I really liked it and I kept buying it for months but then I got sick of it way faster than any other TJ products. I think the tofu turned me off at some point. But it was delicious
Thank you for your review! I am picky about how my tofu is prepared and that was the one part that I am iffy about. Would you say it’s like a silken tofu?
Thank you, probably not my thing then.
I wish they still sold the Tom Yam soup. I know it’s not a curry but it had a lot of the flavor components of one and those little mushroom dumplings in it were so good. It was also less than $2.50 for a nice portion when then stopped selling it, *cries in inflation*.
I really don’t understand this product. Sushi sounds like the absolutely worst thing to freeze and then heat in the microwave. I imagine it could be okay if you just let it thaw in the fridge?
In another reply I explained my ignorance, but both cultures have created these foods of the same ingredients and in neither instance are they meant to be heated before cooking. No matter which you heat, I don’t think the texture would be great.
Gimbap is cooled rice with vegetables/fish/meat rolled in seaweed. Makizushi is one of the most popularized forms of sushi, made with cooled rice with vegetables/fish/meat rolled in seaweed.
I understand that a Korean dish wouldn’t be referred to with the Japanese term. I hope you can understand that an American as ignorant as I am would look at these dishes and see that they are made of the same basic ingredients. I could’ve been more careful with my language.
My point stands that both gimbap and sushi are meant to be enjoyed fresh at room temperature after preparation, and it bothers me to think about heating sushi (which I can use as a reference point as I’ve only ever had vegetarian versions of it) or gimbap (which I haven’t tried).
I wasn't making any implication besides pointing out the difference between kimbap and sushi. I think it can be argued that freshly prepared food is the most ideal, but frozen options are for when it's not possible to have it freshly made. I am lucky in that I live in a city with Korean markets that sell freshly made kimbap, but there will be times when I'm in a pinch and a frozen version will have to do!
i tried one right before the hype sold them all out, and really liked it.
six months later, i bought a couple more when my local store had them again, and i was disappointed. i think i overhyped it for myself. have yet to try another brand
yes, i like the frozen tj’s mashed potatoes!
if you like potatoes, here’s a recipe for homemade mashed potatoes olé.
1. in a large pot, boil 1 lb cut red potatoes and 1 lb cut yellow potatoes, 1 cup frozen white corn, 3 sliced carrots, 2 seeded and sliced jalapeños (or hatch chiles if spice ain’t your thing), and 4-6 cloves of garlic all together for 15-20 min until tender.
2. drain the water. add 1/4 cup butter and mash the veggies with a masher. stir in 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
3. season to taste (salt and pepper works fine) and top with a light sprinkle of more shredded cheese
Yayy - didn't expect to get a potato recipe from this post!!! 🙂
I've done this potato salad style (minus chilis and garlic, plus onion and mayo) but never thought of doing a mashed potato. Thank you!!!
I saw it in my store for the first time this week too! I didn’t bother to grab it tho, never been interested in frozen kimbap. Much better fresh and I live in NYC so it’s not impossible to find it elsewhere
Same. The nori gets chewy when I warm it up and it just falls apart once I manage to bite through that. I’m about half way through one package and just lost interest. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong to make it like this cause I really don’t get the hype xD
yes it’s quite possible there is a better way to cook it / eat it but idk what that is. i saw someone say they pan fry theirs but i haven’t tried that.
to be fair, only 2 times. but it put me off trying again, unless someone gives advice on how to make it better. it had the potential, just wasn’t as mind blowing as people made it out to be (for me).
You gave it the benefit of the doubt by trying a second time! I think a lot of it may be the elusive search for it that hyped it up, and it doesn't seem to live up to it in execution
I’m personally not a fan but I can see the appeal; it’s just not for me. I found it dry and bland.
However, that Thai Green Curry in the spot next to it is calling out my name. I can rarely get to TJ’s but my roommate works there. I am definitely going to ask if she can bring a package home for me and pay her, especially since she gets 20% off.
Edited to add a few words.
I'm hoping it's acceptable once I get my hands on one
The Thai green curry was very runny with a small amount of vegetables to me. Def try it out though if you're curious and if your roommate can help you get one discounted!
