TRADER JOE SAYS: “With its rectangular shape, deep, crispy-edged crust, and golden underside, Detroit-style pizza has been wowing pizza fans and converting thin crust devotees since 1946. Believe it or not, the original Detroit-style pie was said to have been baked in steel pans originally used for auto parts!Trader Joe’s Detroit Style Uncured Pepperoni Pizza is decidedly not assembled in auto part pans, it is packaged in a rectangular, oven-friendly pan that’s sprinkled with cheese prior to pizza assembly. This crucial step delivers the golden, crispy-on-the-underside and pillowy-on-the-inside crust that’s characteristic of a Detroit Style pie.“
If you are looking to try Trader Joe’s (new) DETROIT STYLE UNCURED PEPPERONI PIZZA all I can say is GOOD LUCK finding it in stock! Since it came out it frequently Sells Out fast- Most of the time I went looking to buy it all I found was an empty shelf. Naturally I have a feeling this is due to social media, and at the moment, this is a HOT item. I guess each store gets a certain amount per day and whatever they get, sells out pretty fast.
When this happens I always wonder? Is it really that good or is it just Hype? When I finally saw it, I didn’t hesitate for a second and grabbed one! Here’s my honest review.
First I should say as a native “Noo Yawkah” and lover of our classic thin crust pizzas, I’ve never been a fan of thick crusts. And as you can see, the crust here is pretty thick. But you know what? Tasting this Trader Joe’s pizza I can tell you it is quite tasty.
My wife and I both enjoyed eating it, despite the amount of crust. I never had a Detroit pizza in my life so I can’t judge how accurate Trader Joe’s version is. But I do know that this was pretty damn tasty, folks!
Yes it is pretty dough-y, But overall tasty. All the elements were good. The tomato sauce is nice, thick, flavorful, very tomatoe-y, It matched perfectly with the nice amount of cheese. The star of the show is of course that pepperoni.
The uncured pepperoni on this pizza is EXCELLENT. Not greasy. No pool of grease you see usually see on pepperoni pizza. Nor did it shrink up into the cups like some pepperoni. Is it very spicy? I thought this uncured pepperoni was pretty mild.
What I’ve learned with this pizza is how to make this as good as possible. The main point being, make sure to get it well baked. See the last pic for how it looked when we ate it (i made some veggies for a side)
TIPS: The package says bake in the included oven safe paper pan for 23-25 minutes at 425. I say you can/should adjust their instructions.
I did not use their paper pan. I took it out and put it on a sheet pan as I thought metal will give it a better bake. After all a real one is baked in a steel pan, right?
It needs more time to get really well baked which is what it should be. After the recommended 23-25 minutes I tried it and decided the crust wasn’t nearly baked enough. It needed another 5-7 minutes or so. I also added a squirt of olive oil on the bottom of the pan to give the crust some help as it was a bit dry. The oil will help brown and crisp the bottom. Figure at least 30 minutes total, and check it often at the end to adjust as needed. Also be sure to let your oven get pre-heated, give it things a good 10 minutes after it hits temp before you put in the pizza.
I could have even brushed on some oil on the edges/sides. It looks a little dry as you can see; easily fixed with some evoo
I added my normal seasonings I like; slivered garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper…. Feel free to do what you like to your pizzas.
My wife thought the two of us should eat the whole thing. I said that’s too much, let’s eat 2/3 of it and leave some. She fought me bitterly and snuck in a few bites of the “leftovers”. As you see, I made our meal a bit healthier with some veggies!
Not a bad deal at about $8 bucks for a pizza that can feed 2 or 3 people.
“In the center of each tub lies a just-right amount of briny Olive Tapenade made with black olives, manzanilla olives, capers, and olive oil. Not to be out shined by its piquant partner, the Hummus base is special in its own right. With twice the tahini of traditional hummus, it’s especially smooth and nutty with complementary sweet and savory flavors.” – TRADER JOE https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/olive-tapenade-hummus-079901
I wanted a big tub of hummus when I went to Trader Joes but unfortunately they didn’t have the large 16 oz MEDITERRANEAN STYLE HUMMUS when I went. This OLIVE TAPENADE HUMMUS was the next biggest tub at 10 oz.
It looked like it was worth trying and I happen to LOVE most any kind of olive, but normally I wouldn’t think of mixing tapenade with hummus. Here the tapenade is just a bit on top of the hummus added as an add on. My first bite reaction was “yeah like i thought, those olives overpower the hummus a bit” but as I kept tasting it, I admit the combined taste of hummus and a bit of olive grew on me more and more with each bite.
I kept the olives more or less as is, on top. Dipping in with pita, I could control just a little bit of tapenade with mostly hummus. Keep that bit of tapenade as-is just on top and grab a bit as you eat or scoop it. Then you mostly have hummus with just a little tapenade.
