# Good soy sauce?



## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 15, 2011)

So since this chinese place opened up a mile from my house I've been eating there a lot and use WAY more soy sauce then they give and I don't feel like asking them for a separate bag for the stuff.

So I bought some random one at the store but it tastes NOTHING like the stuff you get from the little packets, its very bitter and awful.

Anyone know any good soy sauce brands that taste more like what you get in the packets or are just not disgustingly bitter?


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## highlordmugfug (Sep 15, 2011)

Kikkoman is the be all end all of soy sauces.

EDIT: You probably bought some cheap ass store brand swill that isn't even actually fermented.


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## heminder (Sep 15, 2011)




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## MikeH (Sep 15, 2011)

I use Kroger (my local grocery) brand and it fucking rules. And I'm in the boat of "how do you even survive using that much soy sauce" group.


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## The Munk (Sep 15, 2011)

I too, like my food to do the back stroke in soy sauce.
My preferred brand: Silver Swan


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## groph (Sep 15, 2011)

I'd definitely go with naturally brewed, fermented stuff. VH makes soy sauce, it's a pretty standard brand around here, and it's shit. It tastes like abrasive, salty rape on the back of your tongue.

Kikkoman is good, Rooster brand seems decent as well. Naturally brewed is a lot more complex in flavor, less salty and fuck it smells good.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 15, 2011)

Will look for one of those two brands, so is the big thing fermented vs not?


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## ZXIIIT (Sep 15, 2011)

I keep this at home, best tasting taste I've ever tasted.




Using Bragg&#8217;s Liquid Amino Acids during VLCD «


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## ry_z (Sep 15, 2011)

groph said:


> I'd definitely go with naturally brewed, fermented stuff.



Must. Kikkoman (reduced sodium, of course) is what I typically use.






^ Also excellent. It's made with just soybeans, instead of soybeans and wheat. It has a somewhat richer, smoother flavor.


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 16, 2011)

<-----Asian dude.

I was gonna type this long, drawn out explanation of soy sauce, and found out the wikipedia does a great job of saying what I would have said.

Soy sauce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


For Japanese-style soy sauce, I like Kikkoman's Low Sodium. For Chinese-style I actually like European imported Maggi Seasoning (which cannot be called soy sauce b/c it actually doesn't contain any soy! )

Since most Vietnamese people like the Chinese flavor over the Japanese flavor, we stock Maggi at my house.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

So which kinds the stuff that comes in the little packets at american chinese joints xD


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 16, 2011)

From the wikipedia page...

"Some brands of soy sauce are often made from acid-hydrolyzed soy protein instead of brewed with a traditional culture. This process may take only three days.[13] Although they have a different flavor, aroma, and texture when compared to brewed soy sauces, they have a longer shelf-life and are more commonly produced for this reason. Some people feel the hydrolyzed sauces taste better, but some prefer the naturally brewed varieties. The clear plastic packets of dark sauce common with Chinese-style take out food typically use a hydrolyzed vegetable protein formula."


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

I missed the part where it said the packets are chinese or japanese style. 

Either way I stopped by the grocery store across the street from work and all they had was the kikkoman bottle linked in this thread and the La choy bottle I have in my house that tastes like wild shit so I bought the kikkoman.

Will test later!


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## Sea (Sep 16, 2011)

Soy sauce, yuck. The Chinese place I order from supposedly has good soy sauce.

I drink quarts of duck sauce to prevent dehydration.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

_Thank you, that was a very constructive post. I appreciate it. _


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 16, 2011)

Kikkoman (japanese style soy sauce) will taste kinda weird on chinese food at first, especially if you like the soy sauce in those to-go packets.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

Ah, well I'll see the hard way since I already bought a bottle xD

They're all of like 2 smacks so its not a huge loss. Does anyone make anything like what you get in the packets but in a large bottle form? That was kinda the whole point of the thread.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

Yeah your right phi this kikkoman doesn't taste anything like whats in the packets either, its better than the la choy stuff I got but its still not the packet stuff.

Oi...


So referring to my OP does anyone know of anything that tastes like the packets since that's what I was asking about in the first place?


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## Hollowway (Sep 16, 2011)

Found a soy sauce you like? Good, now move on... to FISH SAUCE! Nuoc mam is the Vietnamese fish sauce, and I love the stuff. Obviously it's not a replacement. But check that stuff out if you're not partaking already.


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

No, I didn't find a soy sauce I like yet... Hence my last post


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 16, 2011)

Hollowway said:


> Found a soy sauce you like? Good, now move on... to FISH SAUCE! Nuoc mam is the Vietnamese fish sauce, and I love the stuff. Obviously it's not a replacement. But check that stuff out if you're not partaking already.




Dude, Nuoc mam is pretty far out there for the uninitiated!  In vietnamese culture, we like to say that nuoc mam smells like a female's underparts that haven't been washed in a while!


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 16, 2011)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> Yeah your right phi this kikkoman doesn't taste anything like whats in the packets either, its better than the la choy stuff I got but its still not the packet stuff.
> 
> Oi...
> 
> ...





Is there an asian market around your locale? If so, you need to get a bottle of the Maggi!


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

ORLY!

So maggi is what I've been looking for all this time eh?

ain't that a bitch. I don't believe there is an asian market, I'll have to scour what shoprites and acmes I can and hope xD

or resort to the internets.


