Oyster sauce is a brown, thick sauce with an earthy flavor. It is a famous ingredient in Vietnamese, Cantonese and Thai cuisine.
The shelf of life of oyster sauce depends on the storage method and ‘best before’ date mentioned on the bottle. The oyster sauce is comprised of sugar, spices, and oysters which are cooked till the juices of all these ingredients caramelize and form a sweet, savory sauce.
The unopened oyster sauce lasts for at least one year in the pantry while the opened oyster sauce lasts for around six months in the refrigerator. Oyster sauce has a ‘best before’ date mentioned on the label rather than the expiry or use by date. You can store the sauce properly to use it even after the ‘best before’ date.
What Should You Look For While Buying Oyster Sauce?
Avoid purchasing a sauce with a dark color, as the flavor will be too high due to the oxidation process. It indicates that the oyster sauce has been on the shelf for an extended period.
Avoid buying oyster sauce with separation of liquid from other ingredients of the sauce.
Oyster sauce has a different flavor, color, and texture if left for an extended time. It can still be used until the formation of molds or foul odor from the sauce.
What Is The Storage Method Of Oyster Sauce?
The best way to store oyster sauce is to keep the bottle in a cool, dark place, for example, a pantry under constant temperature. Avoid placing the oyster sauce near heated appliances and also store them away from light. Once opened, store it in its original bottle in the refrigerator and seal the jar completely. If you purchased the sauce in canned form, transfer it to a glass or plastic container before you refrigerate.
What Is The Purpose Of Cooking With Oyster Sauce?
Oyster sauce is used in Thai, Cantonese and Chinese cuisines. It is used primarily for salads, noodles, stir-fry, and stew or for preparing the dipping sauce. The flavor of oyster sauce blends well with many ingredients such as tofu, mushrooms, vegetables, beans, meat, seafood, and poultry.
You can use oyster sauce for the following recipes: Thai Curry and Chicken fried rice, African chicken and others.
How To Handle Oyster Sauce?
- The oyster sauce loses flavor if it is cooked for a long time. Add the sauce at the end of cooking soup or while braising.
- Avoid heating the oyster sauce on high heat as it loses flavor and tastes bitter.
- You can use oyster sauce for eliminating the fishiness from seafood and meat which aids in enhancing the flavor.
- Oyster sauce has a salty flavor, so eliminate or reduce the amount of salt while cooking recipes with oyster sauce.