Certainly I might put out a dish of olives with a dish of hummus so the two are flavors I would combine anyway. The tapenade does kind of work. Don’t mix it all together. Olive are strong flavors and hummus more subtle but the combo was not at all bad eaten with some pita. This is something you would have to decide for yourself.
I did add some fresh lemon juice and some good EVOO and those certainly elevated everything. I might not buy this again but think this is worth trying if you are a big fan of olives like I am. Even has a bit of capers in it.
Would you say this looks like Trader Joe’s wants to get in on the this whole popular “drizzling” trend with olive oil in a squeeze bottle? Are you thinking this looks like the popular “Graza Sizzle” oil? Trader Joe’s is appropriately enough calling their EVOO oil in a squeeze bottle, “Main Squeeze”. As usual for Trader Joe’s this is a pretty budget friendly item.
MAIN SQUEEZE is a blend of Mediterranean olive oils from three counties: Tunisia, Spain, and Italy. Its “packed in Italy”.
They are selling this 750 ml (25.4 oz) bottle for about eleven bucks – which is cheaper than some of the other oils they sell as many come in a smaller 500ml bottle, like the EVOO from California for example. $10.99 is a fairly good deal for a 750 ml bottle. Graza brand oil sells now for about $17 at Target for this same 750 ml size bottle. I don’t have any of the Graza oil at home now one so can’t directly compare them. That one is from one place (Spain).
They say this: “Imported from the Mediterranean, it’s a golden, grassy, and pleasantly peppery cold-pressed Olive Oil, ideal for everything from light sautés to dipping bread, and it’s contained within a consummately convenient Squeeze bottle topped with an adjustable spout. The squeezable design is perfect for drizzling over roasted veggies, burrata, or soups. It’s also versatile enough for dipping bread, making pesto, or general pan-frying and sautéing. “
I tried this Main Squeeze Oil and pretty much liked the taste. Yes, it does have “a golden, grassy, and pleasantly peppery taste with a mild kick on it’s aftertaste”.
One thing I don’t like? The nozzle. It’s not great. Hard to grip for a start. I found it tricky to open and close. It is very narrow, so hard to grip, and turn to open and close. It should be wider. I found I needed to grab it with something (towel, etc) to get a firm grip.
The nozzle also had a tendency to get gunked easily. I had to wipe it often as it got gunky after about two uses.
Now do I think the oil is as good as their best EVOO oils (the Sicilian and California ones)? No I would say just a bit under those two excellent oils, however they are more expensive. Those both cost more than this.
So is TJ’s MAIN SQUEEZE is worth trying if you want to try the whole “drizzle” experience. Its of course cheaper than Graza Sizzle EVOO. This says it is “$13.85/quart”.
Like all extra virgin oils keep it in a cool dark cupboard if at all possible to stay as fresh as possible.
$10.99 (750 ml)
“Packed in Italy; Oil from Tunisia, Spain and Italy”
“Fresh and creamy, semi-soft cheese with a mild, smooth flavor”
Queso Fresco (literally translated as “fresh cheese”) is a soft, un-aged Mexican cheese made with cow’s milk. It has a bright, mildly milky, and slightly salty-tangy flavor, and is known for its crumbly texture that doesn’t melt when heated.
Trader Joe’s version of QUESO FRESCO is very tasty. A little tangy, a little salty, not too firm and not too soft. It crumbled easily between my fingers, which is the best way to prep it.
Queso Fresco is of course terrific with all Mexican foods like enchiladas or tacos but you don’t have to limit yourself to Mexican food. You could use this in many cuisines, kind of like Feta cheese. Use this with eggs which it goes perfectly with, either sprinkled on top or use as an omelet filling. Its fantastic on top of salads. GRILLING: I even cut slices of it and just grilled them. While not as firm as Halloumi I was able to grill up till it was golden brown and not melt.
You could try pairing cubes of this queso with TJ’s GUAVA SPREAD on crackers; a perfect salty sweet combo that would be great on a #cheeseboard
Queso Fresco $3.79 (8 oz)
I would buy this again.
If you want a deep dive into queso, this site has that
“Trader Joe’s Amaryllis Bulbs come to us conveniently pre-sprouted and carefully hand-dipped in a paraffin Wax. Fascinatingly enough, all of the nutrients and moisture that the Amaryllis will require for growth & bloom are already packed into that one big, round, colorful, Wax-covered Bulb. Which means that when you get your Bulb home, you can just place it on a counter (or in a window—anywhere that receives filtered light is fine) and periodically turn it to encourage tall, straight growth. That’s it. No water. No soil. No constant watching. No kidding! The Amaryllis Bulb in Wax is the must-have, must-gift plant of the season, no green thumb required.”
