# Where do I find oyster sauce?



## lln7262 (Jan 3, 2009)

Hello!  I was on the ethnic forum last night asking if anyone had a good recipe for Chinese restuarant style Broccoli Chicken, and someone gave me a recipe that looks pretty good.  However, it does call for oyster sauce.  Is this something that I can buy at a regular grocery store?  I usually shop at Walmart because the groceries seem to be the most economical there.  Thanks for your input!


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 3, 2009)

Yes - WalMart does carry oyster sauce (at least ours does).  It'll be in the "Asian Food" section, which is normally in the same aisle with the Mexican food, etc.


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## PieSusan (Jan 3, 2009)

Most grocery stores these days have an asian food section, you should be able to find it there. Or go to your cities Chinatown.


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## RobsanX (Jan 3, 2009)

Even my supermarket out here in the boonies has a surprisingly decent Asian food section. I just bought oyster sauce there the other day...


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## Chaplain Kent (Jan 5, 2009)

Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear.  Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.


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## Lizannd (Jan 5, 2009)

*I agree with you Chaplain Kent, my local asian grocery*

stores are less expensive than even the big box store.  They have a better selection also.  I can buy fresh vegetables of better quality at a better price than any of the chain grocery stores near me.


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## GB (Jan 5, 2009)

Chaplain Kent said:


> Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear.  Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.


Why do you think it will they disappear? My big box store _carries_ things like that.

Not all of us have local Asian or other ethnic grocers. A large number of us can *only* shop at the big box stores as that is all there is.


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## Alix (Jan 5, 2009)

You guys have asian grocers? LUCKY! 

Anyway, most grocery stores carry oyster sauce, you will be really happy to have it I think. I find it invaluable in stirfries and other dishes.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 5, 2009)

You're assuming an awful lot Chaplain Kent. As others have already stated, unfortunately, many of us don't have the luxury of a "neighborhood Asian market". The closest one to me is over an hour away & I rarely have the luxury of making that kind of trip to shop. Thus, I am absolutely THRILLED that all of my local supermarkets now carry items like oyster sauce (& hoisin sauce, & fish sauce, & garlic chili paste/sauce, etc., etc.).
In addition, not all "neighborhood Asian markets" are the same. Over the years we've come across several where we couldn't leave fast enough due to things like truly unclean conditions, expired goods, dented cans/opened containers, etc., etc.

And items like oyster sauce aren't going to "disappear" because big box supermarkets are now carrying them.  In fact, I predict that just the opposite will happen - more & more different ethnic specialty items will become available to the regular consumer, thus sparking interest & curiosity.  Folks who never stepped foot in an Asian grocer before will be more inclined to want to & see what they're missing.


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## GB (Jan 5, 2009)

BreezyCooking said:


> And items like oyster sauce aren't going to "disappear" because big box supermarkets are now carrying them.  In fact, I predict that just the opposite will happen - more & more different ethnic specialty items will become available to the regular consumer, thus sparking interest & curiosity.  Folks who never stepped foot in an Asian grocer before will be more inclined to want to & see what they're missing.


I completely agree with this. As products make their way into more mainstream stores more people are exposed to them and try them. That in turn sparks interest where there once was none.


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## Andy M. (Jan 5, 2009)

BC and GB are right!

I can remember a time when the only "Chinese" food in the grocery store was cans of LaChoy Chow Mein with a separate cans of fried noodles taped on top.

Now the selection is MUCH bigger and fresh produce used in Asian cooking is available as well.


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## gadzooks (Jan 5, 2009)

Chaplain Kent said:


> Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear.  Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.



Oyster sauce will probably not disappear, but neighborhood grocery's, Asian or not, are already losing ground to "big box" stores. I can buy Asian ingredients in two of the local chain stores, but still prefer driving a bit to visit the Asian Market.


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## ChefJune (Jan 5, 2009)

Chaplain Kent said:


> Yikes! If we all become big box shoppers things like oyster sauce will disappear. Please go to your neighborhood Asian grocer and support them. By the way my rice is far cheaper there than even cosco.


 

I was thinking that too, and also, If we all become big box shoppers, grocery stores will disappear.  Walmart has already sent millions of small businesses into extinction by underselling them at the same time they're locking their employees in the stores overnight and shorting them on overtime and benefits!  Oh dear,   don't get me started!


