Grocery Product Reviews & Recommendations

Between the vegan bakers, Paleo eaters, and lovers of all things coconut, there’s a big market for coconut oil out there — and manufacturers have certainly taken note. These days there’s coconut oil at every supermarket, not just the health food stores. Heck, even HomeGoods is flooded with the stuff. There are dozens of brands to choose from, but there’s only one brand we reach for: Artisana Organics.

Whether you're making a simple cake or you want it to look like a unicorn exploded, we've got what you need.

You might think it would be embarrassing to whip out your own personal stash of soy sauce when you go to a sushi joint. But you’d only think that if you haven’t had Bourbon Barrel Foods’ small-batch soy sauce aged in bourbon barrels. Once you’ve had this sultry, complex soy sauce, you’ll never go back. Really? You might think. It’s just soy sauce. Oh, but that’s like saying white truffles of Alba, Italy, are just mushrooms.

How many of these have you tried?

Tucked somewhere near the cans of condensed milk and Jell-O pudding at the supermarket (or maybe by the hot chocolate) is a canister that will change your life. What’s in this oft-overlooked and unassuming little package? It’s malted milk powder. Okay, so malted milk powder might not change your entire life, but it very well may change the way you bake.

Happy (chocolatey) baking!

There might have been some debate about what exactly constitutes a condiment, but one thing is absolutely certain: Kitchn editors love condiments. They occupy a whole lot of real estate in our fridges and are that little something extra that we use to take meals from good to great. Here are our favorites. I don’t have a huge tolerance for spiciness, but Cholula is an exception. I use it on my breakfast every single morning since it pairs really well with eggs or avocado toast.

Step away from the cider. Don’t even think about making a batch of hot cocoa. Summer isn’t over yet, and Trader Joe’s has a blood orange rosé wine to prove it. In fact, this unusual wine is perfect for dealing with that awkward phase in between seasons. You know what I’m talking about: It’s not rosé-all-day season anymore, but you’re not yet at the ‘let me pile on the sweaters, and sit by a fire with a hot toddy,’ stage.

In its most recent "Fearless Flyer," Trader Joe's announced the arrival of a new condiment: Carrot Cake Spread. I'm sorry to say it was disappointing.

So novel, so smart.

Tasting wine isn’t just for sommeliers who can call what vineyard a wine came from in a single sniff. Blind tasting helps you hone in on what you actually like without being influenced by labels, prices, or marketing, so it’s something that anyone who likes wine should try a few times. Plus, it’s fun! In order to find out what people really think of wines from Trader Joe’s, Aldi, and Costco, I strong-armed a few folks into blind tasting them. My tasters?

It seems like every company in the world is involved in the “personal hydration” business. That’s corporate speak for “water bottles,” and some of these bottles are better than others. While there are hundreds (thousands?) of pretty, Instagram-worthy bottles out there, they don’t all keep your water cold, clean up easily, or offer a leak-proof seal.

I mean, why not?

You can currently buy a four-pack of the sparkling coconut water for $3.99.

I often have lofty goals when it comes to my dinners. Around noon, I’ll start to plan the elaborate meal I’m going to cook myself, complete with fresh bread and a glass of wine. (Hey, I deserve the best of the best.) I’ll spend my afternoons daydreaming about flaky salmon, moist chicken, or cheesy potatoes. However, by the time the evening comes around, it’s a whole different story. At 7 p.m.

Butternut squash is really, really good on top of pizza. But what happens when the butternut squash BECOMES the pizza? That’s what I imagine was the lightbulb moment somewhere in a faraway Trader Joe’s HQ conference room, during their company-wide brainstorm for their newest seasonal, alternative pizza crust offering: Butternut squash pizza crust.

Avocado toast has become much maligned in the last couple years, but let’s not deny the facts: Bottom line, avocado toast is a nutritious, simple snack, that, if you know how to season avocado properly, actually tastes great. It is certainly not the reason millennials are going broke, or a sign of the end times. So that’s why, on the surface, it should be good news that Sabra has made a portable, pre-packaged avocado toast kit.

Is there anything cozier than sitting in your favorite spot and leaning in to your mug of hot tea to smell the steamy herbs wafting out? It’s my nighttime ritual all year round, but even more so when it gets too cold to function outside. I’m not alone! Here are Kitchn staffers’ favorite teas that help us unwind and REMAIN CALM. All of them are available on Amazon, which means you definitely don’t have to go outside to get them! “This is my everyday tea.

