The Best (And Worst) Items In Our Trader Joe’s Cart This Week

Once again, I find myself wandering the aisles of Trader Joe’s for work this week… yippee! Besides the fact that I’ll never get over that I am somewhat required to go to my favorite grocery store for my job, I get to do my other favorite thing as part of the task: gossiping about groceries. Some might call the subject boring, but hey, everyone has a vice and I will not stand for grocery slander.

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Of everything we picked up this week for evaluation from Trader Joe’s, there were a couple of standout items that really struck our fancy. But that doesn’t always mean they’ll hold up to the ultimate test—the taste test. Now here we are, ready to dish out the truth on these products. Are you ready?

Pumpkin Caramel Kringle

Okay, okay, it’s almost September now and I’ve been dying to try this seasonal Kringle, so I caved. I’m usually pretty dedicated to letting summer have its proper moment in the sun (pun always intended), but I simply needed to try out this pastry. I am a lover of the Trader Joe’s kringles and this one was no different. The pastry itself never disappoints, and the warm flavor of the rich caramel and warming spices was delightful.

The thing I actually really appreciated about this is that pumpkin is the second ingredient and it wasn’t just dependent on the spices for flavor. In fact, this leaned more into the caramel-y flavor of the gourd in a delightful way, getting more of the spicy cinnamon flavor from the light glaze. The pecans on top were a delightful autumn touch, too. It could use some salt, though, for balance’s sake.

Rating:

8.5/10

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Nacho Cheese Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips

These are a variation of the Trader Joe’s version of Takis that they released a couple of years ago that are a more natural alternative. So, this version is simply a nacho cheese flavored version of that iconic Takis format. Turns out they were good, but not great. The cheddar flavor was a little bit muddy and the texture of the rolled chip was more crumbly than crunchy. The texture of them was honestly surprising considering that none of the other rolled tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s have this issue. Could I still eat a bowl full of these chips? For sure. But when the other two flavors already on offer from Trader Joe’s are so good, I can’t say I’d buy another bag of these.

Rating:

6.5/10

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Mandarin Crunch Pasta Salad

I always like to see what’s new and in-stock in the prepared foods section at Trader Joe’s. This week, I spotted this Mandarin Crunch Pasta Salad and something about the juicy mandarins just sounded irresistible. Overall, it was a good pasta salad. I liked the peppery flavor of the arugula in combination with the cranberries and feta for a nice lead-into-fall lunch. And the mandarins were a nice, bright pop of flavor. I just can’t say it was great due to its overwhelming lack of seasoning. I guess there was technically some salt in the salad but it could use a whole lot more of it. I’d even go so far as to say that I’d be more than willing to get it again, but only in the singular instance that I know I’m eating it somewhere there’s a salt shaker laying around.

Rating:

5/10

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Taco Seasoned Beef Stick

Chomps, chomps, chomps. They were the craze that overran modern snacking a few years ago and they haven’t seemed to have lost steam. But now Trader Joe’s is coming for some of that notoriety through the release of their own Taco Seasoned Beef Stick. And, honestly, we think they did a great job. It’s undeniably taco flavored and the jerky itself is tender. It’s perhaps a bit more dry, but I’ve have had my fair share of tough and dry Chomps, too, depending on the day. It’s an easy snack and way cheaper than the Chomps alternative. They only come in the single packs, though, so they’re not quite as easy to stock up on.

Rating:

9/10

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Lemon Pepper Seasoning

I love pretty much anything lemon-pepper flavored and when I don’t have the seasoning on hand, I’ll make my own little version in a pinch with an actual lemon and freshly cracked black pepper. But, there’s something about the convenience of these little shakers that is just too good to pass up on. And unfortunately, this seasoning was simply lackluster. After having marinated chicken and cooking it with this seasoning, you couldn’t even taste it a little bit. And it wasn’t an issue of quantity either―the bottle was nearly drained halfway. It just didn’t taste like much, so we’ll pass on this one next time and stick to the Cuban Style Citrusy Garlic Seasoning Blend instead.

Rating:

2/10

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