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

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Man, they sure’ve been on a shit run with those recalls lately…

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The bucatini is excellent, if they are still stocking it. I’ll load up when I get back, and keep my fingers crossed till then.

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I see it at Aldi every so often, too - not sure if there is one accessible to you.

I bought this once a while back, and the only weird thing was the addition of green beans (vs the underlying original dish I assume it’s based on, which is what I wanted to make).

I used very little of the sauce (I find all their frozen Chinese food sauces sickly sweet) and supplemented with ginger, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and a bit of sesame oil.

The kit was worth it for the prepped (velveted) chicken and black mushrooms in a pinch.

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Yep, just a lot further away than TJs. Thanks - I’ll know where to find it if/when TJs stops carrying it! (It’s amazing how much more expensive bucatini is at the other stores near me, when they carry it.)

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Sweet will surely go over well with the kiddo. I will probably doctor, too. Gotta remember to make rice.

I agree. Dumb about the premium pricing.

This was a meh to yay for me. Not thrilling but reasonably good and organic. I liked the thin crust.

Have you tried any of the other frozen Chinese mains? Taste the sauce before you decide how much to use. I blindly made the beef & broccoli once and thought I was eating dessert :joy:

What? Again?

Are Trader Joe’s employees trained to flirt?
https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/trader-joes-employees-trained-to-flirt-rumor-18338785.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight

tl;dr No, but there’s a fun short video in the article.

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Oh, god. I have that beef and broccoli in the freezer. Thanks for the warning.

I tasted the sauce with the shitake chicken and green bean dish and passed. Took a cue from you and quickly stir fried some garlic, ginger, and scallion before adding noodles, oyster sauce, teriyaki sauce, the chicken and veg, and sesame oil.

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Meh to the chicken karaage. It’s inoffensive but pretty heavily breaded. I think Aldi’s gluten free frozen breaded chicken makes a better, crispier stand-in. And I did not understand the mayo dipping sauce. Yech.

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Yay, nay and meh. First the yay (dessert)Apple cinnamon buns crumb topped danish, a 2-pack in the fresh baked area. Very nice apple tart basically, didn’t benefit from oven heating, so I wouldn’t bother. Wish they’d come out with a cherry or even pineapple version as it’s more like a danish pastry. Nay- the 3 pack of miniature cheeseburgers - a white castle wannabee without onions - already a handicap, but whereas wc is like a greasy onion meatloaf, this is a sweet bun around a meatball (wrong seasoning). Meh, onion confit swirl, nice little snack food but the puff pastry could use more puff, the flavour is nice if just a tad too salty- would (and already have) bought again.

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Thank you for reviewing this so I didn’t purchase.

I thought it was ok, good to have in the freezer for when you’re starving.

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I’ve decided, I really like the wc one, but have found you can’t nuke it while frozen, the thin little patty never gets hot. Have to let it defrost for a few minutes first - really odd for a microwave food, especially since it is so thin, you’d think the meat (if that’s what it is) would heat up right away. I do add ketchup but don’t bother with a pickle.

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I have had bad experiences with frozen sandwiches generally. Even the Jimmy Dean “Delightful” egg white and sausage English muffins, which have you defrost them first, do not cook evenly. It’s such a lousy food experience.