If I had to choose one, I would take Yamasa (bottom left of the right shelf).
RitaAlbertson
My palate isn’t refined enough to tell a difference between any of them. My brother like Tamari, but I don’t see that one on these shelves.
[deleted]
[deleted]
MortalGlitter
Anything that says “caramel color” or similar should go back on the shelf. Other than that, like ketchup brands, they have different flavor profiles that you may prefer over another.
Read some reviews/ comparisons of the brands you have access to because it’s a guarantee Someone’s done one!
Badgers_Are_Scary
I use Pearl Bridge (light one) for all round use, mushroom one for sauces and dark one for stews. Kikkoman is also a great choice.
MrEhcks
Kikkoman for life
1BiG_KbW
Do you struggle with finding “the one” mustard, or BBQ sauce?
While I select different rices for dishes, My grandfather and father both go “there’s different kinds of rice?” I would be asked if I can’t just use minute rice?
My first thought was to ask you what dish or dishes are you looking to create? Like pizza in the USA, there are regional differences, and pitfalls in trying to recreate nation chain renditions of pizza. Even pizza from the frozen foods section can vary and imitating them can be difficult.
Then I looked for the one I like from Thailand, a sweet kind, but it is not pictured/available.
After which, I remembered how fun it was to experiment and explore. I just tried ones, and since it was before the internet, had to figure out if it was a product of a country, was it truly that country where it was used in their cuisine? Being not of the culture, it was difficult to differentiate between countries at times, but it paid off.
Sometimes I got help from fellow shoppers and a handful of times from employees. But typically I was treated as the outsider I am. The first thing a culture imports is it’s cuisine and the last thing it lets go of.
Good luck in finding “the one.” May it be the one for cooking, the one for seasoning, the one for making sauces, the one for making glazed, and the one you enjoy!
RadioAktivitat87
You are getting a ton of good advice here, but one question that should be asked is what are you using it for? Do you find yourself making more of a specific style of dishes?
Kikkoman reduced sodium (green top bottle on the far left of the right side shelf, second down) is a good overall general soy sauce.
kkngs
We use the Lee Kum Kee.
Note that “dark soy sauce” is something different and isn’t what you want unless the recipe calls for it.
Alarming-Distance385
I prefer the Kikkoman Gluten Free version (blue label). Not sure if it is my tastebuds or what, but the regular started tasting not-quite-right years ago. I decided to try the gluten free version out of curiosity. It had a much better flavor and that’s all I will buy now. (I do keep a dark and a sweet soy sauce as well.)
RonChi1252
The Yamasa on the bottom left is some of the best I’ve ever had, but no joke, u have to pop the seal and let it sit in your cupboard for at least a couple of weeks before the flavor really develops. I always have bottles on rotation, it’s a stark difference in flavor to other brands. Try it when you first open it, and it will have a strong alcohol like flavor, try it a couple weeks later and it will be very savory. Personally I leave mine open for up to a couple months while I finish off my current bottle.
zeebo420
Aloha
PineappleTomWaits
I really like the Sempio’s 501 and 701, Korean soy sauces (gold label golden/yellow-orang lid). It has a rich malty flavor. I love cooking with it.
nicklor
Everyone here is recommending Japanese style for the most part but I really enjoy the Korean Sempio they have some fancier types that are 100% naturally brewed but the jin gold s is good and cheaper.
Edit it’s the one all the way on the left
chefjono
Any brand that says Tamari. And you know the biggest ingredient in most soy sauce is wheat not soy?
microthoughts
Depends. I use Kikkoman for Japanese food and pearl river bridge light soy sauce for Chinese dishes.
I have pearl river bridge dark soy sauce for specific dishes as well.
I think the Chinese soy sauce is more soy saucey? Kikkoman is good for dipping sauces tho it seems lighter in flavor. They’re fairly interchangeable other than that.
Pearl river bridge mixed with black vinegar is a dope dipping sauce sometimes i don’t replace the Kikkoman.
GlassZealousideal741
Kikkoman is my main, I use Coconut Aminos for some recipes, but my fav is Maggi spicy.
LuckyCharms201
Pearl River Bridge. If they don’t have it, go somewhere else.
Tkhounso
It’s not in the picture but Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce is the most universal and can be used in and with any dish.
garciakid420
I like bragg liquid aminos.
