When Shopping Trader Joe's Frozen Aisle, Don't Forget To Do This

When popping into Trader Joe's, it's second nature to head straight to your more familiar staples in the frozen aisle like mandarin orange chicken or ice cream, but did you know that there is something more subtle to watch for there? Stop for a moment and look up. Those shelves above the frozen cases aren't just filler. The sauces, condiments, and toppings are usually intentionally positioned over the foods they go well with. That means you might spot an organic ketchup or some garlic mustard aioli sitting on the shelf above the bags of frozen fries or Trader Joe's viral frozen pepperoni pizza. Similarly, you may find enchilada sauce sitting above the burritos or sweet chili sauce hanging out above the chicken soup dumplings. It's a really clever move from the store — basically a little nudge in the right direction, which is ideal if you've even gotten your frozen burritos home and then realized you forgot salsa. 

This setup also makes it easier to create full meals without wandering all over the store. You can run in and grab what you need in one fluid motion. So if you need some inspiration, the sauces that show up in Chowhound's ranking of every Trader Joe's hot sauce can be found sitting above their perfect pairing like a clever, visual reminder that frozen food doesn't have to mean flavorless. 

Of course, this set-up is not a guarantee in every Trader Joe's store across the country, but certainly some locations are more intentional about these pairings. So keep an eye out, and if you spot it, then you'll quickly start noticing the logic: frozen shrimp under cocktail sauce, frozen desserts under chocolate syrup, and so on. It may even given you further inspiration than what you walked into the store with. And it's exactly this kind of attention to detail that makes Trader Joe's feel so much more like an upmarket neighborhood market than just another chain. But be warned — it's also how you end up with impulse buys you didn't plan for (which is all part of the fun of shopping there). 

It all starts when the freezer lures you in with its promises of convenience, and then shelf above gives you what you need to round your meal out to near perfection. So keep this little trick in mind the next time you're there stocking up on some of your favorites or trying the 15 hidden gems in the Trader Joe's frozen aisle. Just one second to cast your eyes upward could mean the difference between a standard frozen meal and or a bottle that turns it into something worth bragging about.