New at Trader Joe’s: Creme Fraiche is kind of the French version of sour cream. However its a bit different, and better that sour cream as it has more butterfat plus is a bit more tangy. This is the first time I’ve seen creme fraiche at Trader Joe’s. This is a welcome addition to the dairy stuff. Lots of ways to use it. Use it in cooking. Also fabulous au naturel topped with berries and a little sprinkle of coconut sugar.
(July 29, 2022) Trader Joes’s great FRENCH CULTURED BUTTER was M.I.A. on the shelves for some time recently. Today I saw it back on the shelf (at NYC, 72 St TJ’s). Seeing it made my day. TJ’s French Cultured Butter is beloved by probably thousands of devoted Trader Joe’s shoppers. Many readers wrote in to the Comments, that the butter had been Discontinued.
I do have a feeling TJ’s has been having serious supply side and pricing issues like every other store, and perhaps especially now with their international products which are probably even more tricky to source. So while I am happy to see some on the shelves here, I find it a bit troubling they didn’t bother to put out a sign for the French butter. So fingers crossed its back, and will stay for good. Please let us know in Comments if it comes back in your local TJ’s and location.
The Irish Kerrygold butter has been in steady supply on the shelves, and that is also a good premium butter. It may be the only one TJ’s stocks eventually.
UPDATE: Aug 2022 – The French butter appearance seems to have been temporary; Its a Cat and Mouse game. It was all gone for awhile. Then a few weeks later I saw the French butter on the shelf still with no signs for it, so its a bit of a mystery and maybe they just can’t get it in a steady supply. To Be Continued folks….
Update: Sept 2022 (its been hit or miss, lately miss. Not on shelf today. I think they’ve just been putting all the stock out as it lasts until it’s exhausted?)
Update: Oct. 2022 – Well, the French Butter seems now totally gone from the shelves along with the Kiwi butter (double sigh)
In the imported premium butter category TJs offers one now – Kerrygold Irish Butter. Which is good. Still I liked the French Cultured butter so much. C’est la vie, mes amis!
SEASONAL ITEM (summertime): Fresh HATCH CHILE peppers from New Mexico. Some are marked HOT and some were MEDIUM and even MILD. These famous peppers have almost a cult following. These are seasonal items I remember seeing a few years ago at Trader Joe’s, pre-Covid, here in NYC. If you want to try these grab them ASAP as they are not around for long. Roast them on the grill or under the broiler to bring out the flavor. I have also just sautéed them until slightly charred. You can enjoy them all year in a dried flaked version at TJ’s as Hatch Chile Flakes. The sign has a mistake and says they are from “Mexico” nope, the Hatch valley is in New Mexico !
Good price on a good extra virgin olive oil from Greece, single origin, Kalatmata oil. I really like the attractively designed tin it comes in. “Bright and grassy in flavor with a light bitter finish”. I liked this. 16.9 oz. Super for five bucks. TK’s has another Greek kalamata oil too for only a dollar more, $5.99.
Though I’m not vegetarian, I like to occasionally test out vegetarian foods, and see if they are any good. I happen to love, repeat, LOVE, Indian cuisine, which I think is one of the great world cuisines. It is certainly the greatest vegetarian cuisine, and I’ve eaten a good deal of Indian food in some really good restaurants which we happen to luckily have here in NYC.
Trader Joe’s does have some very tasty Indian food items. Some are really, really good, and I’ve given great reviews of a number of them, like the CHANNA MASALA and PALAK PANEER.
So I thought I would try these Trader Joe’s VEGETABLE MASALA BURGERS. The picture on the package looks enticing plus they are are called “Masala Burgers with Authentic Indian Spices“.” Masala” meaning “mixed spices”.
To be honest when I tasted this, all I could think was “Authentic Indian Spices?”. I find this fairly plain tasting without enough spices to make it tasty. Sure I agree Indian food is not always highly spiced, but generally, it is very flavorful. So my short review is these is to me, they taste Just OK. That’s just my opinion, I gather from quite a bit of Feedback here that these Masala Burgers are pretty popular despite what I think. Vegetarians especially seem to appreciate these vegetarian / vegetable burgers.
I just find them a bit too Meh for my taste. Comparing these for example to a dish like a potato Masala Dosa there the potato filling will have a ton of flavor. So I just wish these were a bit more the potato filling you would find inside Masala Dosa.
Trader Joe’s Vegetable Masala Burgers are made primarily with potatoes and to me, I think of this basically as a mashed potato burger with a few veggies.
The concept is not bad, I just find the execution not as good as some of TJ’s other Indian foods. Again, many which are outstanding (and I see Indian people buying at Trader Joe’s)
So this is one of those items which you will just have to try and decide for yourself.
One burger has 140 calories.
Trader Joe’s does sell quite a few tasty Indian foods which I find quite good in the frozen section. For example, the super tasty CHANNA MASALA (chickpea curry) which I love as well as the BHAINGAN BHARTA (eggplant) and superb PALAK PANEER (spinach) entrees. All three of these I find excellent. Some people really like the Samosas too. Perhaps you could pair these Masala Vegetable Burgers with the Palak Paneer spinach dish, or Channa Masala for a good combo?
