Trader Joe's YEA/NAY/MEH, 2023 Edition

i rely on tj’s for raw. ingredients — nuts, chocolate, cheese, pasta — it’s a long list, so i won’t go on. but since stay away from chips, etc, and most frozen entrees, the only thing on the list, well, a runner up, that i but is the cauliflower gnocchi.

as for the previous lists and hall of fame — love the unexpected cheddar!

I believe you could make a fortune writing a book about how you stay away from chips. Your post is devilishly driving me to post about all the bad stuff we like at TJs: various brie cheeses, some of the indian frozen dinners, kringles,…wait, you don’t purchase TJs croissants???

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yes! would love to see your list. so much stuff that i love, but don’t buy because once i open the package, it’s all over. the belgian butter waffle cookies, to name one.

i was just posting about how few of the items i buy regularly made the list. but the list notwithstanding, if i get out of tj’s for less than $100, it’s because i’ve forgotten something.

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No, but I DO really like the butter chicken, a tie for me with the fish korma. The quibble is that I always need to make more rice in order to have a good portion amount.

Alas the fish korma is no more. RIP fish korma. :frowning_face:

They said it’s discontinued? Because last I asked about other things like the palak paneer, they said they were having supply issues, not discontinued

NAY - TJ’s Apples & Cinnamon Instant Oatmeal. I figured, Apple Pie for breakfast? Yeah, that’s a no. These taste a bit fake. It’s edible, so it’s sort of between a NAY and a MEH.

I do like the Maple & Brown Sugar so I’ll stick with those for a quick work breakfast.

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Yes, discontinued. I verified it in their little computer at the front desk, too. There were a couple of other Indian entrees the guy said were discontinued, but I don’t recall which they were. I was too upset about the fish korma at that point. They have also discontinued the shakshuka, which we really loved.

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I really hope the palak paneer isn’t on that list

For your sake, I hope so, too. I feel like I’ve seen it more recently, so maybe it’s not. You could check their little computer at the desk next time you’re there. It’s easy to use.

I did ask when the indian case was running bare, and they said it was a supply issue on most things, but if they told you a bunch of stuff has been discontinued, that’s more recent and more disappointing.

A workaround can be to find similar frozen Indian items in the Indian stores.
The TJ Indian frozen suppliers include Tasty Bite (per Google) and maybe Deep Foods too, so those might be brands to try in the Indian store.

That said, I have never found an Indian store equivalent of Spicy Misal w/ Brown Rice :frowning_face:

Frozen palak paneer is available in the Indian store for sure. Never checked on non-veg items so someone else may be able to find fish korma.

Thanks for the info, I guess?.. :tired_face:

FWIW, I bought Palak Paneer just a week or so ago here in SoCal.

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Enjoyed a bit of exploring today until a crabby lady boxed me in with her personal cart and let her day’s stresses out on me for no reason. Oh well.

Some interesting new stuff, and nice to see some old stuff back (welcome back, palak paneer!)

They have little pouches of white miso that seem a bit expensive until you realize that larger, cheaper container of miso just sits in your fridge for YEARS.

(Eggs were $5 for the cheapest kind, which is a bit surprising given WF is carrying their house cage free brand at $3-something.)

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I go to an indian store maybe once or twice a year, whereas TJs is a regular stop.

Wow! Eggs are $3.99 a dozen in the TJ around here.

The last time I bought miso I had to get it from Whole Foods and it is living happily in my freezer used as needed. Though I suppose the beneficial bacteria are frozen out?

The palak paneer has reappeared here in San Diego, so fingers crossed for you.

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AFAIK, thanks to it’s high salt content, miso can be kept at room temperature. Mine has been in a cupboard, in a glass container, for at least 15 years. I THINK I do it because the label on the original plastic packet said nothing about storage requirements. After all, miso is an ancient ingredient for which no refrigeration would have been originally available.

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I saw it today in the Chapel Hill, NC store.

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