Soy sauce is more or less unique in its flavor and if you haven’t tasted it yourself, I probably can’t describe it. Possibly one of the world’s oldest condiments, it’s generally used for spicing up a rice dish or Asian food in general, and it usually does an excellent job of both.
Though there are quite a few brands of soy sauce, Kikkoman’s is pretty much a staple. They stick to just four main ingredients: wheat, soybeans, water and salt and claim to add no chemical preservatives or flavor enhancers. On the Kikkoman’s soy sauce bottle, it says, “naturally brewed”, meaning the flavors are brought out through the traditional brewing and fermenting process rarther than being quickly catalyzed with artificial chemicals. Whether or not that makes it better is hard to say, but I’ve never been disappointed with Kikkoman’s soy sauce and I can rest easier knowing they’re trying to be more natural.
Kikkoman’s soy sauce also comes in many sizes, from a small bottle to a very large one. Though it may not be as cheap as the most generic brand you could find, it’s often very inexpensive, especially in the large bottle. Also, if you cook lots of rice or asian dishes (as I do) having a large bottle can help avoid too many trips to the store.
Lately, however, I’ve run into Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning, with two different flavors: Calamansi and Chili. It’s basically like soy sauce, but with a few distinct differences. For one, the flavor: the picture on the calamansi bottle looks like a lime or lemon and the slight difference in flavor seems to agree – citrus. Chili is self-explanatory, a slightly spicy flavor that resembles a chili pepper.
Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning comes in a small bottle with a very convenient spout lid that lets you shake it over your dish and add small amounts of seasoning at a time. I find this immediately more useful than my large bottle of Kikkoman’s soy sauce and it even seems to work a bit better than the small spout-bottles of soy sauce I’ve used at Chinese restaurants. This way, I can add a little or a lot of Knorr’s liquid seasoning to my food and I can spread it around the surface rather than a quick splash of Kikkoman’s soy sauce all in one place.
The main difference though, is I find that Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning tastes better. Not only does it add a little bit of flavor on its own, but it even serves to bring out the flavor of the dish better. Being able to choose between the citrus and spicy variations of Knorr’s liquid seasoning allows me more freedom to choose which one better fits the flavor of the particular dish I’m spicing up.
On the other hand, Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning makes no claims towards being “naturally brewed” or even natural in any other way. A quick scan of the ingredients reveals both its soybean basic flavor and several artificial chemicals that are completely absent in Kikkoman’s soy sauce. The Calamansi and Chili must be natural as they are listed simply as such. But, one of the most noticable chemicals is monosodium glutamate – MSG. That may be the reason it brings out the flavor better, but I also understand there’s been quite a bit of controversy for a while over that particular flavor enhancer and some people are outright allergic to it. If you are, avoid Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning. Personally, I just try not to consume too much MSG, but I don’t worry about it too much either.
One other thing that’s a detriment to Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning is its availability. You can’t just go to Wal-Mart and buy it. Mine comes straight from the Philippines and you should be able to find it at most Asian import stores. That also means it’ll cost a bit more.
In the end, I’ve chosen to use Kikkoman’s soy sauce when cooking things – adding to rice when it’s boiled or making sauces for meats or vegetables or other asian foods. And I’ve chosen to use Knorr’s Liquid Seasoning for a quick boost of flavor on my plate. Its easy to use and control spout and its better function as a flavor enhancer make it much better suited for that. It also helps to limit my intake of MSG but it doesn’t run out too fast the way my soy sauce does when I cook with it (hence its smaller bottle size not being a problem). Both are great products and you can decide how to put them to their best use.
