What brand of grocery-bought soy sauce most closely matches the packets from Chinese restaurants?

[Jeff7]

Subject says it.
I tried some brand awhile ago....I don't have the bottle now, as it was horridly gross. It was some "fresh brewed" or "fully brewed" stuff. It was almost like soy wine, it had a really strong alcohol smell, which is something I'm not a fan of at all.

The packet I have here is Kari-Out brand, made with hydrolyzed soy protein. That's the kind I'm looking to buy in a bottle at a grocery store. Anyone have any brand recommendations?


Update: Kikkoman was the brand I originally had, the brewed gag-inducing stuff that stank of alcohol.
This time I knew what to look for - the hydrolyzed soy protein. I went with La Choy. Its taste is reasonably close to that of the Kariout brand, though it's got a slight sweetness to it that the Kariout lacked, possibly because the La Choy has corn syrup in it, which the Kariout does not. It also seems a bit saltier.

 

[DaWhim]

try this brand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Kum_Kee

 

[IEC]

Just go to your local oriental grocer and pick up a metal can of Kikkoman. It's tolerable.

 

[PottedMeat]

You like the 'fake' soy sauce? I always thought it was pretty tasteless compared to the brewed stuff like Kikkoman.

LaChoy ( US ConAgra brand ) has a hydrolyzed soy w/ caramel coloring product.

Got that from some muslim site looking for alcohol in soy sauce:

http://www.albalagh.net/halal/col3.shtml

 

[Gothgar]

you mean the shitty tasteless stuff?

 

[FelixDeCat]

Are you talking about the packets with the bamboo eating panda on them?

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Gothgar
you mean the shitty tasteless stuff?

I assume so.

Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Are you talking about the packets with the bamboo eating panda on them?

Yes, those are the ones.
Site with logo.

 

[Mo0o]

I only get kikkoman for the stuff you would use at the dinner table.

My mom buys some other brand for cooking

 

[JS80]

kikkoman ONLY

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
I only get kikkoman for the stuff you would use at the dinner table.

My mom buys some other brand for cooking

I've been using Kikkoman Tamari for marinating and cooking. Are you saying I can get by with the gallon jugs instead?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: sjwaste

Originally posted by: Mo0o
I only get kikkoman for the stuff you would use at the dinner table.

My mom buys some other brand for cooking

I've been using Kikkoman Tamari for marinating and cooking. Are you saying I can get by with the gallon jugs instead?

My mom uses a brand that comes in a plastic container thats tall and rectangular. Theres one for "light" and one for "dark". It differs in saltiness a well as how deeply it stains the food. It's more economical for lots of cooking and tastes just as good when you're cooking with it (kind of like using a slightly cheaper wine for cooking and a more expensive bottle for drinking). But for things like dumplings, xiao long bao, or basically anything you dip, I'd go w/ kikkoman.

Edit:

Found the brand: It's Pearl River Bridge in english.

 

[Chronoshock]

I use Kimlan

 

[Jeff7]

Alright, an update, for the....person who cares:
Kikkoman was the brand I originally had, the brewed gag-inducing stuff that stank of alcohol.

This time I knew what to look for - the hydrolyzed soy protein. I went with La Choy. Its taste is reasonably close to that of the Kariout brand, though it's got a slight sweetness to it that the Kariout lacked, possibly because the La Choy has corn syrup in it, which the Kariout does not. It also seems a bit saltier.

 

[Barfo]

Weird, you like the cheap knock-off stuff

 

[Slew Foot]

Pearl River Bridge is what I use, the stuff is dirt cheap and Asian people seem to like it.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Barfo
Weird, you like the cheap knock-off stuff

Yeah, the bottle even says "Inspired by Asian Traditions." :laugh:

It's the stuff I grew up knowing - and I honestly think alcohol tastes awful. The Kikkoman stuff really tasted like I'd expect "soy wine" to taste. (Grape wine, whiskey, vodka, hard lemonade, hard cider, beer - I've sampled them all. Even the hard lemonade, in which the alcohol content was fairly low, it was still quite sufficiently prominent to make it undrinkable.)

 

[YOyoYOhowsDAjello]

http://www.amazon.com/Panda-Sa...Category/dp/B0002ZWHKE

 

[techs]

Soy sauce is like chocolate. People tend to prefer the type they first try and use for awhile.

In Europe people can't stand the "sour milk" taste of Hershey's chocolate, yet it is the favorite of many Americans because that's what they were exposed to at an early age.

 

[funkymatt]

Kikkoman

 

[biggestmuff]

umami

 

[lxskllr]

Couldn't you squirrel away packets from the carry out? I used to save them, but I'm not a fan of soy sauce. I was getting a impressive collection and they weren't being used, so I threw them out.