New Trader Joe's items [old]

[shaebones]

Gotta share this one. Grabbed a box of roast beef hash off the new item rack last week. Brought it to Maine for weekend eats and had it w some farm fresh eggs and Heinz chili sauce. Comes in a pouch that you can boil in the bag or remove from the pouch and fry. Carefully remove the hash from the pouch in one piece and fry on high heat in a cast iron pan. It will make a nice brown crust for your poached eggs. OMG, sooooooooo good! Best hash I've had in YEARS.

[armagnac]

It's in and out of the Brooklyn store, more often out than in, so I buy several packs when I can. Might be because it's a "Product of Brazil" and perhaps the maker can't make enough of it. Or maybe TJ's is test-marketing it and hasn't yet decided to buy it in quantity?

[elliora]

Here in the SF bay area I have been unable to get the hash for months! I think all the stores around here literally got one or two shipments (I got a few boxes and became totally addicted) and since then the computers just say it is out of stock at the warehouse, and has been saying this since July! This is happening at at least 5 of the closest trader joes to me, yes I checked, the stuff is really really good. Where is everyone else who is still finding it from? Anyone else having issues with their store not carrying it? If it did get discontinued that may be a new record...

[chez cherie]

they were demoing it at my (so CA) 'joe's yesterday, so i doubt that it's discontinued. hope you get some soon. it is quite tasty, and i'm not really a hash kinda girl.

[Dommy]

Saw it here at the LAX location this week...

IME the trader joes supply chain is VERY fractured... store managers will put in orders and then have to PRAY it comes in... basically whatever comes in the truck, is what they have to work with. It helps to become friendly with the managers and continually give them feed back. At the LAX location they have been known to hold items for customers who are very addimant about getting their items...

--Dommy!

[coney with everything]

I just bought some this week in Michigan, plenty on the shelves.

[AMFM]

saw it in VA too

[chez cherie]

the holiday stuff is beginning to appear, and it looks like the season will be bright! frozen arancini that ooze with fontina (i think it's fontina--the recycle bin is empty so i cant check the box), frozen mini-lemon squares (they are tiny, but mighty, with a bright fresh-lemon flavor), frozen pithiviers (havent tried yet, but judging from their frozen puff pastry, whose arrival for the holidays i am anxiously awaiting, should be rockin'), and some other stuff i can't remember this early in the morning.
oh. and, as posted in another thread, pie crust is back. no longer folded into quarters, it is two flat rounds in a larger box (like the puff). the formula is now sans sugar which makes it useful for sweet or savory applications (though i found the sugar in the old formula negligible, and used it for empanadas quite successfully). the dough bakes up significantly flakier than the old stuff, which i thought was pretty darn good. i'll be hoarding this for sure!
can't WAIT to see the chocolate and confections they offer this season! c'mon, chocolate enrobed pepermint joe-joe's!

[JB69711]

I know! I just noticed the frozen mashed potatoes... yum!

[emily]

They've also got frozen Morning Buns (croissant dough with cinnamon and sugar) from the maker of the croissants. I was waiting for these after seeing them in William Sonoma's catalog.

[linsue]

Not healthy but really tasty froze mini franks in a pamesan crusted flaky dough. I like their chocolate cloud cake (also incredbly tasty but I am sure quite fatteningand high in cholesterol), and somewhat more diet friendly a new frozen vegetablle mix for the microwave . It includes onions, peppers, squash, mushrooms small amount of breading and cheese. I don't remember the exact name but it is quite good

[JB69711]

I am officially addicted to this stuff! I love "corn beef hash"... I don't know what the difference is, and I don't care! When I first heard of this, I laughed... it's "dry" (meaning not frozen or refrigerated), I thought it was going to be gross. After I bought it and ate it... I bought 4 more boxes and ate them in a week. It has four servings per box: 90 calories; 1.5g fat; 1g saturated fat; 8g carbs; 10g protien... it's awesome! I can eat the whole box without feeling guilty lol. I work at Trader Joe's, and I'm just as surprised as anyone else at the stuff we come up with. I'm also just as surprised of the items we discontinue, I hope this is one to stay!

