548437 Wed Aug 13 15:53:44 -0700 2008 83 32 Chains 0 3954841 Last night I had the polenta lasagna with chicken sausage..... Avoid it... It was horrible Wed Aug 13 15:53:46 -0700 2008 42560 snoobie 1 3954877 So any things are great there. They make a better peanut butter cup than Reeses. I do not like their mayo. You can read some discussion on the mayo thread that is running now. Wed Aug 13 16:03:45 -0700 2008 3954841 28638 phantomdoc 2 3955973 Sorry to go off-topic, but if you enjoy peanut butter cups, try Newman's Own version...even more addictive than Reese's. Thu Aug 14 05:10:12 -0700 2008 3954877 15712 cavandre 2 4162252 Yeah for the pb cups, and most dark chocolate products -- they're great! I don't think much of the bread. Many years ago tried the beef stew in a can. I don't know why -- I would never buy beef stew in a can at a regular supermarket! anyway, it was terrible. But I go to TJ about every 6 weeks, stock up on all the many things I DO love, and am mostly very happy with the experience. although sometimes when i get home I find I have no read food, just great snacks . . . Mon Nov 10 11:54:01 -0800 2008 3954877 45208 somervilleoldtimer 1 3955657 I recently bought a refrigerated dinner for a quick meal, might have been meatloaf. Not very good... Wed Aug 13 21:43:05 -0700 2008 3954841 111267 meatn3 1 3955960 I am not a fan of the frozen bowls, produce for the most part, most of the refrigerated prepared foods (soups, sushi), and the breads are hit or miss. But my Indian-food loving son really liked the refrigerated chicken vindaloo dinner, I think they're $4.99 so I'll buy that again. Thu Aug 14 05:03:23 -0700 2008 3954841 109573 coney with everything 1 3956192 I've seen the orange chicken listed as a favorite on threads here, but I find the sauce to have an overpowering ginger flavor that I dislike. Thu Aug 14 06:44:34 -0700 2008 3954841 21777 Emm 2 3994637 Try the tempura chicken instead, but don't use the sauce straight. Doctor it up with some lemon juice, and maybe a little salt. Thu Aug 28 12:59:07 -0700 2008 3956192 83766 brendastarlet 1 3956231 Been a while since we had bad luck with anything I can remember, except for a frozen fish entree we tried recently. We have a horrendous record with fish, so maybe it's just us. Frozen, fresh, exact recipe and time, I even checked the oven temp, and it still never comes out decent. (Grill, stovetop, broiler, doesn't help at all, never comes out right regardless of prep or fish type or recipe.) Anyway, this was one of their newer fish entrees that have sauce. The one we tried was tilapia, and I can't remember what the sauce was. I can't tell you how it tastes, either, because prepared precisely to the box directions it was part raw and part done. If we had left it in to try to cook more, the already done parts would have been overdone, of course. The thing was 7 bucks so we took the cardboard sleeve back and got a refund. Wish I could figure out a way to make any fish at home come out right.... Thu Aug 14 06:55:45 -0700 2008 3954841 40162 CrazyOne 1 3956764 The frozen battered halibut was just dreadful. One of my favorite guilty pleasure foods is Van de Kamps frozen battered fish filets, so I was hoping for a somewhat more upscale version. This was not it. In my experience, the canned clams are always a weird shade of gray. At one time, in my TJ's, there was a sign over the canned clams that said that the gray color was harmless, but it just looks too horrible to eat. I was also dissappointed in the frozen french onion soup. Of course I've not tried everything, but these are the only dissappointments I can think of. I've only brought things back to them once or twice (the gray clams and a gift item I didn't want or need) but they were always perfectly willing to give a refund. Thu Aug 14 09:38:26 -0700 2008 3954841 64085 Kathleen M 1 3956829 Someone on CH raved about their organic mayo, so I tried it - it was rancid but even if it hadn't been, I think it would have tasted bad. Chacon a son gout...for me, it's back to Hellman's Light (almost as good as the regular)! I once bought the