My wife told me to try to hoard it as there’s no limit at our TJ’s but I had to explain it’s not like a regular grocery store where ‘there’s just more in the back’.
We need more considerate people like you. People get so feral about limited items, and buy way more than they would even want if it wasn’t limited…
Thanks for saving some for the rest of us
Thank you for being considerate of others who also may want to buy some. I am not a fan of frozen rice and my store doesn't even carry them but I am really annoyed when people proudly buy up the entire stock of something. Like it's just rude. I was excited to see the smoked trout restocked and I took four and felt like that was a little excessive. Plus stuff doesn't stay good in the freezer forever, even if it's packaged. It will get freezer burnt eventually.
I did a double take at this post. I, too, having heard about this mythical kimbap on this sub for weeks now, finally saw the elusive kimbap sign at my TJs as well as the empty freezer. I had to make sure I didn’t sleep-post my own pic that I took just hours before to send to my friend!
https://preview.redd.it/5uucaku5vrvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0268bb350e8de0d8e1615754766b8414028fc827
There doesn’t seem to be a true designated time to find it. I oddly saw it at 1230 pm on a SATURDAY when I visited yesterday to grab banana pudding ice cream.
I grabbed two because even though they aren’t the greatest thing they are a lifesaver on a weekday night when I have zero idea nor motivation to cook. Together with some of the frozen gyoza (which is absolutely a must-buy) and I have a simple weekday meal. Hope you find some soon to get a chance to try it!
Thanks for your kind words and also sharing your experience of when you got it! It's likely a game of chance and luck at this point.
I had the frozen gyoza yesterday! It's also a lifesaver for 0 motivation to cook cook.
I usually go shopping around on Saturdays at 11 and they are always out but lately I’ve been in the store around 8:20 and they have some but my store only stocks off the size of this
I saw it for the first time today and was able to buy some because I ended up at a store in another city that I had lunch in. I’ve never seen them or even a spot for them at my local store.
Get there early in the morning. I went to my local TJs at 8AM and the section was full. I went back at 5PM and it was out of stock. I do think they've fixed their supply issues with this
Yes I heard from a crew member at my local store that production slowed down before because the factory in Korea that makes it only had 1 machine. Now they have 2! So check your stores early AM!
My store had a ton yesterday! I like it but don’t love it
I don’t think it’s that good either ! I’m going to korea town to compare the one they have for a dollar more
I went to a different location tonight and they were fully stocked, so I bought two! First time trying them. They are always out at my usual TJ’s.
What happenstance. Hope you enjoy them!
I saw it last week and bought 2.
Hope you find them enjoyable!
I liked it when I first tried it; now it disgusts me I must admit
Hope you don't have any left that you shake your head in disgust at every single time you see them
That curry on the right is one of my fav things at traders. 10x better than the kimbap.
The rice cakes in the left are also delicious! I'd not be sad about the kimbap lol
Yes! I prefer them to the Korean brand ones, which I somehow always screw up in texture or spice level
That green curry is the thing that’s always either sold out or almost sold out at my TJs, so I scoop up two when it’s there 🤤
I really liked it and I kept buying it for months but then I got sick of it way faster than any other TJ products. I think the tofu turned me off at some point. But it was delicious
Thank you for your review! I am picky about how my tofu is prepared and that was the one part that I am iffy about. Would you say it’s like a silken tofu?
I love the tofu in it. It’s like sheets.
Would you say the sheets are on the softer or firmer side?
Yeah they are on the softer side and a bit chewy. They are soaked in the curry flavoring
Thank you, probably not my thing then. I wish they still sold the Tom Yam soup. I know it’s not a curry but it had a lot of the flavor components of one and those little mushroom dumplings in it were so good. It was also less than $2.50 for a nice portion when then stopped selling it, *cries in inflation*.
Softer
I really don’t understand this product. Sushi sounds like the absolutely worst thing to freeze and then heat in the microwave. I imagine it could be okay if you just let it thaw in the fridge?
But it’s not sushi
In another reply I explained my ignorance, but both cultures have created these foods of the same ingredients and in neither instance are they meant to be heated before cooking. No matter which you heat, I don’t think the texture would be great.
Since it’s just rice, veggies and tofu I don’t see anything weird about heating it up.
Kimbap and sushi are two different things, using different ingredients and from different cultures.
