Not sure what to buy at Trader Joe’s? Here are 20 things Wichitans say you must try
After years of wishing, waiting and waiting some more, Wichita finally got its Trader Joe’s late last year at 1800 N. Rock Road, and it’s been open three months now.
The specialty grocery store, which has a cult-like following even in cities (like ours) where a store has never existed, isn’t as large in Wichita as it is in bigger population areas. And thanks to Kansas liquor laws, it doesn’t have the large and inexpensive wine selection that the Kansas City stores have.
But it does have nearly all the items that have earned loyal followings and inclusion on endless “Best of Trader Joe’s” lists populating the Internet.
Still, if you’re like me — a Trader Joe’s newbie — you might walk in the store, stroll through all the shelves staring at all those unfamiliar boxes and bags, and wonder what the heck all the fuss is about.
Recently, I decided to poll Wichitans about which Trader Joe’s items they considered must-buys so that I could compile a local best-of list. I tallied up their suggestions, took my list over to Rock Road, and loaded my cart with the top 20 most popular items readers suggested.
Then I tried them all.
Below is Wichita’s list and my impressions of each item. Use it to secure your seat on the Trader Joe’s bandwagon.
1. Speculoos Cookie Butter, $3.69: Much is made of this Trader Joe’s staple, which has a peanut butter texture but is made by grinding up Trader Joe’s Speculoos shortbread cookies and mixing them with oil. It’s sweet, but oh so tasty and people use it to make sandwiches, frost brownies, top pancakes and spread onto graham crackers. The most ardent cookie butter fans say it’s best eaten with a spoon. We got the smooth version, but it also comes crunchy.
2. Mandarin Orange Chicken, $4.99: This was one of the most recommended Trader Joe’s finds, and it’s so popular, it was even endorsed by the Trader Joe’s staff when we toured the store right after it opened. Though it’s hard to believe, the finished product from this frozen bag tastes as good as carryout. You just sautee up the already fried chicken chunks, heat up the sauce included in the bag and mix them together. The result was surprisingly crunchy chicken and a just-right, not-to-sweet sauce. One bag fed three of us.
3. Everything But the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, $1.99: This was another one of the most-recommended Trader Joe’s items, both by local readers and the Trader Joe’s community at large. It’s a mixture of all the stuff an everything bagel comes topped with, and fans use it to spice up their meat and fish, give their salads an extra kick of flavor, mix into sour cream to make dip, rim their Bloody Marys and give their popcorn zing. It’s very garlicky but very good.
4. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, $4.29: This was the first Trader Joe’s item I learned about after they moved here, since my editor keeps a stash in his desk and distributes them to cure writer’s block. Their surface is about the size of a quarter, and they’re a creamy pick-me-up. Highly recommended.
5. Chocolate Croissants, $4.49: Many locals also mentioned these decadent treats from the frozen department. They come four to a box, and you have to let them rise for nine hours. But the wait is worth it. The finished result is flaky, huge and buttery. Trader Joe’s also sells almond versions.
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6. Frozen Indian meals: Many local readers also said they were crazy about Trader Joe’s frozen Indian meals. Choices include Chicken Tikka Masala, Korma Fish Curry, Vegetable Biriyani, Paneer Tikka Masala and more. I tried the vegan Tikka Masala, a single-sized serving that cost $3.69 and came with cumin rice and the most fragrant, flavorful sauce I’ve had since my last trip to an Indian restaurant.
7. Chicken fried rice, $2.99: It’s hard to make chicken fried rice at home like the restaurants do, but this comes pretty close. You dump a bag into a skillet with a little oil and let it saute till it’s done. It’s full of crisp carrots, crunchy peas and flavor. It’s in the frozen section, and you can also get other varieties like vegetable and shrimp.
8. Mac & Cheese, $2.99: Much is made of Trader Joe’s frozen macaroni and cheese, which comes in a variety of flavors, including regular, hatch chili, butternut squash, and truffle. We bought the pepperoni pizza mac version, which is made with elbow noodles and topped with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, Mozzarella cheese and big pepperoni slices.
9. Gone Bananas Chocolate Covered Banana Slices, $1.99: A box of these babies is only $1.99, and they’re a satisfying after-school or after-dinner snack. They’re meant to be eaten frozen and have a satisfying texture. Trader Joe’s also sells chocolate-covered strawberries.
