# MSG?



## boomchakabowwow (Apr 20, 2021)

I’m a Chinese guy. I see the stuff in households everywhere. At my parents home, they have a jar. 

I made chili-oil today and everyone said to add some MSG. I hit the store. They had two bags. Different sizes. Best described as LARGE and Freakin-GIANT! I asked if they had that tiny jar I sometimes see, she laughed and said NO. The large bag, I cannot imagine it going into a home. It looked like a bag of flour. I grabbed the smaller of the two, and took it home. I used 0.25 tablespoon - now what? I seriously considered putting a tiny bit into an old spice jar and tossing the rest. 
I’ll make more chili oil for sure but that might be the limits of my usage. Holiday gifts. 

I imagine it’s everywhere in everything from ketchup to potato chips. It’s in Chinese restaurants, I see the huge bags going into the loading docks.
anyone have this in the kitchen?


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## rickbern (Apr 20, 2021)

Really, I have nothing against it, suffered from racially biased negative comments here for years, but it’s one of the few flavor packed condiments I’ve never tried. If I can find a small package I’ll give it a go.

for now I’m just gonna have to get by with anchovies


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## HumbleHomeCook (Apr 20, 2021)

For future reference, not sure where you are but Accent Flavor Enhancer is pretty ubiquitous in American grocery stores. Can typically be found in the spice area. It's MSG.

You can use a touch of MSG in pretty much anything you want. I try to be judicious with it as a little indeed goes a long way and it can insert an unwanted flavor if over used.


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## Michi (Apr 20, 2021)

MSG has indefinite shelf life. If you have the space, use it up over the next twenty years. Otherwise, pass some to your fellow cooks.


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## Slim278 (Apr 20, 2021)




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## Bigbbaillie (Apr 20, 2021)

I would say take a little bit and taste it, then add it to anything that you want that same kind of umami flavor in. Definitely can have an intense flavor, but it's basically chemically created umami so it has the potential to make a lot of things taste better. 

Lao Gan Ma (chili crisp) is a chinese chili oil that always contains MSG, way different from the flavor of homemade chili oil.
Could also add some to Mayonnaise to make a kind of homemade Kewpie mayo (Japanese mayonnaise.)
Also could add some to a seasoning mix for homemade chips to replicate the flavor of store-bought chips.

Really the possibilities are endless, although it is usually added to sauces or dry spice mixes to increase the umami punch of cheaper ingredients.


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## Nemo (Apr 21, 2021)

Michi said:


> Otherwise, pass some to your fellow cooks.


Or your kids?


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## Mikeadunne (Apr 21, 2021)

Nemo said:


> Or your kids?


Heirloom msg


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## rmrf (Apr 21, 2021)

I'd put it in tiny plastic bags and start giving it out on street corners and outside schools. Before you know it, people will acquire a taste and will pay you for it. Good way to recoup cost.


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## Michi (Apr 21, 2021)

rmrf said:


> I'd put it in tiny plastic bags and start giving it out on street corners and outside schools. Before you know it, people will acquire a taste and will pay you for it. Good way to recoup cost.


Whoa, I think I'll short some stock of MSG manufacturers. Once you get going with this scheme, the market will plummet!


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## toddnmd (Apr 21, 2021)

I’ve got a big bag. Maybe I’ll start including small packets with BST knife sales.


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## 9fingeredknife (Apr 21, 2021)

Just start using it and see what happens. I personally love it and put it in lots of sauces and in meat seasonings. Try sprinkling a little bit one some eggs too.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 21, 2021)

My chili oil:


rmrf said:


> I'd put it in tiny plastic bags and start giving it out on street corners and outside schools. Before you know it, people will acquire a taste and will pay you for it. Good way to recoup cost.


the first hit is free!


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## Mrchainsaw (Apr 21, 2021)

So why do some restaurants advertise “no msg”? What’s the downside to it?


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## Lars (Apr 21, 2021)

Mrchainsaw said:


> So why do some restaurants advertise “no msg”? What’s the downside to it?


Less yummy?


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## HumbleHomeCook (Apr 21, 2021)

Mrchainsaw said:


> So why do some restaurants advertise “no msg”? What’s the downside to it?