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## Hollowway (Sep 16, 2011)

BigPhi84 said:


> Dude, Nuoc mam is pretty far out there for the uninitiated!  In vietnamese culture, we like to say that nuoc mam smells like a female's underparts that haven't been washed in a while!



 I thought that honor was reserved for Durian!


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 16, 2011)

Hollowway said:


> I thought that honor was reserved for Durian!




No, Durian (Sau Rieng in Vietnamese) smells like a bad bout of Taco Shits mixed with an entire football team's dirty gym socks, and shoved into a rotting carcass!   I literally have to leave the house if my parents ever crack one of these open. What's funny is that there are so many Vietnamese love songs that mention this damned fruit!


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 16, 2011)

Lmao! Now I'm curious.

Does such a disgustingly smelly thing actually taste good enough to be worth all that awful?


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## Psycroptica (Sep 17, 2011)

If we're going to play the "who's legit" game, I'm Taiwanese _and _a foodie.

If you want good flavor, I suggest buying light soy sauce. I'm personally a fan of light soy sauce over dark ones, since I really love the distinct, salty flavor it imparts.

In my opinion, Kikkoman is like the white person's soy sauce. Don't get me wrong--I have a bottle of it in my home. However, it's been pretty much sitting on my counter collecting dust ever since I got my hands on some Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy Sauce. You can buy a package of two for a decent price (currently $6.73 on Amazon and ships quickly with Prime).

In my opinion, you get what you pay for. If you're looking for really good shit, I suggest you find a nearby Chinese/Japanese supermarket (even Korean and Viet are okay). If those aren't immediately available, I'm sure there are a few places that are out of the way but still accessible. 

For instance, the next time you're in Edgewater for whatever reason, you can try out Mitsuwa. Japanese stores are always going to be more expensive than any other brand of Asian stores, but they'll definitely carry good quality stuff. 

Also, there are surprisingly a lot of H Marts in New Jersey. I tried finding some 99 Ranch stores, but alas there were none in NJ. I'm sure Yelp can be useful to you in your quest for the best soy sauce, though.

Just look on the back of a soy sauce bottle's label, make sure there isn't too much crap in it, and if it sounds and looks authentically Asian, try it. Also, buy sesame oil to go with your soy sauce. And do not under any circumstance cheap out on sesame oil. More expensive doesn't always = better quality, but it's definitely true when it comes to sesame oil. If you buy cheap, you're wasting your money.


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## chronocide (Sep 17, 2011)

I use the Kikkoman (not the reduced sodium one) for sushi and Japanese grub and Blue Dragon for Chinese stuff.


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## BigPhi84 (Sep 17, 2011)

Cheesebuiscut said:


> Lmao! Now I'm curious.
> 
> Does such a disgustingly smelly thing actually taste good enough to be worth all that awful?




I'm assuming that it's an acquired taste, you know, sort of a cultural thing. If I'm not mistaken, Andrew Zimmern (host of Bizarre Foods) has Durian on his "never again" list, if you catch my drift. 


I mean, the stuff has been banned by public transportation in many Southeast Asian countries!  It's like a natural chemical weapon that can clear a room like no other!


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## ayambakar (Sep 19, 2011)

Wow what? You guys gotta be kidding me... 

This beauty? 






It's the best tasting fragrant creamy fruit ever! 

On topic though, back home I used to use some obscure Chinese soy sauce sold in nearby supermarket, dangit I forgot the brand. Fermented. Tastes so much better than the cheap counterpart which is not fermented at all - tastes like salt water.

EDIT - Psycroptica, THAT's the brand I use at home! Pearl River Bridge! Oh Lord where can I get them in the US...

EDIT II - wow, I didn't even read the whole post. I am too excite.


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## Antimatter (Sep 19, 2011)

Just get some saltwater and put brown coloring in it


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## ry_z (Sep 19, 2011)

Antimatter said:


> Just get some saltwater and put brown coloring in it



That's basically what most of the shitty store-brand 'soy sauces' are.


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## Isan (Sep 19, 2011)

Ask the Restaurant the brand of soy sauce


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## marbledbeef (Sep 19, 2011)

Mushroom soy sauce is the shit! It's got an inky thickness and a full flavour.


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## Vinchester (Sep 20, 2011)

The OP must know first that there are many types of soy sauces ; light, dark, sweetened, those used for marinating etc. etc. 

Chinese light soy sauce would go well with most Chinese food. I'd recommend a Thai brand (yes I'm Thai Chinese) but I have no idea what's the name is in English.


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## Mysticlamp (Sep 20, 2011)

kikkoman no doubt


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## Cheesebuiscut (Sep 20, 2011)

Well thanks phi I think your the only one who reads before responding xD


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## Isan (Sep 20, 2011)

Nah, I read... just choose to ignore the OP!


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## Konfyouzd (Sep 20, 2011)

highlordmugfug said:


> Kikkoman is the be all end all of soy sauces.
> 
> EDIT: You probably bought some cheap ass store brand swill that isn't even actually fermented.


 
This is what I use.


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## Rommel (Sep 20, 2011)

Try Lee Kum Kee premium Soy Sauce.


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## poopyalligator (Sep 20, 2011)

kikkoman low sodium is what i use, and i like it more than others i have tried. 

Also I have tried durian. They are disgusting. The smell is horrendous, but i still wanted to try it.


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