10. Chile Lime Seasoning Blend, $1.99: It’s inexpensive, and tastes sort of like the coating on lime tortilla chips. Readers say this incredibly limey red spice is good on avocado toast, and other websites recommend rimming your margarita with it, sprinkling it on watermelon and mango, or using it to dust chicken, fish, baked potatoes and fries.
11. Chili Onion Crunch, $3.99: This condiment comes in a little jar that is full of an orange-colored oil and crunchy bits of roasted garlic and onion. It smells divine, and people use it to top salads, pizza, omelets, hummus — anything they’d put hot sauce on. It’s not hot and has a nice texture. I used it as a dip for Trader Joe’s frozen gyoza, and it tastes a lot like the stuff fancy sushi restaurants use as coating for their spicy edamame.
12. Spanish Garlic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, $3.99: This oil smells marvelously of roasted garlic, and the aroma carries over to the flavor. I’m going to use it to dip bread in and am excited to experiment with it in salad dressings.
13. Ghost Pepper Potato Chips, $2.28: You’d expect a chip with a name like “Ghost Pepper” to be too hot to handle. But these waffled chips weren’t. They had a nice but manageable spice.
14. Hatch Valley Salsa, $2.99: Trader Joe’s has lots of salsa, and Wichita recommended many of them, including the corn salsa. But the hatch green chili salsa got the most mentions, and it did have a nice kick and lots of actual chili chunks in it. It would provide a perfect base for any green chili recipe.
15. Unexpected Cheddar, $3.99: For charcuterie fans like me, Trader Joe’s might be even better than Aldi. It has a dizzying array of fancy meats and cheeses, displayed artfully against a back wall. The cheese most Trader Joe’s fans seem to favor is called Unexpected Cheddar. It slices easy but is substantial with a bit of a Parmesan flavor. Survey respondent Jacy Elpers describes it as the “Best. Cheese. Ever.”
16. Roasted Pecan Blue Cheese Dip, $3.49: This dip, found in a tub in the cheese section, is a big hit with Trader Joe’s local fans. It’s spreadable and salty and will definitely appeal to lovers of stinky cheese.
17. Triple Ginger Snaps, $3.99: Why settle for a ginger snap when you could have a Trader Joe’s TRIPLE ginger snap? These cookies come by the tub and have chewy ginger baked inside each one.
18. Cowboy Bark, $3.69: At the same time they heartily recommended this sweet snack — little bites of dark chocolate with toffee, pretzels, crumbled chocolate cookies, peanuts, almonds and salt — some readers sagely warned us off of it. “Don’t buy the Cowboy Bark,” wrote Stacy Christie. “It is addictive and you will end up eating the whole bag.” Her assessment is not far off. Though I managed to try just a few pieces, the thick pieces of bark are heavy with toppings, including lots of salty pretzels, and it’s a sweet-and-salty delight.
19. Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies, $3.99: Don’t let the lackluster name or the boring box fool you. These cookies are amazing and among the best things I tried. They consist of two super-thin chocolate chip cookies sandwiches sandwiching a spread of dark chocolate.
20. Joe Joe’s, $2.99: Lots of people recommended the Joe Joe’s sandwich cookies, which are Trader Joe’s versions of Oreos. They were tasty and seemed to have a bit more creamy filling than most. We tried chocolate, but they also come in vanilla and lots of seasonal flavors like mango, pumpkin and Candy Cane.
Also recommended by local readers:
Truffle honey mustard
Frozen gyoza
Fig & Olive crisps
Soy chorizo
Black bean quinoa tortilla chips
Thai style carrot and sweet potato soup
Roasted red pepper tomato soup
Hot cocoa dunkers
Scandinavian swimmers (gummy fish)
Steak & Ale pies
Tea Tree Tingle shampoo and conditioner
Face masks
Gnocchi
Coconut Oil
Fresh flowers
Suzanne Perez Tobias’ Trader Joe’s list
Wichita Eagle Opinion Editor Suzanne Perez Tobias has been shopping at Kansas City Trader Joe’s stores for years and offered up her own list of must-haves.
Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning (with built-in grinder)
Masala Simmer Sauce
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (any of the varieties... cheaper than elsewhere)
Harvest Grains Blend (super easy side dish)
TJ’s Honeycrisp Apple Candle
Any of the “Walks Into A Bar” series of cereal bars (apple, strawberry, etc.)
Tomato-Basil Marinara:
Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip. (So good!! It’s in the refrigerated section.)
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 11:34 AM.
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