Quarantine with Trader Joe: Society 1863 Roquefort is a steal at $12/lb, compared to other aged bleus.
There were fewer dining-out options than usual during my trip to San Francisco last week, causing me to stock up for quarantine with Trader Joe. Tried a number of new products with some hits and a few surprising disappointments.
These egg rolls were fine; other TJ’s frozen entrees, not so much.
Let’s get the disappointments out of the way first. Mandarin Orange Chicken, consistently high-rated in surveys, was some breaded tenders with way too much of a gloppy sweet sauce. Thai Eggplant had heat and Thai basil but still a very unbalanced flavor profile. Coconut Shrimp was just breaded shrimp, couldn’t taste the coconut. All of these required an unusual amount of oven-tending; the Trader needs to find a way to streamline preparation. Spring Rolls were okay (heated these in a wok) and I know from previous experience that Soup Dumplings are also passable though with too-thick skins.
What is a winner? Societé 1863 Roquefort at $12 a pound. I normally get the $8/lb generic blue cheese and crumble it on salad, but the upcharge provided a spreadable, mature product that holds its own against much more expensive bleus. Paired these with Trader Joe’s Multigrain Crackers, a simple but cheap and well balanced choice.
For breakfast, you could not do better than to buy a quart of French-Style Whole Cream Yogurt (think that’s the name; TJ does not catalog its products online) and mix it with purchased fresh strawberries and blueberries. A quart of the yogurt is just $4 and I paired it with coconut granola, also $4 for 12 oz.
Lots of good value on quality products like $4 coffee and granola for 12 oz
Many of the things I am happy to buy from Trader Joe are quality generic products which seem to be priced significantly lower than brand-name equivalents. $2 for a 14-oz tin of hearts of palm; $4 for 12 oz of good dark coffee in addition to the granola and the yogurt.
And, let us not forget the treats! Coffee Lovers Espresso Beans are 99 cents for a package which is more than enough for one serving, not enough for two, what to do? Cheese Bites have been established by our testing to be a good value as well as good. We always buy a couple packs of truffle-flavored Marcoma almonds. And this time a new item, Pickle Popcorn! If you like pickle-flavored potato chips you will like this, though the fat and sugar in the kettle corn formula mute its impact somewhat.
Trader Joe Espresso Coffee Beans! I dare you to eat just half the package, which supposedly contains two servings.
Trader Joe’s also seems like one of the safest places to shop during the pandemic. At the locations I’ve visited on both coasts they are diligent about avoiding crowding in the stores, making sure everyone has a mask and wiping down each cart before you receive it. If I had to choose one store for the duration this would be it, and it’s good they are able to keep me well fed with variety and value.
Trader Joes is a blessing. Good prices, good food, good people. The man who started the business died a few months ago, but the good business thrives. If you don’t like what you purchased they refund your money no questions asked. I feel comfortable in their stores. I will try their stinky cheese soon.
By the way Saturday is the 4th of July you know what that means, Happy Birthday Otis!
I think the original Trader Joe sold the business to Aldi, a German company, long ago. But they were smart enough not to change a thing. I have had the experience of wondering whether I would like a product and the manager, passing by, said just take it and try it for free. That’s an exception (else they would go broke) but it shows the TJ spirit.
Thanks for the bday wishes!
You definitely want to try their Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal cookies. Magnificient! The molasses cookies are pretty darn good too.
By chance I was on my way to Trader Joe’s when I saw this comment, and I did pick up some of the cranberry white chocolate oatmeal cookies. They are in a separate section from the other cookies, with the fresh baked items. And yes they were very very good. Thanks for the recommendation.