Next to Godliness Auto Dish Soap

Rating:
Price: $3.79

Features: Not very good at cleaning dishes, intriguing ingredients list

Found in: Cleaning / Bath Products

This Trader Joe's dishwasher detergent is "formulated to perform effectively while being safe for the environment." About that performing effectively part... I suppose it depends on what your standard for 'effective' is. Most name brand dishwasher soaps claim to be the most amazing thing on the market, not just effective. TJ's Auto Dish Soap sort of cops out before you even get going as the directions state to "presoak heavily soiled or baked on foods." Maybe I have seen too many years worth of advertising for other miracle and environmentally unfriendly products, but shouldn't a dishwasher be able to take care of really dirty dishes? Isn't that what the environmentalists say - don't prewash or you will end up using as much water as washing your dishes twice?

Let's go through the claims on the front of the bottle:

• Biodegradable - Ok, I believe that.
• Phosphate Free - True.
• Chlorine Free - True.
• Removes Dried on Foods - Mostly false.
• Removes Tough Stains - Mostly false.
• Built-in Rinse Aid - Ok...
• Dries Spot Free - False, more like "dries on a nice foggy film."

I wanted to try this product because I was intrigued by the ingredients list: Vegetable and Coconut Derived Surfactants, Earth Salt, Citrus Based Water Softener, Corn Based Thickener, Vegetable Based Drying Agent, Lemon Oil, Water. I thought it would be cool to get clean dishes using coconut dishwasher soap. Well, that would be cool, but this product doesn't quite get there.

Several of the 'mates have mentioned dishes not coming out clean, having to be re-run, or hand washed. Nothing exceptional either, it really should be able to take care of a dirty coffee mug. You also have to fill the soap dispenser all the way up every time, not the case with other products.

I don't doubt that this soap is a lot more environmentally friendly than others. But, if you have to use more each time and it doesn't do a complete job, are you really coming out ahead? How about a little compromise: Use the other Trader Joe's Environmentally Sound Automatic Dishwashing Detergent. It is cheaper, works fabulously, and makes an effort to be easy on the environment.

Looks like I am developing a thing for reviewing soaps of all kinds from Trader Joe's. I'm not sure what the deal is...perhaps because they are usually 'next to Godliness'? Hmm...

Pure Bourbon Vanilla Extract

Rating:
Price: $4.99 (4 Oz)
Features: Ridiculous value.
Found in: Near baking supplies (not with the spices for some reason)

If you discover you are out of vanilla right when you want to bake something as I did (not sure when else that would be a real emergency), you better head to Trader Joe's! I challenge you, that's right - the gauntlet has been thrown, to find a better vanilla value anywhere. I doubt it can be done, even buying bulk and bringing your own container.

Purchasing vanilla extract in any other store is guaranteed to leave you with half as much vanilla for at least twice the price. Or, you might end up with some nasty artificial "vanilla" for about the same price. Both of these things are to be avoided, especially that last one!

Apparently this vanilla is Bourbon Vanilla because the French took some vanilla cuttings from Mexico to Ile de Bourbon in the 1800s. Wikipedia tells me Ile de Bourbon is east of Madagascar and is now Reunion. Huh, fun facts. In any case, this is some tasty extract!

I will admit that I purchased some Tahitian vanilla extract from TJ's several years ago and was not too impressed. That product isn't in my store anymore. The only other option was "alcohol-free" vanilla extract, which seems like a curious idea considering the mark of a good extract is generally a solid alcohol content. Good Eats taught me that vanilla has alcohol soluble flavor compounds. No alcohol in the production process means you are missing out. Maybe they can work around that somehow?

I've made two loaves of chocolate chip banana bread (delicious) and some whipped cream with this stuff so far. And there is still so much left...what to do next?

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Now playing: Del Tha Funky Homosapien - What Is A Booty
via FoxyTunes

Tilapia Citronette

Rating:
Price: $6.99

Features: Super citrusy sauce
Found in: Frozen seafood

These "marinated Tilapia fillets with grilled asparagus and sliced carrots" were pretty good. The lemon butter sauce has quite the citrus zing to it, and permeates the whole dish. The minimal amounts of asparagus and carrots seem like an afterthought, something thrown on there to give it a little color.

