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10 of the best Trader Joe's products for a holiday party, according to a private chef

2 December 2024 at 11:52
mila furman holding a knife on a cutting board and a display of cheese inside trader joes
From cheeses to frozen appetizers, these Trader Joe's products are a private chef's essentials for holiday parties.

Mila Furman; MDV Edwards/Shutterstock

  • Private chef Mila Furman shared her top Trader Joe's picks for holiday entertaining.
  • Furman, a Chicago-based chef, has shopped at Trader Joe's for over 20 years.
  • Her recommendations include gourmet cheeses and frozen appetizers for budget-friendly hosting.

With years of experience as a private chef and a longtime devotion to Trader Joe's, Mila Furman has mastered the art of holiday hosting on a budget.

Furman, who is from the Chicago area, swapped her corporate career to pursue her passion for food, starting her own food blog and eventually her own catering and private-cheffing company.

She's also been an avid Trader Joe'sΒ shopper for over 20 years and says she uses the grocery chain "religiously" for entertaining and weekly grocery shopping for her clients and her own family.

From gourmet cheeses, crackers, and dips to frozen appetizers, Furman believes these 10 items will wow your guests without straining your wallet, which is especially important as grocery prices remain high this season.

Here are the Trader Joe's products a private chef would recommend for any holiday celebration.

The cheese section at Trader Joe's can be a one-stop shop for an epic charcuterie board.
Trader Joe's cheese section
Trader Joe's cheese section.

MDV Edwards/Shutterstock

For many holiday party hosts, a cheese or charcuterie board is a must-have, and Furman says it's easy to build a show-stopping one using products from Trader Joe's.

"The charcuterie board we build from Trader Joe's, especially their dry goods section, is amazing," Furman told Business Insider. "The cheese situation is epic."

Furman said she tries every new cheese Trader Joe's offers and that the Unexpected Cheddar cheese is one of her all-time favorites. She said she was shocked when she first tried it.

"I've never tasted anything like that in the sense that it was super mild but also so full of flavor," she said. "They also have an amazing Saint-André, which is a triple cream cheese, so it's basically Brie en crème and another soft cheese that has chile peppers in it."

Trader Joe's also has a variety of antipasto appetizers for entertaining.
prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella cheese stick
Trader Joe's sells mozzarella cheese wrapped in prosciutto for an easy charcuterie board addition.

Hong Vo/Shutterstock

Another item Furman picks up for holiday entertaining is the chain's prosciutto-wrapped fresh mozzarella cheese.

"They have these ready antipasti apps, and it's so easy," she said. "You put them on a charcuterie board and you're done. That's it. There's nothing else you have to do."

You can also get dry goods like nuts and dried cranberries to spice up your board.
A view of several packages of Trader Joe's premium walnut halves
A view of several packages of Trader Joe's premium walnut halves.

The Image Party/Shutterstock

Furman touted the "much more affordable" selection of crackers, nuts, and other dried goods at Trader Joe's compared to other grocery stores, and said it's her go-to place to buy accouterments for her holiday charcuterie boards.

"The nuts, the dried cranberries, the figs," she said, adding, "I see other places run out of figs way before their stores do."

The chain's pre-made tzatziki is fresh and versatile.
trader joes dip section
Trader Joe's has a wide selection of dips ideal for easy entertaining.

Corinna Haselmayer/Shutterstock

From pairing it with cruditΓ© like carrots, cucumbers, and radishes to using it to top mini turkey meatballs, tzatziki is a fresh addition to a holiday appetizer table.

"That one is awesome," Furman said. "Very, very clean, and it tastes delicious. That's one of my favorite go-to quick dips."

Trader Joe's classic hummus provides a perfect base for seasonal variations, such as a pumpkin-spice hummus.
pumpkin hummus
Furman makes her own pumpkin hummus using one from Trader Joe's as a base.

zi3000/Shutterstock

"They have a hummus that is super neutral in terms of flavor," Furman said. "It's just a classic hummus, and you can add a ton of seasonings or put roasted red peppers into it, which is another amazing condiment that they have in their little dressing area."