So I got one of these. Both my wife and I were a little bit skeptical that this would work as they said it would. Or that it would work so well. It was just a waxed bulb with a tiny green shoot at the time peeking out at the top of this round wax ball, containing the amaryllis bulb. But guess what? It absolutely did work, and then some. I mean, Wow!
I placed the bulb in a sunny place. And waited. Thats it. It took about a 6 weeks or so. One could see where the flowers would come. About a week or so later there were flowers emerging and after about another week the thing looked magnificent as you can seet bloomed with 4 huge Amaryllis flowers.
This could be a fabulous gift. Maybe next Easter time?
“Our supplier gives the beans a light roast, highlighting the inherent notes of molasses, dark chocolate, sweet plum, and apple. You get a crisp, clean cup with dense, satisfying flavors.”
I am pretty sure this is the first coffee from Peru I may have tasted.
I found this latest Organic Small Lot coffee from Peru at Trader Joe’s to be pretty interesting, if not astunning remarkable find a few of the Small Lot coffees they’ve had in the past that were amazing (For that read my post on the UGANDA RWENZORI coffee). This is in the middle. Brewed up this was pretty good, a bit fruity with notes of “chocolate, molasses and apple or plum”. I get a bit of a wine-y after taste note that I usually associate with some African coffees.
Try this is you like to try every Small Lot they come out with, as I do, hoping for the best. This is not that but good. Overall though as my standard every day drink these days I prefer the Bolivian coffee they have.
I’ve thought about posting something like this for awhile, instead of a review. The issue: Wasting money. Wasting food. Argh !!! I’m sure you are with me. I just hate discovering produce wasn’t used fast enough and is basically garbage now. I hate to throw out food. I’m sure you feel the same. With everything costing more and more, frankly now it seems more important than ever.
We all know all too well, the horrible feeling of looking in a bag of greens or something only to find something black and melted and looking like it’s ready for the garbage. Some things go faster than other. Pre-washed soft little greens for one.
Say washed, ready to eat Mixed Greens at Trader Joe’s. I’ve found those really don’t last long. Great for 3, 4 days. They go bad pretty fast. Faster than almost anything else I buy at Trader Joe’s as the little mixed lettuces are very delicate. After four days, I will usually find a few rotten pieces deep in the middle.
So how do you keep your veggies and stuff from going bad for as long as possible?
Every vegetable and package presents a different challenge. A lot of stuff at Trader Joe’s is packaged in plastic. Most? Way too much plastic and of course Plastic doesn’t “breathe”. Moisture is both the friend and enemy with veggies. Just enough is good to keep them as fresh as possible. But if no air, it will rot faster.
My so called hack is a mix of air (holes) and paper towels to try to regulate the moisture in the bag.
AIR FLOW. What I usually do is I make holes if there aren’t any already. Even if there are (bagged carrots for example) I may add some more holes. What I do is a combination of things to regulate the moisture. Sometimes adding a paper towel in the bag to absorb moisture (and provide it slowly). On occasion both the two together, poking lots of holes and a paper towel in the bag. It’s tricky as you don’t want stuff to dry up, but not have too much moisture either.
For example take that bag of ARUGULA – which I buy frequently. The first thing I do before I put the bag in the fridge is take a sharp pointy knife – and STAB IT all over to make a lot of holes. Seriously stab it. Not two or three holes. I stab the bag maybe 10 times on each side. A lot of little holes to make it more breathable. I might slit open the bag and put a paper towel in along the side.
Mixed greens? Air holes and paper towels in the bag. Close up with a clothes pin or similar.
GREEN ONIONS – Same thing. Air holes all over.
Once you open a bag, which I usually do with scissors, i use clips or clothes pins to seal shut.
With green onions, sometimes I will remove them all from the bag and wrap a paper towel around the bottom which is barely moistened with a few drops of water to keep those root ends moist. A wonderful Cantonese chef I watch alot of cooking videos of, recommends standing green onions upright in the fridge, in a plastic bag with the roots wrapped in barely moist paper towels. That does work but I usually have them horizontal.
What about say a package of PERSIAN CUCUMBERS? They have cardboard on the bottom which is breathable, so better. The plastic wrapping them, I pierce all over and make (more) air holes. Keep loosely covered.
What about Trader Joe’s plastic square boxes of parsley or cilantro? I stab the plastic box like crazy to make holes in them and take a paper towel and wrap up the whole bunch of parsley in the paper towel. Maybe add a few drops of water to keep it moist – barely. Freshen every few days.
