Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
The pros: Trader Joe’s Party Size Mini Meatballs are perfect as an appetizer or a smaller bite sized version of Trader Joe’s Italian Style Meatballs.
The cons: Won’t ever live up to Nonna’s, but for something that comes out of the freezer these are pretty good. Depending on how many you take out of the bag, you should consider adjusting the cook time.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Ground Buffalo Burgers are uncooked burgers in the freezer aisle. They are individually wrapped.
The cons: Only 3 burgers come in a pack and these are more expensive than Trader Joe’s frozen beef burgers. Very high in saturated fat.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Bacon Ends and Pieces is absolutely worth a try as it’s very tasty.
The cons: Some pieces are very fatty and uneven pieces and that means uneven cooking time. Unfortunately, some people might not reach for this because it isn’t as “pretty” as regular bacon.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Peppered Turkey Bacon is a thicker cut and more peppered variation of Trader Joe’s Uncured Turkey Bacon. It was meaty, smoky, and only 40 calories per slice.
The cons: There are no directions for cooking this in the oven which is unusual as their other varieties of bacon do have these directions.
The verdict:
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Uncured Turkey Bacon has very little grease to speak of, nice salty taste with a bit of smoke to it.
The cons: True bacon lovers will miss out on the real bacon taste.
The verdict: …
If you’ve come to Trader Joe’s for your Corned Beef, you are in luck for St. Patrick’s Day. Even if you don’t celebrate that holiday, Trader Joe’s Corned Beef corned beef is something worth celebrating. Best of all there are two varieties: uncooked and precooked. This review focuses just on the corned beef you’ll be cooking for yourself. If you find that you are enjoying it, be prepared for this to disappear over the rainbow when corned beef season ends….
The pros: Trader Joe’s Beef Cabernet Pot Roast is well seasoned, well trimmed and tasty overall.
The cons: You might want a gravy with this, or at least make your own gravy out of the juices. No actual red wine in this.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Fully Cooked Baby Back Ribs are tasty, tender and ready in under 20 minutes.
The cons: If you are hoping for championship level BBQ, this isn’t it. Doesn’t mean that it’s bad either. It’s just not the best BBQ I’ve ever had. You’ll also want a very sharp knife in order to separate the ribs. Some were no problem, some were a bit of a challenge with a very sharp knife….
The pros: Super tasty steak, tender as could be. I prefer Trader Joe’s Beef Filet Mignon over Trader Joe’s Steakhouse Seasoned Beef Filet Mignon as that was very peppery (but tasty and tender too). Here you have total control over the seasoning and spice level. If you are only a beginning cook then yes, the Steakhouse Seasoned Beef Filet Mignon is a good choice because the directions are crystal clear and most of the work is done for you.
The cons: Should have more of a guide on how to prepare this and what temperature gives you the different levels of doneness. Expensive per pound, but what filet mignon isn’t?
The verdict: …
So you’ve made a New Years Resolution. Perhaps you realize summer will be here eventually. Perhaps for health or personal reasons you realize that it’s time to drop a few pounds. There are plenty of diet programs out there. One I’m most critical of is Jenny Craig. Not that it’s a bad program, but it’s expensive. It also goes against the philosophy of “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.” You are never really taught how to cook. Plus their food is quite expensive and some can even be confused with pet food visually. Since adding time to a set 24 hour day isn’t going to happen, you may need to rely on certain things being already made for you. Maybe it will give you time back in your day or give you just a few more minutes at the gym. So I’ve pulled together of (most) of my reviews and complied a calorie count for each item if you plan on Dieting at Trader Joe’s….
The pros: Trader Joe’s Italian Style Meatballs are quick, easy and fast from freezer to microwave and finished in 5 minutes. Two or three meatballs are filling.
The cons: Greasy and not the most flavorful meatballs you’ll ever have.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Pulled Beef Brisket is ready in 2-3 minutes. Good BBQ (notice the word good, not great). Enough for 2 people.
The cons: The BBQ sauces makes or breaks it. This one is just ok. It wasn’t the worst I ever tasted, but it certainly wasn’t the best either. The same BBQ sauce can be found on other Trader Joe’s products.
The verdict: …
The pros: Super beefy tasting cut of beef. Trader Joe’s Tri Tip Roast was tender out of the oven. It’s got all the culinary buzzwords going: no antibiotics, no added hormones, free range, vegetarian fed.
The cons: Over $20 for a roast that was just over 2 lbs. Not cheap, but it is quality.
The Verdict: …
Bacon has evolved since I was a kid. I remember looking forward to Saturday morning cartoons and not having to rush through breakfast. And oh yes the bacon. As an adult either my taste buds have changed drastically or bacon isn’t the same. I’m going to blame the bacon. When I had Trader Joe’s Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon, I was taken back to my childhood. For $4.49 it was a fair price for what you are getting.
The pros: The taste. Trader Joe’s Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon is the most bacon-y bacon I’ve had since I was a kid. I’ve been getting by on Costco bacon. This blows that out of the water. This is now the only bacon I’ll buy. Thick cut.
The cons: 12 ounce package. This is “snack” sized in my household. My household is 2 people so if you are cooking for more than that please keep this in mind.
The verdict: …
Sometimes I actually buy items from Trader Joes that aren’t in the freezer section. Fresh pasta is absolutely awesome, but is messy and sometimes can be time consuming at home if it is stuffed with anything (think ravioli). Well, Trader Joe’s Perline Pasta and Prosciutto has had some staying power and food good reason, for $2.99 it is much cheaper than what you will find in the same section of a mass market grocery store….
Consumerism. It’s brought us so many wonderful items. But it’s also made us lazy. Cars now tell us if someone is in our blind spot rather than the simple action of turning our heads. Not turning our heads often enough leads to major problems. It’s so much easier to buy a snack at work without looking. Or perhaps at the grocery store we pick up snacks to munch on for the workweek. We throw things in the cart, say its food and I need that….
Dinner time. For what a fast food dinner at McDonalds or Chipotle will cost you, perhaps you should instead look in the freezer aisle at Trader Joe’s for something that is far tastier and perhaps even a bit cheaper. Even cheaper than buying individual meals for three people. Now granted, I haven’t included side dishes on this one, but let’s face it. It’s all about the protein. Trader Joe’s Seasoned Rack of Lamb is tasty and with some planning it makes for an elegant dinner….
