TRADER JOE’S (pricey) HAIR OIL vs. my recommendation JOJOBA OIL
I’m a guy with curly hair. Long ago I discovered my hair looks better if I just put a little oil on it. So for years I’ve been putting a little bit of some kind of oil on my hair when I get out of the shower. My Go To oil is usually a jar of coconut oil or similar.
I tried Trader Joe’s HAIR OIL. They call it “salon quality”.
“Trader Joe’s Hair Oil is filled with a salon-quality Hair Oil that’s made with some of the most sought-after hair care ingredients, including: argan oil, moringa seed oil, chia seed oil, and vitamin E. It helps fight frizz, tame fly-aways, and smooth split ends, all while adding incredible shine. Plus, its moisturizing ingredients help protect against potential damage your hair can sustain from blow dryers and other heat styling tools.
I guess with the word, “salon quality” they can justify the Salon Price of this little bottle. This tiny one ounce bottle costs a six dollars.
Here’s my review of it. I liked Trader Joe’s Hair Oil. It’s fine. It smells nice, Its a little heavy. However to me the main thing is this stuff is just WAY too expensive.
$5.99 for just one ounce to me is a rip-off. Perhaps some of you with way more experience with beauty products might disagree and say well this stuff has many special ingredients and that’s why it cost so much. Fine. If you think, its worth it, go for it. I’m a guy. I don’t want to spend that and honestly for years, I’ve bought and used Trader Joe’s very good LEMON GRASS COCONUTOIL. That works fine on my hair. 4 ounces are about $6 dollars. I’ve also used just plain old coconut oil which comes in a big jar. That too costs about six bucks.
Which brings me to this other Trader Joe’s product: 100% PURE JOJOBA OIL. It’s perfect for my hair, as well as just as “body oil” and apparantly is excellent as a facial oil too. The bottle is 4 ounces. and it costs $7.99. Which works out to two dollars an ounce, not six.
This is 100% pure jojoba oil. It’s a very light oil, not heavy or greasy at all. In fact, Trader Joe’s little expensive of hair oil contains some jojoba oil (Simmondsia Chinesis). It’s well known to be good for hair as well as for your face and body.
So I say try this lovely 100% Pure Jojoba Oil for your hair instead of overpaying for that tiny bottle of HAIR OIL, but of course that’s your call.
If you try both, please let us know if you think the little bottle of Hair Oil is worth the difference in price.
Certified Organic, 13g Whole Grains per serving, 70 cal slice
This is a NEW ITEM (AUG 2026)
21 Grains and Seeds Thin Sliced Organic Bread, with whole wheat and “organic seed and nut mix” containing organic sunflower, flax, pumpkin, sesame, black sesame, poppy, millet, rolled oats, quinoa, rye, spelt, yellow corn, amaranth, buckwheat, khorasan, purple corn, brown rice, sorghum, vital gluten, seeds and flours and other goodies like molasses.
A very nice slightly nutty tasting light brown whole wheat bread. Sliced thinly. One slice is 70 calories.
Made great toast with this as well as grilled cheese sandwiches. I would buy this again.
$4.49 for a 20 oz loaf
“Trader Joe’s Organic Thin Sliced 21 Grains & Seeds Bread is multi-faceted. Each Grain and Seed contributes its own characteristic taste and texture to produce a brown bread that is moist and slightly sweet, with a satisfyingly robust flavor. It’s excellent for sandwiching Organic Reduced Sugar Strawberry Preserves and Creamy Salted Peanut Butter. It’s also fantastic when two pieces are toasted in a pan with a generous number of Cheddar & Gruyere Mélange slices all melty in-between. And since our supplier has Sliced each loaf nice and Thin, it’s ideal for smaller-portioned sandwiches and toasts: each Slice comes in at about 70 calories.”
Trader Joe’s MANDU, Korean Kimchi PotstickerDumplings (frozen)
VEGAN
NEW ITEM – AUGUST 2026
Product of Korea
Mandu is Korean for “dumpling”.
