# What's good at Trader Joes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049 "2014-10-11T16:59:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![plankter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ba0ec/32.png) [@plankter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plankter)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/41 "2014-10-12T23:03:26Z")
Potato chips with South African style seasoning. Like barbeque, but without the cloying sweetness. So good… I hope they aren’t discontinued any time soon. Fresh snow pea pods in the microwavable bag, in the produce section. I eat them right out of the bag, usually while I’m driving home from Trader Joe’s. Hey, no crumbs! ---
**Author:** ![Merejane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@Merejane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merejane)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/42 "2014-10-13T01:38:15Z")
TJ’s pumpkin butter, in a jar, is so good – on toast, in yogurt, whatever. TJ’s Joe-Joe’s cookies are like Oreos, but so much better. ---
**Author:** ![jellyblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@jellyblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jellyblue)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/43 "2014-10-13T07:17:49Z")
> [@nani](#): > > [snip] > I really like their Syrah-crusted Tuscan cheese. More than their Brie even. > [snip] Along with the Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds with sea salt and sugar, seconded. I have both in my house right now. I am doomed. ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/44 "2014-10-13T13:27:26Z")
I am sure someone will disagree, but of all the grocery store bagels I have tried, Trader Joe’s is the best of a sorry lot. They have the best texture. Caveat: I eat the plain bagels. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/45 "2014-10-13T14:00:49Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > So, has anyone suggested the cookie butter yet? And for those of you without nearby access to a Trader Joe’s,[they actually sell the cookie butter on Amazon nowadays.](http://www.amazon.com/Trader-Joes-Speculoos-Cookie-Butter/dp/B007SYX9B8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413208687&sr=8-1&keywords=cookie+butter) Granted, it’s kind of exorbitant, but it’s there. Their hummus is pretty decent, but the thing that I keep going back to are their [potato latkes.](http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/bb219/gigi4808/Reviews/tj_latkes1.jpg) They’re particularly delicious for a frozen hash-brown kind of thing. Otherwise, the coolest thing about the store is the variety of things like pre-cut vegetables and other items that make cooking easier and faster, but without any real processing other than cutting things up. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/46 "2014-10-13T20:12:30Z")
As mentioned, the nuts and raisins are good enough and cheap enough to warrant the trip by themselves. Other items that are better and cheaper than what you can get anywhere else. Peanut butter-filled pretzels Sliced Gouda cheese Other assorted cheeses Bottled water Artisan breads Potato Chips (thick cut w\ridges) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/47 "2014-10-13T21:03:59Z")
They sell a box of assorted-flavor macarons in their frozen dessert area. Usually. And/or vanilla and chocolate ones. I wouldn’t say these are the best macarons ever but they are 1) cheap 2) varied 3) small (I think big ones aren’t as tasty) and 4) frozen, and can stay frozen for months. They make a flaxseed tortilla chip that is very low-carb. The “spicy vegetable” version of this chip is not spicy at all and actually tastes a lot like Doritos. Both the plain and seasoned ones are great! ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/48 "2014-10-13T22:27:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Whatever you find that you like, don’t. they will discontinue it next week and you’ll never find it anywhere for the rest of your life. True. I am still heartbroken over the disappearance of the jar of stuff halfway between a chutney and a sauce, with flavorings redolent of the spicy, tomatoey, variation of Indian cuisine. I’ve never found anything remotely like it, no matter how often I cruise Indian products aisles of many, many grocery stores. Indicating it probably wasn’t anything authentic, but dang!!! it was so good. I could eat it with a spoon. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/49 "2014-10-13T22:41:19Z")
Guacamole. All seafood except the scallops. Potstickers. Cheese spread. Boursin is about 60 cents cheaper than in the regular stores. Other cheese is terrible in our store. They must cut the brie and bleus first, because everthing else molds within days. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2014, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/50 "2014-10-13T23:45:58Z")
Some cheeses: chevre and gruyere Their own brand of sausages that come as a 4-pack Mushrooms are always fresh Great for dried fruit and nuts I like their maple pecan granola I like there version of Amy’s black bean enchiladas Frozen green beans party snack stuff but nothing in the chip aisle Reed’s ginger brew at a much better price than anywhere else. They sell uncured pastrami slices that are darn good. Oh, and that French ham and gruyere pizza is good with a fresh salad. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/51 "2014-10-14T19:22:35Z")
> [@Merejane](#): > > TJ’s pumpkin butter, in a jar, is so good – on toast, in yogurt, whatever. > > TJ’s Joe-Joe’s cookies are like Oreos, but so much better. Candy. Cane. Joe-Joes. Unbelievable. Only available around Christmas time. Like Oreos but the white “creme” filling has crunched up candy cane pieces. I’m not big on peppermint, but can’t get enough candy cane Joe-Joes. I think I mailed a case to my nephews at school last year. Also, I enjoy pumpkin spice for its rarity this time of year. But has anyone seen the latest Fearless Flyer? There must be 50 different pumpkin spice items in it. Enough already! ---
**Author:** ![Orwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/dfb087/32.png) [@Orwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orwell)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/52 "2014-10-14T19:39:25Z")
Dark chocolate covered almonds and dark chocolate peanut butter cups. Thanks for all of the other suggestions. To all of those who mentioned beer and wine, I wouldn’t know because my state still has 1935-era liquor and beer laws and my TJ doesn’t sell beer or wine. ---
