Kikkoman - Aji-Mirin (Sweet Cooking Rice Wine) 10 Oz.

Kikkoman mirin is probably what's called mirin-fu chomiryo (literally mirin-like seasoning). It's certainly not hon mirin (true mirin). If you look at the ingredients list, you'll see a big give away: Rice, Water, **Corn Syrup**, Alcohol, Salt. I'm not even sure this is made with rice wine. It's got rice and (a very little) alcohol in it, but it's sweetened with corn syrup. That's not mirin.

Real mirin is sweetened by rice that has been subjected to the Aspergillus oryzae fungus, which breaks down the rice starches into sugar. It's what's used in the production of sake. Mirin uses the same fungus to produce the unfermented sugars that sweeten this essential Japanese cooking wine.

If you're looking for the real thing, go to an Asian market and check the labels. Anything with sugar or corn syrup in it isn't authentic. Eden Foods also makes a widely available and very good mirin made from organic brown rice, rice koji (Aspergillus oryzae), pure water and sea salt.

(The salt in mirin sold in the US is not authentic either, it's added to calssify the wine as cooking wine, thereby avoiding alcohol taxes).

Do yourself a favor, read the labels and opt for authenticity. You won't regret it.

(2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)Mirin and Soy Sauce. That is all you really need for authentic Japanese cooking. And you need it everywhere. Those two liquids are the foundation for almost all recipes, and are used in some quantity in every dish. I do a considerable amount of Japanese cooking, and running out of mirin sends me into panic mode and heading out to the store.

Don't be fooled into thinking that "teriyaki sauce" has anything with Japanese cuisine. Purely an American invention, true teriyaki cooking is a combination of mirin and soy sauce, based on the meat or vegetables which are then slowly cooked, rotating sides until they become a delicious brown sticky mess. It is sooo much better than the fast food restaurants try to pass off as "Japanese teriyaki".

When it comes to brands, it is hard to go wrong with Kikkoman. For both mirin and soy sauce, they put out a consistently good product that you can count on to enhance your cooking. There are probably more refined and expensive brands out there, but Kikkoman does me just fine, as it does for the millions of Japanese households where it sees daily use.

As a sweetened wine, mirin adds flavor as well as nutrients to a dish, and can even be used as a sugar substitute in some recipes for those trying to escape from refined white sugar. Check out Japanese Foods That Heal for an in-depth discussion on mirin's health benefits and uses.

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I bought a cookbook that uses Mirin in some recipes. I've used it and it makes a great addition to a recipe. Just like using any cooking wine. Give it a try.

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This product is entirely too salty. It should be called "Salty Cooking Rice Wine". I haven't used it in my recipes yet, but it will take some adjustment to compensate for all the salt.

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I made the mistake of not checking the reviews or ingredients for this product thinking is a quick off-the-shelf commodity purchase. Turns out it's completely fake not real rice wine at all. It's got glucose and corn syrup added.

Tastes and smells awful.