Oyster Sauce Recommendation?

[Michael_in_TX]

I'm getting low on my first bottle of oyster sauce. I can't even remember which brand I bought as I transferred it to a squeeze bottle.

So instead of me buying a brand at random, what have yall been using?

[mnavarre]

Lee Kum Kee is pretty good. The more expensive one with the little boy on the label is better than the Panda brand, but they're both pretty good.

[58limited]

I Got a 5 lb bottle of the Lee Kum Kee Panda from amazon for a recipe that uses a lot of it, tastes good to me but I'm not that experienced with oyster sauce. I need to try the one mnavarre recommends.

[mnavarre]

This is the good one, but the Panda brand is fine and usually more available in the supermarket.

[Attjack]

That's the one I buy. It's dirt cheap at the little vietnamese market I like to shop at.

[barelfly]

I can’t compare this to any other brand, as it’s the only one I’ve used because it’s Gluten Free (a need in our family). But, it’s really good!

[Ernest]

Lee Kum Kee is the gold standard BUT DO NOT BUY THE PANDA version. Get the premium with the boy. The difference is huge

[RonB]

Why not just get some fresh oysters and squeeze the sauce out of 'em?

[holehogg]

Help me out. Molluscs or mushrooms.

[RonB]

holehogg - from Wikipedia: "Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts, sugar, salt and water "

[holehogg]

Squeezed 2# of dried oyster mushrooms today with little success. Tried with molluscs with same result. NADA.
Must be something inside the shell I need to get to. Think I'll just head on to a nearby store. 🤔

[RobertC]

I generally avoid Panda unless I'm desperate and have no other choice. I prefer Lee Kum Kee Premium. That said, LKK Premium has a kind of sweet taste: for some dishes, I like the sweetness, others not so much. A less sweet and more savory alternative for those dishes is Maekrua Oyster Sauce.

[Troutman]

LKK

[Old Glory]

I read somewhere to avoid sauces with sugar or corn syrup as the first ingredient. It should be oysters.

[Attjack]

Lee Kum Kee Premium

Ingredients:
Oyster extractives(oyster, water, salt), sugar, water, monosodium glutamate as a flavor enhancer, salt, modified corn starch, wheat flour, caramel color.

[Oak Smoke]

Dang, there’s another good sauce I can’t use because of MSG. It’s in some of the best tasting foods around, but it throws my inner ears into a tail spin. I’d be in bed dizzy for 3 days.

[Murdy]

I know I've used the Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce and had no complaints. I use various sauces from them and they're all fine.

[Michael_in_TX]

Awesome.....I've got a bottle of LKK Premium on the way. (I really need to seek out an Asian grocery store where I live.)

[Michael_in_TX]

Tried out the Lee Kum Kee premium oyster sauce in a stir fry for lunch today. This is good. It is sweet, but not overly so....and the oysters add a lovely fishiness that isn't too forward and it complements soy sauce very well.

[FireMan]

I vote

[Michael_in_TX]

A followup to this thread. A few days ago Palin Chongchitnant of the YouTube channel Hot Thai Kitchen posted a video in which she tests four oyster sauces: The Lee Kum Kee "Panda" one, the Lee Kum Kee Premium, Maekrua (the most popular oyster sauce used by Thai home cooks), and the Baby Boy brand oyster sauce.

Palin lives in Vancouver so these are four that are readily available at least in here in the US/Canada market.

The 12-minute video is quite informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEN6bWrRrrg Her description of what makes a good oyster sauce is quite useful.

You may be surprised (or not) at which one she, a professional Thai chef, chooses.

[Troutman]

We use Panda, Boat Lady isn’t worth the money in our view.