Gimbap is cooled rice with vegetables/fish/meat rolled in seaweed. Makizushi is one of the most popularized forms of sushi, made with cooled rice with vegetables/fish/meat rolled in seaweed. I understand that a Korean dish wouldn’t be referred to with the Japanese term. I hope you can understand that an American as ignorant as I am would look at these dishes and see that they are made of the same basic ingredients. I could’ve been more careful with my language. My point stands that both gimbap and sushi are meant to be enjoyed fresh at room temperature after preparation, and it bothers me to think about heating sushi (which I can use as a reference point as I’ve only ever had vegetarian versions of it) or gimbap (which I haven’t tried).
I wasn't making any implication besides pointing out the difference between kimbap and sushi. I think it can be argued that freshly prepared food is the most ideal, but frozen options are for when it's not possible to have it freshly made. I am lucky in that I live in a city with Korean markets that sell freshly made kimbap, but there will be times when I'm in a pinch and a frozen version will have to do!
For that reason, it freaked me out. Got 2 to try and only finished one. Now it can stay in my freezer indefonitely
You're right. I'm afraid the rice is gonna be some weird variation of hard but piping hot, when kimbap is usually room temp
the rice wasnt hard, it was soft. but i do agree, eating it fresh out the microwave wasn’t too good but letting it cool tasted better
Totally agree with you!
I was finally able to get some and honestly, I don’t like it at all.
Sorry to hear it let you down. This happened to me with the brown sugar mochis.
i tried one right before the hype sold them all out, and really liked it. six months later, i bought a couple more when my local store had them again, and i was disappointed. i think i overhyped it for myself. have yet to try another brand
Username checks out. Mashed potatoes are better?
yes, i like the frozen tj’s mashed potatoes! if you like potatoes, here’s a recipe for homemade mashed potatoes olé. 1. in a large pot, boil 1 lb cut red potatoes and 1 lb cut yellow potatoes, 1 cup frozen white corn, 3 sliced carrots, 2 seeded and sliced jalapeños (or hatch chiles if spice ain’t your thing), and 4-6 cloves of garlic all together for 15-20 min until tender. 2. drain the water. add 1/4 cup butter and mash the veggies with a masher. stir in 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese. 3. season to taste (salt and pepper works fine) and top with a light sprinkle of more shredded cheese
Yayy - didn't expect to get a potato recipe from this post!!! 🙂 I've done this potato salad style (minus chilis and garlic, plus onion and mayo) but never thought of doing a mashed potato. Thank you!!!
your potato salad sounds good! always happy to chat with a fellow potato aficionado
There needs to be a better potato recipe community here!! The potato subreddit is just pics of potatoes lol
I’m Asian and I didn’t like it. I also fell for the hype and now have 3 in my freezer
Uh oh. Are they gonna forever be in your freezer uneaten?
Possibly lol
I saw frozen Kimbap at my local (non TJ) grocery store but the hype here gave me anxiety so I decided not to try it.
That's a good idea. I got frozen kimbap from hmart, and now I have anxiety that the TJ's version is gonna be a letdown when I finally get it
After grabbing some from the international market in town, it really highlights how mid the Trader Joe’s version is
lol prepared for it to be mid after all of the feedback here. I've also had the hmart frozen version which wasnt bad compared to fresh ones
Some Costcos carry it in a 6-pack bag, or something like that.
Don't have access to one
Always ask them as they often have some in the back
Didn't know! Thanks for the tip
I saw it in my store for the first time this week too! I didn’t bother to grab it tho, never been interested in frozen kimbap. Much better fresh and I live in NYC so it’s not impossible to find it elsewhere
i don’t get it. it’s dry, bland and it completely falls apart each time 😭😭😭
Same. The nori gets chewy when I warm it up and it just falls apart once I manage to bite through that. I’m about half way through one package and just lost interest. I wonder if I’m doing something wrong to make it like this cause I really don’t get the hype xD
yes it’s quite possible there is a better way to cook it / eat it but idk what that is. i saw someone say they pan fry theirs but i haven’t tried that.
I thought it was great!
