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Trader Joe's Seasoned Rack of Lamb Review: Rack to the Future

Sometimes dinner calls for more than just "what's in the fridge" - it calls for something that makes people stop mid-bite and say, "Wait… YOU made this?" Trader Joe's Seasoned Rack of Lamb is that kind of meal. It's elegant without being complicated, rich without being fussy, and fancy without wrecking your grocery budget. The best part? It comes straight from the freezer aisle, and all you need is a hot pan, an oven, and a little bit of patience before you're slicing into tender, perfectly seasoned lamb chops that taste like they came from a high-end restaurant. Date night, holiday dinner, Tuesday night flex - this rack can do it all.

An unopened package of Trader Joe's Seasoned Lamb Shoulder Rack.

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Review

Trader Joe's Seasoned Rack of Lamb is one of those rare frozen finds that can turn an ordinary evening into a restaurant-worthy meal. Now sold in the refrigerated section, this New Zealand lamb comes already seasoned and ready to cook. It's packaged in a way that makes it quick to prepare, requiring just a hot pan, an oven, and minimal effort.

It's ideal for smaller households-one rack feeds two to three people comfortably if you're hosting, you'll want to grab more than one. The seasoning is savory without being overpowering, letting the natural flavor of the lamb shine. And because it's prepped and ready, you can skip the marinating and jump straight to the good part: cooking and eating.

Here's the thing-lamb can be intimidating for a lot of home cooks. It feels "fancy," often takes more prep, and if you've ever had a gamey cut, you know it can be hit or miss. Trader Joe's manages to take all that intimidation away with this rack.

I made mine exactly as instructed the first time (because we all know, the first round is the control experiment). Preheat oven to 400°F, sear in a hot oven-safe pan with a little oil, roast to 145°F for medium, rest, slice, done. That's it.

The results? The lamb came out tender, juicy, and beautifully pink in the center. The seasoning complemented the meat without masking its flavor. The biggest surprise-it wasn't gamey at all, which can be a concern with lamb. This is New Zealand lamb, and the quality is noticeably better than some grocery store options.

Flavor-wise, you're getting something far closer to a nice steakhouse entrée than a typical freezer meal. And at the price point, it's a shockingly good deal compared to eating out. Yes, you'll have to provide your own sides, but that's a small trade-off for the convenience and quality you get here.

Now, this lady makes it a point to try to do everything as written down the first time. Then you can add your own twist. In this case, not much was needed.

Nutritional information in Trader Joe's Seasoned Lamb Shoulder Rack.

Cooking Directions

Ingredients:

1- Trader Joe's Frozen Rack of Lamb (if you are feeding more than 2-3 people then you might need more)

2 tablespoon oil

That's it. An oven proof pan and a hot oven are all you need. Just bought it and you're hungry? Throw this in some cold water for an hour to defrost and you are ready to go.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400F.
Use oven safe pan to heat 2 tablespoon of oil.
Brown on all sides then place lamb in oven.
If you enjoy medium lamb the magic temperature is 145F
Rest for 5 minutes. Cut and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Pair with roasted potatoes and garlic green beans for a classic steakhouse-style plate.
Serve over creamy mashed cauliflower for a lighter, low-carb option.
Drizzle with a balsamic reduction or mint chimichurri for an elevated touch.
Slice into chops and serve over a salad for a more casual presentation.

Creative Uses

Mini Dinner Party Starter: Slice into single chops and serve as an appetizer.
Mediterranean Platter: Pair with couscous, tzatziki, olives, and roasted vegetables.
Leftover Wrap: If there's any left (unlikely), wrap slices in pita with hummus and greens.

FAQs about Trader Joe's Seasoned Rack of Lamb

The following are commonly asked questions about this product:

Does Trader Joe's have Rack of Lamb?

Yes! The frozen variety was discontinued but is now found in the refrigerated case.

Does it taste gamey?

In my experience, no.

