Why Some Trader Joe's Shoppers Think The Brand's Frozen Mashed Potatoes Belong In The Trash

With what might be considered an almost cult-like following, Trader Joe's certainly attracts a lot of customers. And it's well earned, as the grocery store chain does a lot of things right. When it comes to its frozen food options, you'll find aisles full of products made exclusively by Trader Joe's. And though many frozen dinners from Trader Joe's are quite good, there are a few frozen foods that, well, are just better left frozen.

Topping that list just might be Trader Joe's frozen mashed potatoes. At $4.49 for a 28-ounce package, the price seems incredibly reasonable. But despite the fair price, many customers who bought these frozen spuds were less than impressed. In terms of everything you're looking for in good mashed potatoes, TJ's misses the mark on all of them. Texture? Bad. Taste? Bland. One user in the r/TraderJoes subreddit said, "These potatoes taste like school lunch cafeteria potatoes — and they're almost too mashed and have very little consistency." Another user in the subreddit felt they were awful, writing, "So watery and has a super weird texture." They concluded their review by saying, "I don't think I have ever been so disappointed in TJ's."

So if Trader Joe's — a chain that makes many quality frozen foods — can't make decent pre-made mashed potatoes, is there any alternative? Or do we always have to make homemade? For the answer to that, we'll turn to culinary goddess Ina Garten. She shared her semi-homemade mashed potato recipe with New York Times Cooking, which starts with Bob Evans' store-bought mashed potatoes. It's a great idea when you don't quite have the time to make a full-on homemade version. She starts with the Bob Evans mashed potatoes, then adds some sour cream, Parmesan, butter, and salt, and pepper. That seems easy enough, especially when you consider that, depending on the store, the 32-ounce family-size package of Bob Evans usually sells for only around $6.

You might also consider Sunny Anderson's store-bought mashed potatoes technique. She simply melts some butter in a pot, stirs in the mash, then grates garlic into the mix. She tops the final product with chopped scallions. And just like that, you have another easy-to-make, convenient serving of mashed potatoes.

So Trader Joe's does a lot of things right, but reviews seem to indicate the frozen mashed potatoes are best left in the freezer aisle. That is, unless you're good with a watery, bland mash that's reminiscent of cafeteria mashed potatoes.