She also uses it to make pumpkin hummus, one of her go-to holiday recipes.

"Take that hummus and combine it with pumpkin from a can, which Trader Joe's also has, at an incredibly affordable rate," she said. "Add in some red pepper flakes, some cinnamon, some nutmeg, some cardamom, a little bit of chili oil, and just kind of make it your own and really give it that pumpkin spice flavor."

Furman said she also likes to add a few drops of maple syrup, "because you've got this sweet heat going on" or even hot honey.

"It's whatever our clients like," she said. "And you have an amazing semi-homemade hummus that everybody is going to rave about."

Trader Joe's sells a citrus cranberry sauce that's a must-have for holiday entertaining.
A woman holding a jar of Trader Joe's cranberry sauce.
A woman holding a jar of Trader Joe's cranberry sauce.

Jaclyn Vernace/Shutterstock

While the chain sells a traditional cranberry sauce with a few ingredients, Furman said she prefers the chain's orange cranberry relish, which has simple ingredients like cranberries, orange, and lemon.

"You don't need to make your own ever, ever," she said.

"All you have to do is put it in a bowl," she added.

The chain's frozen pizzas and flatbreads make excellent appetizers.
Trader Joe's pizza section
Trader Joe's pizza section.

refrina/Shutterstock

Furman said that her favorite type of frozen pizza from Trader Joe's is the Tarte D'Alsace, which is made with caramelized onions, ham, and Gruyere cheese.

"You pop that in the oven, and you throw some red pepper flakes on it, and then maybe you just add in a little bit more of an interesting Manchego cheese or some other kind of cheese, and you're good to go," Furman said, adding that she also loves buying the chain's pizza dough for completely customizable pizzas and flatbreads.

The French puff pastry is another must-buy during the holiday season.
A chef folds puff pastry on a table
Furman called Trader Joe's frozen puff pastry the best on the market.

Paulo Arsand/Shutterstock

"It only comes out during the holidays, and then it's gone, so stack up because it is the best puff pastry, and you can do thousands of things, both savory and sweet," Furman said.

One of her favorite ways to use the frozen puff pastry is to add in a few dollops of one of Trader Joe's Brie cheeses and tart cherry preserves.

"Wrap it up, bake it in the oven, and you have an amazing little beggar's purse full of deliciousness," she said.

The chain's fresh ravioli help create an easy dinner party meal.
a person holding trader joes lobster ravioli
Trader Joe's sells lobster and cacio e pepe ravioli in its fresh pasta section.

Jaclyn Vernace/Shutterstock

Furman said that rather than the ravioli that come in the frozen aisle, she prefers the refrigerated kind in Trader Joe's fresh pasta section, especially the lobster and burrata varieties.

She said the chain's pumpkin pasta sauce pairs well with its many pasta options for a seasonal dinner party menu.

You can find the essentials for an old-fashioned cocktail at Trader Joe's.
old-fashioned cocktail on a bar
Furman recommends buying Trader Joe's cherries and bourbon for an old-fashioned.

Martyn Cooling/Shutterstock

"They introduced what are essentially Luxardo cherries, which are basically what a real old-fashioned is designed for. They're in jars by the jams and stuff, and you don't need much else except bourbon," Furman said, adding that she even likes the Trader Joe's bourbon sold in select stores.

"Add some bourbon, a squeeze of orange, a squeeze of lemon, put in a cinnamon stick in there, put a few of those cherries in there, throw in a big, big, big gorgeous ice cube, a sprig of thyme, and then use the cinnamon stick as your straw. And you have an amazing old-fashioned," she said.

Read the original article on Business Insider

I'm a private chef. After trying croissants at Key Food, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's, there was an obvious winner.

