Hinode cooking sake in the 20L box: the kitchen's everyday rice seasoning, from a Hyogo brewer founded in 1900. This is Hinode Ryōrishu Junryō (料理酒 醇良), the cooking sake King Brewing supplies to Japanese restaurant kitchens, packed as Aji no Utage (味の宴) in a 20 litre box. It is a brewed seasoning made from fermented rice and rice koji, at around 13.5% alcohol, with a little salt added. That salt is the difference from drinking sake: it makes this a seasoning for the pan, not a drink, and it means the kitchen can use it freely in marinades, simmered dishes and sauces. Smaller kitchen? See Hinode cooking sake in the 1.8L bottle. Why Chefs Choose This Takes the edge off fish and meat: the alcohol carries strong odours away as it cooks off, which is why Japanese kitchens splash it on fish before grilling or simmering Adds depth, not sweetness: rice and koji give a savoury, rounded background that sits under soy sauce and dashi Softens and seasons: it helps flavour get into meat and fish and keeps them tender in a braise or marinade Volume at a working price: one 20L box keeps a busy line in cooking sake for weeks How to Use Marinades: with soy and ginger for chicken, pork or fish before grilling or frying Nimono and braises: with dashi, soy and mirin for simmered fish, pork belly or vegetables Steaming: sprinkle over fish, clams or chicken before steaming (sakamushi) Sauces and stocks: in teriyaki, tare, noodle broths and stir-fry sauces, and to deglaze a pan Ryōrishu (料理酒) simply means cooking sake. Japanese kitchens have cooked with sake for centuries, and the modern cooking sake adds salt so it is sold and taxed as a seasoning rather than as a drink. Hinode (日の出, sunrise) is the brand of King Brewing Co. (キング醸造), founded in 1900 in Inami, Kako District, Hyogo Prefecture, and still headquartered there; the address is printed on the side of this box. King Brewing is best known for its mirin. The Junryō (醇良) name goes back to the founder's first product. Learn more: Mirin vs Cooking Sake What does Japanese cooking sake taste like? Straight from the box it smells like a light, plain sake, with a clean rice and koji aroma and a noticeable alcohol lift. On the tongue it is dry to barely sweet, with a gentle saltiness and a savoury, rice-like depth. Cooked, the alcohol goes and so does most of the aroma. What stays is a rounded savouriness that makes soy sauce, dashi and ginger taste fuller, and fish and meat taste cleaner. You should notice the difference in the dish rather than taste sake in it. Product Details Type Ryōrishu (料理酒), cooking sake. Classed as a brewed seasoning (醸造調味料) Brand Hinode (日の出), Junryō (醇良) grade, packed as Aji no Utage (味の宴) Maker King Brewing Co., Ltd., founded 1900 Alcohol Around 13.5% (maker's figure for Hinode Ryōrishu Junryō) Origin Inami, Kako District, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan Volume and Format 20L box Storage Room temperature out of direct sunlight before opening; once opened, keep sealed in a cool, dark place Best Used As Marinades, simmered dishes, steaming, sauces and broths What is the difference between cooking sake and drinking sake? Salt. Cooking sake like this one is brewed from rice and rice koji but has salt added, so it counts as a seasoning, not a drink. That keeps the price down and means you do not need to salt quite as much elsewhere. Drinking sake has no salt and is often more aromatic. You can cook with a plain drinking sake, but for everyday marinades and simmered dishes cooking sake is the practical choice. Is cooking sake the same as mirin? No. Mirin is sweet and is used for gloss and sweetness. Cooking sake is dry to barely sweet and is used to remove odours, add depth and tenderise. Most Japanese recipes use both, often with soy sauce, and the balance between them decides how sweet the dish is. If a recipe calls for sake and mirin, do not swap one for the other. How do I store a 20L box of cooking sake? Keep it sealed somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. Most kitchens decant a working amount into a smaller bottle for the line and keep the main box closed between top-ups, which limits air contact. Hinode's guide for its cooking sake is to use it within 90 days of opening for the best flavour, and a busy kitchen will get through a box well inside that. Ingredients and allergens Ingredients: Water, fermented seasoning (water, rice, rice koji, salt), hydrolysed vegetable protein (corn, potato, sugar beet), salt, corn syrup, fermented seasoning (grape juice, alcohol, salt, lactic acid), citric acid. Allergen information is taken from the manufacturer's label; always check the pack before use.
