“FRESH CHEESE TOSSED IN PICKLE SPICES – Perfect for snacking on the go, our fresh cheese curds pack a serious squeak and just the right amount of pickle goodness”.
We know that Trader Joe’s loves “all things pickle”, a food trend that TJ’s is quite fond of. One more addition to it is these PICKLE CURDS made in partnership with a cheese producer Beehive Cheese in Utah. These curds are squeaky little nuggets of fresh cheese lightly coated with dill and pickle spices to add extra flavor. They’re simple but tasty especially if you like pickles (raises hand). I can see these being good for a picnic, or just as a snack, or on the go, or even as part of a cheese plate – with some cornichons too of course! Take them out of the fridge before eating as you want these at room temperature. A bag has 4 oz.
Here’s a funny story about these! A few weeks before I wrote this review, my neighbor just happened to ask me to check if Trader Joe’s sold Oyster Crackers. She wanted them for soup. I told her I didn’t think so, but promised I would check.
A few days later looked for them at Trader Joe’s, didn’t see any checking among the many, many kinds of crackers they offered. I was passing Fairway who did have them and got them for her, however we both got a bit of sticker shock at the price. Fairway’s crackers cost over $4 for a box?!
Then funny enough, not even a week later, I’m at Trader Joe’s looking at the cracker section. What do I see? Yup. I saw they came out with Trader Joe’s “Soup and Oyster Crackers!” Did they read our mind? Is this a new product? Anyway TJ’s has them and they are about 1/2 the price of the ones I bought at Fairway.
What are Oyster Crackers you ask? A classic old fashioned simple little round cracker shaped like an oyster kind of like a Saltine. I’ve seen them as long as I can remember, since I was a kid.
They are a traditional American cracker, very popular for soups, chili, stews, clam chowder. From back in the day. You used to usually get a pack of these if you ordered soup in a diner or restaurant. Pretty classic. Maybe they are even a bit Retro by now ready to become cool.
“For ‘chowdah’, soups, stews, chili, salads or snacking. No hydrogenated oils, no cholesterol, no preservatives”.
You may have heard about how good this $5 cake Trader Joe’s is. It’s terrific. This cake quickly became a famous Trader Joe’s dessert and I have to agree with how good it is.
TJ’s Chocolate Ganache mini sheet cake is really delicious. I am a big chocolate fan and this hits the (chocolate) spot right on the nose and satisfies it. The cake is moist and the frosting is perfect with a rich dark chocolate flavor. I am actually not a big fan of butter cream frosting, which I find too rich and heavy, however this cake has a cream cheese frosting instead of butter frosting and which is perfect. I love it, it’s so good. The only problem I have with the cake is how hard it is to stop eating it.
There is also a vanilla version of the sheet cake, called Chantilly Creme, also with a cream cheese frosting. I’d seen online many people say its also wonderful as well. I still haven’t tried that one yet but both are no doubt worth trying.
I saw this in NEW ITEMS about a month ago and grabbed one to try. This sauce is made by Red Boat, a company that makes a famous top Asian fish sauce. Trader Joe’s sells tha. Its a well known top brand fish sauce. Something I always like to have in the pantry. Its Pure Umami.
Red Boat says: “In Vietnamese, kho means to braise and this dish is on regular rotation in all Vietnamese households but is rarely served in restaurants. Our Pham-ily created this sauce so you can enjoy this delicious meal, just like in our mom’s kitchen, in less than 30 minutes.”
We know Trader Joe’s likes what they call “simmer sauces”. They have at least two versions of Thai ones and an Indian sauce too. You can use these and just add a protein and veggies, pour in a bottle of your simmer sauce, let it simmer for about 20 minutes and voila you can have a very easy and tasty dish. This sauce made a delicious meal for us.
I used this sauce to make a braised dish with chicken and lots of vegetables. What I did was I sauté chicken (skin on, bone in thighs), tofu, carrots, onions, mushrooms, garlic and ginger for 10 minutes. Then I poured in the sauce and let it simmer. Though they say “simmer for 30 minutes”, I wanted the chicken to be falling off the bone so I let it simmer for more like 45-60 mins.