Last summer I had the pleasure of interviewing Aishwarya Iyer of Brightland, a California-based company known for its high-quality, traceable olive oil and impeccably designed packaging. After trying both of Brightland’s offerings — ALIVE and AWAKE — I didn’t think their olive oil could get any better. Until, that is, I got my hands on their newest offering: LUCID. LUCID, Brightland’s first flavored olive oil, is made with 100% lemon.

Valentine’s Day, the romantic holiday people love to hate, is almost upon us. If you’re single, it can be a cruel reminder of how alone you are — but things aren’t much better if you’re in a relationship because there’s so much pressure to plan the perfect day with your partner. Regardless of your relationship status, there’s one thing we can all agree on: You get to eat all the chocolate you want on Valentine’s Day, no questions asked.

Want to be a smarter grocery shopper? Then you’ve clicked on the right story! In this list, you’ll find the most brilliant secrets to saving money, cutting down on waste, finding the best groceries, and having a more enjoyable time at the grocery store. Because we all have to grocery shop — and it may as well be pleasant (dare we say fun, even?) and not a stressor on our lives or our budgets. Here are the 30 smartest grocery shopping tips of all time. THEY’RE A TRAP.

It's a squeeze pouch of the Indian-Iraqi-Israeli fermented mango sauce that you find everywhere in Tel Aviv. But is it any good?

Last week on the internet I saw something that made me gasp. The below photo from the deepest part of your tastebuds’ nightmares was originally brought to you by Twitter user and Brandfire co-founder Adam the Creator (aka Adam Padilla), and was then shared by super popular online outlet First We Feast.

These days plastic is Public Enemy #1 and, honestly, we’re wondering what took so long. In the past year more and more Americans (and major companies) have become attuned to the harmful environmental repercussions of single-use plastic straws, plastic lids, micro-plastics, and now plastic bags. Plastic bags, we’re coming for you. Kroger, the largest grocery chain in the U.S., is about to make it a lot easier for shoppers to commit to being green.

I have a confession to make: My entire family is obsessed with a snack food that I initially purchased for my toddler. Like many new moms, I stressed over the importance of introducing peanut butter into my child’s diet. Too soon? Too late? A spoonful? A smudge?

Frozen meals have come a long way since the microwave dinners of the ’50s. And most of it has to do with two little words: Trader Joe’s. While they’re not the only players in the game of frozen meals, they certainly seem to have captured our readers’ hearts (and tummies). We asked you guys to tell us about your favorite frozen meals. Your answers included a lot of Trader Joe’s — and a few other name brands, too. “Traders Joe’s all the way!

Picture this: You’ve invited everyone over for a barbecue and, as you’re chucking steaks, burgers, and chicken into your cart, you realize you need tongs, a spatula, and other basic grilling tools. You had stuff last year but it kinda got ruined (whoops!). With all you have to do to get ready for guests, you don’t have time to make another stop at Bed Bath & Beyond or Williams Sonoma to outfit yourself with equipment. Luckily, you don’t have to.

I like to think I’m an unfussy person when it comes to most things kitchen and cooking — until it comes to ice. I have opinions there. If you give me options, I like it crushed. I know it melts quickly, and it really takes up a ton of space in the glass, but I just love the experience of taking a sip of a drink and having a bunch of itty-bitty glaciers to crunch on.

It adds a salty, mildly sweet, gooey pockets all over the tops of my pizzas!

Every grocery store has its own strengths and weaknesses: Whole Foods is fancy, Aldi is super inexpensive, and Costco will sell you four-and-a-half pounds of its Kirkland-branded version of Nutella for $7.99. But according to a report on customer satisfaction in the U.S., the highest-ranked grocery store in the country is Publix. Publix is a Southern supermarket chain.

There are very few beverages that make me want to shout from the rooftops about their existence. I don’t hop on the PSL train when the leaves start to turn color, but I do make an exception for the tastiest thing you can get in a carton from Trader Joe’s. And guess what? It’s back! Wait, what? What’s back you say? It’s the Chocolate Peppermint Almond Beverage from Trader Joe’s!

Butter connoisseurs speak in whispers about Diane St. Clair, the maker of arguably the best butter in America. She lives in Vermont, and the butter she produces there is said to top even butters from Normandy and Ireland. It’s rich and creamy, and it’s virtually impossible to get your hands on unless your name is Thomas Keller. Now her world-renowned, handcrafted butter will be available for sale for one day only, and it’s expected to sell out in no time.

