<p>Trader Joe’s Coastal Syrah, 2007. This wine is bottled for TJ’s by Castoro Cellars in Calif. TJ’s also carries some of the Castoro wines, with their own labels, and most are pretty good. This Syrah has replaced the Jepson as our every-day Syrah (Jepson winery was sold, and our local TJ’s no longer have the Syrah and aren’t likely to get more). Easy drinking, with nice floral and fruit flavors and light on tanins. A steal at $5.</p>
<p>Trader Joe’s Chicken Fajita Burrito, with grilled chicken, seasoned veggies, and mild chiles. Comes frozen, can be microwaved, but best cooked in conventional oven to get the tortilla crisped. Perfect to keep on hand for a quick snack, healthier and cheaper than doing processed fast-food. $3.</p>
<p>I stopped at page 7. I’ve always been able to understand why people like TJ’s for entertaining, but it sounds from responses as if their customers equally choose it for everyday personal/family eating. </p>
<p>I have a question: Does no one on CC cook, you know – cook – anymore? Not as in, heat, or thaw. Cook.</p>
<p>Not a criticism. Just a question. Because the popularity even outside CC is such (and, corresponding to that, their growth) that it seems they do cater to a trend not to cook, no?</p>
<p>And if so, I’m a minority. No wonder I’ve been out of the TJ loop for so long.</p>
<p>I mean, I did read post 406 and some previous ones referring to TJ cookbooks, but the lists themselves are overwhelmingly for prepared foods.</p>
<p>TJ’s motto is that their staples and everyday foods are cheap enough so that you can spend a little money each week on luxuries. They do have staples but they have a lot of prepared or near-prepared foods. Our life is our time and many prefer to do other things rather than cook from scratch. That said my wife usually cooks from scratch but she has the time to do that.</p>
<p>Epiphany: I think it’s just not exciting to talk about the pork tenderloin, chicken breasts or steak tips; the fresh veggies and lettuce blends, etc.</p>
<p>Five years ago we had a supermarket strike and TJ’s was pretty much the only place we shopped. And I mostly cook from scratch.</p>
<p>That said, I served the spinach-artichoke dip on Christmas Eve and it was a huge hit.</p>
<p>I cook from scratch a good bit of the time, but on those days when you can’t or choose not to, it’s wonderful to have a product that is worthy of not only being a quick meal but a GOOD TASTING meal - and a lot of stuff at the regular grocery store is NOT this! But many of these TJ products are both - quick and tasty and often decently nutritious.</p>
<p>Are those fresh or frozen? And if they’re fresh, how do those prices compare to your local butcher or wherever you used to shop or where you would have to shop in absence of TJ’s?</p>
<p>We visited a new TJs at Fresh Pond in Cambridge. On the other side of the highway is a longstanding Whole Foods. Very nice layout; lots of space too but the usual TJs items - just in a bigger store. It will be nice; we can stop off at TJs on the way to Boston and stop at Whole Foods on the way back.</p>
<p>Yes, I cook. And sometimes I do TJ’s guilt-free because their food is pretty healthy. Son is at school until 6:00 every day and it’s almost a half hour each way to pick him up. Sometimes I need to get something on the table fast, if I have evening clients or a meeting. TJ’s helps. It’s a lot healthier than fast food.</p>
<p>Whole Foods is overall, an expensive place to shop.</p>
<p>However, my wife likes to go there about once a month for certain things and I like a few store brand items. We typically do a trip to Boston to buy asian groceries at the 88 Supermarket, soon to become the Hong Kong Supermarket, about once a month. We usually stop by the Whole Foods on the way back. We often do other things at Boston but we didn’t have enough time this past weekend.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone needs to apologize for not cooking – be it ever, or now and then. I just find it a fascinating economic study. TJ’s has obviously done extremely well & shows no signs of contraction. I used to think that their primary market was people who entertain often, and people with giant freezers. I’m not being sarcastic. Just observing that all the people I personally know who frequent TJ’s and consider it “essential” have one of those two characteristics, if not both.</p>
<p>However, from this thread it would seem that a primary market for TJ’s is the group that has very modern, “hip” food tastes and consumes a great deal of prepared food. </p>
<p>I used to entertain a lot, but rarely bought at TJ’s except for some peripheral experimental reason. Perhaps when I entertained so much, they offered fewer choices? And friends of mine who entertained mostly didn’t use TJ’s much, either. So I’m concluding that my original assumptions of their primary market were either false, or since then, have changed.</p>
<p>^ But I’m not saying there aren’t a lot of CC cooks. There definitely are. I’m talking about the TJ consumer market, and trends that may be indicated by what has been listed here – particularly because the income segment on CC seems to correlate with the (non-CC) TJ consumers I personally know and know of.</p>