The resulting dish was excellent, redolent of fish sauce (nam pla) of course but it had many other flavors with lots of Umami. It had a bit of sweetness as well as a bit of heat. We thought the dish was so good, that we just scarfed it up! I used a lot of vegetables and bone in chicken so of course it had all the flavor from those as well, however you could easily make a less complicated easier dish with this sauce using boneless chicken, TJ’s Carnitas Pork, shrimp or fish or even tofu and mushrooms for that matter and come out with a lovely dish, full of Asian flavors. My intentions was to make enough for at least two meals so I used the whole jar plus 1/2 a jar of water as I wanted a huge amount of sauce for all the meat and veggies I used, and I got that which we enjoyed with rice.
Ingredients: Water, Fish Sauce, Organic Coconut Sugar, Canola Oil, Ginger, Shallot, Corn Starch, Green Onions, Citric Acid, Black Pepper, Sunflower Lecithin, Crushed Red Pepper, Yeast Extract.
I’m not sure if this was a one off trial run for Trader Joe’s or something they will keep in stock. If you do see this sauce it is worth getting if you want to make a great Vietnamese home style dish easily. In a pinch one could make the sauce using Red Boat fish sauce, coconut sugar and other ingredients (shallots, garlic…)
TJ’s had the sauce for $4.99 which is even cheaper than on the Red Boat website.
ALL NATURAL. No additives. One ingredient only. Peanuts.
If you asked me for one item I buy religiously at Trader Joe’s I would absolutely answer “Peanut Butter!”
It may not be revelatory news but TJ’s does have good peanut butter at very good prices. I probably get a jar every other week.
Big brands like SKIPPY or JIF, have regular peanut butter which have extra ingredients such as sugar or some sweetener plus hydrogenated oils, those added to keep it from separating. But “Natural” peanut butters on the other hand contain just peanuts. Of the assorted varieties TJ’s carries my favorite is this one: The “Crunchy/Salted” which has a blue label. (Side note: Smooth being for kids and crunchy for grownups? I consider the day I graduating kid-dom was when I decided to go Crunchy! To me, Crunchy has more peanut-y flavor from the peanut-y bits).
Any All Natural peanut butter tends to separate at room temp, meaning you will see a little oil at the top when you buy it but this is No big deal. Just stir it.
TIP: Put the jar in fridge for 10 minutes. After you open it, take a butter knife and get it to the bottom of the jar, then stir slowly 10 or 15 seconds until blended. Keep it in the fridge, it will stay blended (PB does actually say “refrigerate after opening”).
Though the price has gone up (from $1.99 to 2.29 and at present, $2.49). Still pretty decent compared to other stores/brands as their prices having gone up more.
I prefer this All Natural version however Trader Joe’s does sell a “No Stir” PB too. TJ’s regular Natural Peanut Butter is $2.49 (1 lb). It comes in a number of variety combinations, Smooth, Crunchy, Salted or Unsalted. They also sell an Organic version of Peanut Butter ($4.49)
Peanut butter has many uses. It’s terrific as an ingredient especially in Asian dishes; Try a Satay Style Peanut Sauce on some grilled chicken for example; The recipe follows
“Organic soybean oil, water, organic eggs, organic white vinegar, salt, organic lemon juice concentrate, organic mustard seeds….”
Trader Joe’s used to carry both a regular (non-organic) mayo and an organic version. At some point they discontinued the non-organic version and now carry just this “Organic Mayonnaise.”
I used to buy the regular one, which came in a big 32 oz jar, double this one. Both are very good. I remember the non-organic 32 oz mayo went for $2.99.