Is Trader Joe's Seasoned Rack of Lamb already cooked?

No, it's raw but fully seasoned and ready for you to sear and roast.

Final Thoughts

Trader Joe's Seasoned Rack of Lamb is one of those products that makes you wonder why you'd ever spend $30+ per plate at a restaurant. The flavor, tenderness, and ease of preparation make it a winner for date nights, holiday dinners, or just when you feel like treating yourself. Sure, you'll need to add your own sides, but the quality of the meat more than makes up for the extra effort. If you've been avoiding cooking lamb because it feels intimidating, this is the perfect way to get started.

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Overnight Yeasty Goodness Waffles Recipe

If you have the time and want a super light recipe for waffles, this is a good one (assuming you know that the next day will be a lazy day). The waffles will not be greasy, but will be super light and crispy and the batter will keep better in the refrigerator. Be sure to keep your waffle iron on its hottest setting. It will recover quicker between batches. If you want waffles that will reheat better in the toaster oven, see the Regular Waffle recipe, or heck freezer waffles will work. It's the fat content that's the difference. This is less grease, but won't be quite as tasty reheated. On the other hand this batter holds better in the refrigerator. Up to you depending upon your needs.

Betty Twist: Awesome toppings are right here. Make it a Cinnamon Roll Waffle. Yum!

Overnight Waffles Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook, 12th edition

Overnight Waffles

2 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 Tablespoons of sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 1/14 teaspoon of yeast (or 1 packet)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ¾ cups milk

2 eggs

⅓ cup oil

Directions

Mix the first four ingredients in a bowl.

Mix all the wet ingredients together.
Combine in the wet & dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cover and place in the refrigerator.
The next day there should be some bubbles. This means the yeast is working.

Yeasty goodness. — Yeasty goodness the next day.

I have a small Cuisinart waffle maker. Using a ½ cup measure works without the dreaded overflow. If you are worried about overflow and making a mess, place a piece of parchment on half a baking sheet and cleanup will be a breeze. Enjoy and don't peak until the light says its ok to look.

Sur La Table Classes, Recipes, and Thoughts

If there was ever a foodie Home Depot, it would be called Sur La Table. I confess it is the one store I have a weakness for. Some women struggle with going into Target and walking out with numerous unplanned purchases. I have the same struggle, but it's at Sur La Table. Yes, it could be so very easy to not walk in. But I have to. You see Sur La Table has Cooking Classes. If you struggle to boil water or just want to learn, they have a calendar set up (and even occasionally offer sales) just with classes. If there were just one class I would recommend everyone to take, it's the Knife Skills class. After that feel free. You'll walk away with solid recipes or the knowledge that you should not try this at home (Yes, sushi class I am speaking to you). I've taken more than a dozen Sur La Table Classes. They've all been excellent.

There are somethings than an American public school education leaves out. When I ask my students at school what they make at home, most responses involve a food item that is to be placed microwave. So few really cook. Holding a legitimate cooking knife has the potential to put you in the emergency room (or you could lose a digit or two). American education also doesn't teach you at what point stitches are necessary. More on that in another article.

With knife skills, the world is your oyster. If you want to learn to cook that oyster, take the seafood class.

In conclusion, thank you Sur La Table for offering such great opportunity to live, love cooking, and not harm yourself in the process.

Sur La Table owes me a thank you. I've taken enough classes to fill a 3" binder with my recipe packets. You are welcome.

Also, if you are on Craftsy, they do offer a free class called "Kitchen Mistakes." Great way to get to know both Craftsy and Sur La Table. I haven't taken any online classes from Sur La Table yet, but there is at least one same instructor. So I'm expecting at least similar quality, but that's just my guess

'Better Than Thomas' English Muffins with Strawberry Butter

Carbs. There are few things that bring joy to our lives like carbs. It's instant gratification. Sometimes it's later regret. Many diets tell us we should eliminate them when possible, if that's the case, then we should cherish the carbs we are allowed to have.