[marti]

Finally tried it. Fried till crispy with egg on top. Maybe,if I did not know it was purchased as shelf stable,I would have enjoyed it, but as it was, all I could think of was the yucky taste of old canned hash. Once was enough for me!!

[andieb]

the General Tsao sauce-this stuff is freakin' delicious! I think it would make an old shoe taste good! It's new in the Cambridge, MA location..

[Midlife]

We've been using Iron Chef's General Tsao's sauce for years and I just picked up a bottle of TJs version in SoCal. Hope it's as good.

[AMFM]

no idea if they're new but new to me - i had the southwest spiced salmon in the fresh refrigerator section. i was scared a bit too but i needed a quick dinner option for that night and it was really very good. kids loved it too and that's always a bonus.

[alkapal]

not new, but the frozen vegetable shu mai are terrible, mealy things.

[Midlife]

Tried the Roast Beef Hash this morning with fried eggs. Cooked in olive oil in non-stick pan. Really VERY good for a packaged pre-cooked product.

The only issue I had was an excessive amount of aggressive 'popping' and 'spitting' during frying. I tried several heat levels but couldn't get it to stop. Luckily I have a set of those round screen 'protector' things and used one. The hash was good enough to stick with going forward in spite of that. Next time vegetable oil?

[shoo bee doo]

Butter. Only butter. Cook very slowly. Take your time and develop a buttery, crunchy crust.

[Dommy]

Thank you so much for that... I just read it out loud SLOWLY to Hubs. We had a few things come up where we could not have it, but for SURE it's on the menu for tomorrow and he's making it (with the only instruction put above) along with some Par-baked Rays of New York Bagels we picked up at Ralphs, it'll be the something I'll be looking forward to all day... :)

--Dommy!

[Dommy]

Okay, this totally exceeded my expectations. I was worried that it would be a bit too salty... but it wasn't at all! The flavor was a very balanced, beefy but with nice spice and it was chunky but very tender. The Rays bagels were also quite delish too! :)

--Dommy!

[shaebones]

Agree.....totally. ;)

[Midlife]

OK. Tried the second half of the package with Country Crock (yes, I know you said BUTTER, but the cholesterol police were watching). Very little spitting this time.

BUT.......... this half left me with a slight upset stomach and a very 'heavy' taste/feeling, as if the hash had gone slightly bad. I had folded up the original package, put it in a ziplock sandwich bag and put it in the fridge. Had it only two days later. Package says the standard "refrigerate after opening" and that generally means 4 days max for meats and such.

Still like this stuff, so I guess the think is to freeze the leftover half ??? Or, maybe it was something else in my system. The eggs were fresh and I had nothing else but coffee.

[Midlife]

Had the second package (bought with first one) this morning. Cholesterol police were away for the weekend so I used real butter. Big difference! Got a very nice crust and just tasted better than the first one.

[alkapal]

new to me, but the frozen sole was quite nice. i have not been impressed with the swordfish (?) or mahi mahi, but this was good texture and flavor, and a good value @ $5.99 #, i made "roll-ups" with a stuffing and some sauce. two meals for two people for 6 bucks.

[shoo bee doo]

Just had it. I like it.

[shaebones]

Finally!!! Somebody tried it. :)

[chez cherie]

i saw the hash on the "what's new" shelf in pasadena (CA) today, and it's featured in the summer flyer, so i gotta think it will be everywhere.

[katiepie]

It's here! Bought some today... can't wait to try it.

[Dommy]

Got it at the Westchester Market! Going to try some tonight!!

--Dommy!

[Midlife]

Showed up in San Clemente yesterday. Will try it in next few days.

[marti]

Finally has arrived in So.Cal (Huntington Beach) today. Will report back after I have tried it!!

[chez cherie]

lots of new stuff in the produce section today. i saw shallots, onions and garlic, chopped and in a plastic tub like the mirepoix they've sold for a while now. also sliced red onions in a bag. (?) there were a couple other items in that section that i can't remember now, but they were in plastic bags with a logo that made me think of "fresh and easy"...which i'm sure was no coincidence! also a fresh berry salad thingy, and the most adorable teeny tiny new potatoes (labeled--no lie--"teeny tiny potatoes"). these are in a red net bag, with the other potatoes. seemed like more new products than i've ever noticed in one trip before.