There is a pervasive notion held by many that MSG can cause headaches, dizziness, etc.

I do not subscribe to that notion.


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## DitmasPork (Apr 21, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> I’m a Chinese guy. I see the stuff in households everywhere. At my parents home, they have a jar.
> 
> I made chili-oil today and everyone said to add some MSG. I hit the store. They had two bags. Different sizes. Best described as LARGE and Freakin-GIANT! I asked if they had that tiny jar I sometimes see, she laughed and said NO. The large bag, I cannot imagine it going into a home. It looked like a bag of flour. I grabbed the smaller of the two, and took it home. I used 0.25 tablespoon - now what? I seriously considered putting a tiny bit into an old spice jar and tossing the rest.
> I’ll make more chili oil for sure but that might be the limits of my usage. Holiday gifts.
> ...



I'll eat foods other people cook with it; I sometimes cook using oyster sauce (lady in the boat) containing it, but have never bought MSG, or wanted to have it in the cupboard.

IMO, MSG is a cook's shortcut. Used by cooks to boost umami without putting in the work or ingredients into cooking a dish without it. True it's a staple in many Asian restaurant kitchens, but many great Chinese and Japanese home cooks I know don't use the stuff. The Chinese and Japanese pantry is already loaded with awesome umami bombs—soy sauce, fermented bean curd products, shrimp paste, etc. Not to mention the wonders of dashi and a well made stock.

Like I said, nothing against MSG, but I'll not ever be buying a bag of Ajinomoto or tin of Ve-Tsin for my kitchen.


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## btbyrd (Apr 21, 2021)

I like MSG and use it often in my cooking, and the number one tip I have is to use MSG at low levels to add a savory background note to things. There's a certain threshold (that differs from person to person) prior to which MSG-seasoned food has nicely enhanced umami and past which it just tastes like there's been MSG added to it. Like salt, MSG is used best at quantities where you don't really notice it. I can tolerate a lot of salt, but too much MSG just tastes like MSG and I hate it. It's hard to OD on natural umami, even if you make a paste of parmesan, anchovies, bonito flakes, soy sauce, tomato paste, shiitake mushrooms, marmite, and whatever... it can still taste good when added in large-ish quantities to things. But pure MSG is a one-note flavor and once you add too much, it becomes the loudest note in the overall "flavor chord" of the food and can ruin an otherwise tasty product. I wish there was a non-MSG version of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, for example. The texture is nice and the chili and garlic have a good flavor, but it tastes so much like MSG that I don't want anything to do with it.


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## Migraine (Apr 21, 2021)

I bought some to try adding it to egg fried rice after being inspired by Uncle Roger (see up the page). It really is the thing that makes it taste like proper takeaway fried rice; it's so good.


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## DitmasPork (Apr 21, 2021)

btbyrd said:


> I like MSG and use it often in my cooking, and the number one tip I have is to use MSG at low levels to add a savory background note to things. There's a certain threshold (that differs from person to person) prior to which MSG-seasoned food has nicely enhanced umami and past which it just tastes like there's been MSG added to it. Like salt, MSG is used best at quantities where you don't really notice it. I can tolerate a lot of salt, but too much MSG just tastes like MSG and I hate it. It's hard to OD on natural umami, even if you make a paste of parmesan, anchovies, bonito flakes, soy sauce, tomato paste, shiitake mushrooms, marmite, and whatever... it can still taste good when added in large-ish quantities to things. But pure MSG is a one-note flavor and once you add too much, it becomes the loudest note in the overall "flavor chord" of the food and can ruin an otherwise tasty product. I wish there was a non-MSG version of Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, for example. The texture is nice and the chili and garlic have a good flavor, but it tastes so much like MSG that I don't want anything to do with it.



Despite me having never bought MSG—I do love, and usually have a jar of Lao Gan Ma in the 'fridge! A dollop in sandwiches or noodles super tasty.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 21, 2021)

DitmasPork said:


> Despite me having never bought MSG—I do love, and usually have a jar of Lao Gan Ma in the 'fridge! A dollop in sandwiches or noodles super tasty.


