Which is which? Can you tell the difference?

When I go to the supermarket to buy groceries, I often find products that look similar, have similar names, or have similar uses, and I find myself wondering, "Which is which?" or "How are they different?"

I will list a few of these products that pique my curiosity and compare them.

<Consommé and Bouillon>

First is the difference between consommé and bouillon.

Bouillon is a stock made by simmering beef, chicken, and aromatic vegetables; it contains very little seasoning, so it has a mild flavor and is essentially just the stock itself.

Consommé is made by further simmering and seasoning that bouillon, resulting in a finished soup.

However, since many commercially available bouillons are already seasoned, the difference between them and consommé seems to be quite small.

No wonder I couldn't really tell the difference in taste when I used them.

<Ajinomoto and Haimi>

Ajinomoto's main ingredient is sodium glutamate, which provides a kelp-based umami, giving it a sharp and light umami flavor.

Haimi is a blend of multiple umami sources, including meat-based inosinic acid and mushroom-based guanylic acid, resulting in a richer and more robust flavor.

Although I don't use either of them.

<Mirin and Mirin-style seasoning>

Mirin is a fermented seasoning that contains alcohol.
It has both umami and depth, and is sometimes called "hon-mirin" (true mirin) to distinguish it from mirin-style seasoning.

The labels look so similar that you have to wonder if it's intentional, making it easy to mistake one for the other.

Mirin-style seasoning, as the name suggests, is a mixture of sugars and acidulants designed to mimic the taste of mirin, and it contains no alcohol.
Therefore, its umami and depth are weaker.

I always use hon-mirin.

I have also written an article about dishes using this hon-mirin, so please take a look if you'd like.

<Japanese Sake and Cooking Sake>

Similar to this, there are Japanese sake and cooking sake.

Sake, also known as seishu, is primarily a beverage.
Using it in cooking results in an elegant flavor, and drinking the same sake with your meal further enhances the deliciousness.

I used to think cooking sake was just cheap sake, but it seems that is a bit different.
Cooking sake contains salt to lower the liquor tax.
Therefore, you need to adjust your cooking accordingly to account for that.

<Table salt, rock salt, and sea salt>

Table salt is refined sodium chloride and has a neutral taste.

Rock salt is salt that has crystallized underground, and depending on the type, it can have a sharp or mellow taste.

Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater in salt fields and has umami and sweetness.

Recently, it is said that refined salt should be avoided because it is not good for the body, so I am particular about choosing and using 'salt that has been sun-dried and crushed'.
It is hard to find in regular supermarkets, so I buy it at Kaldi.
It certainly doesn't have the harshness of table salt, and it is a very delicious salt.

I also have an article about dishes made with this, so please take a look if you like.

<Weipa and chicken stock>

Have you ever stood in front of the Chinese food section at a supermarket, wondering which Chinese soup stock to buy?

Weipa is a stock made from a combination of meat, fat, and aromatic vegetables, and is characterized by its strong richness and umami.

Chicken stock (tori-gara soup) is, as the name suggests, centered on chicken soup and is a lighter stock.

<Mentsuyu and shiro-dashi>

At first, I thought shiro-dashi was just thin mentsuyu, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Shiro-dashi is light in color like light soy sauce, and the dashi is the main component, resulting in a Kyoto-style finish.

Mentsuyu is dark soy sauce with dashi and sweetness added.

I currently use Teraokaya's 'A Little Luxurious Dashi Soy Sauce' for mentsuyu, and the 'Maekawa no Dashi ga Kaoru Tennen Dashi no Tsuyu' that I introduced before for shiro-dashi.

<Wine vinegar and white balsamic>

Wine vinegar is made by fermenting grape juice into wine, which is then further fermented into acetic acid.
It is refreshing and has a strong acidity.

I thought balsamic vinegar only came in black, but there is also transparent white balsamic.
White balsamic is made by boiling down white grape juice and aging it in wooden barrels for a long time.
The production methods are completely different.
It has a mellow sweetness and deep richness. It is not often sold, but you can also get this at Kaldi.

<Grain vinegar, rice vinegar, and apple cider vinegar>

They are all definitely vinegar, but grain vinegar is sharp and more acidic,
rice vinegar is milder than grain vinegar, and
apple cider vinegar has a fruity flavor.

I am currently trying an apple cider vinegar diet, but perhaps my meal portions are too large, as I haven't really felt any effects yet.

<Potato starch and cornstarch>

Potato starch is mainly made from potatoes, can create a strong thickness, and finishes transparently.

I have never used cornstarch, but cornstarch is made from corn, has a lighter thickness, and seems to finish with a cloudy white appearance.

<Cake flour and bread flour>

Both are made from wheat flour, but cake flour is fine and powdery, low in protein, and results in a fluffy finish.
It is suitable for cakes and tempura.

Bread flour has slightly larger grains and is higher in protein, so it has elasticity and is suitable for things like bread.

It's hard to tell them apart just by looking at them, isn't it?

<Baking soda and baking powder>

These are also similar white powders, but

baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, and
baking powder is that baking soda with acid and starch added to it.

So they were related; I didn't know that.

<Fresh wasabi and Hon-wasabi>

Finally, let's look at the difference between fresh wasabi and Hon-wasabi. Until now, even when I was told to 'go buy a tube of wasabi' at the supermarket, I would just think, 'They're probably the same, just different names,' and buy it, but it seems they are different.

Hon-wasabi is grated real wasabi, while
fresh wasabi is Hon-wasabi with horseradish, coloring, and flavoring added, and it is spicier and has less aroma than Hon-wasabi.

The point to distinguish them is that if Hon-wasabi is listed first in the ingredients, it is high quality, and if horseradish is listed first, it is a substitute.

Products with a high content of Hon-wasabi sometimes have a gold cap.

Take a look at the tube of wasabi in your home. Which one is it?

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#ThingsIBoughtThatWereWorthIt