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## Seven S (Jan 5, 2009)

I see both points of the argument... however, in the majority of cases, when I visit my Asian grocers, I will tell you that 90% of the people shopping there are of Asian background.  The same when I visit the Latin markets.  The vast majority of their business comes from their own ethnic community in the city.  The other shoppers there are probably "foodies".  Now, I am not disagreeing with any viewpoints, but I am offering my personal observations in the last three cities I have lived in.  And by the way, no Wal Mart can beat the prices or even come close to the quality or selection of the produce at my ethnic grocer.


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## Jeekinz (Jan 5, 2009)

lln7262 said:


> Hello! I was on the ethnic forum last night asking if anyone had a good recipe for Chinese restuarant style Broccoli Chicken, and someone gave me a recipe that looks pretty good. However, it does call for oyster sauce. Is this something that I can buy at a regular grocery store? I usually shop at Walmart because the groceries seem to be the most economical there. Thanks for your input!


 
You can substitute it for soy sauce.


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 5, 2009)

We are truly blessed being this close to a large urban area.. we have Chinese, Thai, Italian, Polish, Czech, Korean, and Mexican grocery stores near us. I never shop for food at a box store, their quality is no where near what I can get at these little stores, and the little stores are much cheaper as well.
For some reason, our Wal Mart just doesn't stock much at all in their grocery section which is all of two isles. However, the Target does have a very large grocery section taking up a third of their space. However, it is still more expensive than the small ethnic grocery stores.
But again, we have them here so it is an option for us. If I lived in an area with out them, I would take what I could get and buy where I could get it. I do like to support mom and pop stores, as long as they are not trying to be trendy and marking their prices up 2 to 3 times what others are, but if you don't have any in your area then I don't see how you are hurting them. Hard to hurt something that isn't there.
What I don't truly get is all the people out here that show Jewel, massively expensive chain store that even Target beats in price!


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## GB (Jan 5, 2009)

Jeekinz said:


> You can substitute it for soy sauce.


I love ya Jeekinz, but I would never sub soy sauce for oyster sauce. The only thing they have in common IMO is salt. Their flavors are quite different.


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## Katie H (Jan 5, 2009)

The only place we can get oyster sauce here is at Wal- Mart.  We live so far in the boonies that light has to be shipped in.  No ethnic markets of any sort, which I was used to visiting when we lived in Washington, D.C.


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## ChefJune (Jan 5, 2009)

Jeekinz said:


> You can substitute it for soy sauce.


 
Jeekinz, are you saying that you can use soy sauce _instead of_ oyster sauce? 

True, you can, but they don't taste anything alike. Kinda like saying if you don't have potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes. completely different flavor results.


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 5, 2009)

Katie E said:


> We live so far in the boonies that light has to be shipped in.





Be careful, some marketing guru will latch onto that and next thing you know it will be available in your local grocery store next to the bottled water!!!


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 5, 2009)

Jeekinz - you definitely CANNOT substitute soy sauce for oyster sauce. They are light years away from each other in both texture & taste. As GB said - sodium content is all they share. If a recipe calls for oyster sauce & you don't have any & can't purchase any, please choose another recipe. In my opinion, this isn't even remotely up for discussion.


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## jennyema (Jan 5, 2009)

Jeekinz said:


> You can substitute it for soy sauce.


 

No, sorry. They are two entirely different things that don't taste the same.


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## RobsanX (Jan 5, 2009)

Go easy on Jeekinz now. I have some recipes for fried rice that call for soy sauce and some that call for oyster sauce. Yeah they taste different, but it's still fried rice.

The recipe in question is for broccoli chicken. IMHO it would still be broccoli chicken with soy sauce or oyster sauce...


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## GB (Jan 5, 2009)

No one is saying it would not still be broccoli chicken. We are just saying that soy sauce is really not a substitute for oyster sauce.


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## Jeekinz (Jan 5, 2009)

GB said:


> I love ya Jeekinz, but I would never sub soy sauce for oyster sauce. The only thing they have in common IMO is salt. Their flavors are quite different.


 


ChefJune said:


> Jeekinz, are you saying that you can use soy sauce _instead of_ oyster sauce?
> 
> True, you can, but they don't taste anything alike. Kinda like saying if you don't have potatoes, you can use sweet potatoes. completely different flavor results.


 


BreezyCooking said:


> Jeekinz - you definitely CANNOT substitute soy sauce for oyster sauce. They are light years away from each other in both texture & taste. As GB said - sodium content is all they share. If a recipe calls for oyster sauce & you don't have any & can't purchase any, please choose another recipe. In my opinion, this isn't even remotely up for discussion.