 I love the stuff as well. I got a GAINT jar for the holidays as gift. once I opened it, it has be diminishing at a rapid rate.


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## DitmasPork (Apr 21, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> I love the stuff as well. I got a GAINT jar for the holidays as gift. once I opened it, it has be diminishing at a rapid rate.



You got the 24.69 oz jar??? I can only find the small jars in the stores I go to.


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## WiriWiri (Apr 21, 2021)

Another LaoGanMa addict here, although the wife outstrips me on chilli crisp consumption. Only the peanut variety is mildly disappointing


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## GBT-Splint (Apr 21, 2021)

Just throw all the powder in your bin. 
Why would you add a synthetic powder that makes your brain think that what you eat is good to your food ? 

From what I've just read up above my opinion should probably go straight to the "Unpopular opinions" thread


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## tostadas (Apr 21, 2021)

toddnmd said:


> I’ve got a big bag. Maybe I’ll start including small packets with BST knife sales.


I hear the guys at customs love finding stuff like that


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## WiriWiri (Apr 21, 2021)

GBT-Splint said:


> Just throw all the powder in your bin.
> Why would you add a synthetic powder that makes your brain think that what you eat is good to your food ?
> 
> From what I've just read up above my opinion should probably go straight to the "Unpopular opinions" thread



That makes it sound much more apocalyptically weird than it is. IIRC there’s no difference chemically between naturally occurring glutamates and the ‘synthetising’ process is basically fermentation.

Anyway I’m off to drink a can of synthetic beer juice.


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## DitmasPork (Apr 21, 2021)

GBT-Splint said:


> Just throw all the powder in your bin.
> Why would you add a synthetic powder that makes your brain think that what you eat is good to your food ?
> 
> From what I've just read up above my opinion should probably go straight to the "Unpopular opinions" thread



Not an ‘unpopular opinion,’ depends on who you hang with. Most of the cooks I know, or have influenced me, tend to shun MSG. Not an essential ingredient for cooking the Asian food. My prob with MSG, is that it flattens flavors, giving everything the same hyper-umami taste to it.

Perhaps a more ‘unpopular opinion’ is my dislike of Uncle Roger.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 22, 2021)

DitmasPork said:


> You got the 24.69 oz jar??? I can only find the small jars in the stores I go to.
> View attachment 123795


 its huge! I don't know what size it is, but a friend wrapped it up this holiday and sent it to me. I am about halfway down the jar last I checked.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 22, 2021)

DitmasPork said:


> Perhaps a more ‘unpopular opinion’ is my dislike of Uncle Roger.



never heard of uncle Roger. looked him up. no thanks. i'm not investing anymore time with the uncle. but I do wonder if his accent is accentuated or faked.. when I met Martin Yan and he spoke with zero accent I felt duped..***? hahhahahah.


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## Migraine (Apr 22, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> never heard of uncle Roger. looked him up. no thanks. i'm not investing anymore time with the uncle. but I do wonder if his accent is accentuated or faked.. when I met Martin Yan and he spoke with zero accent I felt duped..***? hahhahahah.



He's playing a character...you're not meant to take it seriously. He's a Malaysian-British* comedian called Nigel Ng.


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## DitmasPork (Apr 22, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> never heard of uncle Roger. looked him up. no thanks. i'm not investing anymore time with the uncle. but I do wonder if his accent is accentuated or faked.. when I met Martin Yan and he spoke with zero accent I felt duped..***? hahhahahah.



He's a Malaysian-Brit comedian that I find completely cringe-worthy. Not funny in the least to me, just reinforcing bad Asian stereotypes with pedestrian culinary advice. Watched a few of his videos, but decided my time better spent living my life, buying knives, sharpening, cooking, etc.

Yes, he's playing a character, but his performances don't work for me.

Uncle Roger has his fan base for sure. But as with knives, everyone doesn't have to like the same knives. Yes, comedy's a tough business.


