Oyster sauce is an indispensable condiment in many people's kitchens, and on the shelves of supermarkets, there are a wide variety of oyster sauces, ranging from 10 yuan a barrel to hundreds of yuan a bottle.
What is the difference between these oyster sauces, which vary in price, and what are the differences in quality, taste, nutritional value, etc.?
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What is the essence of oyster sauce?
At present, there is no mandatory national standard for oyster sauce, and more than 90% of oyster sauce products on the market implement the recommended national standard GB/T 21999-2008. In this standard, oyster sauce is defined as:
The juice after oyster steaming and boiling is concentrated or directly enzymatically hydrolyzed with oyster meat, and then added with sugar, salt, starch or modified starch and other raw materials, supplemented by other ingredients and food additives.
Some people may wonder why oyster sauce is not made from raw oysters, but from oysters.
This is because oyster sauce originated in Guangdong, and in Cantonese, people are used to calling oysters oysters, and oysters are a type of oyster, so although the national standard requires oysters to be made, it is completely okay to make oysters. At present, the oyster sauce brands on the market are basically advertised as "made of oysters".
Therefore, oyster sauce is actually made up of oyster sauce made by steaming oysters or oysters, plus ingredients or food additives that are flavored, thickened or colored, and preservative.
Of course, not all oyster sauces are such combinations. Since the above national standard is a recommended national standard, it is not mandatory, and some companies will implement other standards, such as GB 10133-2014 national standard for aquatic condiments. There is no definition of oyster sauce, so it may appear that there is only oyster juice in the oyster sauce, and there are no other ingredients added to the oyster sauce.
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Choose a good bottle of oyster sauce
There are three main points to look at
Oyster sauce is different from other condiments, other condiments such as soy sauce or edible oil, will be distinguished according to the quality of raw materials, production technology, physical and chemical indicators, health indicators, etc., we can roughly distinguish the quality of condiments by looking at the grade on the packaging. At present, there is no relevant standard for the classification of oyster sauce, so how can we judge the quality of oyster sauce?
The quality grade marked on the soy sauce
In fact, we can see the difference in the ingredient list, nutrition facts list and product promotion. Here I have made a summary so that you can compare it when purchasing.
1
Take a look at the source of the oyster sauce and the proportion of the oyster sauce
Although oyster sauce is based on oyster sauce, oyster sauce varies greatly.
The first is the source of oysters. Some oyster sauce ingredients are steamed with fresh oysters, while others are made with frozen oysters, which will make a difference in freshness.
The second is to combine the oyster juice concentration and proportion. The same is oyster sauce, 1 oyster boiled in a pot of oyster juice, and 8 oysters boiled in 1mL of oyster juice, the consistency is far from the same. When purchasing, you can first check the high concentration of oyster sauce, and then look at the proportion of oyster juice.
If you buy on an e-commerce platform, you can see this information on the product detail page (if you can't reach it, you may not mention it). If you buy offline, you may only see the percentage of oyster sauce added to the bottle at most.
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Second, look at the composition of the ingredient list
According to the provisions of GB7718-2011 General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods, the various ingredients in the ingredient list are arranged in descending order according to the amount added. In other words, the higher the ranking, the more you will add.
When choosing, choose oyster sauce first, in this case the proportion of oyster sauce will be higher. If additional ingredients or additives (such as monosodium glutamate, monosodium glutamate, soy sauce, disodium 5'-flavored nucleotide, disodium 5'-inosinate) are added to the ingredients, then the concentration and content of oyster sauce will not be too high, and other ingredients will be relied on to improve the freshness. For example, looking at the ingredient list of the following two products, which one is really fresh and which one is fake, you may know at a glance.
Source: E-commerce platform
There are also some products that add thickeners, pigments, sweeteners, etc. to increase the color, taste and quality of oyster sauce, but these are not essential ingredients, so everyone should pay attention to screening when buying.
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Third, look at the nutrition facts list
The nutrition facts list focuses on protein and sodium content.
The protein of oyster sauce is mainly derived from oyster sauce, and the higher the protein, the more oyster sauce is added. There are currently no clear rules on how much protein is in oyster sauce. Generally speaking, the higher the protein of oyster sauce, the higher the proportion of oyster sauce, or arguably the thicker the oyster sauce. When purchasing, it is recommended to choose products with a protein content of more than 0.4g per 10g.