 


jennyema said:


> No, sorry. They are two entirely different things that don't taste the same.


 

WHOA!  Lay off the Haterade folks.

I was just suggesting an _alternative_ with an Asian flair.


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## Chaplain Kent (Jan 6, 2009)

GB said:


> Why do you think it will they disappear? My big box store _carries_ things like that.
> 
> Why? because it is an economics game. These box shops put all sorts of stuff on the shelves to start out with and then start to take away what does not turn a certain number which will make their high profit margin. Further, a product like Oyster Sauce is not mass produced so is not price sensitive. Walmart cannot control the price unless it drastically reduces quality. Anyone for melamine in their Oyster Sauce? Take a walk through the dry-goods aisles and note the homogeneous products, same stuff you will find on the shelves in Target, or K-Mart. This will soon be the fate of our food selection.
> I have been in Wal Marts all over the world even China where this practice has been carried out. They will eliminate any item which does not meet their profit guideline. Want to talk about soy sauce selection or dumplings in Beijing, or maybe white corn tortillas in Mexico City? Those are just a few examples and I could go on. You folks are simply fooling yourselves if you think that great big box store sitting out there is a fine thing for your community. The fine thing was that bakery which used to make fresh bread each morning. Ethnic grocers are just about the only thing we have left which the boxes cannot take away due to the specialty of their products. You folks complaining about living so far away. Do you have a Chinese restaurant in town? If so maybe you can deal some Oyster Sauce from them. I have found Chinese Restaurants in almost any little town we travel through and we travel a lot. Same thing for the local Mexican place or any other ethnic eating joint you have on your town square. Need some Indian Curry spices? talk to the guys who run your gas pumping store, I'll bet they know where to get some great curry. Be resourceful and use your community not the Walmart. Trust me your community will be better for it.
> One last thing NEVER substitute soy sauce for oyster sauce.


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## padams2359 (Jan 6, 2009)

Ok Guys.  For one thing, it is Oyster Flavored Sauce, and it does not remotely taste like Oysters.  It is however excellent on French Fries.  You could probable get close to Oyster Flavored Sauce by mixing Hoisin Sauce and Soy Sauce, but you would have to have tasted Oyster Flavored Sauce in order to get something pretty close to it.  OFS is sort of sweet, but salty.  Hoisin Sauce is sweet, and Soy Sauce is Salty.  This mixture would work in a pinch, but I would find the OFS when I got a chance.  It stays in the fridge for a long time, and it cost about the same as a bottle of ketchup.  I have tried a few different kinds, and I prefer Lee Kum Kee.  My motto on these types of things is this, if more than half the label is in English, don't buy it.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

Chaplain Kent said:


> Why? because it is an economics game. These box shops put all sorts of stuff on the shelves to start out with and then start to take away what does not turn a certain number which will make their high profit margin.


So that still does not explain why you think oyster sauce will disappear if sold in a big box store. Of course they pull things from the shelf that do not turn a profit. They are a business in the business of making money. Your local Asian market does the same exact thing. No one is going to stock something that does not sell. But just because a big box store starts selling oyster sauce does not mean it will disappear. My local Stop and Shop has been selling oyster sauce for as long as I have been cooking. I can find it just as easily and reliably as I can find sugar or flour or coffee or any other staples in my kitchen. 





Chaplain Kent said:


> Further, a product like Oyster Sauce is not mass produced so is not price sensitive.


I am not sure where you are getting that information from. Oyster sauce most certainly is mass produced. 





Chaplain Kent said:


> You folks are simply fooling yourselves if you think that great big box store sitting out there is a fine thing for your community.


No one said that and that is not what this discussion was about. It was about oyster sauce.  





Chaplain Kent said:


> You folks complaining about living so far away. Do you have a Chinese restaurant in town? If so maybe you can deal some Oyster Sauce from them.


First, no one was _complaining_ that they lived anywhere. Second, Chinese restaurants are in the business of selling meals. They are not in the business of selling condiments. I would be willing to bet that very few would be willing to sell things like that. I know because I have tried in Bostons China Town to buy some things from some of my favorite restaurants and they have all flatly refused. That is not their business.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

padams2359 said:


> Ok Guys.  For one thing, it is Oyster Flavored Sauce


What you buy may be oyster flavored sauce. What I buy is oyster sauce.