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## Danzo (Apr 22, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> I’m a Chinese guy. I see the stuff in households everywhere. At my parents home, they have a jar.
> 
> I made chili-oil today and everyone said to add some MSG. I hit the store. They had two bags. Different sizes. Best described as LARGE and Freakin-GIANT! I asked if they had that tiny jar I sometimes see, she laughed and said NO. The large bag, I cannot imagine it going into a home. It looked like a bag of flour. I grabbed the smaller of the two, and took it home. I used 0.25 tablespoon - now what? I seriously considered putting a tiny bit into an old spice jar and tossing the rest.
> I’ll make more chili oil for sure but that might be the limits of my usage. Holiday gifts.
> ...


how big was the smaller bag that you got? like 500g?


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## Noodle Soup (Apr 22, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> I’m a Chinese guy. I see the stuff in households everywhere. At my parents home, they have a jar.
> 
> I made chili-oil today and everyone said to add some MSG. I hit the store. They had two bags. Different sizes. Best described as LARGE and Freakin-GIANT! I asked if they had that tiny jar I sometimes see, she laughed and said NO. The large bag, I cannot imagine it going into a home. It looked like a bag of flour. I grabbed the smaller of the two, and took it home. I used 0.25 tablespoon - now what? I seriously considered putting a tiny bit into an old spice jar and tossing the rest.
> I’ll make more chili oil for sure but that might be the limits of my usage. Holiday gifts.
> ...


I know what you mean. Here in the US they act like MSG is poison created by the devil himself. Go to about any Asian country and they are selling it by the 10 pound sack for home use, 50 for restaurants. I brought back a couple of pounds from a trip to Thailand a couple of years ago but I have never got around to using any of it. I was a little afraid of what customs was going to say about that big plastic sack of white power though.  Once in the past I had to explain my 5 pounds of palm sugar.


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## TonyZ (Apr 22, 2021)

Late to this. Someone mentioned Accent flavor enhancer already. Yes it is MSG. Its easy to sprinkle on things. For the home cook, its a good way of boosting flavor to dishes. I add it to marinades, vinaigrettes if I want to tone down some acidity, and even roasted veggies. A little goes a long way. Yeah its a shortcut but if it works what's wrong with it. I am about to finish my first bottle after a year and a half.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 22, 2021)

aww crap..i could have bought ACCENT!!! it would have been a more manageable volume...


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 22, 2021)

Danzo said:


> how big was the smaller bag that you got? like 500g?


 not sure. I poured it into a half quart plastic tub. it didn't fill to the top, but it was close.


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## nwshull (Apr 22, 2021)

Don't upset Uncle Roger, use MSG!

I recently adopted it after trying many alternatives. Could not find any. Its used in China all the time, and candidly in Japan as well. Its not used in some high food, but MSG really is an indispensable part of street food if you want that flavor and sometimes you just do. Anyone who says that food doesn't have it is frankly BSing.

Btw, I don't think Uncle Roger is reinforcing any negative stereotypes unless you're already inclined to believe in the stereotype. He's more playing up certain affects the South Chinese diaspora in SE Asia pretty well. Which btw, it is Chinese Malay, not Malay. Down to the ai ia. Its the same thing as the Comedy Fresh off the Boat, in that it highlights some aspects of Chinese culture in an exaggerated sense without putting it down as inferior to another culture. Just like you would showing Germans being obsessively punctual.


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## jwthaparc (Apr 22, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> I’m a Chinese guy. I see the stuff in households everywhere. At my parents home, they have a jar.
> 
> I made chili-oil today and everyone said to add some MSG. I hit the store. They had two bags. Different sizes. Best described as LARGE and Freakin-GIANT! I asked if they had that tiny jar I sometimes see, she laughed and said NO. The large bag, I cannot imagine it going into a home. It looked like a bag of flour. I grabbed the smaller of the two, and took it home. I used 0.25 tablespoon - now what? I seriously considered putting a tiny bit into an old spice jar and tossing the rest.
> I’ll make more chili oil for sure but that might be the limits of my usage. Holiday gifts.
> ...


