How to know what light soy sauce had higher quality?

How to know what light soy sauce had higher quality? - Crop woman pouring soy sauce to capacity for sauce

My local asian market features two brands of soy sauce.

Lee Kum Kee (LKK) Premium Light Soy Sauce (李錦記鮮味生抽): Water, Salt, Soy Bean (11%), Sugar, Wheat Flour, Flavour Enhancers (E631, E627).

Pearl River Bridge (PRB) Superior Light Soy Sauce (珠江生抽): Water, Soy Bean (29%), Salt, Wheat Flour, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate (E202)).

  • Is it possible to know what soy sauce has a higher quality by looking at ingredients list?
  • Can be a higher percentage of soybean a indicator of high quality?


Best Answer

Offhand, I would guess the Pearl River Bridge is a higher quality - it has more soybean, does not have sugar, does not have flavor enhancers. The fact it doesn't have distracting flavors makes it harder to cover up lower quality - so they must be pretty sure of their product.

I would think higher soy percent is better simply because it's more concentrated, you get more flavor per use and more flavor and less water per bottle - you can easily dilute a more concentrated sauce, much harder to concentrate a dilute one.

The Lee Kum Kee looks like it's more dilute, and uses extra salt, sugar and flavor enhancers to bolster the taste - instead of tasting like, well, soy sauce. These sorts of things make the product taste good, but that means they can make a "good enough" product with lower quality ingredients, usually that means they do not have to depend on the quality of their soy sauce to stand alone.

You may actually prefer either, depending on your palate. Some people like the plainer taste by itself and would prefer the less doctored (and higher quality) product, some would like the flavor profile of the more tweaked version and are more indifferent to quality variations. But, that is what I would see when looking at those labels.




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How do you choose quality of soy sauce?

"The best soy sauce is actually two years or older," Young said. Chemical or non-brewed soy sauce is produced quickly within days, a mixture of hydrolized soy protein and flavorings such as corn syrup and caramel. Naturally brewed soy sauce has an aroma and complexity of flavor.

How do I know if my soy sauce is light?

What Does \u201cLight Soy Sauce\u201d Mean?
  • General rule of thumb: if it is a Chinese brand of naturally brewed soy, and it does not say \u201cdark\u201d on it, it is light soy!
  • You'll often see a distinction within brands between a regular and a \u201cpremium\u201d product.


  • Are there different qualities of soy sauce?

    THERE ARE FIVE TYPES OF SOY SAUCE Other than saltiness, it has deep umami (savory flavor), rounded sweetness, refreshing acidity, and a bitterness that brings the tastes together. It is a widely usable, general-purpose condiment, usable in cooking or at table.

    Is light soy sauce stronger?

    Though dark soy sauce has more salt it in that light soy sauce, light soy sauce tastes saltier. This is because dark soy sauce has a much stronger soy flavour which overpowers the salty flavour.



    Different Types of Soy Sauce Explained




    Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

    Images: Gustavo Fring, Pixabay, Dana Tentis, Geraud pfeiffer