English muffins from the classic white and orange package. Yum. Breakfast, lunch or dinner (in pizza form of course) are my favorites no matter how old I get. I recently bought myself a book to which I treasure, Bouchon Bakery. If you are a native New Yorker or Californian, then this place is the stuff of myth and legend. They have a recipe in there for English muffins, but I would have to start a week in advance. Not going to happen. They can do their magic. I'm hungry now.

I recently hosted Easter brunch in my home and felt English muffins were an essential

brunch item. As an added bonus, left over English muffins make for a quick breakfast (lunch or dinner) and can be added to the freezer for several months if wrapped properly.

This recipe is made from simple ingredients, is not overly time consuming, and can easily be shared with others. Best of all, its a really money saver. Don't worry about waste. Make this once and it will be very hard to go back to the grocery store.

Better than Thomas' English Muffin recipe

Adapted from Sur La Table Class

Yield- 18-24 English Muffins (I usually get 24 out of this)

3 cups of warm buttermilk

2 tablespoons of yeast (I prefer Saf-Instant)

3 tablespoons of honey

6 cups of AP flour

3 tablespoons of granulated sugar

1 tablespoon salt

3 tablespoons of butter at room temperature

FullSizeRender (2) — The wet ingredients: buttermilk, butter, and honey

corse cornmeal or polenta cooking spray or a really nice Scanpan griddle in which cooking spray is never necessary.

Warm buttermilk in a pan to a temperature where its no longer cold but not scalding hot. 100-110 degrees is good.
Pour buttermilk into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the dough hook attachment. Put yeast in buttermilk. Let sit for 5 minutes until you smell the yeast-y goodness starting to work.
Add honey. Mix to dissolve.
In a separate bowl, combine: flour, sugar, salt. Stir to combine.

Dry ingredients: Sugar, Salt, 6 cups AP flour, yeast. Polenta does not go directly into the mix.

Bring separate bowl to mixer and add in slowly 1 cup at a time at slow speed on your mixer.

Add butter to mixer and knead until smooth

Use cooking spray cover a separate bowl where the mixture will rest. Pour dough into separate bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until doubled. (check in about 30 minutes)

Once doubled put approximately ½ cup of polenta on your work surface (I used a cookie sheet to keep the counters cleaner) and spread out your dough.

Use your hands to flatten the dough to approximately 1"

Use a 3" cutter to cut dough circles.

Cover a cookie sheet with ½ cup of polenta and place cut dough circles on that surface.

First row: dough, dough after roughly doubling. Second row: Cut muffins, using griddle to brown muffins before placing them in the oven.

Let cut muffins rise once more until doubled.

While they are doubling, preheat your oven to 350 degree.

Get a griddle out and heat griddle on medium heat

Place muffins on hot griddle and flip once golden brown approximately 1-2 minutes. Muffins will not be cooked all the way through. You just want the visual effect of browning. The oven will take care of the rest.

As muffins are browned on both sides place them back on cookie sheet.

Once cookie sheet is full place into oven for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.

Once cooked through its decision time: Split it open and toast, let cool on rack and store.

Image (1) — Top: Use griddle to brown Bottom: Finished in the oven and cooled on a rack

Want to make these extra special? Make a compound butter!

Strawberry Butter

Betty Twist: Most fruit jams will work here, probably not Mint Jelly though.

8 ounces European style butter (Kerrygold, etc.) at room temperature

¼ cup of Strawberry preserves

Pinch of salt if using unsalted butter. Or to taste with salted butter.

Whip both ingredients using a hand mixer or stand mixer until thoroughly combined.
Enjoy.
Wondering why European style butter? Fat content. Fat=flavor. Try it once. You're welcome.