<p>Another comment from me would be that for me, I still prefer to buy my produce and even meat from a local store/market. So others, like me, would not comment on those items from TJ’s BUT use TJ’s for other grocery items - boxed, bagged, canned, jarred - whatever. Which may contribute to why it may appear that many of the items mentioned here appear to be “convenience” food.</p>
<p>They have a store on Beacon St in Brookline and I think that a lot of people use TJs for staples there. It is very nice to have a store that carries a lot of staple items if you’re in the city and especially if you don’t have a car.</p>
<p>I cook dinner from scratch just about every night, and the vast majority of my shopping is done at TJ’s. It would make for an awfully boring thread or post if I wrote about buying mushrooms or potatoes or eggs or string cheese or cereal or pasta or peanuts or chocolate chips, which I buy at TJ’s because the price is much better than the local supermarket. </p>
<p>Most of the unique things I get at TJ’s aren’t in the frozen meal category. Unusual salsas, cheese, breads, or dried fruit. Not to mention those peppermint Joe Joe sandwich cookies, which are just totally unique. TJ’s also has that sample counter to get you hooked on something new. This weekend, it was those little mushroom pastries (delicious, would be great for a party) and a really nice camembert (we went for the triple cream brie instead). </p>
<p>I’ve noticed that TJ’s has added more staples lately, like granulated and brown sugar. Over the years, I’ve noticed that my local supermarkets have increased the number of convenience foods but decreased raw ingredients. I can find many more instant mixes in the baking aisle, but to get rye flour I have to go to Whole Foods. So having more convenience foods is more a societal thing than just something at TJ’s.</p>
<p>Alright Epiphany, then I guess I was confused about your question. I was responding to…</p>
<p>“I have a question: Does no one on CC cook, you know – cook – anymore? Not as in, heat, or thaw. Cook.”</p>
<p>I click on this thread from time to time, because I have a TJ’s in the next town. I stopped by last week, while in the neighborhood, because I needed a whole lot of unsalted butter and heavy cream, and trusted they would have a good product. I also bought raw pecans. I was making cookies from an old Fine Cooking magazine. While there, I would also buy olive oil if I didn’t already have a stash. I almost always cook from scratch. OTOH, I did find previous suggestions here intriguing. The seasonal peppermint cookies where at the register when I checked out. Picked them up…then put them back. I don’t really like cookies, but I LOVE seasonal. I agree they have better than usual convenience foods, that I have bought as well. For me, that means when I get home at 7 PM, I may make the "pacific northwest grilled salmon’ or “zuni roast chicken” from “scratch”, but have one of their frozen rice or vegetable dishes on the side.</p>
<p>I definately prefer my local grocer for fresh proteins and produce.</p>
<p>I get to TJ’s about once every three weeks but don’t find their produce to be less expensive then my local stores or Costco so don’t usually buy them there. We don’t eat a lot of meat, and I find that better priced at Costco - always my destination after TJ’s. The staples that I always buy at TJ’s are milk, tofu, cheese, olive oil, and pasta. Their organic milk is lower priced then other places except for Costco and Costco’s has a weird dribble-inducing container that I avoid. I agree with the other posters in that the reason those staples haven’t been mentioned on this thread is that it would be a boring read. </p>
<p>I think of TJ’s as a special sort of treat place for myself where I can buy stuff for the nights when I work and my husband and son have to make their dinner and I can buy a frozen meal for myself to eat at work. I feel that they get that many of us Americans want the homemade, ethnic tasting food, that’s not overloaded with msg and salt and we don’t want to pay and arm and a leg for it.</p>
<p>Well, lets see, Epiphany. Modern cooking has changed and Trader Joe accomodates those of us who like to cook from scratch, but who also like to experiment with ethnic foods and try different things. They are great at mix and matching different products, fresh with prepared. They have plenty of fresh foods in the produce, dairy and meat departments. Also they have wonderful fresh frozen fish and chicken. Their nuts and dried friuts are excellent for eating and baking. Ones cooking repoitiore(sp?) increases many fold with TJ around. There food is healthier and their dairy is free range and antibiotic free. They also accomodate the vegan/vegetarian crowd. They are a godsend when you have family on different schedules and need something quick. They also carry a very wide selection of delicious coffees and teas, vitamins and supps.</p>
<p>I tried the parmesan pastry hot dogs and took them to a holiday party where they disappeared right away. They are fattening, but are a fabulous appetizer. Again, discovered them from the samples they give away.</p>