These are the toasted sesame oils in our taste test.
There’s no mistaking the taste of toasted sesame oil: sweet, nutty, caramelized like the aroma of a slice of bread just out of the toaster (some say the smell is the most important aspect, vs how it feels on your tongue) with just a hint of bitterness. Toasted sesame oil is a key ingredient in many Asian dishes, especially Korean. With so many brands available at your local Asian market, it was time for a toasted sesame oil taste test.
The cucumber taste test. Clockwise from lower left: Kadoya, Lee Kim Lee, Ottogi, Trader Joe. We found the oils very similar in color and viscosity.
Our bottle of Lee Kum Kee was nearing the bottom which is what prompted this test. We tried four brands with a two part test: a/a spoonful straight out of the bottle, on a slice of cucumber; 2/on a cube of tofu sauteed in oil till very lightly toasted.
- Lee Kum Kee Toasted Sesame Oil. Lee Kum Kee is the Amazon of Asian sauces, with a rendition of every imaginable product. When we did a doubanjiang test a while back they ranked close to the bottom; in general their products are workmanlike but not exceptional. A 15-oz bottle is $9.98 at our local Walmart.
Results: a solid, smooth taste with a satisfying finish, even though we were using a bottle that has been stored at room temperature for months.
- Trader Joe Organic Toasted Sesame Oil. The only house brand we could find in stock, it was well priced at $3.79 for 5 oz.
Results: milder than the others, in both the cucumber and tofu test.
- Kadoya Toasted Sesame Oil. This is the brand preferred by Woks of Life and also recommended by Bon Appetit and Serious Eats, among others. For such a high rated product it was surprisingly hard to find; we got a 5.5 oz bottle for $5.99 at our upscale supermarket which was probably an inflated price.
Results: beautifully balanced in both the cucumber and tofu tests.
- Ottogi Sesame Oil. Koreans will, of course, say you absolutely must have Korean sesame oil to make Korean dishes like japjae. We got lucky and stumbled on a sale: $8.99 for a jumbo 10.8 oz. bottle in Jae Tung, our nearest Korean market.
Results: somewhat more bitter than the others. On our first taste we actually thought it was rancid, but this did not happen again when we re-tasted. Possibly something in the neck of the just-opened bottle?
Tofu cube taste test. Same order as above.
The winner, Kadoya, by a wide margin. Lee Kum Kee was a surprise runner up—good news because this is the sesame oil you’re most likely to find in a non-Asian market. We’re on the fence about the Ottogi. If you’re Korean you might enjoy the stronger taste. We’ll definitely continue to experiment with it because we’re not about to throw away that big bottle. Trader Joe: a disappointment. Would not buy this again.
One thing we didn’t try: un-toasted sesame oil of the type sold in health food markets. This is a neutral-tasting food which is fine for what it does but lacks the special taste of toasted sesame oil. When you hear people saying “I bought some expensive sesame oil and it had no taste” this is what they’re talking about.