Trader Joe’s just introduced these new Mandu Korean Kimchi Potsicker frozen dumplings. They are plant based/vegan as they are made with just vegetables. These have an interesting shape, kind of a flat rectangular beggars’ purse. They are made in Korea. Price-wise they are great deal. A nice large one pound bag with about 18 dumplings goes for $3.49 (NOTE: the 2nd time I got them, they had raised the price at my TJ’s to $3.99!!?)
“Korean dumplings (mandu) come in an array of shapes and fillings. These particular pot-stickers are made with Kimchi, Glass Noodles and Vegetables with traditional spicy and tangy flavors from the kimchi which comes though in savory, piquant notes. They are best prepared “gun mandu” style, crisped in a pan on both sides to create a textural variety” -from the package
Serve these mandu with your favorite dipping sauce (Tip: no sauce is included) However even if you eat them naked, without any sauce, the kimchi filling is nice and savory and a bit juicy.
These Kimchi Mandu could be served as a snack, appetizer, a lunch, or as part of a dinner, which is how I tried them.
We ate them for dinner, pairing the dumplings with rice, some kimchi, and a tofu dish I made. Braised Korean style tofu (dubu jorim) and all those combined to make a great dinner.
So how are Trader Joe’s latest frozen dumplings? TJ’s new Mandu are quite good as long as you like “spicy” food. In fact, I think these new frozen dumplings may now be up there among the best dumplings Trader Joe’s sells., along with the very popular pork and ginger Soup Dumplings of course. Theses are a little different.
I cooked the mandu up as they suggest which is to pan fry them. This gives the wrappers a nice chewy, yet crispy texture which contrasts nicely with the soft kimchi and glass noodle filling inside.
How To Cook Trader Joe’s Kimchi Mandu Dumplings: A good pan is important. Heat a good non-stick or cast iron pan, which is what I use for dumplings. Add about a scant tablespoon of oil (Added Korean points if you use a bit of toasted sesame oil. TJ sells that). On medium heat, add your frozen dumplings (carefully) to the pan. Let them cook, for 2 minutes. Flip after two minutes, and keep turning them every two minutes as well as moving them in the pan until they look all golden brown and delicious. This may take about 8 – 10 minutes total, though they say 6-8. Be sure to turn them over and move them around the pan to get an even cook all over. The edges of the pan have less heat than the center.
(Note: I took the picture about 1/2 way done.)
When done, the dumpling wrapper will have a nice slightly chewy, slightly crispy texture.
Tip: The instructions on the bag don’t mention air fryers, however some people online say they can be made in them If you do it that way, I would spray or brush them with some oil to get crispy texture. Please add a COMMENT if you make them in the air fryer with how they do that way.
Here’s my honest review of these new KOREAN KIMCHI MANDU.
These dumplings are good. Tasty and filling and yes they are a bit spicy. So if you hate “spicy” these may not be for you.
I think Trader Joe’s Korean supplier did a pretty good job with these, which come in a little unusual shape, rectangular, with a pretty good wrapper thickness in relation to the filling. The texture of the wrapper is good when pan-fried. Filling is tasty and you will know they do contain kimchi when you eat them. Even my (Korean-Japanese) wife approved of them as “tasting Korean” as regards the filling which is savory from kimchi and has a slightly chewy texture from “glass noodles”which are made from potato starch, plus other vegetables and flavorings.
NOTE: These dumpling are a bit spicy with a bit of kick from the kimchi – I would not call it crazy spicy, I would say the heat level is on the low-middle side? Unless you are extremely sensitive to spicy, these should be OK.
Each small dumpling is about 2 inches long and is about 2 or 3 bites. 3 dumplings = 100 calories.Nutrition label says 1 serving = 3 dumplings (Ha! More like 5 or 6 for me)
You don’t have to have sauce with these but I think are good with some dipping sauce, even if just soy and some rice vinegar.
I made a nice dipping sauce for them with soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and scallions. Make your own sauce with your favorite ingredients. The easiest could be just soy sauce and some rice vinegar. Or just use your favorite bottle of Trader Joe’s sauce you like for dumplings. Chopped scallions would be nice and/or cilantro if you like it.