[alkapal]

i like the new "bite size" "everything" crackers.

[newfoodie]

Love those! They are so addictive.

[greygarious]

The bite-size12-grain crackers are really good, too - like a multigrain version of Ritz.

[alkapal]

hey grey-garious! hmmm, i wonder how different the crackers' ingredients are....

i think the "everything" probably has onion and garlic powders....

[greygarious]

Well, I happen to have a box of each, so here goes (matching ingredients in caps):
12-Grain Mini Snack Crackers: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR, sunflower oil, SUGAR, Scotch OATmeal, inulin, rye flour, multigrain flour blend(wheat, rye, triticale, barley, corn, millet, soybean, sunflower seeds, rice, flax, durum wheat, oats), wheat germ, modified corn starch, SALT, INVERT syrup, SODIUM BICARBONATE, ONION powder, malt flour, monocalcium phosphate, ENZYMEs.
30gram serving: 140 calories(60 from fat), total fat 6gm (saturated fat .5gm)180mg sodium, dietary fiber 3gm, sugars 2gm, protein 2gm

Bite Size Everything Crackers: ENRICHED WHEAT FLOUR, hi-oleic safflower oil, whole wheat flour, SUGAR, toasted soy grits defatted, organic wheat bran, ONION, garlic, INVERT cane juice(sugar), SALT, organic rolled OATs, leavening (monocalcium phosphate, SODIUM BICARBONATE, caraway seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, organic oat fiber, wheat gluten, soy lecithin, papain (ENZYME). 30 gm serving, 140 calories(50 from fat), total fat 6gm (saturated fat 0), sodium 270mg, dietary fiber 2gm, sugars 2gm, protein 3gm

Seems like the 12-grain are just slightly healthier - nice, since I like them just a tad more than the Everythings. I bought the mini gorgonzola crackers too but haven't tried them yet. My latest bedtime snack is 10 of these: spread a dab of peanut butter on a 12-grain, then top it with a mini-soy/black sesame rice cracker, as they are the same size but crunchier. Love those - they are in a bag, in a different aisle (next to the breads, I think).

[alkapal]

greygarious, many thanks for the heavy lifting on typing out those ingredient labels! sodium is better with the 12-grain, too.

[newfoodie]

I saw something new and delicious today at TJ's - 1000 Layer Crackers! Have to try those soon.

[givemecarbs]

Ooo I saw those crackers too. Let us know how they are.

[emily]

I just tried the 1,000 Layer Crackers and can't keep my hands off of them! A bit salty and a bit sweet and quite rich (from the palm oil).

[greygarious]

I bought the 1000-layer this week - they are wheat flour, (black) sesame seed,sugar, palm oil, and salt (not in that order). They're nice, but at $2.49 for less than 7 oz of crackers, I won't buy them again. No one has mentioned that the box contains 7 packets of 2 crackers each - that might make them a good purchase if you want to keep a bite of something in your desk, car, or bag.

I also bought the Roast Beef Hash for the first - but not the last - time. None of the tinny taste that plagues canned hash, and bigger pieces of meat and potato. The meat looks and tastes like chopped/shredded pot roast. In the pan, it browns faster and crisper than both canned hash and what I make at home from canned corned beef, sauteed onion, and boiled potato.

[givemecarbs]

Thanks for the heads up about the crackers greygarious. I've been meaning to try that hash, hope I remember next trip.

[Enric]

I am not sure if the Sun Chips copy is very new but I just tried them last night, the French Onion Flavor BLEH, Sun Chips has nothing to worry about. The chips had this weird spongy texture and I didn't have much of a whole grain flavor like Sun Chips. I also bought the Black Bean dip, didn't care for that much either, it was too vinegary for me.
I love those thin almond cookies from Belgium and the "waffley ones".

[Emm]

I, too, was very disappointed in the Sun Chips. They're thick, flavorless, and have no resemblance to the real deal other than they are vaguely the same shape.

[Humbucker]

I quite like their Sun Chip copies. If find the thickness and texture quite satisfying. I haven't eaten Sun Chips in a while, but I remember hating them as a kid.

[Midlife]

SoCAl (OC) TJs manager said the beef hash is not on his 'in the pipeline' list. He gave me the impression that they are doing more regional items than they used to....... so we may not see it unless it's a huge hit.