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

Thank you, Chaplain Kent...it's true. The chain grocery's are all doing it, too. They start out with a wide variety of products, and drop the ones that don't move off the shelves fast enough. They also replace as many of the big sellers with inferior, store-branded generic products. It's a race to the bottom, the lowest common denominator. That is why on-line retail business is booming...so many good things are no longer locally available. Buy you oyster sauce from the nearest Asian market if you can. If you don't the nearest Asian market will be farther away the next time you look for one.


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## padams2359 (Jan 6, 2009)

GB, please tell me the name of the sauce that you buy that is Oyster Sauce, and not Oyster Flavored Sauce.  I would greatly appreciate it.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

padams2359 said:


> GB, please tell me the name of the sauce that you buy that is Oyster Sauce, and not Oyster Flavored Sauce.  I would greatly appreciate it.


I am at work right now and don't recall the brand name that is in my fridge right now. I did a search for you though and here is a page that shows both oyster sauce and oyster flavored sauce being sold.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

gadzooks said:


> Thank you, Chaplain Kent...it's true. The chain grocery's are all doing it, too. They start out with a wide variety of products, and drop the ones that don't move off the shelves fast enough.


What store does not do this? Do you think your local Asian grocer keeps things on the shelf that do not sell? 





gadzooks said:


> They also replace as many of the big sellers with inferior, store-branded generic products.


This made me laugh. No store is going to replace a big seller. They are in the business of selling. If something is a big seller then they stock more of it. They do not replace it. Also, the store-branded products are often times the *exact same product as the brand name*. When I say exact same I mean exact same as in there is one manufacturer and one product with just different labels. There are new stories on this every 6 months or so. This is not true in every case, but in many cases the store brand is the exact same product and often for less money.


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

Come shop at Von's/Safeway in southern California...


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

I am not sure what you mean by that gadzooks. Are you telling me that Von's/Safeway removes big selling products from their shelves?


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

GB said:


> I am not sure what you mean by that gadzooks. Are you telling me that Von's/Safeway removes big selling products from their shelves?



Yup. They place the store brand next to it for a month or so, then remove it, and leave the store brand in its place. And they are generally not from the same source...I read ingredients. Also, a lot of baked goods, bread and rolls that sell well, are replaced by inferior products from in-store bakeries.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

And what would their motivation be for that unless the store band sold better? Why do you think a store would not want to stock what sells the best?


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

Higher margin.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

gadzooks said:


> Higher margin.


Around here there is never _just_ the store brand. If the store brand is offered then a name brand is _also_ offered as well. The best selling name brands will always be offered. Are you telling me that by you they completely replace the name brands with the store brands?


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

Often, yes.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

I find that very odd, but if you say it is so then I believe you. Do please see the note above though where I posted that often times the store brand is the exact same thing as the name brand though.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 6, 2009)

Full agree with you GB.  With all due respect Gadzooks, what you're claiming doesn't make any sense whatsoever from a retail marketing viewpoint.  Oh - & the Safeway supermarkets here in Virginia definitely do NOT practice what you're claiming Safeway does.  In fact, our Safeway maintains one of the most diverse selections of brand-name Asian products among all our local markets.  Many of the same brands I used to only be able to purchase from specialty markets.  What a shame that your Safeways somehow have a different policy.


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## Andy M. (Jan 6, 2009)

I see happening what Gadzooks describes on a regular basis.  The supermarket I shop at places their store brand product next to the national brands in similar packaging and, over time, reduces the amount of shelf space and variety for the national brands.  Consumers get to that isle and look for the national brand but will often take the store brand because they don't want to go to another store for one item.  Of course, the store makes more on the store brand than on the national brand, even at a lower price.

Market chains have to turn established national brands for manufacturing/processing/packaging.  In some cases the product in the store brand package is the same but in other cases, it is not.  There is nothing keeping the national brand from packaging lower grade food products for the store brand.  The store will want to keep manufacturing costs as low as possible and the national brand offers 'grade B' in place of 'grade A' for a lower cost and the lure of higher margins seals the deal.

I have experienced this with several items such as store brand frozen veggies vs. Birdseye and now refuse to buy the store brand in most cases.  Right now, I do buy the store brand OJ and it's OK by me.  That can change in the future, then so will I.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

Andy M. said:


> I see happening what Gadzooks describes on a regular basis.  The supermarket I shop at places their store brand product next to the national brands in similar packaging and, over time, reduces the amount of shelf space and variety for the national brands.


Do you see the brand names completely gone though or just less space taken up by them?


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 6, 2009)

GB said:
			
		

> Are you telling me that by you they completely replace the name brands with the store brands?





			
				gadzooks said:
			
		

> Often, yes.



They do so at their own peril....