There are a ton of grocery apps out there, claiming to save you time and money. Unfortunately, most of them (like a lot of apps) aren’t actually worth the time it takes to figure them out or the money it costs to use them. There is one, however, that is super easy and convenient to use — and it’s free! It’s called Flipp and you should download it ASAP. The best way to know what’s on sale near you is to subscribe to your local grocery stores’ circulars.

I like to think that one’s freezer is a lot like one’s medicine cabinet. A peek inside reveals so much about the character and lifestyle of its owner! I suppose a refrigerator can offer you a similar insider perspective, but the freezer? Well, the freezer really gives you a look at the person’s future hopes and dreams — what is she stashing away in cold storage? — as well as one’s everyday habits and preferences.

Wine snobbery is not something I take part in. I don’t always taste the oak in a chardonnay, I have a hard time pronouncing the names of most fancy vineyards, and I always feel like a putz when I swirl the glass before I take a sip. That said, I drink a lot of wine. As you may have guessed, I’m not discerning — I’ll usually drink whatever is around or whatever is inexpensive (and easily accessible) at the wine store across the street.

What alcoholic seltzer is right for you? I tried 21 different flavors and found a few favorites.

Snow days are like unplanned, inconvenient little vacations. All your plans are cancelled whether you like it or not. (Surprise!) Resistance is futile. There is nothing to do but lean in. That includes partaking in cooking projects and indulging in some special-occasion treats. What else are you going to do? Unpopped popcorn: The ultimate snack for hunkering down and staying in, popcorn is satisfying, festive, and very, very easy.

We’d love to keep our freezers stocked with make-ahead breakfast sandwiches at all times, but sometimes the convenience of store-bought is just a gift. These days the freezer section is filled with an ever-growing selection of breakfast sandwiches. From choices in bread that span English muffins to tortillas, to meat-filled and vegan options, there’s a sandwich out there for every taste and preference.

I still remember when (long before my 21st birthday), my dad tossed me a neon pineapple-flavored wine cooler at the beach. “It’s just a wine cooler,” he said, “It won’t hurt you.” Although that statement isn’t completely true (as many of us learned in college), there is something incredibly innocent about these mesmerizingly colored, dangerously easy bottled beverages.

Q: I just started cooking with wine, and I love the flavor it adds to my food. Unfortunately, I don’t like to drink it, so I don’t know what a good wine for cooking would be. What are some recommendations for good red and white wines to use in my cooking? Sent by Madi Editor: Choose a wine that’s reasonably priced and versatile. With whites your best bet is something that’s dry and crisp, like sauvignon blanc, an unoaked chardonnay, or even sparkling wine.

Who says you can’t drink wine with your ice cream? Ask most wine professionals, and they’ll tell you, “Pairing wine with ice cream is one of those ‘impossible pairings.’ Go with beer or have a sip of whiskey, instead.” But what if you are presented with a situation where wine is your only option, or what if you simply love wine and ice cream together? Adaptability is a positive quality, so let’s break some rules.

It’s Pizza Week here at The Kitchn, and pizza means wine. The classic combination of cheese and tomato will never get old, but I’m also glad that pizza now means something more. Pizza crust is basically a blank canvas, like a tortilla or toast; once you see it as such, the ingredient combinations are endless, as are the wine-pairing possibilities. Who doesn’t love finding a killer bottle of wine under 10 bucks? I certainly do.

Do you shop in Mexican or Latin American grocery stores? If not, you may be missing out on some good ingredients — not to mention good deals on groceries you usually buy elsewhere. We sat down and talked to Top Chef Season 12 finalist Melissa King about some of her experiences with Mexican cuisine, and she shared with us some of the ingredients she always stocks up on when she’s shopping in those stores!

The holidays often usher in a surplus of grocery items that we don’t normally get a chance to purchase at low prices. As much as I want to start karate-chopping my way through the crowds packed into the holiday baking aisle, I’ll brave the hordes to take advantage of good deals on these staples. 1. Butter: It freezes like a champ and right now it’s officially the cheapest it will be all year long. 2. Parchment paper and muffin cups: Who cares if they’re red and green?

Whether you’re preparing for a major pantry clean-out or you’re about to load up on essentials for holiday baking and entertaining, there are quite a few items where an expiration date doesn’t apply. When stored properly — in an airtight container, kept in a cool, dry place — there are a number of pantry staples that can last just about forever. We’re not talking until the end of time forever, although some of these staples just may hold up that long.

