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Sauce, Teriyaki, Ready-To-Serve
Ready-to-serve teriyaki sauce is a Japanese-origin condiment built on a base of soy sauce, sugar (often mirin or corn syrup), and sake or vinegar. Its density of 1.217 g/ml — about 22% heavier than water — is driven primarily by its high dissolved sugar content. A tablespoon weighs approximately 18 g (vs. ~14.8 g for water); a cup weighs approximately 288 g. This weight difference is significant in marinades and glazes where recipes specify tablespoons: undershooting by volume still undershoots by weight. Used as a marinade for chicken, salmon, beef, and tofu; as a stir-fry sauce; and as a finishing glaze for grilled proteins.
What is Sauce, Teriyaki, Ready-To-Serve?
Ready-to-serve teriyaki sauce is a Japanese-origin condiment built on a base of soy sauce, sugar (often mirin or corn syrup), and sake or vinegar. Its density of 1.217 g/ml — about 22% heavier than water — is driven primarily by its high dissolved sugar content. A tablespoon weighs approximately 18 g (vs. ~14.8 g for water); a cup weighs approximately 288 g. This weight difference is significant in marinades and glazes where recipes specify tablespoons: undershooting by volume still undershoots by weight. Used as a marinade for chicken, salmon, beef.
Volume measurements can drift because settling, packing, and texture change the amount of ingredient inside the same spoon or cup. When gram values look surprising, structure is usually the reason rather than an error. Use the same fill method each time and verify by weight.
Chef note:Chef-level consistency starts when one reference cup is matched to a gram baseline.
Quick convert
- US cup = 236.588 mL
- 1 tbsp = 14.787 mL
- 1 tsp = 4.929 mL
Kitchen Conversion Chart
Cups, tbsp, tsp, mL and oz — all in one printable reference for oils, liquids, dairy and sauces.
Condiments
Viscous condiments like ketchup, BBQ sauce, or dips tend to cling stubbornly to measuring cups. This leads to waste and messy cleanup. Weighing directly into your dish or pan is the professional, clean, and accurate method.
FAQ
- Why is teriyaki sauce so much heavier than water per tablespoon?
- Teriyaki sauce (1.217 g/ml) contains a substantial amount of dissolved sugar — typically 8–12 g per tablespoon depending on brand. Sugar (sucrose) has a density of approximately 1.59 g/ml, and at high concentrations it significantly raises the overall density of the sauce. Soy sauce also contributes dissolved sodium chloride, further raising density above water.
- How many grams is 2 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce?
- At 1.217 g/ml, two tablespoons (29.6 ml) of teriyaki sauce weigh approximately 36 g. This is about 6 g more than two tablespoons of water. For marinade recipes specified by weight, use 36 g rather than assuming the standard 2-tablespoon = 30 g water conversion.
- Does homemade teriyaki sauce have the same gram weight as bottled?
- Not necessarily. The density depends heavily on the sugar-to-soy ratio. A thinner homemade teriyaki (more soy, less sugar) may be closer to 1.10–1.15 g/ml; a very sweet reduction can exceed 1.30 g/ml. The USDA value (1.217 g/ml) reflects a typical ready-to-serve commercial formulation. For homemade, measure by weight at the time of use.