• As a chef, I love picking up quality ingredients and ready-made snacks at Trader Joe's.
• Trader Joe's Medjool dates and Pound Plus chocolate bars are ideal for baking recipes.
• The entire cheese section and zhoug sauce need to be talked about more often.

I love hunting for delicious, creamy cheeses.

At a recent dinner party, I found myself chowing down on a particularly delicious and creamy cheese, which the host informed me was from Trader Joe's. After this revelation, I started regularly frequenting the chain's cheese aisle.

Trader Joe's goat-milk gouda rivals my favorite cheese from Whole Foods at a fraction of the price, $10.99 per pound. I thinly shave it and toss it into a beet, fennel, and blood-orange salad.

The spreadable brie rounds out any cheese board and the 10-ounce blocks of feta are perfect crumbled on top of salads, shakshuka, or soups. I recommend buying the blocks of feta in brine instead of the pre-crumbled stuff, which tends to be drier and less flavorful.

Trader Joe's Pound Plus dark chocolate comes in handy for at-home baking.

I love to bake and am constantly trying new recipes for fun, making cakes for friends' birthdays, and testing out cookies and tarts to serve for the holidays.

All of this baking means I run through chocolate at a speed that would likely concern my physician (don't worry, I give most of it away) so Trader Joe's Pound Plus chocolate is perfect for all of my projects.

The chain sells a pound of chocolate for just $4.99, making it easy and affordable to stock up for baking projects. 

Trader Joe's zhoug sauce is an underrated gem.

Though I love making zhoug, a fiery Yemenite sauce made with hot green peppers, cilantro, garlic, and other spices, there are times that I don't feel like whipping out my food processor.

At the first restaurant I worked at, we spread house-made zhoug onto burgers with a dollop of creamy mayo, spooned it on top of hummus for an extra kick, and used it as a finishing sauce for whole roasted fish.

I've since used the Trader Joe's version on pretty much everything: roasted vegetables, toast, eggs, you name it. But be warned, the spicy sauce is not for the faint of heart so start with a small spoonful and taste as you go. 

Trader Joe's sells an excellent version of the sauce for only $3.69.

Trader Joe's Medjool dates are great in sweet or savory dishes.

More often than not, I find supermarket dates are too dry, sweet, and expensive. However, I found some of the best, most affordable dates at Trader Joe's, perfect for both sweet and savory recipes.

I like to use them in a celery salad with dates, Parmesan, and almonds for a simple yet showstopping side that I've used to convert even the most fervent celery haters. I love them chopped up in a sticky date cake or used as a healthier sweetener in cookies.

If I'm feeling lazy, I'll cut a date open, throw in a spoonful of almond butter, and sprinkle flaky salt on top. It's the quickest way to satiate my sweet tooth.

Even though it creates an extra step, I recommend buying un-pitted dates because they will stay moist and fresh longer. A 16-ounce container of dates at Trader Joe's costs $4.99.

I stock up on Trader Joe's frozen fruit to use in smoothies.

Working in restaurants might mean your breakfast is cold leftover eggs from the line cook or brownie scraps from the pastry chef. So, on my days off, I'd try to start my day with a smoothie to balance out my meals, a habit that has since stuck with me.

Trader Joe's offers a wide array of frozen fruit but lately, I've been loving the mango or pineapple, which retail for $2.99 a bag, for smoothies.

I also buy frozen fruit to make treats like a cherry pie or blueberry crumble in the dead of winter.

Trader Joe's raw California walnut halves and pieces are so versatile.

I'll use Trader Joe's walnuts, a savory and sweet kitchen staple of mine, to add heft to a salad, blitz them with roasted red peppers for muhammara dip, or throw them into a chocolate-chip cookie for extra crunch.

Though walnuts cost $10 per pound at my local co-op, I can find an entire pound for $5.99, as well as many other affordably priced nuts and seeds, at Trader Joe's. I like to buy raw nuts to toast at home for a more intense flavor.

I grab Trader Joe's organic Vermont maple syrup each time I go to the store.

For some reason, I never thought to add maple syrup to my stir fry until a good friend and fellow chef told me to do so.

Trader Joe's organic Vermont maple syrup balances the salty soy sauce and spicy chili flakes, adding sweetness and depth to the dish.

I also add a splash of maple syrup to my morning coffee, salad dressings, and marinades for a boost of flavor. At only $4.99 for 8 ounces, I make sure to restock my supply each time I go to Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's seeds and grains crispbreads are the ideal ready-made snack.

Trader Joe's seeds and grains crispbreads, styled after a Norwegian snack, are the perfect hearty bite. I have them with hummus or smashed avocado or crumble them into a salad.

Every time I eat them, I think, "I could probably make these myself," but at $2.99 a pack, why bother? After my years of working in a professional kitchen, having an easy yet delicious ready-made snack is a relief.

Trader Joe's elote corn-chip dippers will be your new favorite snack.

If you've never had Trader Joe's elote corn-chip dippers before, prepare to discover your new favorite snack.

I've eaten an entire bag myself after returning from an early morning shift and have shared them with friends at a party. They're the ideal chip because they're delicious eaten straight out of the bag but perfectly shaped to scoop up guacamole or salsa.

I'm already regretting that I bought only one bag during my last shopping trip. At $2.69 a bag, be sure to stock up. 

Grab inexpensive yet durable dish towels at Trader Joe's.

Dish towels might not be edible but the ones at Trader Joe's are a staple in my kitchen.

Dish towels, above all else, need to be utilitarian. In restaurant kitchens, there are stacks of towels everywhere for cleaning, drying, and grabbing hot pans out of the oven (most chefs prefer towels to oven mitts).

Though you may not need quite as many towels in your home kitchen, if you cook frequently, you'll want affordable dish towels that can withstand heavy use.

Trader Joe's towels are attractive enough to hang on your oven, durable enough to use over and over again, and cheap enough not to care if one gets ruined. I've already purchased two sets in red but the store carries a variety of colors to choose from. 

Trader Joe's dish towels come in sets of three for $5.99.

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