The good: Tastes good - gives a plain fish some powerful flavor, easily enough fish for two people in each package, Tilapia stands up well to being frozen - so the fish is still firm and hearty.

The not-so-good: This dish took nearly twice as long to cook in the oven as the package suggested - I want my dinner now! Not a surprise that a thick block of frozen fish takes more than 20 mins at 400 degrees. I feel like frozen Tilapia should be cheaper...even if you do get a fair amount.

The bottom line: I might buy this again if I want something easy for two people. I did like the intense lemon flavor. I'll just keep in mind that it may take some time to cook unless I want partially frozen fish on my plate.

Fair Trade Organic Bolivian Blend

Rating:
Price: $6.49 (14 Oz)
Features: One of the best Trader Joe's coffees, just the right roast!
Found in: Coffee / tea aisle

I bought TJ's Bolivian Blend because it was the cheapest organic & fair trade option. I figured it would be decent, but didn't expect it to be excellent. Well, I was wrong there! This is easily one of the best Trader Joe's coffees, and certainly the best organic fair trade TJ's coffee blend.

The "medium dark roast" is perfect for my tastes. It strikes a nice balance between the rich smokey flavors developed in a darker roast (without tasting burned), preserves the more complex sweet and spicy flavors of a lighter roast, but isn't overly acidic (which can be a problem for the lighter roasts at TJ's). The result is a very smooth drinking brew with a distinct sweet caramel flavor. I'm drinking a cup straight out of the french press as I write. Usually I go for the cream to smooth things out, but I don't even miss it with this coffee! (It is also great with cream, don't worry.)

Here is what Trader Joe has to say about this blend:

Trader Joe's Bolivian Blend Coffee is a fair trade coffee that is sourced from small family farms in the land located between the peaks of the Andes and the Amazon Basin - the heart of Bolivian coffee country. This region has the ideal growing conditions for this unique, perfectly balanced coffee. Our Bolivian Blend is a medium-dark roast with a smooth textured body, delicate acidity, and sweet flavor and caramel characteristics.

Well, that explains why it is so good. Here is a tantalizing shot of a steaming fresh cup. Go get some!

Heart Healthy* Whole Grain Blueberry Instant Oatmeal

Rating:
Price: $3.49
Features: Surprisingly sparse and artificial-tasting blueberries.
Found in: Near cereals

After my rave review and continuous consumption of TJ's Cranberry Oatmeal, I expected to enjoy the blueberry version to the fullest. Not so, in fact, it is quite a disappointment! They removed everything that is excellent about the cranberry stuff, and that makes it...well, a lot less good.

I discussed how the cranberry version has lots of dried fruit in it, and a nice balance of sweet and tart. Sadly, there are very few blueberries in this oatmeal, and those that you can dig up are tiny, shriveled, and what little flavor they have seems artificial. I had to search for the two little specks of blueberries that are showing in the photo (notice the difference compared to the product shot on the box). This oatmeal is too sweet and leaves a weird fake-almost-blueberry-but-not-quite taste in your mouth.

Red vs. Blue: Red wins.

Pad Thai Noodles and Sauce

Rating:
Price: ~$3.00 (?)
Features: Dry rice noodles, packet of sauce. That's all you get.
Found in: Unrefrigerated prepared food aisle

I have had this box of Trader Joe's Pad Thai sitting in my pantry for at least a year and a half now. I remember being excited when I saw it for the first time at the store. I had just seen an episode of Good Eats in which Alton Brown makes Pad Thai, but unlike his usual recipes, he makes it look insanely complicated. Part of the episode shows him going through an Asian grocery store picking out all kinds of ingredients that, at the time, I had never seen and would not know how to seek out. He tries to convince the viewer that they should step out of their shell and give it a go, but the final product on the show didn't look great. Sorry Alton, I'm sure your recipe is delicious, but it looked flavorless on TV even though so many exotic ingredients went in.

