Monday, April 29, 2019

Trader Joe's Jerk-Style Plantain Chips



I thought these had almost no chance of being good. I've had plantain chips before, and hated them. (Exception: TJ's own Sweet Plantain Chips.) Throwing a little spice at them ain't gonna change their fundamental problem of tasting like cardboard.

I was wrong. They're actually quite tasty. I think the spiciness is a little much if they're eaten straight from the bag. But scoop up some TJ's Hummus Dip or Chipotle Bean Dip (as I did), and they cool down or balance the heat nicely, in addition to being good flavor complements.

For the record, Nina was not as impressed with them as I was. And I didn't like the fact that the bag contained a large number of small, broken pieces. So they're not perfect, but I still think they're an unexpected win.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

Roundup

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


Taste test of 8 "Two Buck Chuck" wines

Why you should make Trader Joe's your next romantic date spot

Trader Joe's put a store inside an old movie theater

50,000 pounds of Trader Joe's frozen chicken lost in truck fire

Quick Trader Joe's dinners for two for under $10

The 14 healthiest things you can buy at Trader Joe's

Taste test of bargain liquor from Costco and Trader Joe's



Best tweets of the week:






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

Friday, April 26, 2019

Trader Joe's Cinnamon Croissant Loaf


This is one of the most unusual loaves of bread I've ever bought. It really is as light, airy, flaky, and buttery as a croissant. (This means it kind of makes a crumbly mess when you eat it. Be prepared.) The cinnamon component is delicate, not overpowering--more "whiff of cinnamon" than CINNAMON!

I tried toasting this in my toaster, but even though this particular model is allegedly designed to accommodate thick slices, the croissant loaf was too much for it. I was able to stuff the slices in, but just barely, and it was a pain both going in and coming out. It also started burning quickly, perhaps because its thickness brought it too close to the heating elements. So for subsequent uses, I put it in my toaster oven, which is slower, but did a much better job, and without the need to manhandle the bread.

The loaf is kind of misshapen, but I ended up not caring, because it tastes so good. It's really superb for making buttered toast. In fact, it was so good after first tasting that I never could bring myself to put jam or jelly on, for fear that it might not be quite as perfect that way. You can slather huge amounts of butter on it, because it's so airy that there's tons of room for the butter to soak in without running off. I'm too lazy to make French toast for myself, but I suspect that this would be perfect for that purpose, with its thick, absorbent slices.

As you might imagine, it's completely impractical for making sandwiches. The slices are too thick and a bit too small, and the substance of the bread is really too delicate and too easily crushed. Besides, cinnamon bread as the platform for, say, ham and Swiss does not sound like a great idea. So this is a limited-purpose bread, rather than an all-purpose one.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. It's kind of a crazy idea for a bread loaf, and a wild departure from my usual bread selections, and even when it's on hand I'll need to have one of the more standard ones simultaneously available for sandwich use--but I love it anyway.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Trader Joe's Organic Chocolate Chip Cookies


These tiny cookies are indisputably cute, but that's about all they have going for them. Well, I suppose that in eating them you could boast that you're so pure that even your chocolate chip cookies are organic, but I don't know why anybody would care about that. They're lifeless, lacking in flavor, dry. They fail to satisfy my sweet tooth.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Monday, April 22, 2019

Trader Joe's Benne Wafer Cookies


Until yesterday, I had never heard of benne wafers. I did not know that benne was word of uncertain African derivation for sesame. I did not know that lowcountry (with or without capitalization; also low country) was a term for the coastal region of South Carolina. I thought it was referring to the Netherlands, and was confused as to why these were made in Savannah, Georgia. I'm still confused about why Trader Joe's didn't find a supplier in S.C., if they're going to brag about authenticity of origin. (EDIT: National Geographic says that Savannah is part of Low Country. Though others disagree, Ima go with NatGeo on this and credit TJ's with getting it right.)

So now that I've smartened up a bit about these things, how are the cookies? Great, if you ask Nina; not so great if you ask me. We both liked the crunchy texture. She liked the saltiness and the prominent sesame flavor, while I thought both were pretty subdued and the brown sugar was the dominant note, which is OK but not especially interesting. Oddly, I thought they tasted buttery, though the list of ingredients reveals that there is none present.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Saturday, April 20, 2019

Roundup

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


Trader Joe's announces recall of cantaloupe slices due to salmonella contamination

Best keto-friendly foods at Trader Joe's

Does Trader Joe's accept returns without the defective item?

Four new Trader Joe's items to try

18 Trader Joe's products that are always in our freezers

Forbes names Trader Joe's #1 best employer

Fodors list of Trader Joe's snacks to bring on a plane

12 new Trader Joe's desserts

29 affordable beauty products from Trader Joe's

19 cult-favorite Trader Joe's products

8 most unique [sic!] Trader Joe's items of 2019 so far

8 Easter gifts from Trader Joe's for under $10

3 ways to use "Everything But the Bagel" seasoning



Best tweets of the week:











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


Friday, April 19, 2019

Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil


Nina started using this as her regular cooking oil, so I decided to try it, too. It's not Trader Joe's branded, but they sell it.

Its chief advantage is an unusually high smoke point (as they boast right there on the front of the label). If it adds any flavor at all to the foods cooked in it, I am unable to discern it.

My only quibble is with the bottle. It's so tall that it won't fit in any of my kitchen's upper cupboards. I have to choose between sticking it below, in one of the lower pots-and-pans cupboards, or laying it down flat in the ones above, where such things are usually kept. With the latter choice, it takes up a lot of space and I worry that it might leak.


Will I buy it again? 

Yes. Even with the annoyance of the bottle height, I think it's an excellent cooking oil. It's quite a bit more expensive than the TJ's grapeseed oil that has been my staple for four years now, but I don't use much, so the extra cost amortized over time will have no discernible effect on my total food budget.

Consumer Reports provides this handy guide to selecting a cooking oil.