[katiepie]

I live in LA county and the manager of our TJ's said we weren't getting the beef hash, either... :(

[paulispumonti]

My only concern is that it's a Product of Brazil....I'm a little leery about eating beef from outside the USA....but I did buy it and from your review, it's on tomorrows breakfast menu!!!

[alkapal]

brazil and argentina are the sources for most of the canned corned beef in the u.s.

have you had some problem with brazilian beef?

[paulispumonti]

Considering canned corned beef is one of the most repulsive items I have ever purchased from the shelves of a grocery store, I must say I'm a little bit leery....

[alkapal]

i see. but you didn't get sick, though. i thought you were addressing the safety of brazilian meat.

[choco_lab38]

FWIW, there are issues other than safety regarding Brazilian beef. There are reports that the Brazilian beef industry is one of the leading causes of Amazon deforestation.

[CoryKatherine]

.... and beef from the united states is eco-friendly, right? honestly, I can't stand when people pick and choose issues when it comes to the meat industry. I don't eat this or that from here or there, because of etc etc. Look, it's almost all terrible. Eat it and accept it or... don't.

[armagnac]

McDonald's imports much of its beef from South America. The National Cattlemen's Beef Association has issued scare warnings that theregulations there are looser than here and could result in a health hazard, But I haven't yet heard of anyone dropping dead because their Big Mac was made with Brazilian beef.

[toopickytobeafoodie]

I'm in love with the new Sour Cream and Onion Unburied Treasure. I can't tell you why exactly, because they are really nothing more than puffed things of air/corn with flavor, but I love them. Huge bag is $1.99 - out here in Pacific NW.

[CurlieGlamourGirlie]

Oooh...I'm a hash lover and new-product geek. I'm so there.

[chez cherie]

the pomegranate limeade is gonna make killer margaritas over the long weekend chez moi! (southern CA area newish item)

[FlyerFan]

Our TJs in Ohio have started carrying both dark chocolate and plain canneles, these lovely custard-filled pastries. They are frozen and take about 30 minutes to defrost (or put them in the microwave for a few seconds). Sinfully delicious!

[marti]

It would be a great help, when new items are mentioned, that area of U.S. found is included. Several items, including the roast beef hash are unheard of in my area of So. California. Would save a lot of time searching shelves. Thanks!!!!

[shaebones]

Found the hash in Burlington, MA.

[annagranfors]

Marti, I always do the simple thing and go over to the managers' booth and ask before hunting. (They're usually pretty informative, too, as to when it can be expected to be on sale in your store.) That said, you're right--a quick address mention would be helpful.

[Will Owen]

As I'm sure we California TJ's customers have discovered, that hash is now here, and has been for a while. It is emphatically good, and not too expensive.

I think these forums can help drive stocking decisions, if we just tell managers, "Gee, someone at one of your stores in Vermont has been going on about this wonderful stuff; any idea when you'll get it?" Be nice, but persistent...

[NEChef]

That might work if there were any TJ's in the state of Vermont. :-)

[Midlife]

Postscript: .................. Regardless of the state................... the hash was available at TJ's (not sure exactly where) for a year or so. Then it disappeared and my local store manager said that he was told the cost of the product had increased so much that they no longer felt it was a viable item to stock. No way to know if that's the real story. All I know is that this stuff was seriously good and a real value. It was manufactured in Argentina (if I recall correctly), and was pretty amazing for a shelf-stable. non-refrigerated cooked food in a bag.

[annagranfors]

Arrgh. For a company whose roots are literally two miles away from me in Pasadena, why is it that all you East Coasters get the new TJ's stuff first? Went by the Eagle Rock location today and asked for it, and was told it was "a future item". It sounds awesome, and I wannit, and it's *snif* JUST NOT FAIR!!! :(

[nvcook]

They have it at the Reno, Nv store also. I was leery but I might have to try it next time I'm there (unless, of course, they discontinue it) ;)

[phantomdoc]

The ones in NY and Conn. do not have liquor. Whaaahhh.

[coney with everything]

Canned or frozen? I'm intrigued.

[OneSonTwoCats]

It is packaged in a shelf-stable package, neither canned nor frozen.