2 December 2024 at 07:37
composite image of croissants from key foods, whole foods, and trader joe's
I taste-tested the croissants in the bakery sections at Key Food, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's.

Fatima Khawaja

  • I'm a private chef, and I compared croissants at Key Food, Trader Joe's, and Whole Foods.
  • Key Food sold the biggest croissant, but the inside looked more like bread than pastry.
  • I like Trader Joe's offering, but Whole Foods' pastry was the closest to a fresh croissant.

I like having croissants at home for a quick breakfast for me and my daughter before work or school. They're one of those staples I know will be enjoyed before they get moldy.

As a private chef, I know croissants are a highly technical pastry that requires a lot of time and effort. As a working mom, I don't have either of those.

Fresh croissants from our local bakery can be expensive, about $5 to $6 each, so it's more economical to grab a pack of four to six at the grocery store.

Here's how the bakery-section croissants at Key Food, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe's stack up.

Key Food is a staple grocery store throughout the boroughs of New York.
croissant from key foods on a plate
Key Food had the biggest croissants.

Fatima Khawaja

The first croissants I tried were from Key Food, an NYC-based chain with locations across the East Coast. A pack of four was $4.99, or about $1.25 each, which is a great deal.

The croissants were huge β€” easily the biggest I bought or saw at any store.

They were also slightly flat, with a pale golden-brown color.

When I cut them open, I was unimpressed with the lamination.
cross section of a croissant from key foods
The interior of the croissant looked more like bread.

Fatima Khawaja

The Key Food croissant hardly had any lamination β€” thin layers created by folding butter into the dough.

There weren't many distinct layers, and it didn't have the crispy, airy texture I expect from a croissant.

I've tried Trader Joe's croissants before.
croissant from trader joe's on a plate
Trader Joe's croissants often make it into my cart at the chain.

Fatima Khawaja

Trader Joe's croissants are regulars in my shopping rotation because I frequent the chain a lot.

The store sells a three-pack for $3.99, or about $1.33 each. I think that's a great price for the quality.

The croissants were medium-sized and had a nice golden-brown color.

The croissant was fine, but it was missing a textural element.
cross section of a croissant from trader joe's
I wish there were more of a flaky crunch on Trader Joe's croissants.

Fatima Khawaja

Trader Joe's pastries have a lovely buttery texture and slightly more lift and airiness than the Key Food ones.

However, they still lack the crackly, messy quality that is so identifiable when it comes to croissants.

I enjoy these from time to time with just some jam, but they're not the crème de la crème.

Whole Foods' croissant looked the most authentic.
croissant from whole foods on a plate
I was happy to see some visible layers on Whole Foods' croissant.

Fatima Khawaja

The last croissants I tried were from Whole Foods, where a pack of four cost $7.49, or $1.87 apiece.

Despite being the most expensive of the bunch, they were absolutely worth it.

The croissants were the perfect size β€” exactly as big as my hand β€” and had nice domed tops that gave me a peek at the layers underneath. The deep-brown exterior was also tantalizing.

Whole Foods had the closest thing to a bakery croissant.
cross section of a croissant from whole foods
There were nice, fluffy layers in Whole Foods' croissants.

Fatima Khawaja

When I bit into the beautifully layered croissant from Whole Foods, I truly felt like I was eating a pastry, not just a piece of bread.

The flavor had a nice butteriness, but there was still that nice, slightly sour taste from the yeast.

For me, the winner was clear.
croissant from whole foods cut open on a plate
Whole Foods had the best grocery-store croissant by far.

Fatima Khawaja

Whole Foods was my clear and obvious winner. I'd rather have a nice pastry that's so good I'm guaranteed to eat the whole thing than opt for a cheaper version that's unsatisfying.

Without a doubt, I'll be returning to Whole Foods' bakery section for the four-pack. On weeks when I'm on a tighter budget, though, Trader Joe's pack of three is my runner-up.

With other, better options available, I don't think I'd buy the Key Food croissants again.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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