Best Items at Trader Joe's

Ok...I have recently started to visit my local Trader Joe's. So far, I love it. What do you guys buy there?

So far I like their:
Breads
Marinara
EVOO
General Tso's Sauce
Tortelli
Pasta
Boxed Organic Soups (Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper)

They seem to have a lot of good stuff I have yet to try such as their:
Tuna Steaks


What do you find to be awesome there?

I do buy pretty much all groceries at Trader Joe's, so it's hard to single out a few "best" items. I think I'll go with the frozen Raspberry Torte as it is beyond scrumptious (especially when paired with vanilla ice-cream).

I've always liked their chili.

i do most of mine there, too. particularly staples. organic orange juice is very good (i'm not an organics freak, but the flavor of the one under this label is markedly better than the other).

They usually have a decent, yet not impressive, selection of cheese. Also, the prices on said cheese is usually very good.

I can't eat most of their frozen/dried stuff now as it's based around empty carbs.

EVOO
Organic Chicken
Grassfed ground beef
Organic Eggs
Organic Milk
Karey's Gold butter

i usually go there to buy missing ingredients for dishes i'm making during the week. cooking wine, olive oil when i need a lot of it, sometimes dairy. i buy greek yogurt there too but generally steer clear of their produce (overpriced) and meat (bleh cuts and quality).

the silverlake one near me is usually full of people who are easy on the eyes, so that's nice.

@shibbel, i don't think any of their stuff is really "organic." i gather they're pretty notorious abusers of that term.

Their produce is atrocious.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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Their produce is atrocious.

please bring your reusable bag to the grocery store where everything is individually encased in plastic...

I go to Trader Joe's for things I need last minute because it is closer than the farmer's market-market that I buy most of my groceries from.

My favorite thing from Trader Joe's is probably the mint chip ice cream, their stuff isn't really great but it is a much better alternative than local grocery giants. Aside from being close, Trader Joe's prices (excluding produce) and friendly environment is why I go.

It is really too bad Trader Joe's doesn't carry some essentials that I require (coconut oil and raw milk). A lot of their in-house products are made with ingredients I don't agree with or care for.

Originally Posted by mharwitt

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@shibbel, i don't think any of their stuff is really "organic." i gather they're pretty notorious abusers of that term.
i guess it all depends on what you understand the term to mean. for them to use it on their labels, it has to have been certified by the national organization. but all "organic" really means is that it ws grown without some (but certainly not all) chemical pesticides, fertilizers, etc. if you think "organic" means small farmers or something like that ... well, no.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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Their produce is atrocious.
i hear that a lot, but in cali, they have some pretty good stuff, provided you shop carefully. particularly good are their artichokes ... a 4 pack of mediums (perfect for cooking) for less than $3. salad mixes are good, too.
i have heard the complaints enough that i think it must have something to do with their not having figured out a good national distribution system.

Originally Posted by foodguy

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i hear that a lot, but in cali, they have some pretty good stuff, provided you shop carefully. particularly good are their artichokes ... a 4 pack of mediums (perfect for cooking) for less than $3. salad mixes are good, too.
i have heard the complaints enough that i think it must have something to do with their not having figured out a good national distribution system.

It's not always terrible quality, but it really bothers me that it's relatively low quality + prepackaged.

beer

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

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It's not always terrible quality, but it really bothers me that it's relatively low quality + prepackaged.

i guess it depends on expectations. most EVERYTHING at tj is relatively low quality. it's just that it's relatively low price, too. i'd never serve any of their cheeses, for example, at table, but their fresh goat, gruyere and parm are perfectly fine for cooking. somehow people got the expectation it was a gourmet store. maybe in 1982.

EVOO
Gnocchi (which I make for a quick lazy meal)
Greek Yogurt
Frozen Edamame


+1 to Kwilk. The produce is really awful.


I had actually read an article not too long ago (I forget where), that basically said most or all of TJ's products are just other companies products rebranded as their own.