Trader Joe's Organic Stock--Vegetable

I'm not sure is this is replacing the product that Trader Joe's has called "Organic Hearty Vegetable Broth," or if they will be sold side by side. Online sources disagree as to whether there's any actual difference between "stock" and "broth" when applied to non-meat-containing soup bases.

I didn't bother tasting this on its own, because who would use it that way? I made a batch of my favorite chili with it, and it was as good as always. So the stuff works.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. I always keep a container of some such product around for when I get the impulse to make that chili, and this is as good as any.

Trader Joe's Vegetable Panang Curry With Jasmine Rice

Everything about this is just OK, with no features that are either outstanding or terrible. Makes for a decent fast meal in a pinch, and you won't hate yourself, but you well might think with every bite, "I wish I had something better." If I went to an Thai restaurant and had this served to me, I wouldn't go back. But for something that you can have from freezer to microwave to plate in less than five minutes, it'll do.

It's a very generous serving for one (the designated amount on the box), but probably would not be enough for a main dish for two.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Canola Oil Spray

This works as well as Pam--which I've used my entire adult life--and seems to be less messy.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. I'd rather give my money to Trader Joe's than to (insert name of company that makes Pam because I'm too lazy to look it up).

Roundup

This is my weekly compilation of news and other links about Trader Joe's.


Trader Joe's love of pumpkin products is out of control

Comparison test of chocolate peanut butter cups

The 5 best cheese at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's healthy shopping guide

3 best maple-flavored items at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's picks for runners

Trader Joe's issues product alert for possible Listeria in kale/broccoli/chicken salad

How to improve TJ's Four-Cheese Ravioli

16 people share the things they only buy from Trader Joe's



Best tweets of the week:

Caturday Fun Fact. #Caturday #caturdays #cats #Cat #animal #animals #animalkingdom #TraderJoes #comedy #meme #memes #parody #satire #lol pic.twitter.com/Y0La3v3lxc

— Too True Fun Facts (@tootruefunfacts) October 28, 2017

When you have to work but Halloween is life @JDMorgan #halloween #traderjoes #wereallnegan #negansmyfavorite #TheWalkingDead pic.twitter.com/FhyIYGLl4p

— Aleksandra Sowa (@awkward_aleks) November 1, 2017

Our evening w/ @susiewyshak & her new book about how #TraderJoes changed the way America eats. Yes. lots of samples https://t.co/qsc1xnjqQd pic.twitter.com/gE0NDlrnCh

— SFPFS (@SFfoodsociety) November 1, 2017

When you’re #It but you have to go to #TraderJoes. #scaryaf #halloweencostumes #Halloween2k17 pic.twitter.com/qWcYNZ5N48

— Ashlyn Bishop (@AshlynBishop) October 31, 2017

Whoops! Just ate some #TraderJoes peanuts that expired in 1882. Tasted ok, but I'm feeling a little salty. pic.twitter.com/HC10VUbo7f

— sangretu (@sangretu) November 1, 2017

I got a winter bag when I went to #TraderJoes this morning and I can't stop looking at it it's so beautiful. pic.twitter.com/39oBfnQO8S

— Lesbihonest (@angie4shee) November 3, 2017

The main difference bw me and the man who walked past me in #traderjoes is that when I find someone attractive I keep it to myself.

— Alexis Martino (@leccus) November 3, 2017

And finally, here's this week's cute cat bunny in a Trader Joe's grocery bag:

Our bunny inspecting our #TraderJoes haul. Or maybe just looking for snacks. pic.twitter.com/WTYfHNnliY

— MJ (@Yomattjeffery) August 27, 2017

President Madrigal Cheese

I didn't notice until just now that this is not a Trader Joe's branded item. Oh well. I bought it there, so it's fair game.

It is, oddly, a French Swiss cheese, if that makes any sense. It's quite nice--mild but with real flavor, and very firm but not at all crumbly.


Will I buy it again? 

I probably would, were it not for having recently tried and loved this one, which I think I would pick every time over the Madrigal.

Trader Joe's Organic Daily Bread With Sprouted Wheat Berries, Sprouted Barley & Sprouted Millet

This new product appeared on the TJ's shelves alongside a similar one that I reviewed recently.

I like this one a lot better. It's flavorful and nicely textured. Slices are what I consider a normal size, which is frequently not the case with TJ's breads. There are no seeds on the crust to make a mess when they fall off.

I deem it to be damn near perfect.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. In fact, I believe this will now be my default choice of TJ's bread. My previous favorite, the oddly named but tasty "Sprouted Flourless Whole Wheat Berry Bread," has fallen in my eyes, because it got reformulated to a significantly smaller size sometime after I first tried it. I know that TJ's breads are made regionally, not nationally, so perhaps it was a change to a different supplier, and maybe it only affects my part of the country. But whatever caused it, it was definitely a change for the worse. (I realize that my personal ideal of the size of a slice of bread is completely arbitrary and that there's nothing universal about it. But it's what I grew up with, and it's so deeply ingrained that any deviation from it forever will seem off to me.)

Trader Joe's Organic Pops

I believe that these are as good as hard candy on a stick can get. They're richly flavorful, with the various fruit flavors distinct and readily identifiable. But it's not a form of candy that I'm interested in having on any sort of regular basis.


Will I buy it again? 

Not for myself. But it would make good Halloween giveaway candy!