This 16 oz organic mayonnaise is $3.49, or more than double the price. Oh well! A remember asking the Captain at the Front Desk what happened to the non-organic mayo, and he said he thought Trader Joe’s seems to be gearing towards selling only Organic if possible. They were slowly discontinuing non-organic versions of some products (for instance my beloved tomato paste in a tube. Gone!). He said he thought TJ’s plan was to only carry Organic Products in the future. Which to me sounds kind of like Whole Foods…
Honestly I thought the regular mayo was fine and half the price of this organic mayo. I was unhappy they just Discontinued it and gave customers less choice. Sure I like Organic stuff but I like options too. Don’t get me wrong, this organic version is very good and of course I’ve switched to it, unless I see Hellman’s on sale somewhere (that too has gone way up)
Commercially made mayonnaise like this one is good and fine, however if you never tasted “real French mayonnaise” — the kind you make fresh — you are missing out. You should try to make it at last once. Watch this video below to get ideas how to make your own real French mayonnaise from scratch.
Seriously this is the real McCoy. A real fresh mayo is so good you won’t believe it. Mayo is not hard to make. It will only take you maybe 5-10 minutes . You could impress some guests! Compare this to any mayonnaise you have probably had, the best commercial brand and you will not believe the difference. All you need is vegetable oil, an egg, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, beaten together… its actually easy and fun and kind of magical when it all emulsifies. Ah food science!
I loved the idea and the design when I saw this waiting on line at TJ’s to check out. It’s a little tote bag which is a tote bag! It tucks into itself to look like a miniature Trader Joe’s bag. Unzip it and it unfolds into a full size grocery bag made of nylon (strong). Small enough for your purse or pocket. It was $2.99.
NEW ITEM: This is the latest “small lot” coffee on offer at Trader Joe’s (Sept 2023).
Many of these Trader Joe’s Small Lot coffees are really good, some times even terrific, with yes an occasional dud. Many times these coffees are Single Origin, Single Estate coffee beans. The good stuff, like those you would find at some trendy Williamsburg roaster / shop, you know where small hand lettered bags of single estate beans can go for perhaps $30? If are the kind of person who would like to try lots of interesting and unique coffees but doesn’t want to break the bank, many times these Trader Joe’s Small Lot coffees can be a great way to explore the World of Coffee. I found this latest Trader Joe’s Small Lot coffee offering to be a terrific robust tasting coffee.
This one is is from the mountains of the Dominican Republic and is called “Jarabacoa” with 100% Arabica beans in a Medium Dark Roast. Trader Joe’s description on the bag of this coffee has this to say….
“In Jarabacoa, third generation farmers have dedicated themselves to the production of coffee beans. ‘Honey processed’ and sun dried to impart a subtle sweetness, the beans are given a medium dark roast for a robust cup when brewed, brimming with notes of chocolate, brown sugar and blackberries”
I found this description to be right on. This coffee was as listed “medium-dark” (actually the picture may make it look darker). The beans are a shade past “medium” with just a little bit shiny in places, however I would not call this overly roasted, such as Starbucks is famous for doing to their beans. In fact this medium dark roast seems just right to me. A little bit under say a French Roast with a bit of that robust flavor those have if you like that sort of thing. Personally I love and really enjoy medium dark roasts, in addition to lighter roasts.
The beans smelled wonderful when I first opened up the bag, releasing the most heavenly aroma, and when I ground it up of course it smelled even better, perfuming the whole kitchen. I brewed up those freshly ground coffee trying it in both a Moka pot and another one as a pour over. The resulting brews were really tasty. I found the coffee rich and dark and oh so good. As they said it had a subtle sweetness to it with yes, hints of chocolate and blackberries. It tasted better with each sip. I finished my cup, then I actually debated making another cup immediately. Yes I found it that good.
The Jarabacoa Dominican coffee has become my new favorite Trader Joe’s coffee at the moment. I’m really enjoying it. TJ’s is selling a 12 oz bag for $9.99. This is not bad as some recent small lot coffees that had were more, about $12 each.