Product of South Korea
KOREAN KIMCHI MANDU – $3.49 (16 oz bag) *TJ website says $3.49, however my local TJ’s has a sign for $3.99 (NYC) Confusing!
Tip; Kimchi is of course spicy and gives these dumplings a bit of a kick. If you are very sensitive and can’t handle any level of “spicy” these may not be your jam.
A Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk and flavored with basil pesto. It’s crafted for Trader Joe’s by a Spanish cheese maker using a sheep milk cheese which is brined and then aged for at least six months. Then they inject the cheese with an herby pesto, thoughout the cheese which you see as streaks of green all over.
“Available in our stores only for the month of August, The Sheepish Pesto makes an eye-catching and appetizing addition to any cheese board, charcuterie platter, or hors d’oeuvres table. It can be enjoyed cubed and skewered with tooth picks, sliced into triangles and savored with wine, or shaved thin and sprinkled over a leafy green salad. And for an easy entrée, try shredding it fine, melting it with butter, diced onions, and garlic, and serving over your favorite pasta with cracked pepper for a one-of-a-kind “Cacio e Pesto.”
It’s pretty bold. At first I thought the pesto had a slight tendency to overpower the cheese itself but this is an interesting cheese and quite tasty, and grew on me as I kept eating it. I can easily see this as something cheeseboard aficionados would like to add to a nice #cheeseboard as this is a bit unusual, and very tasty with lots of herby umami notes. Matches well with grapes and other fruits. Good melted too. They suggest using it for a Cacio and Pepe pasta.
LIMITED TIME (AUGUST) If it sounds like something you want to try, better hurry which it lasts
“Trader Joe’s Just Salmon Skin Baked Dog Treat are made from salmon raised without antibiotics in the cold waters of Northern Scotland. The skin is simply baked with nothing else added” (from the package)
INGREDIENTS: Salmon skin
These are pieces of Salmon skin and nothing else, baked into little pieces, ending up as crispy crunchy bite size snacks. They are not stinky, just the tiniest bit fishy smelling.
I think your dog will love these.
Me, I have cats. Sure these are labeled “for dogs” but is there any law that says cat owners, like yours truly, can’t give them to our feline friends too? I mean there’s nothing that is bad for cats in these. Its just salmon skin. Fish. Period. No additives, no nothin’. So I tested these to see if my two cats would like them for treats.
Result: One of my cats loves these treats and crunches a piece into smithereens in seconds. The other, a pickier eater, will on occasion eat one but sometimes will ignore the treat, while kind of looking at me like I’m cheating him with just skin and not the FREEZE DRIED SALMON pet treats which are pieces of salmon with flesh. Which by the way is labeled “For Pets” not just “For Dogs” like this one.
You will find these pickles in the Refrigerated case at Trader Joe’s, near the sauerkraut and kimchi and all that good pickled stuff. Wait? Trader Joe’s sells pickles in the fridge as well as the jarred kinds on the shelves?! Yup, you should check these out.
If I can buy refrigerated pickles, that’s what I will usually go for, over the shelf stable non-refrigerated ones on the shelves.
Why? Jarred shelf-stable pickles have been pasteurized so they can sit safely at room temperature for a long time. Refrigerated pickles have not been Pasteurized (with heat). I find the cold, fresh pickles in the fridge generally have better, firmer texture. Crunchier.
Pasteurizing kills bacteria, even the healthy kind we like! Pickles in the refrigerated section are unpasteurized, kept cold to slow down natural fermentation processes.
My review: Trader Joe’s refrigerated Kosher Dill pickles were very tasty, nice and fresh tasting with garlic and dill flavors with nice crunch. The ingredients include coriander garlic, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaf, dill…. all the classic kosher pickle flavors. What I would call a “full sour Kosher pickle”, dark green.
These Trader Joe’s fresh refrigerator pickles come in two shapes, Spears or Slices, as you prefer.
