David is the main mayo eater in our house. He loves mayo. Specifically, he loves HELLMANN’S. But he was willing to experiment and try TJ’s mayonnaise for the sake of this
blog. He is a good sport. After trying it, here is what he said: “TJ’s mayo is a GOOD mayonnaise; it is just
not to my taste. I grew up on Hellmann’s
mayo and I like the lemony, fresh ZING flavor in it. The TJ’s is not quite as lemony, not quite as
zingy of a flavor.”
 |
| David pre-taste test - a nervous man afraid he may have to give up his mayo.... |
I think that the TJ’s variety tastes a little sweeter
(which is ironic, in that it has no added sweeteners… Go figure…).
We did a blind side by side taste test.
I put a cloth over David’s eyes and had him taste blobs of each brand of
mayo. I even tried to TRICK him and give
him two samples of the TJ’s one in a row, but he KNEW. He could totally taste the difference.
This is a good example of name brand loyalty. David grew up on one brand, Hellmann’s. The taste of Hellmann’s is, to him, the taste
of MAYO. The Trader Joe’s brand just
doesn’t taste “right” to him.
 |
| It is not BAD, it really isn't!! It just doesn't taste like the mayo he grew up slatering on his sandwiches |
Before I began this year long project, I thought that
store brands (plain label brands) were “beneath” name brand goods. I felt that name products were superior. But this year of eating so many Trader Joe’s
branded products has opened my eyes to the fact that my preconceived notion about
plain labels was often WRONG. The vast
majority of TJ’s brand things we have tried have been equal to and often times BETTER than more expensive “fancy
brands”.
But every once in a while, there is a name brand product
that you just can’t bear to give up. The
store brand just tastes DIFFERENT. That
is not to say it is BAD, it just doesn’t taste like what you are used to. And in those instances, it is worth paying a
little bit more to have the taste you love.
 |
| Very good price |
Here is the price comparison between the TJ’s brand and
Hellmann’s:
Hellmann’s - $5.29 for 30 fl oz
Trader Joe’s - $3.99 for 32 fl oz
David did some math for me and figured out that the
Trader Joe’s brand is about .5 cents cheaper per ounce. That is a good cost savings if you like the
taste!
All that being said, we will go back to Hellmann’s. We will spend a bit more to keep my main
squeeze happy. Cuz if David ain’t happy,
ain’t nobody happy. J
Price – $3.99
Rating – 3.5
I grew up in a best foods mayo household (aka helleman's on the east coast) and I actively hated the trader joe's mayo! One of the few things i have returned, blech.
ReplyDeleteTtrockwood
You are the 2nd person (other than David) who has said they hated it. Makes me feel better about our returning it :) .
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I grew up with Hellmanns, in my college years I fell in love with Dukes brand mayo. Then I tried fancy organic mayo. TJ mayo tastes like the fancy mayo. You taste hellmanns its as tasteless as the mass produced honey you see on the shelf. I recommend Dukes or TJ. The TJ does have a different taste, but if you ever made mayo from scratch you really can't base a review off of a crap product you grew up with. No offense to the good people at hellmanns, but trying to feed 7 billion people is easier when ingredients are cheap!
ReplyDeleteTell David that in the DC/MD/VA area GIANT Food Stores has periodic sales (usually just before each major holiday, like the recent Labor Day Weekend) when Hellman's Mayo is RIDICULOUSLY and gloriously CHEAP! If you stocked up on six jars (and they keep for ages) each 30 oz. jar costs just $2.17!!! Even if you gave half the jars away, you'd still come out ahead, although I don't think Hellman's is priced as high as $5.29 at any "normal" grocery store.
ReplyDeleteObviously, I'm with David -- it's Hellman's all the way for me -- nothing else will do.
There's been no other mayo in my kitchen since earliest childhood memory -- and I'm 83 this year1 :)
Bring out the Hellman's, and bring out the best!
DeleteI will be looking at our local Giant for sale mayo before the holidays now thanks to your tip. Do you think they will mark it down for THANKSGIVING, or only summer "mayo centric" holidays??
Especially for David, as Promised :)
ReplyDeleteHellman's Mayonnaise at Giant in the DC Area, week of November 10-16 2017: $2.99
per 30-oz jar!
This is the first good Holiday sale of the year on Hellman's Mayonnaise! Not quite as fab as it sometimes has been -- and possibly better next week, the actual week before Thanksgiving, 2017? But it would be very unusual for Giant to offer a special deal on Hellman's two weeks in a row, so this is probably as good as it gets until maybe Christmas, when you'll no doubt be in Florida!
OH MY GOODNESS! Thanks LynnInBethesda!!!! I have just made a sticky note reminder - GO TO GIANT FOR MAYO BEFORE NOV 16! :)
DeleteI hate that mayo, makes everything taste like crap
ReplyDeleteTJ brand tastes like crap
Deletetotally agree with David! To me TJ's mayo has a slight horseradish-y taste. Every time I have been in a pinch and bought TJ's mayo I have regretted it. Never again! There are a few other TJ products that I feel the same way about and have to remind myself to steer clear. One of them is their cream cheese. I realized that I much prefer Philadelphia cream cheese over TJ's varieties. They either taste too salty or too sweet.
ReplyDeleteand I just realized that both these foods are white. they are background foods, they're not supposed to be tasty particularly, they're supposed to be bland, or you get so familiar with them that they recede into the background so that you taste what's on top of them. But when they are tweaked you notice it. Something like that. I'm willing to admit it is habituation.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I switched to brown rice from white rice. Now I hate white rice. It is possible to change but it takes a willingness, and there has to be a good reason, like health for example. I see no compelling reason to switch away from Hellman's/Best Foods.
ReplyDeleteHellmans is a non-starter, because it has added sugar, which makes it taste more like Miracle Whip...nasty!
ReplyDeleteI don't know, I just checked my Best Foods jar, which is supposed to be the same recipe as Hellman's, and while the ingredients list includes sugar, the amount is apparently so low that it doesn't appear on the nutrition facts list.
ReplyDeleteYour all processed food addicts Trader Joe's mustard is best hands down.
ReplyDelete