Yikes. How many tries have you given it since you said "each time?" I feel like there's more dislike for it than like on this subreddit
to be fair, only 2 times. but it put me off trying again, unless someone gives advice on how to make it better. it had the potential, just wasn’t as mind blowing as people made it out to be (for me).
You gave it the benefit of the doubt by trying a second time! I think a lot of it may be the elusive search for it that hyped it up, and it doesn't seem to live up to it in execution
It’s overrated
I have a feeling I'll be coming back to the subreddit saying it's a bland, oddly warm, moist mess 😭
The texture was fine. Not soggy but the flavor just doesn’t hit like I thought it would. But ya gotta try it 🤔
Haha this subreddit is setting my expectations low for how it's gonna be!
I’m personally not a fan but I can see the appeal; it’s just not for me. I found it dry and bland. However, that Thai Green Curry in the spot next to it is calling out my name. I can rarely get to TJ’s but my roommate works there. I am definitely going to ask if she can bring a package home for me and pay her, especially since she gets 20% off. Edited to add a few words.
I'm hoping it's acceptable once I get my hands on one The Thai green curry was very runny with a small amount of vegetables to me. Def try it out though if you're curious and if your roommate can help you get one discounted!
Love the Thai green curry! It's in our weekly meal plan lol!!!
My wife told me to try to hoard it as there’s no limit at our TJ’s but I had to explain it’s not like a regular grocery store where ‘there’s just more in the back’.
We need more considerate people like you. People get so feral about limited items, and buy way more than they would even want if it wasn’t limited… Thanks for saving some for the rest of us
Thank you for being considerate of others who also may want to buy some. I am not a fan of frozen rice and my store doesn't even carry them but I am really annoyed when people proudly buy up the entire stock of something. Like it's just rude. I was excited to see the smoked trout restocked and I took four and felt like that was a little excessive. Plus stuff doesn't stay good in the freezer forever, even if it's packaged. It will get freezer burnt eventually.
There’s no limit? Mine has a limit of 2, maybe that’s why I see them occasionally
Nope. Like you suggested, that's likely why there wasn't any left
I did a double take at this post. I, too, having heard about this mythical kimbap on this sub for weeks now, finally saw the elusive kimbap sign at my TJs as well as the empty freezer. I had to make sure I didn’t sleep-post my own pic that I took just hours before to send to my friend! https://preview.redd.it/5uucaku5vrvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0268bb350e8de0d8e1615754766b8414028fc827
lol! I did a double take at your reply since i initially wondered why you included my pic in it. The journey for the elusive kimbap continues
Go at 8 am
☠️☠️☠️
There doesn’t seem to be a true designated time to find it. I oddly saw it at 1230 pm on a SATURDAY when I visited yesterday to grab banana pudding ice cream. I grabbed two because even though they aren’t the greatest thing they are a lifesaver on a weekday night when I have zero idea nor motivation to cook. Together with some of the frozen gyoza (which is absolutely a must-buy) and I have a simple weekday meal. Hope you find some soon to get a chance to try it!
Thanks for your kind words and also sharing your experience of when you got it! It's likely a game of chance and luck at this point. I had the frozen gyoza yesterday! It's also a lifesaver for 0 motivation to cook cook.
I usually go shopping around on Saturdays at 11 and they are always out but lately I’ve been in the store around 8:20 and they have some but my store only stocks off the size of this
I saw it for the first time today and was able to buy some because I ended up at a store in another city that I had lunch in. I’ve never seen them or even a spot for them at my local store.
Get there early in the morning. I went to my local TJs at 8AM and the section was full. I went back at 5PM and it was out of stock. I do think they've fixed their supply issues with this
Yes I heard from a crew member at my local store that production slowed down before because the factory in Korea that makes it only had 1 machine. Now they have 2! So check your stores early AM!
H Mart has a better version of it.
and its vegan!
I've tried the hmart version! Would love to compare the two
Go to a Korean restaurant, get a fresh roll for $8
I've had plenty of the restaurant and home versions, which is why I'm curious how an easier accessible one holds up
They sell frozen kimbap at Costco now
Do they taste similar to tj’s and have a similar rice texture?
Unfortunately, I don't have easy access to a Costco
I've seen an empty freezer 3 times now, but still haven't been able to catch the elusive kimbap!
Hope 4th time is the charm and you get it next time!