A small regional retailer here once opened a store that was 99% private label. 
It never got off the ground....Closed in 6 months.

Watch Von's/Safeway....If they continue the practice you say they are --- It will be Gadzooks/Safeway....It may work for a while...Long term -- Sales will suffer...profits will fall. Then Von has a decision to make.


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## Seven S (Jan 6, 2009)

Chaplain Kent said:


> Further, a product like Oyster Sauce is not mass produced so is not price sensitive.



This is most certainly an inaccurate statement.  Oyster Sauce is a staple of many different Asian cuisines, not only Chinese.  The Thai and Vietnamese people consume an Oyster sauce as well which is slightly different as the Chinese in taste, a bit sweeter (slight differences not unlike Chinese Soy vs Tamari vs Shoyu).  I would almost be willing to bet that the overall mass production per unit of Oyster Sauce bottles worldwide surpasses the production oh Heinz and Hunt's Ketchup combined!!

These are the two I have in my pantry:

Chinese - Lee Kum Kee (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Oyster_sauce.jpg)

Thai - Mae Krua Brand (http://www.asiaexpressfood.nl/upload/products/5203.jpg)


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

Seven S said:


> These are the two I have in my pantry:
> 
> Chinese - Lee Kum Kee (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ster_sauce.jpg)
> 
> Thai - Mae Krua Brand (http://www.asiaexpressfood.nl/upload/products/5203.jpg)


I just looked at the pictures and Lee Kum Kee is the one I have at home as well.


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## padams2359 (Jan 6, 2009)

Up until this point, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the discussions.  This has gotten ridicules and rude.  I looked on the link that was included above, and if you pull up the pictures on every one of those in the links it says “OYSTER FLAVORED SAUCE”.  It was a real pleasure.  I hope you all enjoy the forum.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

I am not sure what you are looking at padams2359, but the link I provided you shows both oyster flavored sauce and oyster sauce, with the majority being oyster sauce. 

Here is a photo right in this post to show you exactly what I am seeing. Nowhere on here that I see does the word "flavored" appear.


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## Seven S (Jan 6, 2009)

Not all the links above are "Oyster Flavored".

Here is a bit of additional info:

*Traditional*
A "true" oyster sauce of good quality should be made by condensing oyster extracts, the white broth produced by boiling oysters in water. This opaque broth is then reduced until a desired viscosity has been reached and the liquid has caramelized to a brown color. No other additives, not even salt, should be added to the sauce, since the oysters should provide all the savory flavor.

*Modern artificial*
Many oyster sauces are actually diluted solutions thickened with starch, colored with caramel coloring (E150), with oyster extracts and synthetic preservatives. In some countries, including the UK, the oyster content in some sauces is lower than its Asian counterparts of the same brand due to laws regulating the import of seafood. The use of synthetics and hydrolyzed soy protein produces carcinogens similar to artificial soy sauces, see Health section below.


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## RobsanX (Jan 6, 2009)

GB said:


> I am not sure what you are looking at padams2359, but the link I provided you shows both oyster flavored sauce and oyster sauce, with the majority being oyster sauce.



Actually if you look at the back label, it says oyster flavored sauce.

Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce 9 oz

I'm beginning to wonder if there is really even a difference...


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

RobsanX said:


> Actually if you look at the back label, it says oyster flavored sauce.
> 
> Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce 9 oz
> 
> I'm beginning to wonder if there is really even a difference...



That is very odd. My picture and your picture are identical except yours does say flavored while mine does not.


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## Seven S (Jan 6, 2009)

The international import regulations may help explain the differences.  I have indeed seen different labeled bottles of Soy Sauce/Oyster Sauce/Hoisin for Lee Kum Kee and Pearl River and both priced differently.  I assume that in these Asian grocers, they choose to import both kinds if they can (at least in the US) because that way people can choose to purchase what they are used to and purchased while growing up.  I am familiar with similar regulations for canned italian tomatoes - Pomodori di San Marzano - I know there is an import regulation where if the Italian tomato producers choose to pack the canned tomatoes in water like they do in some of their Italian local markets, here in the states, the tax rate would be so high they could not compete, so a way around them is that they pack the whole tomatoes in a tomato puree instead, which changes the applicable import tax rate.  That is what you find on the shelves here, which are reasonably priced.


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## RobsanX (Jan 6, 2009)

I think that as it pertains to what can be purchased in a bottle, they are the same thing. I suppose if you make your own, then it's can be true oyster sauce. When the additives and preservatives are put into the bottled product it becomes oyster flavored sauce. That's JMHO of course...


