Do Your Appetite A Favor And Avoid The Prepared Tamales At Trader Joe's. Here's Why

Salad dressings, deli sandwiches, burritos; there are certain things that will never taste as good pre-prepared as they do fresh. Our better-fresh theory was recently tested when we sank our teeth into 13 Trader Joe's prepared foods and ranked them from worst to best. Unfortunately, Trader Joe's Chicken & Green Chile Tamales did not fare very well, arriving second to last on the list. (The Lemon Herb Macaroni Salad was last, but that was more of a flavor issue than a freshness and consistency issue.)

Of course, flavor is important in any dish, but for tamales in particular, texture is crucial. You want your tamales to have the perfect balance of fluffy, airy masa encasing a juicy and complex filling hiding under an easy-to-peal corn husk. Every ingredient needs to work together to maintain the integrity of the tamale so that it can be devoured in neat, all-encompassing forkfuls. Then there are the Trader Joe's tamales. Without sounding too harsh, Trader Joe's prepared tamales were the absolute opposite of everything we outlined a tamale should be. The thin layer of masa was brittle, the promised spice from the green chilis got lost in the madness, and the chicken filling was not juicy — it was dry. All in all, Trader Joe's, typically known for its mad-decent snacks, delivered a disappointing dish.

Originating in Latin America, tamales are one of the world's oldest recipes. And even though their corn husk homes make them the perfect meal to batch-make, transport, and share, it's still best to eat them within a couple of days, if not hours, of cooking. This is because all of the ingredients thrive on moisture to deliver that flavor-texture balance you want from your tamales.

Unlike fresh tamales, Trader Joe's tamales are prepared, then vacuum-sealed, and sent off to various store locations across the country where they sit in a refrigerator until you pick them up...and then they sit in your refrigerator for even longer. So it's almost as if these tamales never had a chance to begin with. Aside from the problems with texture a lot of people complain that the flavor is not bold and punchy enough — though the pork tamales seem to be popular. If you're still looking for a fast and easy tamale lunch, by all means, get the Trader Joe's tamales, however, we recommend dabbing on some of your favorite hot sauce for some added flavor and reheating by steaming them on the stovetop (as opposed to the microwave) to try and infuse a bit more moisture to the dried out filling.