Cooking Tips: Soy Sauce Basic

Soy Sauce

Soy sauce is a liquid made from soybeans, wheat, water and salt.  They are...

Naturally brewed is fermented for months or longer.  Best soy sauce is two years or older.

Fermented, and

Chemically produced or Non-brewed is produced in days and it is super salty...  needless to explain further...  I will skip this type of soy sauce. See LA Choy 東 brand as an example

Japanese Shoyu vs Chinese Soy Sauce

Shoyu is brewed with roasted wheat and Chinese soy sauce, which traditionally left out the wheat, is nowadays brewed with wheat flour. In addition, Chinese sauce sometimes contains added sugar.

Shoyu is slightly sweeter, rounder flavor and Chinese soy sauce a denser, saltier finish and darker in color.

Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce brewed with soybeans and no wheat—but sometimes there is a trace amount. So, not all tamari is gluten free. Check the label to make sure if that is the case.

Know the ingredients

Look for "brewed" or "traditionally brewed" on the bottle/label.

Look at the ingredients.  The fewer ingredients, the better!

For me, it is obvious that I will avoid the chemicals or preservatives.

The Bigger the Better?

Generally, soy sauce will last a long time unopened. Check the best-by date on the bottle for guidance.  I found myself being sloppy at cooking time.  I did not close the cap entirely and I learned that oxygen is my soy sauce's enemy.  I liked to purchase the smaller bottle and replenish with a new bottle as needed.  So, no Costco size in this case.  Once the soy sauce bottle is opened, keep it in a cool, dry place. Some bottle said keep refrigerated.  By doing so, it will extend its flavor and freshness.  While writing this post, I took some pictures of my soy sauces.  Haha...  I found a bottle of dark Chinese soy sauce.  It is used for food coloring most of the time.  And, it's best by date is 2012.  Today is 2016.  Hummm...  Some will probably say, "aiya... it's okay."  Well, I am not taking a chance as this is going into my body.  Sayonara!  I hope for a smaller bottle.  If not, I will just replace them as it passed the best by day.  Come on!  Soy sauce is not that expensive.  So, don't be frugal in treating your body and long term wellness.

Low Sodium Soy Sauce
See more information about it in the Soy Sauce Selection post.