276810 Wed Mar 02 01:13:16 -0800 2005 22 31 Home Cooking 0 1461346 I am confused about soy sauce. Whenever I get take-out Chinese food, they give you those little rectangular plastic things of soy sauce, which literally have no taste at all. I'm convinced it's mostly colored water in those things. I want to buy a nice bottle of really flavorful soy sauce, but I see that there are many many many different brands out there. I don't know which one is good. I went to the Amazon website (where you can buy anything under the sun) and they have so many different brands, my head was spinning. Does anyone have any recommendations? I don't want anything hot (spicy), just a nice rich flavorful basic soy sauce. Thanks in advance for your help. Wed Mar 02 01:13:16 -0800 2005 0 Alexis 1 1461351 http://www.edenfoods.com/HostedStore.LassoApp?-ResponseLassoApp=search.lasso&category=Japanese%20Traditional&subcategory=Shoyu%20-%20Soy%20Sauces Wed Mar 02 02:54:31 -0800 2005 1461346 0 eve 1 1461353 I like the Lee Kum Kee soy sauce, but the one with the yellow label. I buy it from the asian market -- I believe it's called Special Soy sauce(?) Wed Mar 02 03:14:19 -0800 2005 1461346 0 boogiebaby 1 1461356 Kikkoman is what I love; I know it's a mass-market soy sauce but I've seen many t.v. chefs using it, from Martin Yan to Ming Tsai, though Martin Yan uses tons of Lee Kum Kee products too (I think they've always sponsored his shows on Public television too). I think it has very good flavor. Wed Mar 02 06:39:38 -0800 2005 1461346 0 Val 1 1461357 There are indeed many types of different types of soya sauce, not just in terms of brands but types as well. There is generally two categories, the light soya sauce (the type that is more watery, and you may get with your sushi), and the type that that is alot darker and thicker, usually known as (old) or black soya sauce, which is usually used for Chinese braises. Then you have the different brands from all over the world, from the Chinese brands, to the Japanese brands, the Thai brands etc. There is a subtle difference in the flavour between the Japanese and Chinese made soya sauce, as they are made through different methods. For myself, I usually use the kikkoman soya sauce if I am using the light soya sauce variety. The other recommendation for Lee Kum Kee would also be fairly safe - though here you would want to different between the light and dark variety. Wed Mar 02 06:58:30 -0800 2005 1461346 0 Sally Doodah 2 1461486 Chinese soy sauce tends to be categorized into two groups: dark soy sauce and light soy sauce. Japanese soy sauce is usually categorized differently, into five categories: koikuchi, tamari, usukuchi, shiro, and saishikomi. Most people use koikuchi soy sauce (roughly equal combinations of soybeans and wheat). The link posted below goes a bit more in depth into each category. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soy_sauce Wed Mar 02 18:25:14 -0800 2005 1461357 0 cornflower 1 1461358 First, the stuff in the little plastic tubes is not soy sauce. The barely legible ingredient list says caramelized something, not soy. Go to your nearest Asian market and buy two or more brands in small bottles. Find out if you like any one of them. We literally buy soy sauce by the gallon because we use it often to make teriyaki sauce for steak. BTW, Worcestershire sauce is another product about which one must be vigilant. Only one brand that I know of uses tamarind instead of soy sauce. The one with tamarind is most authentic. Wed Mar 02 07:26:50 -0800 2005 1461346 0 ChiliDude 2 1461399 From a UK perspective I've just done a side by side comparision of Kikkoman Soy 'Sweet' and Pearl River Bridge Mushroom. Neither are my favourite, but happen to be in the stock cupboard. Both are very salty, the latter has a longer after taste. I prefer - for a dark soy - Amoy, and for a medium soy Kikkoman Soy (not the sweet variety). Bob Wed Mar 02 12:36:22 -0800 2005 1461358 0 Bob Moffatt 1 1461363 Pearl River Bridge Soy Superior is by far the best I have tried. Here in Pittsburgh there are several Asian markets that carry this sauce Wed Mar 02 08:24:29 -0800 2005 1461346 0 AimeeP 2 1461379 Ditto. I keep Kikkomanm on hand too. But Japanese and Chinese soy sauces differ and Pearl River Bridge is one I have on hand at all times. Wed Mar 02 10:58:19 -0800 2005 1461363 0 Candy 3 1461382 Same here. Pearl River