Sodium, on the other hand, mainly comes from oyster juice and salt, and various additives are generally in the form of sodium salts. However, if the oyster juice is high or added too much, the brand may increase the sodium content for the sake of its own quality, because high sodium can increase the osmotic pressure, thus playing a certain role in preservative.
We use oyster sauce, not salt, and a good oyster sauce has enough umami to put a little bit of it. However, if you use oyster sauce often in one shake and it is difficult to control the amount, it is best to choose one that is low in sodium.
When buying oyster sauce, high protein, no preservatives and low sodium are often not combined, so you can consider them when buying. In general, oyster sauce, which is high in protein and low in sodium, is more recommended.
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$10 for a vat and $20 for a vial
What is the difference between oyster sauce?
Is there such a big difference between the price of low-priced and high-priced oyster sauce, and there will be a big difference in terms of quality, nutrition, etc.?
1
The high price is often added to the oyster sauce
At present, the national standard does not clearly require how much oyster sauce needs to be added to oyster sauce.
Most of the expensive oyster sauce is made with oyster sauce. Either the oyster juice is added in a high proportion, or the oyster juice is highly concentrated, or the oyster juice comes from fresh oysters (not frozen), or the juice is concentrated after steaming (not enzymatic hydrolysis of the meat).
What can be felt on the packaging is mainly the content of oyster juice. Companies will try their best to tell you if they add a high percentage of oyster sauce, so the packaging will be marked with "XX% oyster sauce added".
Source: E-commerce platform
The concentration is high, the raw materials are fresh, and the quality is good, if the amount of information is relatively large, the bottle body may not be displayed, and it will generally be reflected on the product detail page. When purchasing, if the content of oyster juice is written, it means that the manufacturer is still more confident.
Source: E-commerce platform
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High-priced oyster sauce has a simpler ingredient and a cleaner ingredient list
The higher the price, the simpler the ingredient list will generally be.
Because the oyster sauce has enough umami and the boiling process is mature, the umami and color are there, and there is no need to add ingredients that add freshness and color to "beautify".
Source: E-commerce platform
Taking the oyster sauce in the picture as an example, not to mention whether the concentration of oyster sauce can be guaranteed, it depends on the position of the ingredient list, the amount of oyster sauce added is less than salt. The umami is not enough, and the additives come to make up. Monosodium glutamate, flavored nucleotides, yeast extracts, and flavors are all in battle, and this trick is very good at stealing the beams and changing the pillars. If it weren't for the ingredient party, I would probably sigh after eating it, this taste is so fresh!
As for the protein content, except for the price factor that can be reflected in the highest and lowest prices, oyster sauce in the middle price range has no obvious characteristics.
In general, the protein content of a vat of more than 10 yuan is at the bottom, and the amount of oyster juice added is small, and various additives are relied on for seasoning. A bottle of oyster sauce above 20 yuan is more "genuine", with simple ingredients and fewer additives. Depending on your needs, you can choose from the following:
Oyster sauce is mainly for flavoring, and if you care about nutrition, ingredients, and quality, oyster sauce that costs more than 20 yuan a bottle is more worth choosing.
If you feel that the price of 20 yuan is too high, and you don't want to rely on additives to cobblework, you can also choose a good oyster sauce in the grade of more than ten yuan a bottle.
If you only care about the taste, not the ingredients and the content of the oyster sauce, oyster sauce with more than a dozen large barrels (almost no oyster sauce) is more cost-effective.
The right oyster sauce has to be used
In addition to choosing the right oyster sauce, the scientific use and storage of oyster sauce are equally important.
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Add oyster sauce before cooking
Oyster sauce is rich in monosodium glutamate, which is the source of its umami flavor. However, monosodium glutamate is easy to decompose at high temperatures and loses its original umami taste. It is recommended to add oyster sauce before the dish is cooked, so that monosodium glutamate is not easy to be destroyed, which is conducive to its own value.
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Refrigerate tightly after use
The storage of oyster sauce should not be overlooked. Oyster sauce contains protein and water, which is a nourishment and environment for bacteria and molds to multiply. After opening, if you put it next to the stove after use, and can't seal it in time and put it in the refrigerator, this warm, protein- and moisture-rich environment can easily breed bacteria and mold, which is extremely bad for our health. Therefore, after each use of oyster sauce, always make sure the cap is tightly closed and put in the refrigerator as soon as possible.
Source: Popular Science China