Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
Is there anything more comforting than Mac and Cheese? I didn’t think so until I ate Trader Joe’s Mac and Cheese Bites. How can Mac and Cheese be made better? Clearly, the answer is breading them and frying them. This is another item from the freezer section, but I would keep this to a crowd pleasing appetizer or snack.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Tempura Shrimp are fried goodness. While not as perfect as your local Japanese restaurant might serve you, this is as good as it gets in the freezer aisle. While these come to you already fried, they did not feel nor taste greasy. Sauce is a soy based but also tastes of a teriyaki as it’s thicker than regular soy sauce.
The cons: Enough dipping sauce for several batches of tempura, which means there is some serious waste here. I wish I could find another use for the excess. They include 2 packages of sauce. One package would be more than sufficient for both. Unless you are literally drinking the sauce.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Portobello Fries are a phenomenal alternative to potato fries. Imagine tempura fried steak. Instead of steak put in the meatiness of portobello mushrooms with the right balance of subtle seasoning.
The cons: Some of the largest pieces were not as crispy as I would have liked. No microwaving allowed on this one. Because the mushrooms were all different sizes cooking times will vary. Some will be ready before others.
The verdict: …
The pros: Spicy chicken wings, nice and meaty, a good variety of drum sticks and wings. Trader Joe’s Hot and Spicy Chicken Wings are more than mild but not inedibly hot. I would put them closer to a medium heat.
The cons: These aren’t true buffalo wings, so if you want the sauce you’ll have to add it yourself. Not sure why the word “sections” needs to be in the name.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s 14 Shrimp Nuggets contain crispy and crunchy shrimp nuggets straight from your freezer.
The cons: Greasy. A lot of breading as compared to shrimp.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Panko Breaded Calamari is a good value as you get a whole pound of calamari for $5.49. Good lucking making it that cheap or ordering it out that cheap. The taste was pretty close to what you would get out only slightly less tender but well done.
The cons: Once people realize it’s in the freezer section, it may become hard to find. They could cut down on the amount of trash this creates. The box was shrink wrapped and the was another plastic bag inside the shrink wrapped box.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Battered Halibut makes for a quick, easy dinner. Crispy batter when it comes out of the toaster oven. Just needs a side dish.
The cons: Is it as good as homemade? No, nor is it as good as your local pub if you are looking for fish and chips. $8.99 for the box, pricey, but a few filet o fish at McDonalds will set you back just as much. Plus this does taste better.
The verdict: …
Below is sectional list and an alphabetical list of all the Trader Joe’s Reviews on this site so far. It should be in order based on the name that appears on the packaging. If you don’t see it, use the search feature. Feel free to comment on product you’d like to see me do a review on and I’ll add it to my list of items to try! I’m not affiliated with Trader Joe’s. Some ladies are excited to bring home a brown bag from Bloomingdale’s. This Betty gets excited when the brown bag is from Trader Joe’s….
There are times company comes by expectedly or without any warning. Whatever the case is, there are handy items to keep in the freezer if you are just having a cup of tea and want something sweet. Be warned, if you are not familiar with macarons, they are light and somewhat sweet, they are not made with regular flour like most cookies, they are made with almond flour. So if you have a nut allergy, steer clear….
Deep fried Oreos move over. If you can get to a local Trader Joe’s an locate Macarons in the freezer section, this is an easy recipe for Deep Fried Macarons. It’s also more affordable as you can pick up a dozen macarons at Trader Joes for about $5. Some places charge something close to that for one macaron. The principles apply here as in deep fried oreos. Yes, I know I posted a macaron recipe on this site already. If you don’t have hours worth of time or don’t want to deep fry your hard work it is totally a Bettyfied way of going about things. Judgement free zone here, short cuts are absolutely acceptable. Trader Joe’s has a variety of flavors ready to go: Vanilla and Chocolate, Mango, the six variety pack, or molten chocolate. For this experiment I used the Vanilla and Chocolate variety….
