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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...
Aquamarine main people
  01/16/26
I always assumed they just continued to ferment it for longe...
henna stead mood
  01/16/26
I bet someone here knows. My dark is younger than my light i...
Aquamarine main people
  01/16/26
Light soy sauce is for salt. Dark is for color and subtle fl...
Misunderstood blue athletic conference
  01/16/26
I’m genuinely curious about the sauces
Aquamarine main people
  01/16/26
It's not subtle in flavor. It adds substantial umami. Great ...
Drab giraffe
  01/16/26
Agreed, but a flavor that is not "cheese" or "...
Misunderstood blue athletic conference
  01/17/26
...
Thirsty kitchen
  01/17/26
I understand it the same way as rear naked choke tp. “...
Cheese-eating Multi-colored Brunch Knife
  01/16/26
Dark is way more savory though. It’s crazy
Aquamarine main people
  01/16/26
I rike-a soy sauce on my real American steak!
exciting coiffed idea he suggested
  01/16/26
...
claret mexican ticket booth
  01/16/26
...
Aquamarine main people
  01/16/26
thoo dark
Crimson startling hell jap
  01/16/26
...
claret mexican ticket booth
  01/16/26
...
Aquamarine main people
  01/16/26
...
Hairraiser gold orchestra pit
  01/17/26
its ying and yang for soy sauce. light v dark. thinner v thi...
Rebellious Charismatic Genital Piercing
  01/17/26
You're a great poster imo
poppy razzle-dazzle heaven
  01/17/26
Interesting. Is there dark soy sauce that doesn’t use ...
Aquamarine main people
  01/17/26
among chinese soy sauces, no. chinese dark soy sauces will a...
Rebellious Charismatic Genital Piercing
  01/17/26
ty
Aquamarine main people
  01/17/26
...
Cheese-eating Multi-colored Brunch Knife
  01/17/26
...
mind-boggling double fault
  01/17/26
BTW, using straight MSG is underrated.
Beady-eyed Organic Girlfriend
  01/17/26
MSG is 180. I add it to pretty much everything you’d p...
Aquamarine main people
  01/17/26
a little sprinkle of msg along with salt in scrambled eggs i...
Cheese-eating Multi-colored Brunch Knife
  01/17/26
...
Aquamarine main people
  01/17/26
...
Beady-eyed Organic Girlfriend
  01/18/26
more athletic
mind-boggling double fault
  01/17/26


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Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:13 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

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...id#49594947)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:14 PM
Author: henna stead mood

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...id#49594950)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:20 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

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...id#49594963)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:32 PM
Author: Misunderstood blue athletic conference

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...id#49595181)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:48 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

I’m genuinely curious about the sauces

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:40 PM
Author: Drab giraffe

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...id#49595669)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 10:32 AM
Author: Misunderstood blue athletic conference

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...id#49596208)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:25 AM
Author: Thirsty kitchen



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:54 PM
Author: Cheese-eating Multi-colored Brunch Knife

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...id#49595244)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

Dark is way more savory though. It’s crazy

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:08 PM
Author: exciting coiffed idea he suggested

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

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:16 PM
Author: claret mexican ticket booth



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:12 PM
Author: Crimson startling hell jap

thoo dark

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:16 PM
Author: claret mexican ticket booth



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 9:05 PM
Author: Hairraiser gold orchestra pit



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:22 AM
Author: Rebellious Charismatic Genital Piercing

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...id#49596292)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:33 AM
Author: poppy razzle-dazzle heaven

You're a great poster imo

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 5:57 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

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

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 8:55 PM
Author: Rebellious Charismatic Genital Piercing

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...id#49597679)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 10:42 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

ty

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:34 PM
Author: Cheese-eating Multi-colored Brunch Knife



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:45 PM
Author: mind-boggling double fault



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:00 PM
Author: Beady-eyed Organic Girlfriend

BTW, using straight MSG is underrated.

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:34 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people

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...id#49597368)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:35 PM
Author: Cheese-eating Multi-colored Brunch Knife

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...id#49597374)



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 7:06 PM
Author: Aquamarine main people



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 18th, 2026 4:14 PM
Author: Beady-eyed Organic Girlfriend



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:44 PM
Author: mind-boggling double fault

more athletic

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