Trader Joe’s burritos are incredibly popular. Why wouldn’t they be? Not only are they delicious, but they are very quick to prepare. But, can you eat Trader Joe’s burritos cold?
You can eat Trader Joe’s burritos cold. Trader Joe’s burritos come both ready to eat or frozen depending on the section you get your burritos from. All burritos have been cooked beforehand, however, eating the burritos cold will not taste as pleasant as if you were to fully heat them.
Let’s explain.
Is it Safe to Eat Trader Joe’s Burritos Cold?
Trader Joe’s makes their products with incredibly fresh ingredients. This means that it is safe to eat them cold.
Refrigerated Burritos
Burritos that are in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe’s is ready to heat, however, it is recommended to heat them before serving for the best experience.
Frozen Burritos
You can eat Trader Joe’s burritos from frozen. They are pre-cooked before they are frozen, and they should be fine to consume.
We won’t lie, though. They are not going to taste brilliant like this. In fact, they will taste rather foul. However, it is 100% safe to eat them.
You can also heat up the frozen burritos, let them cool down, and then eat them cold within the next 2-3 days without any issues. However, it is important that they are kept refrigerated during that time.
Trader Joe’s Frozen Burritos: Can They Be Eaten Cold?
You can eat them from Frozen, but we wouldn’t really recommend it.
As you know, Trader Joe’s frozen burritos have been designed to be headed up in the microwave in a little under 2 minutes.
This means that they make a fast addition to any meal that you are preparing. It also means that they are cooked already when they are frozen.
Because of this, they are technically safe to consume frozen because there should be no bacteria there.
However, we hope that you are not asking whether they can be eaten from frozen. This is because there are plenty of ways to cook them if you do not have a microwave. Go down that route first. It will be much, much better for you.
If you have heated them up and stored them in the fridge, then you can consume them within 2-3 days. This is because the bacteria that is going to harm you is going to take a while to develop to any sort of level where it would actually harm you. If anything over 2-3 days, we would probably throw them away.
Serving them from the fridge (after they have been heated up) probably won’t taste brilliant, but it is going to taste a whole lot better than if they were frozen.
The Best Way to Reheat Trader Joe’s Burritos
We would suggest that you warm them up in the microwave for a couple of minutes. You can put them in the oven at a fairly low temperature for 5-10 minutes just to heat them through.
This should also give the top of the burrito a slight crispiness. However, we can imagine that if you are planning on eating Trader Joe’s burritos cold, you probably didn’t really have a plan to eat them as a part of a gourmet dish, right?
A minute or two in the microwave should be more than sufficient to heat them through.
Obviously, if you are cooking the burritos from frozen, you can always look at the heating instructions found on the packaging. Depending on the frozen burritos that you have purchased, this should be around 2-3 minutes.
Trader Joe’s Burritos: Cold or Hot?
We suggest that you eat them hot, if possible.
It is a burrito. This means that they have been designed to be eaten hot.
Most of their frozen burritos come in a package of two. Therefore, we understand that there are some people out there who may have a spare one that they can eat later on.
While you can cook them from frozen once and keep one in the fridge, we still suggest that you heat it up in the microwave before you serve it a second time.
Not only is it going to taste more delicious, but it should kill some of the bacteria that has started to grow, which can make it safer.
Although, if you are consuming within 2-3 days and the burrito has been left in the fridge, this shouldn’t be that much of a problem.
Safety Tips For Eating Trader Joe’s Burritos Cold
The same safety tips apply as if you are eating any other type of food cold.
Firstly, always make sure that you keep a Trader Joe’s burrito that has been heated up in the fridge. After 2-3 days, you should throw it away. Do not consume after 2-3 days otherwise the risk of getting sick will increase drastically.
Of course, you should also check the burrito before you eat it. Check whether it smells OK. Check whether the texture is OK. Check whether the color looks OK. If anything seems a little bit off, then it isn’t going to be worth even attempting to consume. Throw it away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Trader Joe’s Burritos Ready to Eat?
Some of Trader Joe’s burritos are ready to eat, and some are sold frozen. You will need to warm up the frozen burritos in the microwave for a few minutes to make them edible.
Can You Eat Frozen Burritos Cold?
You can eat them from frozen, if you wanted. It isn’t recommended, though. If you have cooked them in the microwave, then you can store in the fridge and eat within a couple of days.
Final Thoughts
You can eat Trader Joe’s burritos cold, but it isn’t really recommended. Burritos are supposed to be a hot dish, after all.
While you can eat the burritos from frozen, we suggest that you do not. It doesn’t taste nice. Instead, heat them up and store them in the fridge. You must consume within 2-3 days otherwise there is a risk of getting good poisoning with their meat-containing burritos.
Try to avoid eating cold wherever possible. 2 minutes in the microwave should be enough to heat up old burritos and make them taste a whole lot better.