Macarons Recipe

Macarons (noun) Deriving from the French word meaning "awesome intimidating slice of heaven cookie." I'm sure some foodies out there will correct me. No, that isn't actually what the word means, but it's what it should mean. They are intimidating and notoriously fickle cookies to make. They are beautiful. They are expensive to buy. So why not make them? They are expensive to purchase, but not nearly as expensive to make. They will take practice. Even your cracked, broken "Ugly Bettys" will be worth while. Unpresentable, but tasty.

Wilton Treatology Flavoring System. A small investment to break up flavors on your typical dessert.

Here is where it gets fun. I was in Michaels (with a coupon of course) and walked down my favorite aisle. The cake decorating aisle. It's my happy place. I just wish I had more occasions to bake and decorate. I am an adult who still likes to color; cake decorating is just an extension of that. So upon me walking into that aisle what do I see? Wilton Treatology system. A whole box of possibilities. After the basic recipe I'll list awesome flavor combinations that I have found that work well.

Plain Macaron recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living, January

1 cup confectioners sugar

¾ cup Almond Flour (available online & in most grocery stores and yes it's expensive and no you really can't substitute anything for it)

2 Extra Large Eggs Whites

Pinch of Cream of Tartar

¼ cup of superfine sugar

Food coloring of your choice

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Wisk egg whites in stand mixer on medium speed until foamy
Add cream of tartar to stabilize them
Mix until soft peaks form
Put mixer and low speed and add superfine sugar
Bring mixer up to high and mix until stiff peaks form about 8-10 minutes
1. If you are unsure if they are stiff peaks. Remove your wisk from the mixer. Using your wisk, hold egg mixture up toward ceiling. If the mixture does not move, then you are good. If it folds down, then it needs to keep going.
This moment to add your food coloring 1 drop at a time. Do not add too much as the mixture can only handle so much liquid.
Keep egg mixture to the side for now
In a food processor, mix confectioners sugar and almond meal. Pulse a few times to make sure there are no lumps. Pulse 3-4 times
Fold (not in food processor or stand mixer) in almond/sugar mixture into the egg mixture. Fold until mixture is shiny and not lumpy. This is the part that experience will teach you and where most will go wrong
Place mixture into a pastry bag and pipe circles on to a baking sheet lines with parchment or a silpat
Tap bottom of cookie sheet to make sure any excess air is out of the cookies
Place into oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees
Bake for approximately 10 minutes
Remove from oven and let them cool for 15 minutes or until they easily come off of your sheet.
Bring oven back up to 375 if you have another cookie sheet to go in, if not, it's time to turn off the oven
Place on a wire rack to make sure they are completely cool. Do not fill them until they are cool. You will end up as a Pintrest fail.
Troubleshooting:

1. Here are some common mistakes
1. If some cracked- this can be normal, humidity, oven temperature unevenness can do this, or just the way they were folded can put too much air into them.
2. If they have no "feet". You have over folded and deflated them like Tom Brady. Yes, a few PSI on egg whites matters.
3. If all cracked- you have underfolded them, leaving them with too much air.
4. In all of the above cases, they will still be yummy and delicious, just not picture perfect. Eat them, enjoy them, but don't throw them away. They make good lunch bag snacks, break them up and put them on ice cream, give them to hungry family members. Kids (without nut allergies) do like them quite a bit.
Display them nicely if you are going to bring them somewhere (I

Raspberry, peach and salted caramel macarons for a recent party.

sometimes hide the slightly cracked cookie on the bottom of a perfect one on top.) I made a bunch for a July 4th BBQ and put them on a Veggie platter. When I have my bridal shower, hopefully I'll have nicer display pieces.

Flavorings (for the cookie)

Salted Caramel macarons- 4-6 drops of Wilton Treatology Salted Caramel Flavor

Peach macarons- 4-6 drops of Wilton Treatology Peach

Fillings (for the middle of the cookie)

Make sure that your cookie is cooled completely before attempting to fill.

Jams/Jellies- Keep with seedless jams (raspberry, peach, strawberry)

Icing- Any buttercream works here.