How to properly use the double spout on soy sauce bottles

With its elegant red cap bottle and double spout lid, Kikkoman soy sauce is a staple of the Japanese dining scene and a popular table condiment in many restaurants. As attractive as the bottle design is, the double spouts are not just a visual highlight. They actually serve an important function when it comes to flavoring your food.

How it works is simple: place a finger on one of the holes and hold the other spout over your food. Don’t worry, it won’t all flow out because your finger covering the hole will restrict the airflow and cut off the flow. When you want to pour something, gradually lift your finger and you will see a splash of soy sauce squirt onto your plate.

Knowing these simple instructions will help you realize how ingenious this bottle design is and why it’s so ubiquitous in casual dining rooms. By reducing spills, you’re less likely to put too much salt on your plate, keeping your sodium intake and the restaurant’s bottom line under control.

In some ways, the double spout bottle is an ideal applicator for soy sauce. However, before you get one to use in your kitchen (buy it at the store, don’t steal it from a restaurant), keep in mind that this may not be the best way to store soy sauce at home. The Kikkoman design is best suited for high volume restaurants where bottles are emptied and refilled regularly.

The biggest downside to the design is that it doesn’t seal and the soy sauce is constantly exposed to air. This isn’t a problem with frequent refills. However, under such storage conditions in a slower restaurant – or on your kitchen counter – the soy sauce will oxidize and change its color, smell and aroma. The sauce won’t really go bad, but you don’t want to miss out on the flavor, especially if you chose homemade soy sauce.

If you want to get the most out of your homemade Asian dishes, it’s time to stop storing soy sauce in your pantry and move it to your refrigerator instead. This will keep the soy sauce fresher for longer, although due to the double spout design there will still be some oxidation and there may be some fridge smell. For long-term storage, it is best to purchase a sealed bottle.