Another thing I do, is when things start to look no longer perfect is I will cook the greens when they get past prime time (a bit not garbage). Lets say I have half a bag of arugula left over, It looks a little past it’s prime but not too bad. Not great for a salad but not ready to toss in the garbage. So I cook it. I remove any really bad leaves, give it a quick rinse, and toss it in a pan with oil and garlic. Sauté it for a few minutes till wilted. Arugula is great to cook with too. Or if I’m cooking something, throw it in at the end for 1 minute or so till its wilted / cooked.
“With notes of clementine, vanilla and dark chocolate“
This is the latest Small Lot coffee Trader Joe’s has released, this one from the Republic of Rwanda, East Africa. Rwanda is described as the “land of a thousand hills”.
I think this is the first coffee I’ve tasted from Rwanda. In general I’ve found African coffees are interesting and unique, and I found this interesting with a unique taste. This coffee is grown high in the mountains, on a plantation where banana trees used to be. When I first tried it I didn’t love it but it kind of grew on me as I kept drinking it over the week. It’s an interesting coffee. Pretty tasty with background notes they describe as “clementine, vanilla and chocolate”. It is labeled “Medium Roast” which I find accurate. I might even go “light medium”. It had an interesting background note of…. yeah I guess you could say “clementine”.
Still I measure these Small Lot coffees from all the past ones I’ve tried. Many have been pretty good, some average with every now and then, one not worthy.
I have found however a few of them have been outstanding, incredible coffees. My all time favorite probably being that MOUNTAINS OF THE MOON – which was a gem of a coffee from Uganda. And there’s been a few others. So I always like to check out TJ’s Small Lot coffees, in case I might find another gem.
This RWANDAN coffee isn’t one of those outstanding Small Lot coffees, but it is kind of interesting and actually grew on me. If, like I do, you like to check out every Small Lot coffee they come out with, I would say worth this is one that is at least trying once. I don’t love it but I do like it. It is a dollar more at $11 than some coffees there.
$10.99 for a 12 oz bag
Side Note: This package has a “Roasted On” date! Bravo. I think that’s something new….
“This awesomely herbaceous spread was designed expressly with bagels and lox in mind—we find the notes of Dill are particularly suited to bringing out the best in smoked salmon or Steelhead Trout. That said, it also happens to be great when simply enjoyed with crackers or charcuterie, and a mixed-in spoonful will add all kinds of depth to a pan of soft, scrambled eggs.” – trader joe’s
The internets seem to have gotten a bit abuzz about this new Trader Joe’s spread. I loved the last one I tried (whipped feta spread). So I got this newer one to try out for review.
I opened it up and tried a small taste of it. Is this dip any good? Yeah Baby! Here’ my honest review.
Yes, yes, yes! I love it. I found this just SO good! Very dill-y and herbaceous, and I am a fan of dill. If you like it, you will also love this. Corny but yes this is “dill-icious” as they have named it.
Trader Joe’s say it was designed to match with smoked fish. For sure! They suggest spreading it for a “shmear” on a bagel, then top with some smoked salmon, or smoked trout or what have you. Certainly this will be wonderful for matching with any kind of smoked fish.
It is good for other things too of course. I liked it just as a dip with veggies: sticks of carrots and cucumbers, radishes, peppers. Anything.
It also tasted great simply spread on a few crackers I tried it with. I then spread it on TJ’s yummy Euro Grains Bread which I topped with slices of cucumber. This combo was excellent. Try it on that wonderful bread or crispbread.
Whipped Feta Spread is made with 51% feta cheese mixed with cream cheese, Greek yogurt and olive oil.
“Tangy feta cheese whipped with cream cheese and smooth Greek yogurt. Mega-dippable”
“To create this Spread, our supplier whips fresh Feta with cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and a bit of olive oil to create a creamy, ultra-spreadable, mega-dippable concoction”
The people at Trader Joe’s seem to love to come out with all kinds of spreads and dips. Some have been better than others. This one? It is very good. I am loving it.
They say this: “Feta fans also know that feta cheese’s crumbly texture can be somewhat limiting in certain culinary contexts. Now, thanks to Trader Joe’s Whipped Feta Spread, feta fans will also soon know the delight of enjoying it with unbelievable ease—on a bagel, on a chip, at the end of carrot stick, and beyond!
Yes, yes, yes. This makes the feta smooth and creamy into a fabulous tangy spread/dip. Not too salty either. Just right.
It is great used as a dip for some sliced vegetables. I cut up cucumbers and carrots and tried that as a dip for them and loved it. It’s equally great spread on a bagel or crackers, what have you. I can see this added to sauces, dolloped out on top of a pasta dish or a pizza. Top it with a pinch of honey (or hot honey). Very versatile stuff.
I love the ideas you can get from how they used it here on this shot from Trader Joe’s site. Spread out like hummus as a dip on a plate and gussied up with olives, olive oil and lemons. Served with pita bread of similar breads.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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