I love msg. I add it to almost every savory dish I make (ok a bit of an exaggeration, but I do like it). That umami kick is awesome


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## DitmasPork (Apr 22, 2021)

nwshull said:


> Don't upset Uncle Roger, use MSG!
> 
> I recently adopted it after trying many alternatives. Could not find any. Its used in China all the time, and candidly in Japan as well. Its not used in some high food, but MSG really is an indispensable part of street food if you want that flavor and sometimes you just do. Anyone who says that food doesn't have it is frankly BSing.
> 
> Btw, I don't think Uncle Roger is reinforcing any negative stereotypes unless you're already inclined to believe in the stereotype. He's more playing up certain affects the South Chinese diaspora in SE Asia pretty well. Which btw, it is Chinese Malay, not Malay. Down to the ai ia. Its the same thing as the Comedy Fresh off the Boat, in that it highlights some aspects of Chinese culture in an exaggerated sense without putting it down as inferior to another culture. Just like you would showing Germans being obsessively punctual.



It's fine for others' to enjoy Uncle Roger, his comedy is quite lame and annoying to me, not worth my time—don't want to invest in writing a critique. Whether his form of stereotyping is positive or negative in effect, is an argument that is not appropriate for this thread. Yes, he's Malaysian hoklo, I was referring to his nationality.

As for MGS, although it's a common ingredient for many home cooks, restaurant and street vendors—I still consider it an umami shortcut. The Asian kitchen is already top-heavy with an arsenal of umami boosters—from dried shrimp and fermented soy products to black garlic and dried mushrooms, not to mention good stock and dashi. Probably 90% of the Cantonese joints I've eaten at use MSG with abandon, but for me the goal is not to replicate restaurant cooking, but simply to make good food.

MSG in it's modern form—ajinomoto, Vet-Tsin, gourmet powder—has only been around for about a 100 years, invented when my grandma was a youngster, so not an essential kitchen staple for her and those before her. She was an amazing traditional Chinese cook, worked in buddhist temple cooking up food for hungry monks—never used MSG. When I cook Chinese food (or Japanese, or Korean), it's hugely influenced by how my grandmas and aunts cooked, without the umami crutch of MSG.

Shortcuts are fine in certain situ—sometimes there's not the time or energy to build flavors in a dish; or can't afford to splurge on umami rich ingredients, etc. I've happy used a dollop of Lao Gan Ma on noodles for a quick, lazy meal—but wouldn't think of adding MSG, or using a large amount of Lao Gan Ma if cooking a supper party.

I'll eat food with MSG (often unavoidable), but never cook with the powder. No need to.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Apr 22, 2021)

I will say I also prefer to build that depth of flavor without adding MSG powder. I bought that little bottle some time ago because I kept seeing people rave about it and thought I'd see what it was all about but after playing with it, I rarely even remember it is on the shelf these days. I do like a pinch in some situations and I'm not against folks using it, I just don't think it's as amazing as many others do.

And again, it's easy to cross a line and introduce what I consider to be a nasty flavor.


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## Migraine (Apr 22, 2021)

DitmasPork said:


> It's fine for others' to enjoy Uncle Roger, his comedy is quite lame and annoying to me, not worth my time—don't want to invest in writing a critique. Whether his form of stereotyping is positive or negative in effect, is an argument that is not appropriate for this thread. Yes, he's Malaysian hoklo, I was referring to his nationality.
> 
> As for MGS, although it's a common ingredient for many home cooks, restaurant and street vendors—I still consider it an umami shortcut. The Asian kitchen is already top-heavy with an arsenal of umami boosters—from dried shrimp and fermented soy products to black garlic and dried mushrooms, not to mention good stock and dashi. Probably 90% of the Cantonese joints I've eaten at use MSG with abandon, but for me the goal is not to replicate restaurant cooking, but simply to make good food.
> 
> ...



Isn't this akin to saying you'll only use salty ingredients, but not actual salt as that's just a lazy shortcut to saltiness?


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## DitmasPork (Apr 22, 2021)

Migraine said:


> Isn't this akin to saying you'll only use salty ingredients, but not actual salt as that's just a lazy shortcut to saltiness?



Not at all, dunno where you got that from. Salt is an essential kitchen ingredient. Not having MSG powder in my kitchen doesn't hamper me from cooking, nor would it benefit what I cook. When I cook Japanese dishes—shoyu, dashi, kombu, miso are umami boosters that get used often. Never had a need for MSG.


