Refried beans, chunk chicken, and seasonal favorites – oh my! Which
canned Trader Joe staple that you buy is better left on the shelf?
Like any grocery store, Trader Joe's is where you will come across an array
of canned goods to stock up on in your pantry. While canned beans might be one
of those items you casually grab without a second thought as you
walk down the aisle – loyal Trader Joe’s shoppers are wary about one canned good.
When it comes to the store's Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce,
The Vegan Experimentalist perhaps put it best:
"Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope."
The promise of an affordable shelf-stable kitchen staple quickly evaporates when reviewers reveal
that you’ll probably taste the can more than the beans themselves. Those on Reddit seem to be in
agreement about another criticism from The Vegan Experimentalist: the beans are just too sweet.
It is probably assumed that baked beans will come with a touch of sweetness to them,
but the Giant Baked Beans leave many confused about what exactly to do with them.
It’s also worth pointing out that some users on Reddit wondered whether the
canned beans were more palatable if you heated them up or not. If
you need to bother asking the question, then perhaps you already know the answer.
If you are unfamiliar with Greek cuisine, you may be puzzled by the concept of dolmas. But
those in the know may be quicker to give them a try when you come across a can at Trader Joe's.
The Greek delicacy, made with leaves usually stuffed with a rice filling, can be quite tasty
if done well. Unfortunately, Trader Joe's seems to miss the mark with its particular variety.
While Eating at Joe's admits that it may take a while to grow accustomed to the taste of dolmas,
Trader Joe's is not doing its dolmas any favors by
throwing in an odd mix of ingredients, like dill and mint into the mixture.
A shopper on Reddit mentioned how the dolmas are their least favorite thing to buy at Trader Joe's
but added that there are better versions out there in the world. So, it is not so much that dolmas
are a total lost cause rather, it's specifically the Trader Joe's dolmas that are a lost cause.
Not to be outdone by our friend the sardine, dorade is another kind of fish that shoppers
can buy in a canned variety at the grocery store. If you have an affinity for sardines
and are looking to branch out, you might have stopped in the canned food aisle in
the past and considered picking up some dorade to see how it compares.
While most of Trader Joe's canned fish varieties seem to be widely popular,
such as its smoked trout, the dorade appears to come up short when one looks for any sign
of approval. One comment noted that the dorade sold at Trader Joe's is "unusually
terrible" when compared to the other choices available, like sardines, herring, and mackerel.
“Oh, my, cod.”
Another Reddit thread revealed many shoppers who found the smell to be quite off-putting,
only to be followed up by a so-so experience when eating them. Several noted that the flavor of the
dorade was bland and definitely not worth the labor that is required to get past the smell.
Of the canned fish sold at Trader Joe's, the dorade seemed to be the only kind that
received multiple knocks against it, which is interesting considering that it received
good marks for flavor from Fortune Fish & Gourmet. Perhaps the dorade
is the kind of fish that is best eaten fresh and not straight out of a can.
Stepping away from the world of canned fish but without straying too far,
let's discuss the complexities of canned chicken meat. That's right, tuna and sardines
are not the only common shelf-stable protein you can find in grocery stores.
Canned chicken can work in a pinch if you need a small amount and you are shopping on a budget.
However, when you do the math, canned chicken may not be as good of a bargain as you might think.
Canned foods are usually synonymous with affordability, but if you shop around for deals,
you may find fresh chicken meat for way cheaper at the per pound rate than its canned counterpart.
While the flavor of canned chicken is not nearly as offensive as you may think,
most of the criticism found on Reddit points out that buying canned chicken
from Trader Joe's is simply not a good deal.
While the flavor is not bad per se, it also is not doing any favors,
as we pointed out on our previous list of canned foods to avoid at Trader Joe's. If
you get this can, you'll have to rely on the seasoning to do all the heavy lifting.
In the world of dairy substitutes,
coconut milk has a creamier texture than many of its competitors,
which many consumers will find appealing when adding to their favorite beverage or soup.
The creaminess is amplified by coconut milk's added benefits,
such as lower calories in one cup than cow's milk according to Medical News Today.
There are countless brands that are capitalizing on dairy substitute trends,
including Trader Joe's, which sells cans of coconut cream in its stores.
If you’re a long-time customer of Trader Joe's, then you may recognize when the formula changes
in your favorite items. That seems to be the case with its Organic Coconut Cream,
as shoppers on Trader Joe's Reviews note that the quality is not what it used to be.
Many noticed that its oily consistency is not what they were expecting from
this particular product. As with many other products, a natural separation
of oil is nothing to be alarmed by, but in this case, it's hard to ignore.
We noted that it was nearly impossible to stir the cream as the ingredients remained separated,
making all of us mourn the passing of the Trader Joe's coconut cream of old.
Trader Joe's just seems to be striking out left and right with their coconut
cream products these days. There are also a large variety of canned
beverages you can find at the grocery chain, including some canned coffees.
