559435 Mon Sep 22 16:17:03 -0700 2008 21 32 Chains 0 4053364 While there are a million posts about Trader Joe's best products the F&E posts are pretty scattered, so I'm hereby starting a Fresh & Easy "hot and not" topic. I'm including items mentioned in a couple previous threads as well. I have a whole book of $5 coupons to burn through, so please share what you like, and what you wish you'd never tried! Best Roasted Banana Gelato Hummus Tzatziki Watercress Salad F&E brand greek yogurt British brand bacon F&E brand organic coffee Poke mango sweet chili dressing lamb sardines prosciutto jamon de serrano Good life wheat pitas chorizo butternut squash soup fresh mozzarella cheese selection Worst prepared Ham & Cheese and Roast beef sandwiches Mocha cookies soymilk prepared Chicken marsala F&E brand salsa Mon Sep 22 16:17:03 -0700 2008 95577 yamalam 1 4054127 I like their Dark Chocolate gelato, hummus, and the limeade. Don't like any of their prepared meals. Mon Sep 22 22:44:44 -0700 2008 4053364 11583 ipsedixit 2 4054474 I love their gourmet mac and cheese (freezer section) The frozen Indian entrees onion barjhi (fresh) dipped in the plain greek yougurt Lemon Cilantro Hummus Organic Decaf coffee Fresh Pizza Dough Pate Terrine price on humboldt fog cheese Naan Breads Roti '"bread" wraps poke salad mango chili dressing blue cheese dressing meyer lemon cake mix pistachio gelato Tue Sep 23 06:12:03 -0700 2008 4054127 16764 ciaogal 2 4055583 I haven't had any success with the prepared meals either. I'll add the prepared baked potato and Carribbean chicken to the NO list. But I can't stop trying them. Especially when they have a red sticker. Tue Sep 23 12:22:08 -0700 2008 4054127 95577 yamalam 3 4055993 Well, doesn't the poke count as a "prepared meal"? :-) Tue Sep 23 14:35:27 -0700 2008 4055583 11583 ipsedixit 4 4056249 I haven't tried it yet, Mr. Exact Details:-) Tue Sep 23 16:05:36 -0700 2008 4055993 95577 yamalam 2 4055943 I haven't had any of hte prepared foods that I've liked either. I've only tried a few but none have impressed me at all so I don't even look at them anymore. Tue Sep 23 14:12:26 -0700 2008 4054127 16406 ziggylu 1 4055426 My first encounters with their prepared salsas were horrifying -- I thought, it's a Brit company, so maybe that's why it' so *wrong* despite being distributed from El Segundo. I mean, it was full of bell peppers. But they have started carrying more varieties, and these seem to be much better. Their salsa authentica is more of a restaurant-style, thin for chips. They also do a fire-roasted which is more like a salsa molcajete, and a salsa verde with tomatillos now. Most of their cookies are fab. Pecan shortbreads, yum. Tue Sep 23 11:31:55 -0700 2008 4053364 10846 themis 1 4055607 There Chocolate and Carrot Cakes are very good, and great when you are in a Pinch. They serve about 6 people very well, while my wife would say 8. Tue Sep 23 12:28:00 -0700 2008 4053364 21396 normalheightsfoodie 2 4055931 Oh, that reminds me. Their cheesecake was awful. Waaay too sweet. Tue Sep 23 14:10:34 -0700 2008 4055607 95577 yamalam 1 4055960 So many that I love have already been mentioned but I'll add: brownie mix that has the chunks of chocolate in it the racks of lamb are excellent - especially when they have the half price sticker! Voskos yogurts. I could live off of this The basic extra virgin olive oil has become my staple cooking oil(replacing TJ's) Their version of the fig newton(the peach ones were too sweet for me) blue corn tortilla chips(avoid the lime ones though!) I'm happy with all the fresh basics: produce, dairy cheese selection, and the meats I like the Fresh and Easy Primativo wine and keep a few bottles of that around as a "house wine" the albacore tuna Misses their version of a tater tot - bought them on impulse since we were making sloppy joes. Terrible! Salty! Mild Italian Sausage - no flavor whatsoever. Even half price it wasn't worth the $$ all prepared foods lime and chile tortilla chips (on the positive side so strong in flavor you can only eat a few at a time thus preventing salty snack overdose) Couscous - prefer whole wheat and wish they would add it Interestingly, I was just reading an article for a class I'm taking and it mentioned that F&E expects to expand their private label offerings by 200+ products in the coming months. Seems they are finding their customers have a good response to their private label and that's what is drawing people in, not their competitiveness on national brands. I can only speak for myself, but have found this has been the case in our household. Overall I've been really happy with the quality if their private label offerings(but please please don't take away the Voskos yogurt unless you plan to have them mfg your private label for you! I'm seriously addicted!) Tue Sep 23 14:21:01 -0700 2008 