Soy sauce

[CharlieD]

I made Chinese last night. Usually I use La Choy brand for the soy sauce when I make fried rice and stir fry beef. Yesterday I used Kikkoman brand. Wow, what a difference. I will never ever buy that brand anymore. I couldn't eat anything.

 

[Alix]

Takes some getting used to if you have been using another brand. I don't know La Choy brand, but I bet it isn't a fermented soy sauce. Kikkoman is fermented and the taste is different. I used to feel as you do Charlie, but I kept trying it and now I actually prefer Kikkoman. LOL. We still have China Lily for Madeleine, but the rest of us use Kikkoman more often than not.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

And that's why there are so many different brands. La Choy, if I remember correclty, is made from hydrolized vegetable protien, while Kikoman is made by brewing soy beans. Kikoman makes a true soy sauce.

As you said, the flavors are profoundly different. You prefer the La Choy, while I love the Kidoman. And that's perfect. All of us react to different flavors in different ways. I am happy that you have found a soy sauce that you really like. And I'm glad I've found a readily available soy sauce that I really like. It keeps both companies going.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[CharlieD]

Actually I also tasted Lee Kum Kee brand and it is awesome. Made in Hong Kong stuff.

And as far as getting used to it, I probably will not. I'd rather buy the stuff that I like rather than adopt to something I hated.

And La Choy Products - Sauces is a really nice brand. Has a lot of diferent sauces, if you can find it try it.

 

[CharlieD]

And that's why there are so many different brands. La Choy, if I remember correclty, is made from hydrolized vegetable protien, while Kikoman is made by brewing soy beans. Kikoman makes a true soy sauce.

As you said, the flavors are profoundly different. You prefer the La Choy, while I love the Kidoman. And that's perfect. All of us react to different flavors in different ways. I am happy that you have found a soy sauce that you really like. And I'm glad I've found a readily available soy sauce that I really like. It keeps both companies going.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

Interesting, I did not know that. Thank you for info.

I'll stick to fake stuf then.

 

[Alix]

Like Goodweed says, different tastes appeal to different people. I'm just one of those folks who hates to waste stuff. (and I think you are too Charlie) So I know if I bought a bottle of something I didn't like the taste of it would really gripe me to throw it out. Just wanted to let you know that I've been in your shoes, and grew to like that flavour after a while.

Its so shocking to taste a different flavour when you are expecting something you are accustomed to.

 

[Bilby]

I have three different soy sauces and they are all... Kikkoman! Yakuta is a nice one in my opinion too. Lee Kum Kee does a nice sweet and sour. Haven't tried their soy sauce.

 

[Walt Bulander]

We use tamari, or sometimes, fish sauce. I love both, but I'm salt restricted, so have to be careful.

Check out "soy sauce" on Wikipedia. Wow! I never knew there were so many kinds. Hawaiian??

 

[tupperware]

Try Hinze dark soy.

But, buy it in an Asian Store the kind with the label in Chinese.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

There is a profound difference between soys.

There are 3 major groups

Light Soy (ex. Kikoman) Which is brewed and tastes light with a bite

Dark Soy (ex. La Choy) Which is dark and hydrolyzed as someone mentioned. Hearty and a different type of sweet.

Mixed Soy (ex. Asian) Which is a mixture, sometimes incorporating other flavors such as Sweet Ginger Soy or Teriyaki Soy.


I find the light soy is good on protein dishes such as chicken, and in sauces. Dark Soy I personally prefer on rices and in some hearty sauces.
Mixed soy is great for certain dishes as well, I highly reccommend Ginger Soy.
Alot of "authentic" soys seem to be darker, but thats only in NY and Philadelphia where I shop in Chinatowns. Im sure it varies accross the world.

 

[chave982]

I subsribe to CooksIllustrated.com, and they did a review on Soy Sauce:http://tastetests.cooksillustrated.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=508. They rated Kikkoman as one of the best, and La Choy as the worst.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

I prefer brewed soy myself, but to each their own.

 

[ErikC]

Watkins has several flavored soy sauces that I enjoy on various dishes. They are too strongly flavored to cook with, I suspect, but as something to dash into a rice dish or a soup they are great.

 

[jennyema]

There is a profound difference between soys.

There are 3 major groups

Light Soy (ex. Kikoman) Which is brewed and tastes light with a bite

Dark Soy (ex. La Choy) Which is dark and hydrolyzed as someone mentioned. Hearty and a different type of sweet.

Mixed Soy (ex. Asian) Which is a mixture, sometimes incorporating other flavors such as Sweet Ginger Soy or Teriyaki Soy.

There are a lot more than 3 types, actually and La Choy isn't a dark soy sauce.

Dark soy is thicker and has had sugar or molasses added to it.

La Choy is just a cheaper brand of "light" soy sauce. IMO, all you taste is salt with it.

Personally I prefer Kikkoman low sodium and Healthy Boy brand.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I have to agree with "Cooks Illustrated" - La Choy (& Chun King) products have to be the worst. The few I've tried have an "off", almost chemical taste, & contain ingredients both unnecessary nor authentic. Does anyone remember the old La Choy tv jingle? "La Choy makes Chinese food - swing, American"? They've been around since when? The 1950's? Unfortunately, their products haven't changed much since then. One would have thought that with the major interest over the years in Asian cooking, they would have invested in better quality.

Kikkoman is a terrific light soy sauce, & one I buy by the gallon jug from CostCo for everyday use - primarily for Japanese, Thai, Korean, etc., cooking. My "dark", "black", & "mushroom" soys (as well as nam pla (fish sauce) I buy in quart-size glass bottles from Asian markets & use fairly exclusively for Chinese dishes.

But - if you don't like something, you don't like it. And personal preference is a major player in the ingredients we use, which is as it should be.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I have three different soy sauces and they are all... Kikkoman! Yakuta is a nice one in my opinion too. Lee Kum Kee does a nice sweet and sour. Haven't tried their soy sauce.

I can only get the Yakuta light and I love it very nice flavor

 

[CharlieD]

I subsribe to CooksIllustrated.com, and they did a review on Soy Sauce:http://tastetests.cooksillustrated.com/tasting.asp?tastingid=508. They rated Kikkoman as one of the best, and La Choy as the worst.

Go figure...

First of all, to read that article one has to be a member, so maybe you can copy and PM it to me, please.

Second of all, I just did not like taste of Kikkoman and I do not care what kind of rating it got.

Third of all, but by far not the least in my book, I keep kosher and it is very important factor. La Choy has one of the best kosher supervision teams checking them out. Kikkoman has one that I would consider if nothing else was available, but would not make a staple in my house at all. In the end there are so many things to consider when you buy a product, any product, that even the taste is not always a factor that really matters.

 

[Alix]

Oooo, I never even thought about the kosher thing Charlie. Is it hard to find stuff that is usable when you are making "ethnic" foods?

 

[CharlieD]

Alix, it is almost imposible, in my neck of the woods. It is much easier in Big cities like NY, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, etc. But in all the truth it is hard to find many other things here compare to big cities. It is only recently, last 10 years or so that you could find decent Ruccian foods. Before that we would make special trips to Chicago or NY to buy something. So MN is really behind and not in the fashion only but in many other things too. We do have Mayo clinick though...

 

[Alix]

You must have to do a lot of online shopping then. (And the Mayo clinic is only good if you get REALLY sick.)