HOW TO COOK : These are already fully cooked however you still need to brown them up before eating them. Cook them in a skillet for 3-4 minutes per side in a little butter and oil until they look golden brown and delicious. They should get nice and crispy looking on the outside. The crispy texture makes these.
TIP: Do not microwave these as they will not get crispy!
If you have any curry powder I would sprinkle a bit on when you cook these. Also, enjoy them with something like the excellent MANGO CHUTNEY
I think they needed a little something to them to jazz them up. I think you will want some kind of sauce with these. Maybe Sriracha or Peri-peri sauce. Zhough. Bomba. Magnifisauce. At the very least I would add a little garlic or even garlic powder on these if you make them. The thing that perked this up a little bit for me was putting on a little TJ’s TAMARIND SAUCE, basically a tamarind chutney sauce. Perhaps some CHILE CRISP would be good for these?
I think these may really benefit matching with either Trader Joe’s GARLIC ACHAAR or Mango Chutney
As my wife told me “just one is enough” – that is not a good review from her, as she likes most anything I make. So personally we didn’t find these as good as some other Trader Joe’s Indian frozen items. But again, these do seem popular and a few readers have written in that they really like these Masala Burgers, especially if they do something to it to jazz it up. I have two good friends who are vegetarian who told me she loves these TJ’s Vegetable Burgers and buys them all the time.
As they say, to each his own.These might be worth checking out to see what you think, especially if you need vegetarian options.
Vegetable Masala Burger $3.49 (4 burgers, 10 oz)
(NOTE: Contains Wheat, bread crumbs)
INGREDIENTS: POTATOES, CANOLA OIL, CARROTS, GREEN BEANS, BREAD CRUMBS (WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, YEAST, SALT), BELL PEPPERS, ONIONS, CORN, WATER, SALT, SUGAR, SPICES, GINGER, CELLULOSE GUM, GREEN PEPPER, CITRIC ACID, TURMERIC
This body wash is a must have for hot weather! “Invigorates with Peppermint, Eucalyptus and Tea Tree botanicals….” It’s the perfect product especially right now for the heat wave that much of the U.S. has been experiencing (July 2022). TJ’s Tea Tree Tingle body wash has tea tree oil, peppermint, eucalyptus and other natural essential plant botanical oils, which make for a really refreshing and invigorating body wash for your shower. It smells terrific. It was so refreshing sponging up with this after a really hot summer day in NYC where the thermometer hit 95 today. This stuff was a lifesaver.
Also, I’ve found its great to add a little when I am washing out my gym clothes, as it really makes them smell fresh. Certified Organic. Trader Joe’s sells this for just $3.99, a wow price and its a huge 16 oz bottle to boot.
“CRISPY NOODLE SALAD KIT: The crispy part of the kit includes a package of tiny fried rice “CRISPY NOODLES”. The problem? After you put on dressing? These become “Not Crispy” Noodle bits.
Pros: The Asian style Peanut Dressing they give you is tasty. It’s a bit similar to TJ’s Organic Sesame Dressing (so you could make something like this yourself using that dressing)
Cons: Cabbage as the first ingredient in the salad. I thought it was cut way too big so the salad is a bit tough and too chewy. The softer Romaine lettuce, not cabbage, should have been the first ingredient IMO, plus this cabbage should be sliced thinner. However the main problem with this whole idea for a “Crispy Noodle salad kit” is obvious. The moment you mix in those “crispy noodles” (which are tiny, see pic) with the dressing and mix it all in, the “crispy noodles” become not crispy, of course. Maybe if they used some larger kind of crispy noodles, maybe like the kind you get in a Chinese restaurant? For me, these little fried rice noodles are a Fail. We both though this salad just wasn’t good. I won’t buy it again. Its goes for $3.99. You want crispy? What might work is add some lightly crushed PLANTAIN CHIPS to this. Or croutons.
update: a fan of this reported in the Comments they’ve reduced the amount of noodles for one thing. Shrinkflation!
The brand “Red Boat” is one of the best fish sauces on the market. TJ’s is selling it for just $4.99 which is a super price folks as this brand is super premium. Red Boat is a top, premium famous fish sauce that usually costs more, almost double this price (Amazon has it for $9). IF you can find it at a well stocked Asian supermarket, its a lucky find. I suggest you grab up a bottle if you see it, even if you don’t think you would ever use it. Because you will, and should.
The ancient Romans had their beloved “Garum” (a fermented fish sauce) which they put on everything according to historians. Believe it or not, a teaspoon of fish sauce is the secret ingredient you should be adding to your Italian tomato sauce. We’re talking UMAMI. Just like Parmesan and Tomato Paste, Anchovies have a lot of umami and so this will give your sauce a boost.
The other New Asian Product seen at Trader Joe’s: GOCHUJANG or Korean red pepper paste, sweet, hot and savory. Review coming. If you want to know what you can use this for, watch Aaron and Claire on Youtube to get some terrific ideas for Korean dishes.
Its HOT all over the U.S. at the moment. Here’s just a couple of suggestions for some Trader Joe’s staples that are good to have on hand for hot weather, that can make easy pantry meals you don’t have to cook, or barely have to, and you can just throw together quickly.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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