Trader Joe's Snow Peas

I had never had snow peas before buying this bag, so I didn't know what to expect, and don't have a mental database against which to compare them.

I love the cooking instructions: Put the bag directly into the microwave oven. Don't even open it first! This sort of thing I can manage.

The flavor seemed to me basically like all peas. If there was a difference, it was lost on me.

I didn't like the stringy thing that goes down one edge of the pea pods. I noticed that Nina took the time to pull them out of hers. I just powered through them, figuring to add some extra fiber to my diet.

After the dinner with Nina, I had enough leftovers for side dishes of two more meals on my own. I did finish up the bag, so they obviously weren't inedible, but I can't say that I fell in love with them, either.

Will I buy it again? 

Maybe I'm such a troglodyte that I'm missing something grand here, but I think I'll stick with regular peas.

Nina's View

There were two problems with these snow peas. The first, and most egregious, is that they were simply too old. Baby snow peas are what is called for. If you're going to eat them once they are no longer baby, you MUST de-string them or they are tough and gross and, well, STRINGY.

The second is that steaming them—which is what happens when you throw the bag in the microwave—is not the way to bring out their best flavor or texture. Steaming makes them limp and soggy. NO. Just NO. Snow peas should be tender but slightly crunchy and toothsome, to bring out their sweetness. Stir-frying is the way to go.

And the baby ones are also perfectly delightful raw because they are already tender.