If you are looking to enjoy your morning cup of joe without any dairy,
then its Coconut Cream Latte may sound too good to be true. Well,
according to the reviews we found, that, unfortunately, does seem to be the case.
“Sounds like a lot of–”
“HOOPLAH”
“Sounds like a lot of–” “HOOPLAH”
“HOOPLAH!"
Yeah, sorry there’s no hooplah around this cup of joe. Just like the coconut cream mentioned above,
the Coconut Cream Latte seems to have a rather oily problem. One review on Go
Dairy Free mentioned that the oily base made the drink unappetizing,
while another review complained that the drink made them sick.
The sharp criticisms continue over on Reddit, with many comments noting
the drink's sour taste. Some even pointed out that they could not finish the drink,
and it wound up in the trash after just a couple of sips. Ouch.
Some canned goods are simple, straightforward,
and exactly what you would expect. Whether you are stocking up on canned vegetables, tuna, or beans,
there is not a whole lot of mystery involved when picking items up from the grocery store.
To keep things interesting, Trader Joe's concocted its Grecian Style
Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions. Canned eggplant: what could go wrong?
Apparently, a lot can go wrong. According to What's Good at Trader Joe's,
the featured flavor of eggplant is overshadowed by the tomatoes.
Perhaps this is less of a can of eggplant featuring tomatoes and
more of a canned tomato situation featuring eggplant? Taste aside,
the reviewer pointed out the bizarre texture they experienced was not something they would
expect from eggplant, which culminates in a downright confusing food item.
If you love tomatoes, then this item might be a winner in your book,
but if you understandably purchase this expecting eggplant, then you probably will be let down.
Refried beans can be dressed up or dressed down in a number of ways, with the best
canned versions coming with some sort of added flavor-enhancing simple but filling beans.
Trader Joe's sells Traditional Refried Beans, but if you want your beans to
come with an extra bit of zest without having to add any ingredients yourself,
Trader Joe's offers its Refried Black Beans with Jalapeño Peppers.
The mistake made here would be to simply purchase and prepare the
can of beans as-is without any sort of accompanying ingredients. Trader
Joe's Rants pointed out that the jalapeño flavor seemed nonexistent, and just a few
minutes of added attention could seriously elevate this side dish into something more.
“Careful now, this Frito Pie is spicy, spicy, spicy.”
Several others on Reddit also noticed the rather disappointingly bland flavor that
these black beans carried, making them no different than a regular can of beans. Due
to the lack of added flavor from the supposed jalapeño peppers, you are probably better off
picking up a can of traditional refried beans and dressing them up yourself.
Trader Joe's creates a bit of a frenzy multiple times each year with its rotation of seasonal
items arriving in the stores. Whether it is the Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese
in the fall or the Chocolate Covered Peppermint Joe-Joe's for the holidays,
the arrival of its seasonal offerings have grown into a cult-like event,
much like the annual return of Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte. But not every seasonal
item at Trader Joe's is a hit, as is the case with the Sparkling Pomegranate Punch.
Pomegranate is a signature fruity flavor during the holiday season, with an array of cocktails and
bubbly beverages popping up on your Pinterest board each fall. So when cans of sparkling
pomegranate juice arrived on the shelves at Trader Joe's, holiday cocktail enthusiasts were ecstatic.
Unfortunately, many quickly noticed the drink had an off-putting flavor that reminded them
more of ginger than pomegranate. Trader Joe's Food Reviews added on Instagram
that the pomegranate drink was missing its most important flavor: pomegranate,
and What's Good at Trader Joe's simply put it as the drink not being "pomegranate-y enough."
It's worth mentioning that Trader Joe's does sell more flavors of sparkling juice that customers
seem to enjoy across the board (via Reddit); it must have simply missed the mark with this
pomegranate variety. Do not use the Sparkling Pomegranate Punch as a metric for whether you
should purchase other sparkling juices from Trader Joe's; fans seem to enjoy most other flavors.
Last but certainly not least, there is the canned Turkey Chili with Beans. For starters,
this is not the healthiest of items you can find in the store.
You are far better off preparing your own turkey chili from scratch, as one can contains
a whopping 800 milligrams of sodium or 30% of the recommended daily amount according to Fooducate.
Not only that, but let's address the fact that this is just a processed version of
something you can probably make fresh with much better results. Even if this
were a healthy version of canned chili, the off-putting smell and taste alone have sent
many Trader Joe's shoppers running with a similar reaction to the giant baked beans.
“Nope nope nope. That’s gross.”
We also must address the elephant in the room:
Beans are high in non-digestible compounds like fiber and raffinose,
both of which are responsible for gas production in the gut according to Healthline.
So, consuming a can of Turkey Chili may, as one pointed Redditor suggests,
serve as an effective means of colonoscopy preparation. Of all the different Trader
Joe's canned items, this only may be the one that you have to be most wary of consuming,
particularly if you are in the company of others.