A sandwich with a pickle is heaven. Either are perfect for a GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH. Maybe with IVY’S RESERVE RED….
Trader Joe’s: “Tender sheets of pasta layered with creamy ricotta, tangy tomato sauce, and plenty of ground beef and pork seasoned with onion and garlic (the words “ultimate comfort food” would not be hyperbole here). Topped with an additional trifecta of cheeses—mozzarella, Romano, and Parmesan—the Lasagna is made fresh, then frozen and shipped to our stores, ready to report for ‘What’s for dinner?’ duty.”
(after baking in the oven)
RAVE
Just great to have in the freezer.
How can anyone not love lasagna? Soft slightly chewy, flat, wide sheets of yellow noodles, in three or four layers with a delicious tomato sauce and cheese. THREE kinds of cheese. All the layers topped with a cheesy bechamel sauce after baking that gets nice and golden brown and delicious. That is sounds like my Ultimate Comfort Food.
Years ago, I actually used to make it every now and then when I had company, as it was always a hit and could feed a crowd. But it is a lot of work.
If you are not going to make it yourself this Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna is an easy way to satisfy that craving. I had seen reviews of this online that people considered Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna quite good. I wanted to finally try it.
We got one to do a taste test for a little get together with a neighbor who wanted an “easy meal”. This TJ lasagna as our Main. Here’s my honest review. It’s true. Trader Joe’s frozen lasagna is not only pretty good, its surprisingly good. When we tasted it our reaction was that this was way better than we expected. This lived up to it’s well deserved reputation.
Trader Joe’s FAMILY STYLE MEAT LASAGNA is very tasty, very satisfying and just really yummy. TJ’s frozen lasagna actually tasted like something you could be served out at a family restaurant. All three of us tasters kept remarking at how (pleasantly) surprised at just how good this was for something made commercially. The ingredients even lists fennel seed. Now that’s Italian. The pasta, meaty sauce and cheese combined perfectly and was well seasoned with herbs and spices. The rich meaty sauce includes both beef and pork for plenty of umami. The noodles still had texture, they weren’t mushy. I liked the ratio of noodles to the layered cheese and stuff inside. For me, the best part were those dark, baked corner edges. I was sure we over-baked it but it was actually perfect. Just really nice and browned at the corners where the top of the lasagna baked up nice and chewy with browned cheesy goodness. The corner pieces were my favorite part.
All in all, this is quite a decent tasty entree , which was satisfyingly good and frankly a good deal for the price ($7.49). I think that would not buy you one portion of lasagna, anywhere, right? Let alone 4 (or 3!)
If you have this in your freezer, this can make a really easy dinner, which everyone will probably like and come in for a very affordable price…$2-3 a portion? Sweet deal for a family.
PORTION SIZE: This lasagna is 24 oz (2 lbs). While the box says “4 servings” (which would be about 8 ounces each) realistically that might be a tiny bit on the low side as far as feeding 4 adults. Maybe 4 adults if this is served with 2 sides, or with a salad and some bread.
When we ate it, there were three of us, myself, my wife and our neighbor. We served and ate about 3/4 of the lasagna to start with. But frankly this was so tasty, when we finished what we had, we all said we wanted a little more! So us three adults ending up finishing the whole thing easily, even with a salad and a side dish. So just FYI, realistically maybe think 3 adults, or 2 adults and 2 kids, especially if you want another bite or two. Kids as well I think will love this too, of course.
COOKING METHOD: Sure the box say you can nuke this but I say: “Fugedabouit! This will taste best baked, period. The box it even says baking is the “preferred method”. Browning greatly adds to the overall taste and get those nice chewy bits, which is done by baking semi-covered with the film which you later remove and bake a bit more at the end (the film is oven safe of course). Microwaving will not give the needed browning. So just plan on baking this, please.
HOW TO BAKETrader Joe’s frozen Lasagna – “Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Put the lasagna on a baking sheet. Lift up the two opposite corners of the plastic film on the top slightly so it can vent (important). Bake for 65 mins, then remove and carefully remove the film so it can brown. Put it back for about 5 minutes to finish browning. For reference, you can check my picture. It looks over baked but it was perfect IMO, with the corners being my favorite part of it. If you want less browning thats your call.
Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
So yes it will take a little over and hour to cook this from frozen, baking in the oven. Perhaps, if this is defrosted maybe it would cut down on baking time to 30-45 minutes? Might be worth trying. Leave it out on the counter for a few hours to defrost….
ADDITIONS? Of course if you want to, you add things just before serving this to ramp up the homemade angle. You could grate on some fresh Parmesan or Pecorino, add fresh basil if you have it, and add a drizzle of EVOO. If you want extra sauce with it you could even open a jar of your favorite one and serve a little on the side for mopping up with some good toasty bread.
A great Trader Joe’s product, and quite the value.
Trader Joe’s FAMILY STYLE MEAT LASAGNA$7.49 (24 oz)
I would buy this again.
(Tip: I saw they also sell a non-frozen lasagna in the refrigerated case; it’s 50 cents more, $7.99. I have not tried that yet)
PRODUCT OF CANADA – I hope the price is not affected by tariffs!!!
Before I saw this at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago, I’m prettu sure I’ve never even seen a coffee from PAPUA NEW GUINEA. So I had no idea what to expect. But I kind of like to check out every “Small Lot” coffee Trader Joe’s comes out with. Just in case. ‘Cuz you never know. Sometimes you may find a Gem.
Like this coffee! Which is from the “Sigri Estate in Papua New Guinea”. I really was pleasantly surprised with this latest of Trader Joe’s Small Lot coffees. I thought this one was a winner. Likely the Best of the Small Lot coffees they’ve come out with in some time for my taste.Honestly, Trader Joe’s describes it perfectly and I could not do better. So quoting them….
“Brew up a cup of this Papua New Guinean whole bean coffee and you’ll notice its distinctive profile. The light roast presents moderate acidity and body with fragrant aromas of almond, berries, and açai. You’ll taste layered sweet and fruity flavors, detecting notes of pineapple, brown sugar, and honey.”
I find this all true. It tastes pretty unique which I guess is why they describe it with “notes of pineapple and brown sugar”, the first time I have seen the word “pineapple” used to describe a flavor profile of a coffee. I find the taste hard to pinpoint but sure, “pineapple and brown sugar” works, and all I know is that I quite liked flavor of this which is pretty unique but satisfying. Smooth but Robust. Wonderful coffee aroma when you first grind it up.
TJ’s labels this a “LIGHT ROAST”. I agree this is light (not blond) and the light roast here is perfect. Trader Joe’s seems to skew towards darker? Most of their coffee seem to be roasted at least medium, which is fine by me, as I like medium to dark and even espresso, but a light one here and there is nice, so here you go. If you like Light, give this a try and see what you think.
BREWING: I brewed it 2 ways, a drip coffee with a paper filter and also in my Moka pot. Both worked equally well and produced excellent coffee. It even produced a good amount of “crema” when I brewed it in my Moka pot, which to me also seems to indicate a good coffee. I’m sure this would be good for any brewing method including true espresso machines.
A quick search on Google revealed this about coffee from there: “Papua New Guinea (PNG) coffee is highly regarded for its smooth body, gentle acidity, and complex, sweet-toned flavor profile. Grown primarily in the fertile Central Highlands, these heirloom Typica and Bourbon beans—originally descended from Jamaica Blue Mountain—offer tasting notes of tropical fruit, dark chocolate, and mild spices.”
“Trader Joe’s Papua New Guinea Small Lot Coffee was grown on the distinguished Sigri estate in the Waghi Valley of PNG. There are numerous micro-climates all around this mountainous island, and the coffee growers of the Sigri estate have intimate knowledge of their own land, which translates into premium, AA (large grade), 100% Arabica beans.”
While I previously I had no knowledge of PNG coffee, I am a now big fan of this one at least. I look forward every morning to grinding these beans up to brew up my morning cup of Joe. In fact I will go back and pick up a bag or two of this ! Run, don’t walk and grab this one. IT’S LIMITED
This one was quite fresh too, as per the “roasted on” date. I bought it only about one month later in was roasted so pretty fresh.