apricot-almond tart because I love apricots. Had I read the ingredients, I'd have seen that it includes citron and wouldn't have gotten it. To me, the citron overpowered everything else - I returned it. They have some sort of granola-like bar cookie, in a paper bag, that has raisins and omega-3's. Tastes like fish oil. Mostly, however, I like their products or am able to doctor them up a bit to suit my preferences. Thu Aug 14 09:58:29 -0700 2008 3954841 159317 greygarious 1 3958971 I don't care for either the refried beans or refried black beans. For things I consider staples (for me in the summer refrieds are most definitely a staple), I can usually substitute one brand for another but not so for refried beans when it comes to TJ's. I also don't much care for any frozen vegetarian Mexican dish I've tried. Bean and cheese taquitos (really greasy, grainy and weird), vegetable burritos and enchiladas taste raw to me no matter how long I heat them. Thu Aug 14 23:54:59 -0700 2008 3954841 10516 MplsM ary 2 3963521 I buy the 69 cent canned black beans. Heat 'em up and smash 'em. This produces muy pronto refried beans. Sun Aug 17 05:30:08 -0700 2008 3958971 13619 Sharuf 1 3959146 Roasted vegetable pizza. It was vegan...and disgusting. The veggies were mushy and bland. The nail in the coffin was the balsamic "sauce", which was thin and tasted like vinegar of low quality. Fri Aug 15 05:08:28 -0700 2008 3954841 142652 madgreek 2 3960513 I agree. The roasted vegetable pizza is absolutely gross.... Fri Aug 15 13:03:48 -0700 2008 3959146 42560 snoobie 3 3964992 I'll third that. It had the most peculiar after taste. Peculiar and very unpleasant. One bite was enough for me. My vegan son ate it and lived however. He even liked it. Sun Aug 17 20:08:55 -0700 2008 3960513 51839 boppiecat 4 3992939 I COMPLETELY disagree. I just tried the Roasted Vegetable Pizza for the first time tonight and I wanted to devour the entire thing. Maybe its because I'm vegan, but I really love the flavors and the way I don't feel like an obese cow after I finish my serving. Wed Aug 27 20:15:00 -0700 2008 3964992 222177 karnol6 2 4051695 I like it; but only coated with lots of shredded four-cheese and parm before sticking it in the oven Sun Sep 21 19:20:16 -0700 2008 3959146 141035 oryza 1 3959875 The {frozen} breaded cod filets are AWFUL! The other tragedy still sold is the vegetarian burrito; ugh. Fri Aug 15 09:33:38 -0700 2008 3954841 11175 The Ranger 2 3959897 I agree about the cod..but he cod fish sticks were good. Th ething with TJ's is that they will take anything back for a full refund Fri Aug 15 09:39:26 -0700 2008 3959875 32853 mmalmad 1 3960097 I think their current line of beef and turkey jerky is just plain wrong. One of the first ingredients listed in sugar. Nasty. So sad because they used to carry snackmaster's jerky which I absolutely love and now have to order on Amazon :( Fri Aug 15 10:47:43 -0700 2008 3954841 12268 mollyomormon 1 3960909 I don't like their roasted peppers - they are mushy and bland. Their baba ghanoush - meh. Lite smoked gouda - huge mistake (but this may be because it was lite, not because it was from TJ's). Fri Aug 15 15:32:25 -0700 2008 3954841 95793 jeni1002 1 3964423 Cheeses, butter, eggs, wine, pasta and pasta sauces are very good and much cheaper than Vons or Ralphs Sun Aug 17 15:13:30 -0700 2008 3954841 219031 Chili 2 3983812 You're kidding, right? Every time I look at their cheese selection, it's either out of date (fresh mozz) or dessicated (brie) or moldy (Cotswold, goat cheese, etc.) I know they're not the type of place that's going to cut a fresh piece, but could they maybe use better packaging? Sun Aug 24 21:04:35 -0700 2008 3964423 219339 sisterbeer 1 3965306 The mixed dried mushrooms $1.99. Absolutely no taste. Mon Aug 18 00:59:59 -0700 2008 3954841 10264 rworange 1 3980295 why does anyone shop there with such hit or miss? sorry, side rant. I do not like their raw almond butter. I thought it was a steal at around $6, whereas most places sell organic raw almond butter for $16. it tasted low quality and i couldn't eat it, was very surprised