bringing with it a $100 gift certificate to Trader Joe's! Whee!
Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
13 years ago
I am becoming a huge TJ fan even though it is a good 50 miles from my house.
I printed out that list for me to take but forgot it last time I went.
Some favorites already: the mahi mahi ( had it for dinner tonight), fresh pizza dough (.79 cents! and it's excellent),
gnocchi, spinach fontina chicken sausage, rosemary asiago, Swiss almond cookies, little mulitgrain thin brown rice crackers, chicken and cheese tamales, 2 buck chuck, greek yogert and unsliced multigrain seeded bread.
carrie2
13 years ago
My favorite item didn't show up on the list. It is a frozen dish called 'Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms'. We always keep a package in the freezer. It cooks in the oven in an open dish for 40 minutes and all I have to do is make rice and a vegetable or salad. It's so easy and it's delicious.

I also like Trader Joe's jams and jellies and nuts.
annie1992
13 years ago
I'm 4 hours from the nearest TJ's so I don't buy frozen items and can't vouch for them at all. I do really like the triple ginger cookies and Elery likes the Charles Shaw wines. I also like the pumpkin butter and my very favorite, Dubliner cheese. And I'm not even a very big cheese fan, but I love that stuff.

And I just found the same brand at Sam's Club, but you have to buy a 2 pound block there...

Annie
aliceinmd
13 years ago
Our favorite is TJ's Cornbread Mix. It is moist and gently sweet, and it has kernels of corn in it. I like to bake just as much as most of you, but there are times when pulling out a box is very convenient, and this is oh, so good.
riverrat1
13 years ago
:-( No Trader Joe's even close to me! I do have great friends on this forum that seem to know my favorites!

Like... the chili pitaschios, Orange Blossom Honey hand soap(thank you Jessica), Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce (thank you Gina) and TRUFFLES!!!!!!! I like anything from Trader Joes...I wish they were closer to me.

This is not an "I want you to send me" post. But I wish I could just drop in at a moments notice and get the lovely things that I like!
OklaMoni
13 years ago
I don't post here often, and I shop even less often at TJ's. But I was there today.

My older daughter got the humus, we picked out the olive bread together, and I got a Ritter Sport dark chocolate with hazelnuts, yummy.

But I was disappointed in their organic soups. only 17 % organic.

There isn't one anywhere near where I live, but I like looking and usually shopping at TJ's when I visit my younger daughter.

Should take that list and try some stuff.

:)

Moni
cross_stitch
13 years ago
Especially recorded for TJ lovers, listen up. With credit to Antonio Carlos Jobim and The Waters of March

Here is a link that might be useful: TJ's anthem
dees_1
13 years ago
I tried the Chicken Tikka Masala on my last trip and have to say it was pretty darned tasty! I will be stocking up on that next trip.

The pumpkin ice cream is really, really good but we bought the decadent chocolate ice cream....*swoon*. I enjoy a lot of their seasonal products and wish some of them would be regulars (that's right....put those truffles out all year round!!).

My list of likes at TJ is pretty long (and some of it is on that Chowhound link). I only buy their frozen veggies any more (mostly haricort verts, roasted sweet corn, brocolli) and various frozen stuff (mushroom turnovers!!).

There are definately some misses as well but I won't go into that here. Tastes are very personal.

Trader Joe's top products of 2010

Comments (16)

seagrass_gw Cape Cod

linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)

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Terri_PacNW

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OklaMoni

cross_stitch

dees_1

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