In daily cooking, oyster sauce has become one of the indispensable seasonings in many households due to its unique ability to enhance freshness and flavor. Whether you're cooking a homemade stir-fry or making a delicate dish, just adding the right amount of oyster sauce can instantly double the flavor and aroma of your dish. However, many friends have reported that despite the extensive use of oyster sauce, the fresh flavor of the dishes is still unsatisfactory. In response to this problem, I would like to share the secret I got from my master 15 years ago - the key to distinguishing real and fake oyster sauce is the two words on the bottle.
First, let's uncover the first point of buying oyster sauce: pay attention to the ingredient list. For a truly high-quality oyster sauce, the word "oyster sauce" must appear in the ingredient list, and the oyster sauce should be ranked in the top two places. This is because oyster sauce is the source of oyster sauce's deliciousness, and if it is not labeled as such, its freshness effect will be greatly reduced. In addition, if brewed soy sauce is second on the ingredient list, this type of oyster sauce has a better coloring effect, but it is slightly inferior in terms of freshness. At the same time, don't forget to pick up the bottle of oyster sauce and shake it gently, as genuine oyster sauce is almost impossible to shake inside the bottle due to its viscous texture, while counterfeit products will have a noticeable watery shaking sensation.
Secondly, be sure to check the product standard number when buying oyster sauce. The mainland has strict quality standards for all kinds of condiments, and the standard number of oyster sauce is GBT21999, where "GB" stands for national standard and "T" stands for recommended standard. Therefore, when you see the full five numbers "GBT21999" on the product label, you can buy with confidence; On the contrary, if there is no such standard number, it is advisable to choose carefully to avoid wasting silver.
After mastering the above two identification skills, even if you buy real oyster sauce, you need to follow certain principles when using it to maximize its flavor and freshness effect.
First, oyster sauce should be added when the dish is about to come out of the pot, avoid cooking at high temperature for a long time, so as not to destroy the nutrients in the oyster sauce and affect its umami flavor.
Second, when marinating meat ingredients, adding an appropriate amount of oyster sauce can fully penetrate into the inside of the meat, making the fried meat more tender and delicious, usually with 5 ml of oyster sauce per catty of meat, not excessive, in order to prevent greasy taste.
Third, despite the charm of oyster sauce, it is necessary to pay attention to "harmonious coexistence" when pairing with other seasonings, and avoid mixing with spicy seasonings, vinegar and sugar, so that the flavor of oyster sauce will not be overshadowed by other strong flavors, resulting in an imbalance in the flavor of the dish.
Finally, the preservation method of oyster sauce should not be overlooked. As oyster sauce is high in sugar, it should be kept away from heat sources as much as possible after opening, and the best way to store it is to store it in the refrigerator. Otherwise, the heated oyster sauce is prone to white mold, which will not only affect the appearance, but also gradually weaken the original freshness and flavor enhancement effect of the oyster sauce.
To sum up, when we choose oyster sauce, regardless of the size of the brand, as long as the two keywords "oyster sauce" are missing from the bottle, then the authenticity of this oyster sauce needs to be questioned. Hopefully, this helpful guide will help you easily distinguish between real and fake oyster sauce, so that every table is filled with evocative flavors.