Would I buy this again? Well I actually ran back the next day and got 2 more bags to have in the pantry “just in case” …. these small lot New Items coffees frequently go bye-bye pretty fast. I’ve lost out on some coffees by waiting too long only to find they ran out.
“Normally, the sticky-sweet outer layer of the coffee fruit is washed off, but these beans are “honey processed,” so that layer is left intact. Because they spend less time in water, the sun-dried beans ferment less and retain more natural sweetness. Trader Joe’s Dominican Republic Jarabacoa Small Lot Coffee wears its honey process on its sip. Immediately, a taster can detect a subtle sweetness, accompanied by notes of chocolate and hints of blackberry.”
A reader told me I had to try out this new flavor ice cream Trader Joe’s came out with recently, so I did. All I can say is boy were they right. I thought it was SO good. In fact I believe via social media, the word has gotten out about it and it’s become so popular, it seems to be flying off the shelves. Also it was a Flyer Item. When I recently went to my TJ’s to buy some I was crushed to see just an empty row where it should be.
Fortunately though that might have been my Lucky Day. An employee just happened to be restocking the case with it just at that time, and he saw my crest fallen face looking at the empty shelf. He put a pint in my hand and told me to enjoy it. O frabjous day!
After I tasted some I understood why it’s flying off the shelf. It’s quite good, with a fairly unique flavor concoction that reminds me of something Ben & Jerry would come up with. If you love bananas (raises hand) you may love this. Yes it has some kind of really good banana flavor, and they list actual puréed bananas as the third ingredient listed. The taste does kind of remind you of banana pudding. In addition to some salted caramel swirls it even has tiny bits of vanilla cookie bits (‘Nilla wafers) like banana pudding has. It all blends up very well for a unique, subtle flavor combo.
As good as it was by itself I couldn’t help wonder how it might taste if I added some bananas on top! I cut up 1/2 a banana and added that and yes, super Yum with them. Like a banana, banana split. Trust me and try it with a banana! So good.
Still I did have one problem with this ice cream; It was so good the tiny little pint magically vanished so quickly. I put this ice cream into “dangerously good” category. If it’s in the freezer, I’m going to have a hard time staying away. It’s $3.79 pint (well it is a premium custom seasonal ice cream)
I would buy this again. If I can find it, that is. It was sold out when I went back a few days later. And a few days later again I could not find any in the freezer. So consider yourself lucky if you see this, and grab one. You won’t be sorry. Oh and it’s a “Limited Edition” flavor. So don’t expect to see this forever. Maybe it will be seasonal?
TJ’s says: “Made for us by the same supplier as some of our other (widely celebrated, if we do say so ourselves) seasonal ice cream pints, each bite of Trader Joe’s Banana Pudding Flavored Ice Cream expertly evokes the taste of a classically sweet and creamy banana pudding…We’re not just saying you’ll love it—we’re saying you’ll love it a whole bunch”
Now just in case you can’t find this flavor and want some recommendations for other flavors at Trader Joe’s I’d say you can’t go wrong with the COFFEE BEAN BLAST or MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP ice creams.
Seen at Trader Joe’s : NEW ITEM – Italian Artisan Organic Striped Farfalline (Bowtie)
Very colorful, from natural coloring’s. It has paprika, turmeric, beet and spinach. I think these would be great for a pasta salad for one thing? $3.49 for a 16oz bag. But then these are Organic and Artisanal.
“Farfalline is Italian for “little butterflies,” and these Farfalline certainly resemble their namesake. Each butterfly- like bowtie sports either green and orange stripes or red and yellow stripes—all from organic, plant-derived sources, including paprika, turmeric, spinach, and beet root powders. Cooked al dente, this Pasta becomes a proverbial canvas for an array of colorfully captivating meals. Cook Farfalline in boiling water for 8-9 minutes, then drain, and toss with Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Almond Pesto Sauce, Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce, or Cajun Style Alfredo Sauce for a quick and quite tasty pasta pairing. If pasta salads are your creative outlet, consider adding some Farfalline flair to your picnic fare all summer long.”
Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants) 
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