FrozeItOff
TIL that kikkoman comes in 1 liter soda bottles. Now THAT’S a “mistaken for coca cola” grab and swig you’ll only ever do once.
AllDer-namesaretaken
Left rack, bottom right hand corner. Healthyboy mushroom soy sauce. You’ll never need another
A lot of people don’t realize there are a wide variety of soy sauces. The commercially available ones in most supermarkets in the US are the most basic, typically Japanese (which tend to be thinner and less intense than Chinese). That’s because Japanese sauces are actually a combination of wheat and soy (typically even amounts), whereas Chinese soy sauces are primarily made with all soy (though some newer ones contain some wheat too).
Oddly enough, dark Japanese soy sauces (like the Kikkoman you mention) tend to have a milder, less salty flavor than light Japanese sauces, which often have a saltier and sweeter flavor (thanks to the addition of mirin).
If you have a Japanese market near by, you may be able to find Saishikomi (twice brewed soy sauce), tamari (closer to Chinese, with more soy than wheat, richer and sweeter than traditional Japanese soy sauce), or “white” soy sauce (not actually white, but very light and often found in sushi restaurants).
In the Chinese soy sauce realm, soy sauce is typically separated into light, dark, and double dark. Light (as with Japanese) is saltier and thinner than dark soy, which has more developed flavors. Dark has a richer, sweeter flavor and more intense color than Light. Double dark is richer, sweeter and more flavorful still. It’s often used with light soy for adding color and richness (think like Kitchen Bouquet). Dark and double dark are used in cooking, where Light is what you’d see served at the table as ‘seasoning’. The Chinese also have thick soy sauce, sometimes called soy jam, and it’s sometimes used for things like fried rice – a little goes a long way. Additionally, there’s mushroom soy sauce and shrimp soy sauce, infused with dried mushrooms or shrimp, respectively.
If you have an Asian market near by, try a variety and see what you like. I like Pearl River for light soy, and Koon Chun Double Black for dark.
Djcoolpockets
Golden Mountain
alwaysuseswrongyour
The sempio on the bottom left is very high quality Korean soy sauce. You use the light label one for soup, the yellow label one for fried rice and the red label one for general cooking/stir fry/ sushi
Attjack
I love Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce from Thailand.
27 Comments
There’s no “the one”. They are different and have different uses. Here’s a good article: https://www.seriouseats.com/do-you-know-your-soy-sauces-japanese-chinese-indonesian-differences
If I had to choose one, I would take Yamasa (bottom left of the right shelf).
My palate isn’t refined enough to tell a difference between any of them. My brother like Tamari, but I don’t see that one on these shelves.
[deleted]
Anything that says “caramel color” or similar should go back on the shelf. Other than that, like ketchup brands, they have different flavor profiles that you may prefer over another.
Read some reviews/ comparisons of the brands you have access to because it’s a guarantee Someone’s done one!
I use Pearl Bridge (light one) for all round use, mushroom one for sauces and dark one for stews. Kikkoman is also a great choice.
Kikkoman for life
Do you struggle with finding “the one” mustard, or BBQ sauce?
While I select different rices for dishes, My grandfather and father both go “there’s different kinds of rice?” I would be asked if I can’t just use minute rice?
My first thought was to ask you what dish or dishes are you looking to create? Like pizza in the USA, there are regional differences, and pitfalls in trying to recreate nation chain renditions of pizza. Even pizza from the frozen foods section can vary and imitating them can be difficult.
Then I looked for the one I like from Thailand, a sweet kind, but it is not pictured/available.
After which, I remembered how fun it was to experiment and explore. I just tried ones, and since it was before the internet, had to figure out if it was a product of a country, was it truly that country where it was used in their cuisine? Being not of the culture, it was difficult to differentiate between countries at times, but it paid off.
Sometimes I got help from fellow shoppers and a handful of times from employees. But typically I was treated as the outsider I am. The first thing a culture imports is it’s cuisine and the last thing it lets go of.
Good luck in finding “the one.” May it be the one for cooking, the one for seasoning, the one for making sauces, the one for making glazed, and the one you enjoy!
You are getting a ton of good advice here, but one question that should be asked is what are you using it for? Do you find yourself making more of a specific style of dishes?
Kikkoman reduced sodium (green top bottle on the far left of the right side shelf, second down) is a good overall general soy sauce.
We use the Lee Kum Kee.