**Author:** ![Vashbul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Vashbul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vashbul)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/53 "2014-10-14T19:41:11Z")
It is easier to say what’s not good at Trader Joe’s. Generally I have few regrets, but I have to say that their bottled pasta sauces, though tasty, are all quite thin and soupy. I had to boil them down to get a good consistency, and who wants to do that? One item I recently discovered that I love - sweetened shredded coconut. It comes in a pink foil bag. I never got around to cooking anything with it, 'cause I eat it all up. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/54 "2014-10-14T19:42:17Z")
> [@plankter](#): > > Potato chips with South African style seasoning. Like barbeque, but without the cloying sweetness. So good… I hope they aren’t discontinued any time soon. I bought some of those yesterday, and I’ve just now tried them. Yummy! Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/55 "2014-10-14T19:45:02Z")
> [@Vashbul](#): > > It is easier to say what’s not good at Trader Joe’s. [I wish there was a thread for that!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=737046) 😃 I’ve had a few of TJ’s jarred pasta sauces, and I have to say I have not been disappointed with them. Of course I ‘doctor’ any sauce I use (i.e., add more garlic, oregano, ground beef, mushrooms, whatever), or else I make beef/veal/pork meatballs to go in it. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/56 "2014-10-14T20:30:35Z")
My office is a two-minute walk from Trader Joe’s so I do a lot of my food shopping there. I buy most of my food there except basic staples and some produce. I normally am not big on the whole pumpkin thing but the This Pumpkin Walks Into A Bar cereal bars are amazing. It’s like eating a little slice of pumpkin pie in a portable, less-bad-for-you format. Yummy! Another recent find is the par-baked pizza crusts. Sort of like Bobolis but slightly underbaked. They are sold frozen and you thaw them out and slap some sauce and cheese on them and you’re done. Great for a super quick dinner when I don’t have time for even the refrigerated dough. I love Cookie Butter so much that it is on my list of foods I cannot buy because I have no self-control around them. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/57 "2014-10-16T15:01:42Z")
Gorilla Munch. Like Cap’n Crunch, but without the roof-of-the-mouth-cutting corners. Yesterday I bought four acorn squash ($1.29 each) and a pumpkin ($2.99). We’ve had their acorn squash before, and they’re tasty. The SO thought he pumpkin was ‘cute’ and ‘perfect’. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e36b37/32.png) [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/58 "2014-10-19T06:43:31Z")
My all time favorite TJ’s item: the red **Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce**. The hot sauce of the gods; not just hot but terrific flavor. Goes great on so many things: tacos, meats (particularly grilled chicken breasts), eggs, french fries (you’ll love it on french fries), goes especially great with your favorite snacking cheese–the stuff is awesome. Other favorites: **Parmesan Crisps** (thin slices of sourdough bread baked to crispness with generous sprinklings of parmesan cheese on top–super yummy snacks) **Candy** : esp. Peanut Butter Cups (normal size and minis), Dark Chocolate Covered Caramels, English Toffee, Chocolate Covered Pretzels, and of course their chocolate bars (milk and dark varieties, made in Belgium, 3 to a pack–puts a Hershey bar to shame). **Bread** : 3 seed sourdough, bavarian rye–both really good **Staples** : stuff like **milk** , **butter** , **eggs** –always good stuff for a good price (though everything’s gotten a little pricier the last few years; they used to be really cheap as well as good quality). You can get the high-end, highfalutin stuff, too, but the basic store label stuff is just as good in my opinion **Cheeses** : as mentioned before, the best place around to get cheese of almost any kind **Lemonade** : both in the carton in the chilled section (by the milk and OJ), and the frozen concentrated stuff (if they still have it–I haven’t seen it for a while); both really good, taste like lemonade should **French Toast** : in the freezer section. Very tasty for frozen breakfast food; nice flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, etc. **Potato Chips** : especially the Salt and Vinegar Hawaiian style, and the ridge cut chips. (I’m also partial to their Nacho Cheese flavored Tortilla Chips, but they’re kind of weird and an acquired taste; I suspect others don’t like them so much.) **Pasta** : I’ve never been wild about their pasta sauces, but the pasta itself is quite good. Cooks up well with a nice chew. **Nuts** : again, lots of types of nuts, in lots of varieties. They’re all quite good. So much good stuff at TJ’s. I just wish they were still the cheap alternative, instead of just an alternative. I’d shop there all the time if I could really afford it. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/59 "2014-10-20T00:11:26Z")
The best thing at Trader Joe’s just came in for the Holidays: Ladyfingers. It is almost impossible to find even decent ladyfingers anymore. TJ’s ladyfingers are very, very good- light, sweet and fluffy. So good, I can’t buy them very often because I will eat the entire box in one sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049/60 "2014-10-21T19:22:32Z")
Some favorites I’ve missed or that haven’t been listed yet: [ul] [li]Thai Chili and Lime Cashews[/li][li]Sea Salt Caramels[/li][li]Balela (a middle eastern salad of chickpeas and black beans and tomatoes. The TJ version has perfectly balanced flavors)[/li][li]Halloumi Cheese - so so good[/li][li]Ridge Cut Potato Chips with Salt and Pepper[/li][li] Broccoli Kale Slaw Salad with Chicken and Sweet and Spicy Dressing (My lunch today with a little added grilled Halloumi)[/li][li]Castello Blue Cheese - A mild and creamy blue with terrific flavor.[/li][/ul] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-good-at-trader-joes/701049.md?page=4)