b/c you would think almonds are almonds. Sat Aug 23 05:29:16 -0700 2008 3954841 11190 fara 2 3980935 "why does anyone shop there with such hit or miss?" Do regulard supermarkets do any better? I don't think there is any grocery store out there that is only stocked with products that you are guaranteed to like. I've had a higher success rate on foods found at TJ's and I also like that there are far fewer items with HFCS and transfats in them. Sat Aug 23 12:06:02 -0700 2008 3980295 10832 Humbucker 3 3981115 AMEN, Hum! Sat Aug 23 13:50:59 -0700 2008 3980935 159317 greygarious 3 3981309 Not only that but their return policy is far more liberal and friendly than other markets as well. If you don't like something, just return it or even tell them what you had that you didn't like and back comes a refund, no questions asked. No receipt necessary, not even the product itself. Sat Aug 23 15:33:06 -0700 2008 3980935 10764 monkuboy 2 3981189 Because the things we buy there that we like, we like very, very much. Why is that such a hard concept? Sat Aug 23 14:29:05 -0700 2008 3980295 17548 BarmyFotheringayPhipps 3 3984122 ITA, barmy! I go to TJ's with a list (ever-growing, by the way) of favorite products, and get what they have. If they're out (AGAIN, dammit) of freeze dried mango or whatever, I don't buy it and life will go on. If they don't have 1% organic milk on hand, I'll get that somewhere else. And inevitably I'll see something new and give that a try. If we don't like it, I can bring it back (if it's cheap, I don't bother). If we do like it, onto the list it goes. The TJ list is "nice to have" stuff or things that although they can be bought elsewhere, the TJ offering is either superior, cheaper (like FAGE) or both. It's just one more store--I wouldn't get all my groceries at a single supermarket anyway. Mon Aug 25 04:51:13 -0700 2008 3981189 109573 coney with everything 4 3994633 I like the fact that Trader Joe's often has a cheaper version of a product that I've heard about, and that they take some risks. They're also very accommodating if you don't like something: they give you your money back. The things that I like, I like a lot, and the things I don't like, I don't have to pay for. Thu Aug 28 12:57:33 -0700 2008 3984122 83766 brendastarlet 1 3981377 I love having a Trader Joe's nearby but find their plain organic yogurt chalky. Sat Aug 23 16:09:52 -0700 2008 3954841 127625 fern 1 3994629 I just bought the Roasted Gorgonzola flavor oven crisp crackers. Not good. They're just little crackers with a dusting of gorgonzola flavored powder. These are going back. Thu Aug 28 12:55:34 -0700 2008 3954841 83766 brendastarlet 2 3996679 Funny, brenda, I had a box of those very crackers in my hand last night contemplating whether to buy them. I ended up with the little multigrain crackers, which are pretty good. Sounds like I was right to skip them. Gorgonzola powder...eek. And they actually HAD freeze dried mango in stock! Fri Aug 29 10:01:58 -0700 2008 3994629 109573 coney with everything 2 4001499 I tried these too and agree that they're not tasty at all. weird "gorgonzola" powder that really has no discernable gorgonzola flavor at all. Mon Sep 01 10:28:51 -0700 2008 3994629 12268 mollyomormon 3 4030642 Aww! I actually like them! They were like a tangy version of Chez-Its! --Dommy! Fri Sep 12 16:02:51 -0700 2008 4001499 10659 Dommy 4 4030698 Yeah I liked them too. They were a little buttery and the calories can't be beat! Fri Sep 12 16:18:12 -0700 2008 4030642 64946 SuperGrover 4 4030718 I like the Gorgonzola crackers too, although they're not consistent with how much cheezyshake is on each cracker. Fri Sep 12 16:25:59 -0700 2008 4030642 10023 Professor Salt 1 3995689 Bought something called "Beef Short Ribs" in a vacu-pack. It was horrid - all fat and seemed more like a really gross piece of skirt steak than what I expected a s short ribs. On the whole, though, they do a great job. This morning I picked up a Vietnamese-style chicken/veggie wrap with a ginger/lime dippmng sauce. Very tasty and only $3.99 (I think). Thu Aug 28 20:57:32 -0700 2008 3954841 