In the colorful life, we can't do without the seemingly insignificant but vital "firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar tea". Today, let's focus on soy sauce and discuss how to choose pure and high-quality brewed soy sauce, rather than those with blended ingredients.
First of all, when you walk into the supermarket and are faced with a dazzling array of soy sauce varieties on the shelves, don't be carried away by the temptation of low prices. If you find the letters "SB" printed on the bottle label, no matter how attractive the price, resolutely put it back in its place, because it means that it belongs to the blended soy sauce, commonly known as blended soy sauce. Although this type of soy sauce also meets the national production standards (prepared soy sauce: SB 10336-2000), long-term consumption may pose potential health risks.
However, the world of soy sauce is not "black to the bottom", and brewing soy sauce is our first choice. This type of soy sauce follows the national standard (brewed soy sauce: GB18186-2000) and is carefully brewed from natural raw materials such as soybeans and wheat, and is rich in unique flavor and nutrients. In order to further distinguish the quality of brewed soy sauce, we need to pay attention to an important indicator - the amino acid nitrogen content. This value is like the "identity card" of soy sauce, revealing its intrinsic quality:
Premium soy sauce: amino acid nitrogen content is not less than 0.8 grams per 100 ml;
First-grade soy sauce: amino acid nitrogen content is not less than 0.7 grams per 100 ml;
Secondary soy sauce: amino acid nitrogen content is not less than 0.55 grams per 100 ml;
Tertiary soy sauce: amino acid nitrogen content is not less than 0.4 grams per 100 ml.
It is important to note that only brewed soy sauce will clearly indicate the amino acid nitrogen content, and prepared soy sauce will not have this item.
In addition, we had to learn to identify the brewing process behind the soy sauce. Pick up the soy sauce bottle and look carefully at the label, which usually has a label after the product standard number that reads "High Salt Dilute Fermentation", "Low Salt Solid Fermentation" or "Salt-Free Solid Fermentation". Among the three processes, high-salt dilute fermentation is undoubtedly the most preferred. It uses a natural slow fermentation method, which has a long fermentation cycle, so it is more expensive, and at the same time has a mellow taste and better nutritional value. Therefore, the next time you buy soy sauce, be sure to choose a product with high salt dilute fermentation.
Reading this, you may suddenly realize that there is such a wealth of knowledge hidden in the small soy sauce. The next time you shop, keep these three keys in mind and you'll be able to easily find a good bottle of soy sauce. Of course, even if you find the right choice, remember to buy it according to your needs, as the freshness of soy sauce directly affects its taste and nutritional value, and it is not wise to stock up too much.
If you do have a lot of stock at home, you may wish to store it in a cool and dry place, or even put it in the refrigerator freezer, which can effectively extend the shelf life of soy sauce. Dear friends, do you also have unique methods and experiences when choosing soy sauce? Welcome to share in the comment area, let us share food wisdom together!