Trader Joe's blog and cooking.
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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So if I’m going to do all these bread reviews, it’s only fair to share something that could use some bread. Or something for all that bread to sop up. I love a good sauce, but with almost a foot of snow being predicted by the weekend, I was thinking about some hearty meal planning and lots of staying indoors by the weekend.
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For about a month, I’ve been putting together a list of the worst things I’ve had from Trader Joe’s. If this wasn’t seasonal, it would make the list. How bad was it? Well, the conversation in my household went something like this:
“How was lunch, honey?” my husband asked me.
“I’m making a new one,” I responded.
“Why?” he inquired.
“This was the biggest Trader No’s I’ve had in a while.” “Seriously?” “Seriously.”
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So as 2018 draws to a close, it seems that Trader Joe’s has committed to two food products: sugar and cauliflower. The vast majority of the items I’m writing about are super sweet. I was more than happy to give my palate a break. While I don’t mind cauliflower sneaking into more items, but for me, it needs to be done well.
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The pros: Trader Joe’s Hot Smoked Scottish Salmon is a pretty good smoked salmon.
The cons: This is more expensive than even Trader Joe’s Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon. Like any smoked fish, this has an exceptionally short freshness period. It is highly perishable, so you’ll need to use it right away.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Cod Provencale is one of the better single meals that you can reach for in the frozen section.
The cons: Not quite as pretty as they package would have you believe. The cod does not taste seasoned at all.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Jumbo Sea Scallops are found on the freezer section and are individually quick frozen. This bag can be resealed so you won’t have to cook the entire bag.
The cons: Expensive, but good seafood should not be cheap.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Smoked Salmon Poke Bowl is another new addition to the refrigerated section and has a lot of familiar flavors.
The cons: My brown rice was a bit more on the undercooked side.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Wild Salmon in Yogurt and Mint Sauce is easy to prepare.
The cons: Not great overall. You are better off doing a bit of meal prep yourself. Also, I’m not sure what purpose the tomato serves. It was just there for color and did not add much here.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Fresh Atlantic Salmon is farm raised salmon in reasonable sized pieces available at Trader Joe’s. This is one of two refrigerated options: wild and farm raised.
The cons: Color is added to this. That makes me wonder what color this might actually is before the color is added. Not as cheap as getting it from Costco, but certainly not sold in the same quantity.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Wild Fresh Haddock is a fresh option in the refrigerated case at a reasonable price.
The cons: You’ll need your own recipe as cooking suggestions are limited to bake, pan fry or broil with no suggestions as to how long.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon is one of two salmon options available in the refrigerated aisle.
The cons: This is priced higher than the farm raised salmon. No cooking directions on the package beyond suggestions of bbq, pan fry or broil.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tilapia is a good choice in the frozen section if you are looking for a firm frozen fish on a budget.
The cons: Some Tilapia packages are sealed far better than others, so please make sure yours is as vacuum sealed as possible to ensure freshness. If you eat with your eyes, then perhaps you’ll want to split the filet in half to get rid of the dark line running down the middle.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Dover Sole is an item I’ve only noticed a handful of times at Trader Joe’s, but it is one that is worth of reaching for especially if you like a delicate fish.
The cons: Can be hard to find at times or at least my Trader Joe’s did not carry it often.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Shrimp and Salmon Trio is a nice variety pack of appetizers.
The cons: This is a seasonal item.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Lobster Tails are new to the freezer section and are one of two frozen lobster options that are available for the holiday season.
The cons: Lobster isn’t cheap. This is less pricey than the other lobster option in the freezer aisle. These too are a seasonal item usually located next to Trader Joe’s Black Tiger Shrimp.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Black Tiger Shrimp are large shrimp that are only around for the holiday season.
The cons: This product might not be ideal for those where having six shrimp would not suffice. This is priced at almost $10 for half a pound. While some might complain about the price, these are very big shrimp.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Langostino Tails are frozen, precooked, and ready to be added to a dish where you might use shrimp or another seafood. This also requires less prep as they are already cooked.
The cons: I think too many people pass these buy because they don’t know what to do with them. That’s a shame because this is a good product. If you really, really like these then buy them at Costco because they’ll work out much cheaper.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Marinated White Fish Vera Cruz is an easy dinner that is reasonable in calorie count and easy on the palate.
The cons: Swai isn’t terribly flavorful.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Tartar Sauce is thick and full of relish. You’ll need a knife or spoon to get this out the jar.
The cons: This can occasionally be difficult to find.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Skipjack Tuna is a tuna that is just ok in terms of flavor.
The cons: Other brands seemed better.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Argentinian Red Shrimp are lobster like but far more tender.
The cons: Since these are “red” shrimp they already looked cooked, however they are not. These might be more challenging for some to figure out when they are done.
The verdict: …
The pros: Trader Joe’s Saucy Scallops with Mushrooms is frozen but gives you well cooked scallops from the freezer.
The cons: This product contained far more peas than mushrooms. The cheese and seafood combination might not appeal to everyone’s tastebuds.
The verdict: …
The pros: Stew Leonard’s Stuffed Lobster is a super convenient dinner for one without the stress or guilt of doing the hard work of preparing a dish like this. This was available at a reasonable price compared with dining out.
The cons: No list of ingredients on the package nor any cooking times listed on the package, however I took a picture of the store’s sign and the information is posted below.
The verdict: …