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## Andy M. (Jan 6, 2009)

GB said:


> Do you see the brand names completely gone though or just less space taken up by them?




In most cases, brand names just have dramatically reduced shelf space and variety.  I have seen a few instances where the only option was the store brand.  

The stores are trying to make a buck by making it easier for the consumer to buy their product.  If there are issues, the pendulum swings back in the other direction.

Uncle Bob's post about a totally private label store is a different situation.  In that case, the store didn't reel in the consumer with brand names and gradually switch them over, they tried to switch them over cold turkey.


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## jennyema (Jan 6, 2009)

Andy M. said:


> In most cases, brand names just have dramatically reduced shelf space and variety. I have seen a few instances where the only option was the store brand. .


 
I bet you are referring to Stop and Shop.  They are flooding the stores with their brand name products which are in most cases not that great.  It ticks me off.


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## Andy M. (Jan 6, 2009)

jennyema said:


> I bet you are referring to Stop and Shop.  They are flooding the stores with their brand name products which are in most cases not that great.  It ticks me off.




Actually, we do most of our shopping at the Market Basket chain.  I find they have the best prices on most things (for brand names).


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 6, 2009)

Andy M said:
			
		

> Uncle Bob's post about a totally private label store is a different situation. In that case, the store didn't reel in the consumer with brand names and gradually switch them over, they tried to switch them over cold turkey.



Actually, in this case there was no pretense (advertising etc.) of offering branded products...It was an attempt to offer a whole store of lower priced products to a segment of the market (low-income). The problem was "they" didn't want the Private label hot dogs...they wanted Oscar-Mayer --- They didn't want Private label Coffee..they wanted Folgers! So down the tubes it went!

I do understand the point you were making however.


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 6, 2009)

jennyema said:


> I bet you are referring to Stop and Shop.  They are flooding the stores with their brand name products which are in most cases not that great.  It ticks me off.



There does seem to be a trend in the industry right now to do this on some scale...To sell the consumer what THEY want YOU to buy...rather than Selling YOU what YOU want to buy...Long term "That dog want hunt"

All any of them have to sell is "Service"...."I can buy Heinz Ketchup (example) at the store two blocks down" --- Further more I drove by three stores to get to your's"  That's my line/attitude towards them.


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## Andy M. (Jan 6, 2009)

jennyema said:


> I bet you are referring to Stop and Shop.  They are flooding the stores with their brand name products which are in most cases not that great.  It ticks me off.




Jen, we do shop at S&S from time to time and we see the same thing there.

I'd be surprised if any major chain doesn't do this.  I just don't know if I'm ready for Stop & Shop Oyster Flavored Sauce.


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## Chaplain Kent (Jan 6, 2009)

What a ruckus I have stirred up but I am glad I did. I am not surprised that you could not get  a restaurant in Chinatown Boston to sell you condiments what I was suggesting was for those in the small towns across the USA to try their local Chinese restaurants. I have made many good friends with these people in my travels and found them to be most helpful and kind and eager to help when someone is asking about their cooking. In Boston, like here in Milwaukee you have a wide selection of fine Asian Grocers to choose from and do not need to bother the cooks at the local restaurants. OK, we who cook may know Oyster Sauce but most people do  not and I will bet you will find more ketchup in the American refrigerator than oyster sauce.
Next is what is Oyster sauce. i dug out a bottle I dragged home from the Qing Ping market in  Guangzhou. Sorry about the brand but it does have ABC on the label. Ingredients in English as printed are: water, sugar, oysters, salt, flavor enhancer, corn starch, wheat flour, color.  My Asian Market brand is called Panda Brand and has almost the same and could be the same ingredients but uses "Oyster extractive", which they label as oysters, water, and salt. I can detect no difference in  taste. I am waiting for someone to open a discussion on honey so I can use my Qing Ping market honey as an example.


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!!!!!!!!!


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 6, 2009)

And since all the OP asked was where oyster sauce could be obtained (instead of all this hoopla), unless it was already mentioned & I missed it, very nearly every exotic ingredient you could possibly need or want is simply available on line!!  Just do a web search for what you're looking for & you'll come across some very very interesting companies.  Even if you don't buy from them, it makes for very interesting reading.  And unless you're purchasing something perishable, shipping is very reasonable - especially if you purchase a couple of things.


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## GB (Jan 6, 2009)

Chaplain Kent said:


> what I was suggesting was for those in the small towns across the USA to try their local Chinese restaurants.