Sidenote thought: Can you imagine the team working for Trader Joe’s on their “Small Lot Coffee” projects?! I’ve often thought this may be the coolest job in the world. Get sent all over the world looking for unusually good coffee finds in unusual places. Exploring small producers in far flung corners of the world, on the hunt for coffee that will end up as the next “Small Lot” find. Sounds like a Dream Job?
I actually really love a good hot dog, however as someone who tries to watch what they eat, hot dogs now are something I will basically only eat once a year – on July 4th! So when I do eat a hot dog, it’s got to be really good, of course, and would prefer it be one that is at least trying to be one of the “healthier” versions. But still really tasty.
For me, Trader Joe’s Organic Uncured Grass Fed All Beef Hot Dogs fits the bill exactly. Most important, these are good and tasty hot dogs, that are made better than many others that have questionable ingredients, something hot dogs are notorious for. These have good ingredients. Made with USDA certified organic beef from grass fed cows. They don’t contain added nitrates or nitrites as preservatives (ie, “uncured”). They use natural ingredients to “cure” them, specifically celery and sea salt. The ingredients are not mysterious. The rest of the ingredients are all organic seasonings, things like garlic puree, minced onion, paprika, and red pepper flakes. “No fillers. No kidding”.
We got these for a July 4th get together this year and these dogs were a big hit. Everyone commented on how good the hot dogs were. Nice and tasty, well seasoned the way I like my dogs with: “Organic black pepper, organic ginger, organic nutmeg, organic red pepper, organic paprika, organic garlic powder, organic onion powder, organic coriander, organic celery powder, organic garlic puree….”
These were so yummy on those good buns with good sauerkraut. I can’t wait for July 4th to roll around year again! You and your kids however may eat them anytime you are in the mood for hot dogs and want them to be as good as possible.
110 calories per hot dog
$5.99 (10 oz package, which has 6 hot dogs)
I would buy these again.
“NO PRESERVATIVES; KEEP REFRIGERATED BELOW 40 F AT ALL TIMES”
Trader Joe’s has added this pasta shape to their selection of organic premium “artisanal” pastas, cavatappi which means “corkscrews”. They say it’s one of their favorites. Having tried it, it’s now one of my favorite pastas as well that they sell.
ORGANIC CAVATAPPI look kind of like a long twisted macaroni with ridges. The shape and the ridges are designed to hold sauces.
Cavatappi is an excellent addition to Trader Joe’s line of premium pastas. They still sell some pastas for 99 cents. This one is $1.99. What makes “premium” pasta premium and worth more? TJ’s premium pastas are a level up from the regular ones. Think of high end pasta like you see in specialty stores, many of which are $4-8 a pound. The better, high end pastas mean things like being bronze die cut, made from organic semolina wheat, usually are slow dried, etc. All of which makes for better pasta.
“Made in Italy for Trader Joe’s by our skilled supplier in Italy using organic semolina wheat. “
Cavatappi is perfect for marinara, or alfredo sauces. It’s also great used for baked mac and cheese and is great for cold pasta salads. Its shape helps it hold onto sauce in different ways, offering lots of flavor and a nice chewy texture.
“Cavatappi makes a consummate complement to a marinara or alfredo, makes a marvelous base for a baked mac and cheese, and produces a primo pasta salad for picnics and potlucks.”
I made a delicious (tuna and pesto)pasta salad using the cavatappi
Tuna & Pesto Pasta Salad: Boil a cup of cavatappi pasta in in salted water for 9-10 minutes or until done to the way you like (me, al dente). Drain the pasta and rinse in a colander under cold water until cooled down to room temp. Place pasta in a bowl, and add 2 tablespoons of Trader Joe’s jarred PESTO (adjust more if you need it). Add a can of tuna in olive oil (I used the oil and juice too, your call). Add juice from 1/2 lemon or more. (option, add a handful of chopped parsley or arugula) Mix well and serve.
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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