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## Danzo (Apr 22, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> not sure. I poured it into a half quart plastic tub. it didn't fill to the top, but it was close.


thats nothin, you'll get through it sooner than you think.


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## Michi (Apr 22, 2021)

I'm not shy about using MSG, but I don't use it regularly. Mostly when a recipe specifically calls for it. The other situation is when I have a sauce or a stew that sort of tastes right, but I'm not happy with the depth of flavour. When I taste it, I can't think of anything to add that wouldn't put it out of balance, and it tastes good, but not "right". In that situation, a little MSG can help to bring it over the line.


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## nwshull (Apr 22, 2021)

DitmasPork said:


> Not at all, dunno where you got that from. Salt is an essential kitchen ingredient. Not having MSG powder in my kitchen doesn't hamper me from cooking, nor would it benefit what I cook. When I cook Japanese dishes—shoyu, dashi, kombu, miso are umami boosters that get used often. Never had a need for MSG.


I'm not saying MSG is always appropriate. I don't use it for Japanese food most of the time. For something like fried rice, I do feel its near essential if you want to replicate the umami without adding too much moisture. All those things get their umami from the MSG in it. If you remove the moisture you're essentially making your own sweet sweet MSG powder. Now if you want to say all MSG is not created equal, and if you want to take the time to distill your own its better I can get on board with that.


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## panda (Apr 22, 2021)

mix it into your salt shaker.


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## xxxclx (Apr 22, 2021)

What do you guys thing of chicken bullion powder, often used as MSG substitute in Chinese cooking? Do they add any additional value on top of the MSG it contains?


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## Lars (Apr 23, 2021)

xxxclx said:


> What do you guys thing of chicken bullion powder, often used as MSG substitute in Chinese cooking? Do they add any additional value on top of the MSG it contains?


It certainly has a flavour of it's own. I recently used it to season a chopped cheese sandwich following the advise og J. Kenji Lopes-Alt. It was really nice.

Inspired by this thread I added a pinch of MSG to my curry tonight!


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 23, 2021)

i am gonna give half of the tub to a coworker. i certainly don't need that much, but a tiny bit to experiment wont be a bad thing.

i MUST eat it everyday, simply by the fact that i eat food others make. like a bag of Lays potato chips, or Ketchup. my wife uses that Hondashi stuff, and i think MSG is the first ingredient. my elderly neighbor thinks MSG is the devils dandruff, but she shakes Maggi sauce into everything she makes. hahaha..i don't have the heart to pop her bubble, afterall, she is 92 years old. 

great discussion folks. i am unfamiliar with the product in the pure form..i am super familiar with it eating it in other foods.


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## Illyria (Apr 23, 2021)

panda said:


> mix it into your salt shaker.



This. 

I mix in about 5-8% MSG into my salt for home use.


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## chiffonodd (Apr 23, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> never heard of uncle Roger. looked him up. no thanks. i'm not investing anymore time with the uncle. but I do wonder if his accent is accentuated or faked.. when I met Martin Yan and he spoke with zero accent I felt duped..***? hahhahahah.



You might not be millenial enough.


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## ian (Apr 23, 2021)

boomchakabowwow said:


> never heard of uncle Roger. looked him up. no thanks. i'm not investing anymore time with the uncle. but I do wonder if his accent is accentuated or faked.. when I met Martin Yan and he spoke with zero accent I felt duped..***? hahhahahah.



Zero accent, really? I thought that was just a rumor.


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## Michi (Apr 23, 2021)

ian said:


> Zero accent, really? I thought that was just a rumor.


Yes really. I recently saw a video where he broke character and spoke a few sentences entirely accent-free.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 23, 2021)

ian said:


> Zero accent, really? I thought that was just a rumor.


none whatsoever. my summer interns family knows him. I saw him talking to them at one of their stores. 

his accent is friggen on point tho!


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## MarcelNL (Apr 23, 2021)

I usually get hot flushes and palpitations from MSG, whereas adding similar molecules coming from tomatoes, ground porcini. shii take etc don't bother me at all. Next thing is making my own crispy chilli, as I recently found that adding like 5 table spoons of the ready made stuff apparently contained enough MSG to make me feel it..


