The Complete Handbook of Fish Sauce

Solid reference book. The chapter on specifications finally explained the protein and nitrogen numbers on Vietnamese labels that I'd been ignoring for years. I dock one star because the section on choosing a fish sauce for specific dishes assumes a fairly commercial kitchen setup - for a solo private chef, some of the buying guidance assumes larger volumes than I need.

I import specialty Asian ingredients and thought I knew fish sauce. This book corrected me on a few points, especially regarding how industrial producers use enzymes to speed up fermentation versus traditional natural fermentation. The business chapter is realistic about margins and doesn't promise the moon. The maintenance chapter felt a bit light for my use case, so four stars.

The tasting protocol in Chapter 3 is worth the price alone. I used it with my kitchen staff to evaluate five different brands blind and we found exactly what the book said we would - the lower-priced commercial sauces are saltier and less complex but actually worked better in braised dishes. Well organized, no fluff. I just wish the maintenance chapter had more detail on handling high-volume daily use.

As a food science student, I appreciated the grounding in fermentation chemistry without diving so deep that it becomes unreadable. The comparison of Vietnam's traditional fermentation time versus modern accelerated methods is well done. The book avoids the usual romanticism about 'single-origin' fish sauce and gives you actual specs to evaluate. One complaint: the glossary is good, but I would have liked even more detail on histamine levels.

This is exactly the reference I have been searching for as a specialty grocer. I have already used the supplier qualification checklist to approach two new distributors, and it gave me confidence I was not getting overcharged for a private label opportunity. The troubleshooting table on sediment and crystallization solved a customer complaint within minutes. It is now on my desk, not on my shelf.

I write recipes, and this handbook has permanently changed how I develop dishes. The sensory language for describing fish sauce - umami, brine, funk, sweetness - is directly usable in my notes. I also think the guide on when to use premium versus commodity fish sauce is the most honest I have read. It does not just tell you to buy the most expensive option. I only wish it had been published years ago.

There is useful information here, no doubt - the chapter on installation and day-to-day use has good advice for restaurants. But I found the writing style a bit dry and some sections, particularly the future trends chapter, read more like a magazine article than a reference. Also, the book focuses heavily on Vietnamese and Thai products, with less coverage of Filipino patis than I expected. It is a good starting point, but not as complete as the title implies.