Sans the pomp and egos, Trader Joe’s recently tallied the results from its version of the Oscars.
Now in its 12th year, the unceremonious Customer Choice Awards threw a spotlight on some of our favorite products, any of which you will never find in other grocery stores. And that’s what makes our beloved Trader Joe’s so beautiful and adventurous.
Tens of thousands of votes were cast nationally in the past few months. The company assured they were “counted and recounted” once the online cutoff passed. Many of the winners came as no surprise.
Fetching “favorite overall” and “favorite entree” is the Mandarin Orange Chicken from the frozen aisle. These battered baubles of thigh meat, finished off with a viscous orange glaze, exceed the expectations of food cooked at old-school Chinese restaurants. Given those kitchens are a dying breed, we pray to all religious deities this long-established product lives for an eternity.
Earning top honors in the “favorite vegetarian/vegan” category is Soy Chorizo. It features zesty faux sausage in vegan casing, which is easily removable if using the product for tacos and casseroles. The Hash Star isn’t a fan of the stuff due to textural issues. But that’s probably because we lust shamelessly for the fake sausage Beyond Meat puts out.
From the store’s ample selection of curds, the Unexpected Cheddar stole the show for “favorite cheese.” Just as the label accurately states: “Tastes like aged cheddar with hints of Parmesan.” Would my late Italian grandparents flip in their graves if they saw me grating this over pasta? Probably.
Look no further than Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups as the winner of “favorite sweet treat.” Sold in 16-ounce plastic bins, as well as handy 3.5 ounce bags (for when hiding your candy intake from others), eating one leads to three. Minimally processed, their shells aren’t too bitter and their innards aren’t overly sweet.
In the “favorite produce” category, the six-count bags of “Teeny Tiny Avocados” took the gold. We haven’t tried these darling little fruits yet, but they’re reportedly a shoe-in favorite among Trader Joe’s crew members as well. 
Salted Peanut Butter Filled Pretzel Nuggets grabbed the spotlight for “favorite snack.” Our only caveat with these smallish pillow-shaped pretzels is that they’re a tad under-filled compared to leading commercial brands. In the spirit of product competitions, we rooted for the faultless Organic Corn Chip Dippers, which landed in second place.
“Favorite beverage” went to Sparking Black Tea with Peach Juice. The canned refresher offers a decent jolt of caffeine and a discernible dose of fresh-peach flavor from real juice. Snapple, are you paying attention?
To see the complete list of winners and their runners-up, click here.
Those dark chocolate peanut butter cups have even won the hearts of my German colleagues and we have crews bring them to use as “ food for the nerves” on bad days ! ( like when we get called for mask non-compliance Idiots )
I am a fan of several of these items — orange chicken, corn dippers and peanut butter cups are frequent purchases! Now I must try the peach tea and tiny avocados. They sound fun, which is part of the draw of Trader Joe’s for me.