4053364 16406 ziggylu 1 4056001 The fresh large scallops...never frozen and superb! The fresh meat section in general The little smoked trout fillets (when they've got a red sticker) Most of the juices that they've sampled are good, less sickly sweet than most Dark Belgian chocolate (similar in quality to the TJ's branded) Canned beans Refrigerated salad dressings Fresh strawberries Pears and apples All of the humus flavors except roasted garlic I like the salty flavored tortilla chips for exactly the reason that I only need to eat a few! Some of the prepared salads are okay (the beet one) Worst Premade dinners (the frozen ones seem better) I agree about the regular salsa, but the mango one is good. The pre-cut stirfry vegs always seem to be on the verge of going off Tue Sep 23 14:37:04 -0700 2008 4053364 71215 mlgb 2 4056138 Oh yes, the dark chocolate. The baking bar is quite good and stamped "Callebaut." A couple weeks ago they had the dark candy bars on sell for $.49 each(belgian also but no stamp). These are really good too...I stocked up on them and have used a couple to make cookies with good success. I've also been pleased with the quality of the nuts. And like the small packages so they don't go rancid before I get through them all. (With a 2 person household I"m actuallygenerally just a fan of the smaller packages throughout the store) Tue Sep 23 15:25:35 -0700 2008 4056001 16406 ziggylu 3 4056441 The wasabi almonds are good! And there's quite a bit of extra wasabi powder left for sprinkling on popcorn. I noticed the cornflakes on sale this week, which I liked the last time. Also sad to see that the whole wheat pizza dough blob was gone. Maybe permanently? They keep moving the half-off stuff all over the store. Today I noticed they're stacking some of it almost ontop of the registers. The milk chocolate almond clusters or cashews were there. Very good. All natural ingredients. Tue Sep 23 17:24:06 -0700 2008 4056138 71215 mlgb 1 4056437 Best: -Fresh meat (huge selection, good prices) -Pre-made meatball sub (though I heated it in the oven instead of microwave like they suggested) -Those $5 coupons they're constantly giving out Worst: -Pre-made mac n cheese (chalky and bland) -F&E fat-free greek yogurt (chalky) -Baguette (dry and chewy) Tue Sep 23 17:21:25 -0700 2008 4053364 17863 Newkie 2 4064579 They're testing an on-line coupon for $1 off $10. Not quite as good as the $5 ones though. http://www.freshandeasy.com/coupon.aspx Fri Sep 26 15:41:55 -0700 2008 4056437 71215 mlgb 1 4068323 Their white cheddar "Pirate's Treasure" is even better than I remember the original Pirate's Booty being, and it's much better than TJ's knock-off. I love the coupons, and I tend to plan 2-3 worth of cooking by what produce is on clearance. Sun Sep 28 16:26:45 -0700 2008 4053364 46956 maestra 1 4085008 Best: Onion Bhaji Worst: Mandatory self-checkout Mon Oct 06 08:08:03 -0700 2008 4053364 15807 Steve Green 1 4114713 Two new favorites Carrot Ginger Soup (veggie base but it has a touch of cream in it) Blackberry Rum Sorbet..new flavor! Sun Oct 19 14:39:53 -0700 2008 4053364 71215 mlgb 1 5141396 I agree with the Primativo wine & also the Oggio red- both really good quality for under $5.99! Also if you buy 6 bottles of any wine you'll get a 10% discount. The gourmet mac & cheese in the frozen section is really good- we doctor it with a couple dices slices of proscuitto- There was a lemon saffron cous cous that I adored but i think it was a casualty of the recent store product changes :( An odd one I like is the coconut flavored drinking water- I use it when I make rice & it gives it a wonderful hint of flavor. Their 50% whole wheat/50% semolina spagetti is one of the best I've had- all the nutrition and none of the guminess. Thu Oct 29 15:44:58 -0700 2009 4053364 1105132 modfood 1 5141596 I like their "gel" and pudding cups. The milk chocolate pudding is sinful. My husband goes nuts over the Vanilla Flan cups. The sushi rolls are ok in a pinch. Sometimes I get one for lunch. Their Ice tea/lemonade in the refrigerator section is decent. I love the Balsamic vinaigrette dressing that comes with their field greens salad. Haven't tried any of the prepared foods as they just look unappetizing to me. I'm not much for prepared meals. A coworker seems to like a few of the frozen meals. The rice & adzuki bean chips are great, when they have them. Their teas are pretty good...I think we recently tried Peach/ginger tea or something like that. For $1.99, it's quite tasty. Thu Oct 29 17:10:14 -0700 2009 4053364 173425 Jen76 2 5143309 Oh yeah, the pudding cups are so creamy and delicious. I've also recently become a fan of their pizzas which make for a solid, inexpensive dinner. Lastly, their cheddar cheese has become a staple in my fridge. Fri Oct 30 11:10:56 -0700 2009 5141596 17863 Newkie