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## WiriWiri (Apr 23, 2021)

Without trying to start a barney, and with the proviso that I’ve never added powdered MSG to any food I’ve cooked knowingly, the data geek in me wants to point out that, despite massive interest, no peer reviewed study has ever been every been able to evidence a link between MSG added to food and sensitivity beyond placebo level. I believe some studies have been able to show that people can detect ‘chemical’ MSG without food, albeit at much lower levels than you’d perhaps expect

That’s not to say that people can’t feel ill once they know they’ve eaten MSG. The mind is a a powerful thing after all, and food is intricately tied up with memories and associations

If you think that makes me sound a little superior, bear in mind that I’m so scarred by a childhood force-feeding incident that I literally run at the faintest smell of coleslaw, I’m aware how pathetic that sounds


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## MarcelNL (Apr 23, 2021)

funny thing is, I usually go look for evidence of MSg after i had the symptoms of eating it...call it observation bias, I don't ....


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## Nemo (Apr 23, 2021)

MarcelNL said:


> I usually get hot flushes and palpitations from MSG, whereas adding similar molecules coming from tomatoes, ground porcini. shii take etc don't bother me at all. Next thing is making my own crispy chilli, as I recently found that adding like 5 table spoons of the ready made stuff apparently contained enough MSG to make me feel it..


There are two groups of compunds thought to be responsible for umami:
1) Glutamate. This is an amino acid and is also a common neurotransmitter, so it is at least biologically plausible that it could cause the symptoms occasionally ascribed to it.
2) Nucleotides such as guanine and inositol. Not really that similar to glutamte in structure although there is probably a similar motif in the shape of the molecules if they are both able to activate the umami receptor. These are found in many umami rich foods, including tomato and mushroom. Nucleotides are also neurotransmitters, but the neural pathways are usually different and they are probably not used as neurotransmitters in as many pathways as glutamate.

There does seem to be a bit of debate about how well glutamate syndrome is backed up by any meaningful evidence. OTOH, lack of evidence of an effect is not always evidence of lack of an effect and there are a lot of anecdotal reports of similar reactions. Make of it what you will.


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## Luftmensch (Apr 25, 2021)

Nemo said:


> Glutamate. This is an amino acid and is also a common neurotransmitter





Isnt this a subtle but important point? My understanding of MSG is that it is not a magical flavour that instantly makes any meal delicious... it is a flavour _enhancer_ that can work in synergy with or amplify the flavour profiles of a dish. And dont take this to mean I am claiming it has no flavour!

Funny anecdote; about 10 years ago I ordered some food for lunch. I was halfway through and I found myself with this weird ball of salty bitter powder in my mouth. Maybe it tasted a little metallic? I cant quite remember... except that it was unpleasant. I spat it out and dug around and found broken up clumps of powder that had not been mixed into the sauce - I assume MSG!

I have nothing against MSG.... heck... I _love_ it in the right context. In Australia we have a seasoning called chicken salt. And of course... it is basically MSG. Awesome on chips.

I dont cook with MSG but am curious. Like any ingredient... I am sure the more you use, the more you use. I tend not to use much salt in cooking. While I don't consider my palate refined, I dont want to start thinking food without salt is bland.


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## Luftmensch (Apr 25, 2021)

Michi said:


> Yes really. I recently saw a video where he broke character and spoke a few sentences entirely accent-free.



The first time Uncle Roger broke out, I wanted to find out more about the character. He has a podcast with a friend called Rice to Meet You - in the pod/vodcast they are in 'base reality'. Whether or not his natural voice has an accent depends on your native ear . To me his natural voice is still pleasantly accented ... but it is not _that_ accent.


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## Michi (Apr 25, 2021)

To me, when I taste MSG as a pure salt, it has a slightly salty taste (nowhere near as strong as normal salt), and it has a faintly acidic taste. The closest thing I can think of that is (vaguely) similar is the taste of fresh raw white fish.


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 26, 2021)

anyone want some, lemme know..i put some in a baggie and send it to you. hahahhahah

the first hit is FREE!!


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## boomchakabowwow (Apr 26, 2021)

keep in mind, accepting a mystery food ingredient from a total stranger might not be wise - in general. hahahhaa..


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