Note that “dark soy sauce” is something different and isn’t what you want unless the recipe calls for it.
I prefer the Kikkoman Gluten Free version (blue label). Not sure if it is my tastebuds or what, but the regular started tasting not-quite-right years ago. I decided to try the gluten free version out of curiosity. It had a much better flavor and that’s all I will buy now. (I do keep a dark and a sweet soy sauce as well.)
The Yamasa on the bottom left is some of the best I’ve ever had, but no joke, u have to pop the seal and let it sit in your cupboard for at least a couple of weeks before the flavor really develops. I always have bottles on rotation, it’s a stark difference in flavor to other brands. Try it when you first open it, and it will have a strong alcohol like flavor, try it a couple weeks later and it will be very savory. Personally I leave mine open for up to a couple months while I finish off my current bottle.
Aloha
I really like the Sempio’s 501 and 701, Korean soy sauces (gold label golden/yellow-orang lid). It has a rich malty flavor. I love cooking with it.
Everyone here is recommending Japanese style for the most part but I really enjoy the Korean Sempio they have some fancier types that are 100% naturally brewed but the jin gold s is good and cheaper.
Edit it’s the one all the way on the left
Any brand that says Tamari. And you know the biggest ingredient in most soy sauce is wheat not soy?
Depends. I use Kikkoman for Japanese food and pearl river bridge light soy sauce for Chinese dishes.
I have pearl river bridge dark soy sauce for specific dishes as well.
I think the Chinese soy sauce is more soy saucey?
Kikkoman is good for dipping sauces tho it seems lighter in flavor. They’re fairly interchangeable other than that.
Pearl river bridge mixed with black vinegar is a dope dipping sauce sometimes i don’t replace the Kikkoman.
Kikkoman is my main, I use Coconut Aminos for some recipes, but my fav is Maggi spicy.
Pearl River Bridge. If they don’t have it, go somewhere else.
It’s not in the picture but Golden Mountain Seasoning Sauce is the most universal and can be used in and with any dish.
I like bragg liquid aminos.
TIL that kikkoman comes in 1 liter soda bottles. Now THAT’S a “mistaken for coca cola” grab and swig you’ll only ever do once.
Left rack, bottom right hand corner. Healthyboy mushroom soy sauce. You’ll never need another
It depends on what your cooking. [Try out this video. She explains everything you’ll ever need to know.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5odVRW9ldzU&ab_channel=Pailin%27sKitchen) 8:30 is soy sauce but she explains everything.
A lot of people don’t realize there are a wide variety of soy sauces. The commercially available ones in most supermarkets in the US are the most basic, typically Japanese (which tend to be thinner and less intense than Chinese). That’s because Japanese sauces are actually a combination of wheat and soy (typically even amounts), whereas Chinese soy sauces are primarily made with all soy (though some newer ones contain some wheat too).
Oddly enough, dark Japanese soy sauces (like the Kikkoman you mention) tend to have a milder, less salty flavor than light Japanese sauces, which often have a saltier and sweeter flavor (thanks to the addition of mirin).
If you have a Japanese market near by, you may be able to find Saishikomi (twice brewed soy sauce), tamari (closer to Chinese, with more soy than wheat, richer and sweeter than traditional Japanese soy sauce), or “white” soy sauce (not actually white, but very light and often found in sushi restaurants).
In the Chinese soy sauce realm, soy sauce is typically separated into light, dark, and double dark. Light (as with Japanese) is saltier and thinner than dark soy, which has more developed flavors. Dark has a richer, sweeter flavor and more intense color than Light. Double dark is richer, sweeter and more flavorful still. It’s often used with light soy for adding color and richness (think like Kitchen Bouquet). Dark and double dark are used in cooking, where Light is what you’d see served at the table as ‘seasoning’. The Chinese also have thick soy sauce, sometimes called soy jam, and it’s sometimes used for things like fried rice – a little goes a long way. Additionally, there’s mushroom soy sauce and shrimp soy sauce, infused with dried mushrooms or shrimp, respectively.
If you have an Asian market near by, try a variety and see what you like. I like Pearl River for light soy, and Koon Chun Double Black for dark.
Golden Mountain
The sempio on the bottom left is very high quality Korean soy sauce. You use the light label one for soup, the yellow label one for fried rice and the red label one for general cooking/stir fry/ sushi
I love Healthy Boy Brand Mushroom Soy Sauce from Thailand.