11405 Midlife 2 4009297 Coffee. And dishwasher detergent. Thu Sep 04 15:30:13 -0700 2008 3995689 189528 Whosyerkitty 3 4030644 The dishwashing soap is also horrid... --Dommy! Fri Sep 12 16:03:10 -0700 2008 4009297 10659 Dommy 4 4351931 Hint of barnyard? Or reminiscent of "getting-your-mouth-washed-out" days? : ) Sorry... I have tried most of their canned soups and I dislike all of them, from clam chowder to black bean soup. Way too much onion powder, not too much else by way of flavoring. Fri Jan 23 14:25:23 -0800 2009 4030644 165381 BeckyAndTheBeanstock 2 4009367 I saw that wrap and was curious. I had the chicken with udon noodles for lunch today. I added some fresh corn after cooking, and mixed it in. Overall pretty good, but the sauce is quite sweet. It wouldn't be a bad idea to drain some off before eating. Thu Sep 04 15:53:27 -0700 2008 3995689 83766 brendastarlet 3 4030648 LOVE that wrap... the flavors are very good together... --Dommy! Fri Sep 12 16:04:45 -0700 2008 4009367 10659 Dommy 1 4009399 i've posted the following on a couple of other threads about TJ's, but the product is so bad that it warrants repeating it here... a HUGE nay [can i give it multiple votes?] for the refrigerated containers of 'just chicken.' not the sort of thing i'd normally waste my money on because i always prepare my own chicken breasts to keep in the fridge for convenience. but the latest issue of one of my nutrition newsletters gave this product a big thumbs-up, so i figured i'd give it a try. never again. this stuff was truly vile. slimy, spongy, gristly...and the flavor of canned chicken broth/seasoning was so overpowering i might as well have been eating a straight bouillion cube. gag. Thu Sep 04 16:04:35 -0700 2008 3954841 103920 goodhealthgourmet 1 4030754 Fried rice in the freezer section - even as emergency fried rice, it's horrid. Eggrolls in the freezer section - tragic. Fri Sep 12 16:37:03 -0700 2008 3954841 10023 Professor Salt 1 4052438 I've always been curious about their frozen fish, but they look so unappetizing. Based on the responses here, glad I haven't tried them. Any of TJ's soups in a box should be avoided. Have tried just about all of them b/c I love soup, but bleh. Mon Sep 22 07:31:00 -0700 2008 3954841 12045 gloriousfood 2 4055166 DId you try the roasted rep pepper tomato soup? I found that one to be pretty good. Tue Sep 23 10:11:19 -0700 2008 4052438 10832 Humbucker 3 4055510 I think so, since I pretty much went through all its selections. However, a friend just mentioned TJ's canned lentil soup is pretty good--have you tried? Over the weekend I picked up something else from TJ that was unappealing: its low-fat chocolate meringues. Think I'll stick with the full fat.... Tue Sep 23 12:00:21 -0700 2008 4055166 12045 gloriousfood 4 4091194 Stay away from the Two Buck Chuck. Oh, that's right. This is Pennsylvania. Wed Oct 08 12:56:56 -0700 2008 4055510 231051 carlheinz 2 4144462 I've never tried a prepared frozen fish entree (nor would I ever). However I have never had a problem with the frozen fish fillets and steaks, the wild salmon in particular is good for emergency use. Perhaps salmon holds up better to freezing than some of the thinner white fish choices. Sun Nov 02 12:01:18 -0800 2008 4052438 71215 mlgb 1 4100518 I heard wonderful things about their jarred marinara sauce- There were about 3 varieties, I played a shell game and apparently chose the wrong one... I went with the Traditional Marinara sauce, Recipe #99- It was very watery, and very bland- Not a good sign when i had to thicken it up with a stray jar of Ragu from the depths of my pantry Mon Oct 13 05:30:17 -0700 2008 3954841 104118 paulispumonti 2 4100814 If there is a "next time" for you I think the Three Cheese marinara may be a better bet. I dunno if it's for everyone, and I'm sure it's nothing fantastic, but in a pinch we have liked it fine. Mon Oct 13 08:05:42 -0700 2008 4100518 40162 CrazyOne 3 4102876 I like their "starter" tomato sauce in a box better than the jarred ones. Tue Oct 14 06:20:26 -0700 2008 4100814 109573 coney with everything 2 4300438 I actually