Angostura is the most widely known aromatic bitters, but not your only choice when it comes to stocking this important ingredient of your 9-Bottle Bar. This week we look at a few strong contenders. Time to stop and smell the bitters. To recap a bit from last week’s introduction to aromatic bitters, we learned that bottles belonging to this category of cocktail “seasoning” tend to present a flavor profile that’s anchored in notes of bitter roots and baking spice.

Now that orange bitters (along with a host of other varieties) have made their big, recent comeback onto the cocktail scene, there are suddenly a welcome wealth of options to choose from when stocking your personal bar. Discerning spirits shops and specialty-food stores have begun carving out shelf space for these diminutive bottles, making them more available to the budding cocktail enthusiast.

Whether you’re attending a costume party, curling up with a horror flick, or simply handing out treats at your door, enjoying a decadent red wine with your Halloween festivities assures us that the fun doesn’t just belong to the kids. And nothing completes a convincing zombie or vampire costume like a glassful of deep, blood-red wine!

Orbiting just beyond the spirits, vermouths, liqueurs, and bitters that make up the 9-Bottle Bar solar system are a handful of important bar extras — items such as eggs, simple syrup, and grenadine — that bolster your home bar’s drink-making potential but which aren’t quite so essential to have around that they to warrant a place on the main roster.

Who shops and eats here: Batya Stepelman of Sparrows & Spatulas, along with her husband, Matt Berman, and their young sons, Otis and Theodore See her kitchen: Batya Stepelman’s Open, Garden-Powered Kitchen Where: Denver, CO Rent or Own? Own We recently toured the open, garden-powered kitchen of Batya Stepelman and were inspired by her city garden and how she finds ways to bring healthier meals and more vegetables to her family’s table.

In last week’s column, introducing our friend maraschino liqueur, I noted that the stuff strikes some drinkers as an acquired taste. So maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the universe of brands of maraschino liqueur — available in the U.S., at least — just ain’t that big. It’s barely a solar system, in fact. Yet within this small world exists some notable variety. In other words, it still pays to be picky.

Among cocktail ingredients, dry vermouth is an unsung hero. As we noted last week, in our overture about this bottle, the bad rep it acquired in years past — as something begrudgingly added to a dry martini, lest it be incomplete or inauthentic — still lingers around dry vermouth. Which is a shame, because a good, fresh dry vermouth does wonders for a cocktail, and many good vermouths are also good and cheap.

Every July the Summer Fancy Food Show descends upon the convention center in New York City, bringing in its wake floods of cookie-makers, cheese-crafters, soda-brewers, and more gourmet jerky than you can shake a stick at. This is the show for anyone who makes fun packaged food, from roasted chickpeas to handmade ice cream. Ariel and I walked the show and after a few dizzying hours, we had some favorites, and here they are.

One of my favorite pastimes is browsing spirits shops. I like to hunt for the new and unusual, as well as for that rare and precious bottle that the shop owner is unknowingly selling for cheap. Those finds may be few and far between, but, thankfully, shopping for sweet vermouth can offer a taste of that kind of excitement — like you’re getting away with something.

London dry gin is at its best when anchoring a well-made cocktail. (We talked about London dry gin and the alternatives last week.) The flip side of the coin is, admittedly, there are other spirits I’d sooner choose to sip neat. But we’re talking cocktails here! And it’s hard to top London dry gin for its range and versatility as a cocktail ingredient.

As we learned last week, rye whiskey can really carry a cocktail. It’s bold, spicy and dry, and those characteristics provide a firm foundation on which to build a complex flavor profile. Sweet and citrus fruits nicely soften its sharp edges, while bitter and herbal ingredients can help pick out and amplify many of rye’s deeper-seated elements, like notes of pepper and baking spice.

Q: I’m new to Trader Joe’s and have been into my local store just once. It doesn’t seem like the place I’d do my regular shopping, but I know TJ has a pretty big fan following, so I thought Kitchn readers would be a good crowd to ask for Trader Joe’s shopping tips. What are the days to find the best prices/sales, favorite products, or items to avoid?

As any coffee addict knows, in places where a decent cup of coffee is hard to find, you’ll always find Nescafé. Though the coffee snob in me feels I should turn up my nose at instant coffee from a packet, I have a soft spot for those brown crystals that make it easy to find a steaming cup of hot coffee no matter where in the world you are.Yes, that’s probably the addict talking.

We all know it to be true: sriracha is amazing, and everyone should have a bottle in their fridge. But as with most cool kids on the block, there comes a time when young upstarts show up and vie for people’s attention. So what’s the next ‘it’ condiment?