So, back to the boxed version. I was looking for instant gratification, which a heat and eat product should provide. I wanted to have some Pad Thai I had a hand in making, but not cook all day. I planned to go home and make it for dinner the same day I bought it. Why has it taken me over a year to get to eating? Because I neglected to read the extensive list of additional ingredients not included in the box. I was expecting to need to add some chicken or tofu, stir-fry, and have dinner. Not so! Here is what the box suggests you add: Egg, chicken / prawns / tofu, bean sprouts, peanuts, lime wedges, and fresh chiles. Plus, you have to cook or soak the noodles too (I know, not that big a deal, but I was expecting to just add them to a hot pan with the sauce). That certainly took the fire out of my wok, it's like having to go through an additional grocery list just to get all the stuff to make the dish.

Over the past year and a half there have been multiple occassions on which I have considered saying screw it and just eating the noodles with sauce. Sometimes there is nothing else around to eat, ya know? However, several months after I purchased this boxed version, I learned to make my own Pad Thai from scratch. It requires about 3 more ingredients and I can control the flavor, and make a much bigger batch at a low cost. So TJ's Pad Thai sat lonely and unused on the back of the shelf.

Finally, the big day: Today brought a mix of hunger, lack of other food in the house, laziness, and a coincidence in which I happened to have peanuts, cilantro, limes, cabbage, and carrots that needed to be used up. The box and I had a brief stare-down in the pantry, after which I went to the store for 1/4 pound of frozen peeled prawns.

I soaked the noodles in hot water while I sauted the prawns. I should have soaked the noodles longer, because they were not soft enough after the prescribed 5 minutes. Oh well, I went ahead with the cabbage, carrots, and sauce packet. Then I finished it off with some peanuts and cilantro. Here is the finished product:


Sure, looking pretty good, but let's remember that everything but the noodles and sauce had to be purchased separately. I know that a full pound of rice noodles costs about a dollar at the Asian market, here you get about 150g of noodles and a sauce packet for $3+. Anyway, about that sauce packet. The sauce is acceptable, but too sweet for my tastes, and super salty. The box claims to have two servings, but I ate the entire thing myself and I wasn't even that hungry. Mmm, 50% of my daily intake of sodium right there. As I mentioned before I would rather have more control over my sauce, especially since I know it can be made with about 4 ingredients, none of which are that hard to find.

Is Trader Joe's box of Pad Thai the worst thing ever? No. Is it worth the one and a half year wait to consume? Nope. If you want to make Pad Thai, I would suggest finding an easier recipe than Alton's and making it from scratch. You will come out with a better product and be able to take all the credit! And you will have to get to know your way around the Asian market, which opens a whole world of possibilities...just stay away from the strangest gelatenous ones...unless you are into that.

Dark Chocolate Covered Gingersnaps

Rating:
Price: $3.99 (10 Oz)
Features: So good...can't stop eating!
Found in: Near cookies / chocolate covered things

These little dark chocolate covered cookie bits are amazingly good. It has been hard not to eat them all before I got a picture to put on the blog. The gingersnap cookie centers have quite a spicy ginger flavor, which I really like. The crunchy, spicy centers go perfectly with the thick, slightly sweet, dark chocolate coating. TJ says:

Molasses, ginger, cloves and vanilla...These aromatic ingredients are the hallmark of gingersnap cookies. We've taken it one step further by gilding tiny gingersnap cookies with dark chocolate, for a sophisticated treat that mixes the creamy richness of chocolate with crunchy, spicy cookies.

Mmm, gilded in chocolate, how sophisticated. I'm really hoping these are not just a holiday item, because my store is about out of all the extra holiday treats Trader Joe's put out this year. The snowflake on the box makes me worry about such things. If I can't get another tin of these I'm not sure what I am going to do to get my ginger / chocolate fix. There is no way I can settle for the regular dark chocolate coated candied ginger pieces, which I have never been a big fan of. Please keep these coming! Now I just have to find a way to reuse the tin they came in...