Cooking with sake

[frogprincess]

and where should i store an opened bottle?

[madziast]

doesn't last long, i'm afraid and definitely store it in the refrigerator. tightly closed. what type of sake is it? junmai? ginjo? daiginjo?

[frogprincess]

bottle says sho chiku bai

i opened the bottle in august and it's been sitting in the cupboard ever since :(

[torakris]

are you drinking it or cooking with it?

For the best taste when drinking it should be used up as soon as possible and stored in a cool, dark place.

My bottle of sake for cooking has been sitting in my cupboard for about 8 + months now.... and it is still fine for cooking uses.

[madziast]

i guess, as torakris suggests, cooking is probably best way to go... i always keep sake refrigerated and found that even if it sits there for a few weeks, it's still nice in drinks (also any sake i don't love on its own)

here you can learn about the sake you have (and in general) - they have a few types under the same name:

http://www.takarasake.com/products/sake.htm

[EdS]

I cook regularly with sake and I can't say that I have noticed a difference in the final dish between a fresh bottle and sake that has been opened and then stored in the fridge for three or four weeks. However, for kicks I tried drinking some sake out of a month-old opened bottle and it just wasn't right. It wasn't nasty like oxidized old wine but it did have a funny taste. I might try that gadget that I have that sucks out some of the air out of an opened wine bottle and seals it to see how well it works with sake.

[Dianabanana]

I am bewildered when it comes to cooking with sake. For instance, I have read that sake is like wine in that it should be drunk within a few days of opening the bottle, and that if you don't drink it all, it can be used for cooking. But how long can you keep an open bottle for use in cooking? I don't cook with it every day, so it tends to hang around. I recently discovered that I can get Sho Chiku Bai and a couple of other brands (forget the names) in single-serving bottles, but of course it's more expensive that way, and I wonder if it's an unnecessary expense.

Which brings me to my second question--what's a reasonable brand to use for cooking? I imagine that for cooking you don't need an expensive brand, but how cheap is too cheap? Seattle's Uwajimaya has a pretty big selection, so I think that I would be able to find any reasonably common brand you might recommend.

[Hiroyuki]

The best sake for cooking purposes is cooking sake or ryori shu 料理酒 or chori shu 調理酒 in Japanese. I posted a photo of mine here.

Drinking sake are not good for cooking purposes, because the better the sake, the higher the seimai buai (rice milling ratio), which means the less umami components.

Sake, whether drinking or cooking sake, won't go bad in a few days. From my experience, I can say it will keep for at least two or three months and probably for six months or longer, provided it's kept in a cool, dark place.

I'm curious, what dishes do you make with sake?

Note: Many cooking sake contain about 2% salt to avoid taxes under the Liquor Tax Law.

Edited September 3, 2007 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Dianabanana]

The best sake for cooking purposes is cooking sake or ryori shu ??? or chori shu ??? in Japanese.  I posted a photo of mine here.

Drinking sake are not good for cooking purposes, because the better the sake, the higher the seimai buai (rice milling ratio), which means the less umami components.

Sake, whether drinking or cooking sake, won't go bad in a few days.  From my experience, I can say it will keep for at least two or three months and probably for six months or longer, provided it's kept in a cool, dark place.

I'm curious, what dishes do you make with sake?

Note:  Many cooking sake contain about 2% salt to avoid taxes under the Liquor Tax Law.

←

Thank you, Hiroyuki. I will look for cooking sake and give it a try. Recently I have used sake to make teriyaki salmon, tamagoyaki, and in a recipe by Hiroko Shimbo for summer vegetables in a sauce with miso and toban jian.

[torakris]

Drinking sake are not good for cooking purposes, because the better the sake, the higher the seimai buai (rice milling ratio), which means the less umami components.

←

This is interesting I never knew this. I always assumed that like wine if it wasn't worth drinking it wasn't worth cooking with. I can save some money now.

I would usually buy about 1L and it would be used up in about 6 months, I never noticed any change in the taste of the food/sauces.

[Hiroyuki]

Drinking sake are not good for cooking purposes, because the better the sake, the higher the seimai buai (rice milling ratio), which means the less umami components.

←

This is interesting I never knew this. I always assumed that like wine if it wasn't worth drinking it wasn't worth cooking with. I can save some money now.

I would usually buy about 1L and it would be used up in about 6 months, I never noticed any change in the taste of the food/sauces.

←

This (Japanese only) and other webpages explain the difference between drinking and cooking sake. A ginjo shu doesn't make a good cooking sake!