Trader Joe's Super Sweet Fresh Corn

This appears to be a new product at Trader Joe's. I mean, corn on the cob is not exactly a new product, but this particular packaging is.

And I don't get what the point of it is. What's wrong with selling individual ears of corn in nothing but the convenient, natural packages of their husks? It appears that TJ's has either people or machines cut off the ends to a uniform length, partially (but not fully) remove the husks, and wrap them in plastic on a plastic tray. This just seems bizarre, unnecessary, and wasteful.

I might forgive it if the corn inside were special in some way. It's not. It was neither "super sweet" nor especially "fresh." Of course, it was "fresh" if that word is understood merely to mean "not canned or frozen"--but not if it is understood to mean "picked very recently."


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Fleur De Sel Caramels

The addition of a pinch of salt is the only thing that sets these caramels apart from any others--and it's not enough to make them especially interesting or desirable.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Trader Joe's Apple Cider Caramels

Well, these are definitely something different from any candies I've had before. The apple infusion is strong--I actually noticed it before the taste of caramel hit. It's an unusual combination, and I don't think it works particularly well. Not terrible by any means, but just...off. The caramel-apple center is also really runny, and you basically can't bite into it without getting it on your hands. I don't like chocolates being messy.

Note, finally, that you get only four to a box, which seems kinda chintzy.


Will I buy it again? 

No.

Envy apples

I saw somebody on Twitter excited to find her favorite variety of apple at Trader Joe's. I had never heard of Envy, but I looked it up, and of course the brand's web site makes it sound fabulous. So I grabbed two of them on my last TJ's trip.

I am underwhelmed. They are extremely crispy, I'll give them that. But it's almost to a fault; they're actually physically difficult to bite into because of being so firm.

Other than that, I found no extraordinary qualities. They're not especially sweet or juicy.


Will I buy it again? 

No. I'd pick a honeycrisp over Envy every time.

And, do we really need to be flying apples in from New Zealand, which is about as far from the US as it's possible to get?

Roundup

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


5 cheap Trader Joe's snacks any kid will adore

Trader Joe's announces recall of three varieties of fresh salad due to foreign matter

New vegan food at Trader Joe's for the holidays

Every pumpkin-spice item at Trader Joe's ranked

Trader Joe's $3.99 wines ranked

Top 10 Trader Joe's products you need this holiday season

6 easy Trader Joe's dinner ideas

Four-way grocery price comparison

13 new vegan products at Trader Joe's



Best tweets of the week:

Checked to see if my hot dog buns were good to eat (spoiled alert: they're not) and noticed #TraderJoes stamped the expiry date ONTO one of the buns pic.twitter.com/xo4NdIidmj

— Bharat (@bkusuma) November 18, 2017

They say you spend a third of your life in bed but I think I spend a third of my life removing #TraderJoes protective film.

— Kevin Dunham (@kevindunham) November 18, 2017

Me filling my cart at Trader Joe's: hmm candy cane tea, shortbread stars, kettle corn, chips and salsa, chocolate truffles
My husband: Are you getting any real food?
Me: This is *real* food!!!#TraderJoes

— Victoria Ciavolella (@harpchick1) November 21, 2017

Just ran into #TraderJoes the day before Thanksgiving. A risky move, yes, but I emerged with only a stubbed toe & a few scratches. #thankful

— Coryn (@corynd27) November 22, 2017

I buy these little salami and cheese snack packs from #TraderJoes. There are always 9 pieces of salami and 8 pieces of cheese. pic.twitter.com/WVQYB2fcsL

— Colette Murphy (@ThatColette) November 23, 2017

You can only eat these crackers with pumpkin soup. If you eat them with any other kind of soup, Trader Joe himself comes to your house and punches you in the face#TraderJoes #Thanksgiving pic.twitter.com/Hdzz6vwmu8

— Tom Valente (@TomValente) November 23, 2017

Dare to compare. #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/thNpTVVNzy

— Ignazio (@IgnazioChicago) November 23, 2017

#traderjoes started making #vegan coconut whipped cream IN A SPRAY CAN and everytime I remember that I think about how much better my life would be if I had that rn

— Rosalind Kichler (@rosalinddara) November 24, 2017

#traderjoes the day after thanksgiving. Thought there’d be no people... there was also no food. pic.twitter.com/sQD3dyPGHX

— Morgan Marcell (@morgankei) November 24, 2017

And finally, here's this week's cute cat in a Trader Joe's grocery bag with his Trader Joe's scratching pad.

Roger, in L.A. - "Sweet. I can see the bird feeder from here..." #GladdersYoga @TreasuryMog #TraderJoes pic.twitter.com/HbIdbLm6jP

— Emilie Pallos Design (@EmiliePallos) September 6, 2017

Trader Joe's Gluten Free Egg Fettuccine Pasta

Nina took one look at this package and said, "Oh dear." She thought it had no chance of being successful. Was she right?

Well, yes and no. It's not great--but it's OK. And being just acceptable is a significant win for a gluten-free pasta. (Rice flour is its primary ingredient.)

With a bold, spicy sauce (Mario Batali's Arrabbiata) and some fake ground beef sprinkled on top for protein, I really didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about it. I don't think I would have noticed that it was a gluten-free product in this configuration, though perhaps I would have if it were served in a way that required the pasta to stand up for itself more. Nina, though, insisted that she still noticed that it was a little off, even as well-disguised as it was. But she conceded that just being mediocre among the ranks of all pastas, instead of really awful, makes it among the best of the gluten-free pastas we've tried.


Will I buy it again? 

Not for myself. But I'd eagerly recommend it to those who need gluten-free products, and I'd buy it if I were going to have dinner guests who needed gluten-free alternatives.

Trader Joe's Veggies & Greens Salad Kit

I was about to describe this, but you can just read on the front of the package what's in it. It's all chopped, mostly quite finely, so if you like big leaves and hunks of veggies in your salad, you're out of luck. (The leaves pictured on the package are a lie.)

The bag contains three small bags, in addition to the main contents. These contain the dressing, the pistachios, and the "dried pear crumbles."

Put together, it makes for a rather interesting salad. I've never had either dried pears or pistachios on a salad, let alone both at once. But it was too heavy in kale and Brussels sprouts for my taste. Nina, however, liked it a lot--except for the honey-ginger dressing, which, predictably, she found too sweet. I, predictably, thought that was the best part.


Will I buy it again? 

No, but I'm not sorry I tried it. I started this as a side salad for a dinner with Nina, and finished the bag on my own over the next few days. Which means that I didn't dislike it so much that I threw it out, or returned it to the store, or gave it to Nina to finish (all of which are things I routinely do when I hate a TJ's product).