prefer their marinara sauces that come in big cans. The Toscano one is very good, as is the original. Both are under $2 in my area. I just transfer the contents to quart-size ball jar to store it in the fridge. Tue Jan 06 08:41:28 -0800 2009 4100518 57371 operagirl 1 4137442 I picked up some Shropshire Blue cheese last week and ended up throwing it away. It wasn't moldy or past its expiration date, it was just bad. It tasted more like packaging than anything else and it had a pretty strong ammonia smell as well. I have to admit, I want to like them, I've tried really hard and having given them 20-30-40 chances. I think it's time to close the book which is too bad, everyone there is SO NICE! Wed Oct 29 16:52:39 -0700 2008 3954841 15250 sebetti 2 4148150 Their new Brown Rice Krispies Treats. I opened up a box at the store and tried one. They were hard as a rock. I mean I understand Brown Rice is different than White Rice and I do consume Brown Rice so it wasn't a foreign concept to me. But d*mn they were just awful. I was expecting them to be more soft, buttery, and gooey like regular RK Treats. Guess thats not possible with Brown Rice or maybe TJ's just made them awful :( Mon Nov 03 23:33:13 -0800 2008 4137442 226945 Woof Woof Woof 3 4149748 I agree. I got them last week and they are truly horrid. Hard as a rock, and a strange flavor. One of the worst products I've gotten at Trader Joe's. Tue Nov 04 14:50:20 -0800 2008 4148150 73192 zhelder 4 4317043 Have to agree with this one. I was excited to find a slightly healthier option for RK Treats and was truly disappointed when I tried them. Sun Jan 11 17:10:29 -0800 2009 4149748 11434 FlyerFan 3 4329075 Rice Krispie treats with brown rice? Oh man...that's just wrong. Thu Jan 15 10:32:42 -0800 2009 4148150 67610 Suzy Q 1 4149026 We bought frozen fish filets there, and they were literally inedible, so tough as to defy in amount of chewing. Very strange. I have no earthly idea how one can manage to make a snapper filet un-chewable. We never went back. Tue Nov 04 10:27:36 -0800 2008 3954841 35409 uptown jimmy 1 4157592 Their sushi is the worst ever! Costco's sushi is just as bad which makes me think they might be made by the same vendor. And don't get on my case about buying supermarket sushi because some Vons or Ralphs locations make some really good sushi! TJ's frozen shu-mai is vile as well. And again, it doesn't have to be! Fri Nov 07 23:07:00 -0800 2008 3954841 86167 kawachi 2 4162324 > TJ's frozen shu-mai is vile as well. I'll strongly disagree with this. I find the chicken shu mai a great stand-bye for a quick meal while we regularly use the vegetarian shu mai a side dish. Both are easy to cook up and have good flavor. Mon Nov 10 12:22:01 -0800 2008 4157592 11175 The Ranger 2 4328035 Lol. I tried their sushi about 4 years ago when I first discovered the beauty that is sushi. It was the most vile and hideous sushi I have ever eaten and I have eaten tons. Thu Jan 15 05:22:57 -0800 2009 4157592 46235 Johnresa 1 4162333 the whole wheat pitas are sometimes moldy and the Tahitian vanilla extract tastes strongly of alcohol. Mon Nov 10 12:23:45 -0800 2008 3954841 227839 silvergirl 2 4244882 I bought a small bottle of the Tahitian vanilla and it has no vanilla taste or little flavor. I'm baking cookies this weekend and I have decided to double up the amount of vanilla just to use it up. Sat Dec 13 18:32:53 -0800 2008 4162333 22220 Kelli2006 2 4246759 I have had the same thing happen to me when it comes to the pitas, after one day the are moldy. The Quattro Formaggio frozen pizza from Italy is awful, it reminds me of the old Appian Way boxed pizza mixes when I was a child with the paper bag of flour, can of tomato paste and packet of cheese. Their pizza was completely tasteless. Sun Dec 14 18:18:21 -0800 2008 4162333 245351 Enric 1 4173946 whole wheat pizza dough--weird flavors. (haven't tried the regular) the light mayo--ugh beef stew--bland and nearly meatless canned beans are undercooked frozen mandarin chicken (nuggets) sickly sweet Fri Nov 14 11:57:29 -0800 2008 3954841 11234 toodie jane 1 4176742 I