Food The Major Difference You Never Noticed About Trader Joe's Frozen Aisles

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This is not a story about how delicious the frozen food at Trader Joe's is. We aren't here to tell you that the chicken tikka masala is better than anything your neighborhood Indian joint could churn out. You already know that. And we haven't written this to remind you that the market's cauliflower gnocchi really is, as the mass public is saying, life-changing. Your Instagram feed is already filled with pictures of it.

We've brought you to this little corner of the internet to explain something new: There's a reason you're drawn to the TJ's frozen aisles - and it's got little to do with the actual food.

This Is the Most Popular Item at Trader Joe’s

One product has been the overall favorite Trader Joe’s product nine years running. Learn about the snag that almost kept it off the shelves.All Trader Joe’s shoppers have favorite items that keep them coming back, but there are a few items at TJ’s that have a serious cult following. One product has not only been a bestseller for the past decade, but has won the overall favorite Trader Joe’s product in every Customer Choice Awards survey for nine years running: the Mandarin Orange Chicken.

I never know what to buy at the frozen aisle at Trader Joe ' s because I don't know if they are good! I wanted to try it for you guys so you guys can see

Trader Joe ’ s employees have a reputation for being super-friendly, and it isn’t usually an act. Because Trader Joe ’ s typically stocks one or two types of a product rather than a dozen or more options I've also noticed the ones that stay behind at the end of the season are almost always the

© Joe Raedle - Getty Images Trader Joe's Open New Store In Miami Area

Trader Joe's uses coffin cases, which are way less morbid than they sound; they're just open-top cases, with no door. You reach in, find what you want, and grab it. NPR talked to Phil Lempert from supermarketguru.com about how usual freezer set-ups can discourage you from shopping: "That glass door, it really creates a fence," said. And it's totally true. At Trader Joe's you don't have to peek through condensation to get a look at the products. You don't have to pause and pay attention as much. Plus, there's the other obvious turn-off of freezer aisles with doors. "You are physically cold," Phil puts bluntly, referring to that woosh of arctic air that hits you when you go in for the Hot Pockets.

We Found the Absolute Best Snack at Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe's is full of hidden gems.These things are like corn nuts on steroids, and they’re quite possibly the perfect crunchy snack. They’re made from giant white Peruvian corn (called choclo) that was first developed by the Incas in the fifteenth or sixteenth century, sourced from Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas. They’re about five times the size of standard corn kernels (making them perfectly bite-size), and they’re fried in palm oil before being salted, bagged, and shipped to TJ’s HQ.

I consider myself pretty well-versed when it comes to the Trader Joe ' s frozen aisle . You can give your frozen dinners some oomph with a new sauce you may not have otherwise noticed or gather most of what you need for homemade pizza all in one spot.

New Trader Joe ' s items are added every week, a Trader Joe ' s representative previously told Business Insider, meaning fans of the store are constantly given the opportunity to try something new. Convenience and good value seem to culminate most famously within the chilly aisles of the grocery

Apparently, the coffin cases are working for Trader Joe's. The market's public relations director told NPR, "Sales of our frozen products are doing great." Uh, yah, we know. You're welcome.

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