OK for the heck of it I did call my local place where they know me quite well (I live about an hour West of Boston in a very small quaint MA town). They guy thought I was crazy. He told me he can't do that. He buys his food in bulk and has no way of selling the stuff even if he wanted to. He suggested I go to the supermarket because they sell it. I did eventually tell him why I was asking and he wanted me to tell the people here that from his point of view it is not cool to ask restaurants to do that unless they advertise that they do. the cash registers are not set up for that, the employees who work there can not make decisions like that and have to go to the boss to ask which eats up their time, they have no way of tracking that sort of sale, etc. These are his thoughts, not mine.


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 6, 2009)

Makes perfect sense GB -- I would guess there would/could be liability issues as well. 
He's covered on the food he serves... probably not on ingredients he sells out the door. 
Like you said...He's not in that business!


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## Jeekinz (Jan 6, 2009)

I wonder how the chicken and brocolli came out?


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 6, 2009)

I'm kinda wondering the same thing here, Jeekinz!

As for what you guys are talking about concerning big box stores and especially Safeway.. we saw that here as well. I don't think they were trying to be devious, just trying to do what all business do and that is increase profit margins.
I know I wouldn't want to run a business that showed little profit for lots and lots of time invested.
As for whether or not it is a good idea, well that is up to the consumer. If it doesn't work well for them because the consumer rejects it then they will stop, if it does they will continue. The reason so many of these chain stores vary so much from one part of the country to the next is because of this approach. They try something out, and where it succeeds they keep it and where it fails they switch back. Over time and many times doing this the stores loose some of the uniformity and become more unique to the community they are serving. Makes business sense to me, I would want my stores to succeed where ever I put them, so tailoring them to have the most appeal to the community I am going into is smart.
In our case, Safeway bought out Dominick's here. Within six months Safeway products dominated the shelves and it was actually pretty hard to find brand names. Two years later, we can't find a Dominick's anywhere in our area, all four stores are closed. It is a simple matter of the consumer having rejected what they were doing and going elsewhere.
Unfortunately for them, it was a costly mistake as here in Chicago the grocery business is fierce, and often times once you loose your client base you don't recover. Someone else has already stepped in and you just aren't going to get them back.
My personal approach is to shop where I can get the most value for my dollar. That doesn't necessarily mean cheapest, but more like highest quality and best service balanced with value.
I don't need to support only mom and pop stores, nor do I need to support only big box stores. I just want to keep em both in business so they have to keep competing with each other, that is where the consumer benefits the most 
I have been in areas where the mom and pops won, and man is it expensive to do business with them there. I have also been in areas where the big boxes won and there is no other competition, and it stinks too.
Competition is the key folks!!

PS mine is Panda Brand Oyster Flavored Sauce... didn't even think about it before now! See, I just knew there was something on topic in here somewhere!!!


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

That's it...from now on, I'm just gonna squeeze my own oysters...ummmmm, did that come out right?


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 6, 2009)

gadzooks said:


> That's it...from now on, I'm just gonna squeeze my own oysters...ummmmm, did that come out right?




 ohh the imagery on that one!! 

How do you know you squeezed the oyster properly?? Well, did it smile and light up a cigarette after wards??

Ok, am I gonna get in trouble for that one??


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## Lefty7887 (Jan 6, 2009)

I am not adding to the flames, but I can get fresh oysters here, how would I turn them into oyster sauce?  Just saying.  This is a real question. 

Rick


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 6, 2009)

I imagine you would need a press of some kind to get all the juices out of it? Just a guess here...


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## gadzooks (Jan 6, 2009)

Maverick2272 said:


> ohh the imagery on that one!!
> 
> How do you know you squeezed the oyster properly?? Well, did it smile and light up a cigarette after wards??
> 
> Ok, am I gonna get in trouble for that one??



Different thread for smoked oysters...and...


Homemade Oyster Sauce
 I N G R E D I E N T S
1/2 lb. shucked oysters with liquid 
1 tbsp. water 
1 tsp salt 
light soy sauce 
1/2 tbsp. dark soy sauce 
I N S T R U C T I O N S 
Drain oysters and reserve the liquid. Mince oysters and place in a saucepan. Add water and reserved liquid and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, add salt and cool completely.
Force the mixture through a fine sieve into sauce pan. Measure the liquid, adding 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce to each 1/2 cup. Add dark soy sauce and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 7 minutes.
Cool to room temperature and pour into a sterilized jar. Seal and store in the refrigerator. This sauce can be kept for several weeks...hmmm. Nothing about squeezing them... Edit to add...apparently, authentic oyster sauce is a fermented sauce. I suppose one might combine the above ingredients in the stated proportions without cooking, blend, strain and allow to ferment.


