Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The average Trader Joe's store stocks 4,000+ products, most of which bear its name. But quality can vary, fortunately, that's why you have this site!
From Beef Bool Kogi to the Rich Hydrating Face Mask to their very popular Squid Ink Spaghetti find hundreds of reviews of Trader Joe's products and see which ones are worth your time and which ones you may want to consider leaving on the shelf!
It’s been a while since Trader Joe’s added anything to the dips and hummus options. They’ve taken away items, but not too much has been added back. Well, consider this a vegetarian (at least based on the ingredients) spin on the familiar 7 layer dip. Trader Joe’s 5 Layer Dip is new, delicious, and just needs something to dip it in or scoop it on.
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The longer I’m at this blog, the more patterns I see. I’ve seen products come and go. And come back again. Sometimes after years of disappearing. If you are familiar with Trader Joe’s A Dozen Sweet Bites, you might recognize this cake. In fact, Trader Joe’s Opera Cake hasn’t been on shelves in many years.
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I was beginning to wonder when we would see another cauliflower item appear in Trader Joe’s shelves. And now, it has found its way into breakfast through Trader Joe’s Egg Frittata. But don’t worry, the taste of cauliflower was quite muted.
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Lunches. There are so many times I am so guilty of not making my lunch. Before I moved close to a Trader Joe’s I existed off of frozen meals. But truthfully, they were pretty terrible. The calorie count was reasonable, but there was a sacrifice in taste. Most of those frozen meals tasted like cardboard. Trader Joe’s Korma Fish Curry tastes like anything but cardboard.
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It’s not often that I review things as basic and a half gallon of milk. Normally, I wouldn’t. But this product jumped out to me on a few different levels. First, it’s organic and grass fed (all buzzwords right now) AND for the price. Second, this half gallon set me back nearly $5 and that is a premium beyond the price of a regular half gallon and even the organic half gallon.
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Mochi. There isn’t really quite much that is like it. It’s one of those fun things to have people try. It’s quite polarizing too. Either you’ll love it or you’ll hate it. There doesn’t seem to be much middle ground when it comes to this sweet confection and now Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix is available to those who want to make it themselves.
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Trader Joe’s Green Sauce 2.0. However, this green sauce is different from the current green dragon hot sauce available on shelves. Trader Joe’s Jalapeño Sauce is overall pretty good and a completely different beast from the other green sauce, it’s a solid Jalapeño Pepper Hot Sauce.
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Welcome back to another edition of the Fearless Flyer Matchups! Here are the matchups for the May 2019 flyer which landed today.
If there is a picture next to the product, it is matched with a review from this blog. If it is just a link, then it is a review on a different site. If there is neither, that means I couldn’t find a review to match up with that product. To see the actual Trader Joe’s Flyer click here. They don’t archive them from month to month but at the bottom of this page are the past flyers I’ve done matchups for.
Lot’s of fun new items to check out this month. Some old ones, some classic items featured. Happy Shopping! I hope this helps you work on your next shopping list!
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I love Blondies. I reviewed Trader Joe’s Blondies Bar Baking Mix not too long ago. When my Mom and Sister hear that I’m making a Trader Joe’s run, that is their usual request. That is one of my sister’s favorite items to make and bring to her workplace. Because who doesn’t love the dense blondie nature that reminds you of a big cookie?
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Two new cookies have hit shelves: Trader Joe’s Georgia Pecan Butterscotch Chip Cookies and the Benne Wafer Cookies. Yes, this has been the year of the snack food. Now despite the words “Georgia” and the color of the bag, there is no peach in this. Nope, just straight up pecan and butterscotch.
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Oh Trader Joe’s…how 2019 has become the year of the snack food on shelves. But you see, Trader Joe’s Jerk Style Plantain Chips are different. We’ve now officially elevated the snack into something completely delicious.
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Nothing in my household says weekend quite like pancakes. And bacon for that matter. But every now and again I need to venture away from our old standby: Bisquick. There is something about that mix that I’ve never quite been able to replicate at home. My husband likes it, so we seem to stick with it. This past week, I found a new item: Trader Joe’s Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix.
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I remember going to the Hall of Science as a kid. And most childhood museum trips, the highlight was hitting the gift shop for some reason. The Hall of Science is no exception. They sold something that had all of our imagination going: Astronaut Food. Which reminds me a whole lot of Trader Joe’s Freeze Dried Strawberries.
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Now, in case you didn’t know April 15th is not only Tax Day, but it is also National Glazed Spiral Ham Day. I’m not kidding either, there is a website to keep track of these things. So in honor of such, tonight’s review is on the seasonal Trader Joe’s Maple Bourbon Glazed Ham. I figured it’s close enough and it’s back on shelves.
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If we were to go out for sushi, you would probably see me with one roll of Spicy Salmon in front of me. There are certain cuisines that you just order again and again. I took a sushi making class. The most important lesson I learned was that I wasn’t going to be making sushi at home. But I now know I can get a good bit of the flavors in Trader Joe’s Spicy Salmon Gyoza.
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Basil. A common ingredient in my household. So is tea. But if you are thinking that this is just basil in tea form, you might be a bit mistaken depending on what ends up in your cart regularly. The basil I keep is the one that pairs really well with tomatoes and cheese. In reality, the one variety I use is among the 40 varieties of basil available. Tulsi or Holy Basil is a totally different variety than what you might be picking up in the fresh herb section. Now Trader Joe’s introduces those of us who might otherwise be unfamiliar to Holy Basil Tea.
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Two gluten free cereals. Both are priced just 20 cents apart. You would think that they would be pretty similar. Except my taste buds were telling me that there was one clear winner.
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Trader Joe’s Bunny Gummy Tummies are back. But this year they are different The last time I reviewed these it was 2017. There has been a subtle change to the bag. And while I wasn’t actually going to revisit this review, a quick glance at this bag made me realize that I probably should because this is a different product on a quite a few levels.
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I’m not sure if it is palate fatigue, so because I’ve done so many chocolate reviews, over 100 in fact just of Trader Joe’s chocolate products since 2016. That’s a lot of snacks, drinks, and desserts, so here is one more: Trader Joe’s Milk Chocolate Caramel Crunch Medallions.
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It’s back! On a recent trip to Trader Joe’s I noticed this little jar has made its annual return to store shelves. It’s packaged the exact same way as it has been for years which means the product is basically unchanged. For those who think it’s new, here are my thoughts on this from 2018.
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Finally, something that can be reviewed that doesn’t need to be eaten. Don’t get me wrong, I love doing this, but once in a while it is so much fun to do something other than just cook and eat. Here is the newest addition to the Health and Beauty aisle: Trader Joe’s Ultra Hydrating Gel Moisturizer.
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A little while back I reviewed a fun item that wasn’t too dissimilar to this Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade. It was Trader Joe’s Organic Tea and Lemonade. Essentially, what that drink was is more commonly known as an “Arnold Palmer.” Trader Joe’s Organic Cold Brewed Hibiscus Tea and Lemonade is a playful spin in a substantially smaller bottle.
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Well, if the Soba Noodles knocked it out of the park, then I will be giving these the bench. Now, in previous reviews I’ve liked Gochujang flavors when they have tried to incorporated them. But here in Trader Joe’s Gochujang Chop Salad Kit, they just didn’t work for me. Not. One. Bit.
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Taco night and pizza night. They are things that happen in my household with some measure of frequency. Mostly because of the wide appeal of those items. I mean who doesn’t love pizza or tacos? Tacos are made to taste too. You put as much or as little as the ingredients as you like on them.
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