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Explain dark soy sauce vs regular soy sauce

Got some Lee Kum Kee premium dark and really like it. What m...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/16/26
I always assumed they just continued to ferment it for longe...
cocky bonkers faggotry hissy fit
  01/16/26
I bet someone here knows. My dark is younger than my light i...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/16/26
Light soy sauce is for salt. Dark is for color and subtle fl...
Obsidian dilemma
  01/16/26
I’m genuinely curious about the sauces
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/16/26
It's not subtle in flavor. It adds substantial umami. Great ...
thriller rehab
  01/16/26
Agreed, but a flavor that is not "cheese" or "...
Obsidian dilemma
  01/17/26
...
Drunken lodge brethren
  01/17/26
I understand it the same way as rear naked choke tp. “...
learning disabled station
  01/16/26
Dark is way more savory though. It’s crazy
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/16/26
I rike-a soy sauce on my real American steak!
Rebellious Mental Disorder Party Of The First Part
  01/16/26
...
blue feces
  01/16/26
...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/16/26
thoo dark
Hot Big Range Death Wish
  01/16/26
...
blue feces
  01/16/26
...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/16/26
...
Razzle Mildly Autistic Immigrant Jew
  01/17/26
its ying and yang for soy sauce. light v dark. thinner v thi...
Turquoise church building giraffe
  01/17/26
You're a great poster imo
Snowy legal warrant
  01/17/26
Interesting. Is there dark soy sauce that doesn’t use ...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/17/26
among chinese soy sauces, no. chinese dark soy sauces will a...
Turquoise church building giraffe
  01/17/26
ty
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/17/26
...
learning disabled station
  01/17/26
...
Pungent State
  01/17/26
BTW, using straight MSG is underrated.
histrionic business firm background story
  01/17/26
MSG is 180. I add it to pretty much everything you’d p...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/17/26
a little sprinkle of msg along with salt in scrambled eggs i...
learning disabled station
  01/17/26
...
Painfully Honest Boistinker
  01/17/26
...
histrionic business firm background story
  01/18/26
more athletic
Pungent State
  01/17/26


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Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:13 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

Got some Lee Kum Kee premium dark and really like it. What makes this so good on steak compared to regular soy sauce? Is it the caramel coloring?

Dark:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B003U2AAQY

Regular:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004XX1NKQ

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49594947)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:14 PM
Author: cocky bonkers faggotry hissy fit

I always assumed they just continued to ferment it for longer, for a stir fry I like to do 1/3 dark soy to 2/3 regular in my sauce

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49594950)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:20 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

I bet someone here knows. My dark is younger than my light i think

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49594963)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:32 PM
Author: Obsidian dilemma

Light soy sauce is for salt. Dark is for color and subtle flavor.

If this is supposed to be a honeypot for Asians, you're going to get a lot of false positive cookingmos

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595181)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:48 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

I’m genuinely curious about the sauces

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595226)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:40 PM
Author: thriller rehab

It's not subtle in flavor. It adds substantial umami. Great for making things deliciously savory without blowing the salt content into the stratosphere or making the food taste "Asian"

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595669)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 10:32 AM
Author: Obsidian dilemma

Agreed, but a flavor that is not "cheese" or "mint" is subtle to noncookmos.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49596208)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:25 AM
Author: Drunken lodge brethren



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49596300)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:54 PM
Author: learning disabled station

I understand it the same way as rear naked choke tp. “Light soy sauce” is normal soy sauce with the salt and umami and flavor. Dark soy is more of a coloring agent, you add a dash along with light soy when you want eg fried noodles with a rich dark color.

(not azn but have messed around plenty trying to make azn food)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595244)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

Dark is way more savory though. It’s crazy

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595659)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:08 PM
Author: Rebellious Mental Disorder Party Of The First Part

I rike-a soy sauce on my real American steak!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595457)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:16 PM
Author: blue feces



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595473)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595660)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:12 PM
Author: Hot Big Range Death Wish

thoo dark

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595465)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:16 PM
Author: blue feces



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595474)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49595661)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 9:05 PM
Author: Razzle Mildly Autistic Immigrant Jew



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597700)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:22 AM
Author: Turquoise church building giraffe

its ying and yang for soy sauce. light v dark. thinner v thicker. saltier v sweeter. sooner v later.

light (what most westerners know as regular) soy sauce in chinese translates as "fresh extract." it is pressed from recently fermented soybeans. in cooking, it is typically added earlier in the cooking process as it will darken over time with heat.

dark soy sauce in chinese translates as "old extract." it is pressed from soybeans that have been fermented much longer. in cooking, it is typically added later in the cooking process. recipes that you see where light and dark are mixed together to form a marinade are garbage and wrong. dark soy sauce should be used as a finisher in fast wok cooking, much like sesame oil.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49596292)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:33 AM
Author: Snowy legal warrant

You're a great poster imo

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49596305)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 5:57 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

Interesting. Is there dark soy sauce that doesn’t use caramel coloring

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597277)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 8:55 PM
Author: Turquoise church building giraffe

among chinese soy sauces, no. chinese dark soy sauces will always have either caramel or molasses which gives it that sweeter darker profile. chinese dark soy sauces may also be called black soy sauce, and even double black soy sauce, but that is just the amount of caramel or molasses in the soy sauce.

the SE asian countries have an entire soy sauce lineup in the dark profile that i am less familiar with. my wife is thai and she uses a dark soy sauce that is based on palm sugar which is a different sweet profile than sugarcane. thais like to use palm sugar a lot. i had never encountered palm sugar until i met my wife. she also uses a mushroom flavored soy sauce, and a brand called maggi which best i can describe as a light smoky soy sauce.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597679)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 10:42 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

ty

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597893)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:34 PM
Author: learning disabled station



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597372)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:45 PM
Author: Pungent State



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597396)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:00 PM
Author: histrionic business firm background story

BTW, using straight MSG is underrated.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597287)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:34 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker

MSG is 180. I add it to pretty much everything you’d put salt on

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597368)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:35 PM
Author: learning disabled station

a little sprinkle of msg along with salt in scrambled eggs is absolutely transformative

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597374)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 7:06 PM
Author: Painfully Honest Boistinker



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597434)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 18th, 2026 4:14 PM
Author: histrionic business firm background story



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49599137)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:44 PM
Author: Pungent State

more athletic

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5822963&forum_id=2#49597394)