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 6, 2009)

Well that stinks, squeezing would have been a lot more fun


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 7, 2009)

All levity aside, I don't think I'd bother with that oyster sauce recipe.  The Asian types are actually fermented, not just oysters cooked & pulverized with soy sauce.


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## mike in brooklyn (Jan 8, 2009)

As a longtime Cantonese cook I can say that the absolutely best Oyster Sauce I've used is Lee Kum Kee's Premium Oyster Sauce - go to their
website http://home.lkk.com/  they even have a search feature - you input your zipcode and they locate nearest store.
The Premium sauce has a picture of a child and woman in a boat on the label.
This is the oyster sauce found in nearly all Chinese housewives pantrys.


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## Lefty7887 (Jan 8, 2009)

mike in brooklyn said:


> As a longtime Cantonese cook I can say that the absolutely best Oyster Sauce I've used is Lee Kum Kee's Premium Oyster Sauce - go to their
> website Lee Kum Kee Homepage they even have a search feature - you input your zipcode and they locate nearest store.
> The Premium sauce has a picture of a child and woman in a boat on the label.
> This is the oyster sauce found in nearly all Chinese housewives pantrys.



The nearest place is 188 miles from me.


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## gadzooks (Jan 8, 2009)

Lefty7887 said:


> The nearest place is 188 miles from me.



Be sure to buy two.


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## GB (Jan 8, 2009)

Lefty7887 said:


> The nearest place is 188 miles from me.


Good think you can buy online.

That zip code search doesn't work anyway. It says there are no places near me that carry it, but I know of 3 places within 10 miles of me that carry it. I have bought it at all three places.


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## BreezyCooking (Jan 8, 2009)

Yup - products from Lee Kum Kee are sold all over the place on-line.  Just. do. a. search.


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 8, 2009)

GB said:


> Good think you can buy online.
> 
> That zip code search doesn't work anyway. It says there are no places near me that carry it, but I know of 3 places within 10 miles of me that carry it. I have bought it at all three places.



The Zip Code search told me 165 miles.... Seems I remember buying the bottle I have at a little Oriental Market about 30 minutes from here


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## Andy M. (Jan 8, 2009)

Uncle Bob said:


> The Zip Code search told me 165 miles.... Seems I remember buying the bottle I have at a little Oriental Market about 30 minutes from here




WOW, that's an average of 330 MPH!  What do you drive, Uncle Bob?


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## GB (Jan 8, 2009)

Maybe it is not measuring in miles. Maybe it goes by inches?


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## Lefty7887 (Jan 8, 2009)

GB said:


> Maybe it is not measuring in miles. Maybe it goes by inches?



Not for me, it said Plattsburg NY


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## Uncle Bob (Jan 8, 2009)

Andy M. said:


> WOW, that's an average of 330 MPH!  What do you drive, Uncle Bob?



Now that's funny folks!! I don't care what you say!!  That right there is funny!!


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## GB (Jan 8, 2009)

If Plattsburg carries it then you can find it ANYWHERE!


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## Lefty7887 (Jan 8, 2009)

GB said:


> If Plattsburg carries it then you can find it ANYWHERE!



It was the same supermarket chain we have here so I'm pretty sure we have it.


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## mike in brooklyn (Jan 8, 2009)

Lefty7887 said:


> The nearest place is 188 miles from me.


 
See - I knew there was at least 1 good reason to live in New York


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## Lefty7887 (Jan 8, 2009)

mike in brooklyn said:


> See - I knew there was at least 1 good reason to live in New York



If I was back in NY I would only shop at the ethnic markets.  But I bet you can't get a live lobster off the boat for $3.50.


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## mike in brooklyn (Jan 8, 2009)

Lefty7887 said:


> If I was back in NY I would only shop at the ethnic markets. But I bet you can't get a live lobster off the boat for $3.50.


 
Lobster is sure down in price this year.
Here in the Chinese markets it is $4.99 for the 1 - 1/2 lb sized.
Would you believe it - there is a commercial lobster fisherman who
has his traps under the Verrazzano Bridge (a huge suspension bridge which
connects Brooklyn and Staten Island)


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## Maverick2272 (Jan 8, 2009)

A Brooklyn lobster? Yikes! LOL.


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