Bridge Superior is our "default" soy sauce - when I'm looking for a more pronounced flavor I use their Mushroom Soy. We like Kikkoman as well and always have it on hand, but I reserve it for Japanese cooking. Wed Mar 02 11:09:04 -0800 2005 1461379 0 FlyFish 2 1461495 Pearl River now has a Premium brand soy sauce that is a little more expensive than the Superior. Haven't done a taste test though. I've heard that cheaper soy sauces are made from soybeans that have been processed for oil extraction. Then there's that junk in packets that is made with hydrolized protein. Wed Mar 02 19:47:30 -0800 2005 1461363 0 Pork Butt 1 1461372 Kikkoman is very good stuff and it is very widely available. We also use the Kikkoman low sodium when we want the flavor but not as much of a salty taste. Plus, a company around (and controlled by the same family) for almost 400 years must be doing something right. Wed Mar 02 10:29:12 -0800 2005 1461346 0 texasmensch 2 1461407 Kikkoman is now manufactured in the US. 400 years? Wed Mar 02 13:01:20 -0800 2005 1461372 0 ChiliDude 3 1461413 Kikkoman has had a brewery in Wisconsin for several decades, but the parent company in Japan traces (or at least claims to trace) its origin to the 17th century. Wed Mar 02 13:18:50 -0800 2005 1461407 0 MikeG 4 1461421 I prefer the Japanese made soysauce. I usually go to the local japanese market to buy it. It tastes different from the soy I can buy at safeway. American brewed soy sauce has a bitter slightly off over-fermented flavor to it. Wed Mar 02 13:42:15 -0800 2005 1461413 0 nutsandchews 5 1461440 I've heard others say that but don't find a dramatic difference myself. Oddly enough though, I can get the imported stuff cheaper (very unusual for Japanese imports!)so buy it for that reason. Wed Mar 02 14:28:41 -0800 2005 1461421 0 MikeG 3 1461533 Chilidude - Simmer down. Maybe ease off the coffee a bit. Toyotas are made in the US, but owned by a Japanese company... Checkout the book written about the company... Link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0786312416/qid=1109864560/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/102-2534601-9614564?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Thu Mar 03 10:44:19 -0800 2005 1461407 0 texasmensch 1 1461378 You're right about the packets. Look among the ingredients for soybeans, water and salt, ant that's about it. If "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" or "caramel coloring" appear, RUN AWAT! (See the French's label in the store - try not to drop the bottle in horror). My favorite all-around sauce: Kikkoman. It's naturally brewed. Find an Asian market - you can't go far wrong there. Wed Mar 02 10:48:10 -0800 2005 1461346 0 Wayne Keyser 1 1461398 We switched to Aloha Shoyu a couple of years ago (from Kikkoman). Wed Mar 02 12:23:31 -0800 2005 1461346 0 PolarBear 1 1461401 I grew up with Kikkoman but based on a recommendation from Cooks Illustrated I bought a bottle of Eden Organic Shoyu soy sauce. Very fresh aroma with tremendous depth of flavor. It has replaced the Kikkoman in my kitchen. Wed Mar 02 12:44:35 -0800 2005 1461346 0 cf 1 1461470 We now use the pricier products in the Kimlan range(made in Taiwan) for our main soy for table and most cooking uses. There are several different products - but the yellow label/super special, another with a vietnamese name and the one we are using now, with bamboo grove or something like that in the label background (the latter is made without wheat) are particularly good. One plus is that Kimlan's bottles are relatively small - soy oxidizes and evaporates rather fast when exposed to air, so the big bottles of chinese soy have mostly been wasted in my kitchen. My snobbish-about-soy-because-she-lived-in-Japan sister in law liked these products, which do bear a resemblance to the finer brewed Japanese sauces. Wed Mar 02 16:36:03 -0800 2005 1461346 0 jen kalb 2 1461501 The Kimlan type we are using now, is called I-Jen Soy Sauce - so I guess the plants in the background of the label are rice (I was searching for I-Jen to find out what this ingredient in this soy is and found the attached very interesting soy sauce tasting result,) and found that I-Jen is some kind of special roasted rice. this is a really nice soy sauce. Link: http://www.myspeakerscorner.com/forum/spawn.php?qv=1&fn=2&tid=33757 Wed Mar 02 21:08:16 -0800 2005 1461470 0 jen kalb