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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...
snowy stage
  01/16/26
I always assumed they just continued to ferment it for longe...
Razzle Black Woman Area
  01/16/26
I bet someone here knows. My dark is younger than my light i...
snowy stage
  01/16/26
Light soy sauce is for salt. Dark is for color and subtle fl...
coral becky
  01/16/26
I’m genuinely curious about the sauces
snowy stage
  01/16/26
It's not subtle in flavor. It adds substantial umami. Great ...
racy blue spot
  01/16/26
Agreed, but a flavor that is not "cheese" or "...
coral becky
  01/17/26
...
Yapping hateful range boiling water
  01/17/26
I understand it the same way as rear naked choke tp. “...
Orange Balding Antidepressant Drug
  01/16/26
Dark is way more savory though. It’s crazy
snowy stage
  01/16/26
I rike-a soy sauce on my real American steak!
onyx stage gay wizard
  01/16/26
...
Blathering public bath
  01/16/26
...
snowy stage
  01/16/26
thoo dark
Hot wrinkle garrison
  01/16/26
...
Blathering public bath
  01/16/26
...
snowy stage
  01/16/26
...
lascivious menage mediation
  01/17/26
its ying and yang for soy sauce. light v dark. thinner v thi...
Adventurous Insane Corner
  01/17/26
You're a great poster imo
ocher parlor friendly grandma
  01/17/26
Interesting. Is there dark soy sauce that doesn’t use ...
snowy stage
  01/17/26
among chinese soy sauces, no. chinese dark soy sauces will a...
Adventurous Insane Corner
  01/17/26
ty
snowy stage
  01/17/26
...
Orange Balding Antidepressant Drug
  01/17/26
...
Orchid Generalized Bond University
  01/17/26
BTW, using straight MSG is underrated.
Stimulating sadistic double fault tanning salon
  01/17/26
MSG is 180. I add it to pretty much everything you’d p...
snowy stage
  01/17/26
a little sprinkle of msg along with salt in scrambled eggs i...
Orange Balding Antidepressant Drug
  01/17/26
...
snowy stage
  01/17/26
...
Stimulating sadistic double fault tanning salon
  01/18/26
more athletic
Orchid Generalized Bond University
  01/17/26


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Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 6:13 PM
Author: snowy stage

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: Razzle Black Woman Area

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: snowy stage

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: coral becky

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: snowy stage

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: racy blue spot

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: coral becky

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: Yapping hateful range boiling water



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 7:54 PM
Author: Orange Balding Antidepressant Drug

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: snowy stage

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: onyx stage gay wizard

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: Blathering public bath



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: snowy stage



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 9:12 PM
Author: Hot wrinkle garrison

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: Blathering public bath



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 16th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: snowy stage



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 9:05 PM
Author: lascivious menage mediation



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 11:22 AM
Author: Adventurous Insane Corner

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: ocher parlor friendly grandma

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: snowy stage

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: Adventurous Insane Corner

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: snowy stage

ty

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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:34 PM
Author: Orange Balding Antidepressant Drug



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:45 PM
Author: Orchid Generalized Bond University



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:00 PM
Author: Stimulating sadistic double fault tanning salon

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: snowy stage

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: Orange Balding Antidepressant Drug

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: snowy stage



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 18th, 2026 4:14 PM
Author: Stimulating sadistic double fault tanning salon



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



Reply Favorite

Date: January 17th, 2026 6:44 PM
Author: Orchid Generalized Bond University

more athletic

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