So many of us buy our wine at grocery stores; they are an important spot for wine buying. But it’s been almost 18 months since I reviewed the wine offering at Whole Foods Market. My interest was piqued at a recent wine and cheese tasting at Whole Foods, where I was pretty bowled over by the quality of the wines tasted, especially the quality they del\ivered for the price. Want to see my picks for the summer?

Like many of you, I have fallen hard for coconut oil as of late. I love it in my scones, I love it over popcorn, I love it tossed with fresh steamed vegetables. And now here’s something new to fall in love with: coconut oil nonstick spray from Trader Joe’s. Oh, TJ’s, it’s like you read my mind.I have kept a can of nonstick cooking spray in my cupboard ever since I started baking regularly.

I can’t think of a more perfect person to interview for our Expert Essentials series (see the whole series so far here!) than Sam Mogannam, owner of Bi-Rite Grocery in San Francisco.  Not only did Sam grow up in the grocery store, which was owned by his family, but he went to culinary school and worked as a chef before returning to Bi-Rite to reinvent it from a cooks point of view.

Who: Young and KennethWhat: The Winey Neighbor, a boutique wine shopWhere: Prospect Heights, Brooklyn Sometime last year I noticed work had begun on an empty storefront on Washington Avenue in my neighborhood of Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. My curiosity piqued—Man, please let it be something cool and not another boring real estate office—I was encouraged when I saw a blue and white polka dot awning go up, with a cheeky name: The Winey Neighbor. A wine shop with a sense of humor?

Now that you’ve seen how beautifully this turkey turned out, I can confess how much actually went wrong while cooking it. The turkey cooked in half the time I expected, while my guests were an hour late. When re-heating the turkey, I managed to forget it was in the oven. I neglected to remove the giblets. And so on.But in spite of all my mess-ups, this was still one of the best turkeys I’ve ever eaten.

There’s a lot of praise for the La Chamba Casserole dish to be found on The Kitchn already, but I can’t resist joining in the love-fest with my newest crush, the La Chamba Soup & Bean Pot. I received this beauty as a gift several weeks ago and have been putting it through its paces ever since. Read on for my review.What is La Chamba? La Chamba is a line of clay cooking pots that are handmade in Colombia. The non-toxic clay naturally contains mica which makes it extra-strong.

I realized that it is quite a while since I did a Trader Joe’s wine tasting. So on Monday I headed off to the Trader Joe’s Wine Store in New York City to see what I could find at less than $10 a bottle for easy summer sipping. Well, some gems and some disappointments — read on to see which I liked, and which I didn’t enjoy as much.As you all know Trader Joe’s is the name synonymous with ‘Two Buck Chuck’.

Unless you’re lucky enough to shop at a grocery that carries international candy, you may only know Cadbury, the UK chocolatier conglomerate, just for their Easter eggs. Next time you’re passing through an airport, be sure to check for these creamy chocolates!Although Cadbury is no secret (Kraft purchased the company in 2010 and the duo are officially the world’s largest confectionary company), their chocolates still aren’t widely available in the US.

One place I wouldn’t expect to find my new favorite tea is my hair salon. But that’s what happened last time I stopped in for a trim. And as it turns out, it’s no supermarket variety tea blend.Aveda salons and stores always have tea brewing. At first taste, I was surprised at the light flavor and sweet aftertaste. However, when I asked what the shop sweetened their tea with they told me it was a natural taste from the herbal blend and that the tea was unsweetened.

When concern about high mercury levels in tuna sent my household hunting for a replacement for our beloved tuna salad sandwiches, Trader Joe’s canned smoked trout stepped in. And honestly? I think it’s even more tasty &mdash and much more elegant — than plain old tuna. The fillets of fish are packed in oil, so they just need to be mixed with a dab of mayonnaise, a squeeze of lemon and some chopped herbs to make a flavorful sandwich filling.

I discovered this jar in the back of my pantry, and on an evening when my dinner options were sparse. Cracking open the jar, these giant (they really are huge!) beans didn’t seem like much. But when heated up with couscous and a dusting of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, I was surprised at the meal that resulted!At first glance, the beans seemed rather oily, but the tomatoes and chunks of spices kept my hopes up.

Not to dismiss the innovation of Ronnybrook FarmsMmm. We first spotted it at Whole Foods but ended up buying it at the farmers’ market, straight from the Ronnybrook vendor. And we’ve been eating it every morning for the past week, spread on raisin bread and toasted.Here’s what happens when you run this stuff under the broiler (or the toaster oven): The butter melts, and the cinnamon and sugar that are mixed in get bubbly and slightly crispy on top. Delicious.