have never had luck with their frozen fish. Sat Nov 15 17:41:31 -0800 2008 3954841 240339 Chefsquire 2 4364574 The salmon burgers are dreadful. Wed Jan 28 00:36:54 -0800 2009 4176742 16121 TerryG 1 4180441 I just made a TJ's run and so far one big-time loser has come forward: Blueberry oat bran muffins. Extremely gummy, like they were underbaked or something. They were ok toasted but you should not have to toast muffins to make them edible. Mon Nov 17 11:34:54 -0800 2008 3954841 12829 Bob W 2 4244925 Toast them and put peanut butter on them. But seriously, you can bake better muffins with Hodgson Mills whole wheat muffin mix or even with Jiffy's corn muffin mix. I cannot stand their Fleur de Sel caramels. They're too soft, and they stick to the cellophane so you end up fighting your way past plastic. However, the dark chocolate covered caramels (available only through the holidays) are delicious, if a tad cloying. Sat Dec 13 18:58:20 -0800 2008 4180441 83766 brendastarlet 2 4300451 All of their muffins are horrible. And I agree you should not need to toast them or put peanut butter on them to make them edible. I have tried several varieties and have now given up on muffins. Also the breads spoil quickly so you have to freeze them. Tue Jan 06 08:46:11 -0800 2009 4180441 32905 rolise 1 4298812 I'm a HUGE TJ's fan, but didn't care for the canned clam chowder. Mon Jan 05 16:18:31 -0800 2009 3954841 92790 goodegg333 1 4300452 They make a sort of pasta pilaf mix called Harvest Grains Blend, the main ingredient of which is Israeli cous cous. Normally I love this kind of thing, but this mix has ingredients that take different amounts of cooking time. This is alright if you like your cous cous perfectly cooked and your baby garbanzos extra al dente -- I'll take a pass. Tue Jan 06 08:47:39 -0800 2009 3954841 57371 operagirl 1 4314008 I find their frozen burritos and enchiladas to be absolutely awful. However, I have never found a frozen burrito anywhere that was any good. Sat Jan 10 11:19:42 -0800 2009 3954841 65763 Encinitan 1 4315725 The vegetarian 'chicken' should be avoided at all costs. It tasted absolutely disgusting. Of course, once you try Quorn vegetarian 'chicken' then anything else does not taste good but this was particularly bad. Sun Jan 11 07:36:00 -0800 2009 3954841 115150 etoiles 1 4351853 new one to add: Chewy Crisp Tom Yum Cashews they're SO BAD that i'm actually considering taking advantage of TJ's generous return policy...i can't remember the last time i lunged for the sink so quickly to spit something out. Fri Jan 23 14:00:47 -0800 2009 3954841 103920 goodhealthgourmet 2 4364406 I have to disagree....I was somewhat unsure about the cashews initially, but I ended up liking them by the end of the bag. Even if I hated them, I like the fact that they tried to make something new and different and I could return it, no questions asked. Tue Jan 27 21:49:03 -0800 2009 4351853 261135 bingomar 1 4352940 The cottage cheese. The last 3 containers I bought were spoiled WELL before expiration date. Must be a problem in the delivery of the product. I'm done w that. Fri Jan 23 23:05:12 -0800 2009 3954841 10426 shaebones 1 4360635 avoid any pre made food there, like buritos, crab cakes, the hummus is a double yuck!Do the purchasers at t.j's really taste the stuff they sell? they have great prices on good cheeses , olive oil, and vinegars. Mon Jan 26 19:58:01 -0800 2009 3954841 244517 mrporkbelly 1 4360664 I think the tortillas are stale tasting, and the hummus is yuck. The frozen chicken fried rice is horrible, absolutely flavorless with gristly dark chicken. The bread is always awful. I have yet to find a loaf of bread that is edible. The good far outweighs the bad though. Mon Jan 26 20:11:54 -0800 2009 3954841 28323 MrsCheese 1 4360790 Their fresh juices are notorious for going bad and literally exploding. As the juice goes bad, the plastic container starts to bulge and grow bigger. The person stocking them joked with me about it. I had much better paying a buck for a container of OJ at Albertsons. Mon Jan 26 21:05:19 -0800 2009 3954841 258488 NewDude