MSG - Monosodium Glutamate?

[keltin]

Ever think about the taste senses that are recognized and how we cook with them?

Salty – Add salt or sodium chloride
Sour – Citric Acid and vinegars
Sweet – sugar, syrup. Etc.
Bitter – rinds, etc,

And the fifth:

Umami – Glutamates……MSG (savory)

When you look at it, we cook with every taste sensory in mind except Umami (savory), yet the US diet utilizes savory dishes up to 90% of the time and doesn’t think of the Umamai seasoning.

Adding a salt or an acid seems common place….but adding an Umami element? Weird?

Interesting.

 

[qmax]

I've never used it and never seen it sold. Quite a few restaurants are advertising "MSG Free"

Ever seen "Accent"? MSG.

 

[jennyema]

When you look at it, we cook with every taste sensory in mind except Umami (savory), yet the US diet utilizes savory dishes up to 90% of the time and doesn’t think of the Umamai seasoning. .

Not sure how you can say that.

Cooks have been focusing on umami for hundreds of years. Think soy sauce, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, etc. They may not have had the benefit of the scientific research that established it as the 5th Taste, but they knew intuitively that it existed.

Ingredients that enhance umami are very commonplace in many recipes. They have been utilized either deliberately because the chef or cook knows that it is something that will add to umami or because they just know that a hit of soy sauce makes something taste better.

Many chefs and home cooks keep it in mind all the time -- I know I do. And even if a home cook doesn't keep it in mind, they are often following recipes that deliberately use umami ingredients.

 

[keltin]

Not sure how you can say that.

Cooks have been focusing on umami for hundreds of years. Think soy sauce, parmesan cheese, tomatoes, etc. They may not have had the benefit of the scientific research that established it as the 5th Taste, but they knew intuitively that it existed.

Ingredients that enhance umami are very commonplace in many recipes. They have been utilized either deliberately because the chef or cook knows that it is something that will add to umami or because they just know that a hit of soy sauce makes something taste better.

Many chefs and home cooks keep it in mind all the time -- I know I do. And even if a home cook doesn't keep it in mind, they are often following recipes that deliberately use umami ingredients.

I'm sure trained cooks have. I was speaking of the average person that is so concerned that things be "MSG Free" and wouldn't dream of using a jar of Accent or plain MSG powder to flavor a savory dish. But those same ones use salt for salty, sugar for sweet, etc. The point being, MSG is an additive that targets a taste receptor just as salt does. No need to fear it.

 

[jennyema]

You made a broad claim about Umami:

"When you look at it, we cook with every taste sensory in mind except Umami (savory), yet the US diet utilizes savory dishes up to 90% of the time and doesn’t think of the Umamai seasoning. . "

That's what I am disputing.

Umami does not = "Accent"

Umami is a flavor sensation having to do with glutamates in food. Glutimates occur in all kinds of foods naturally.

You can up the umami level in foods very easily without MSG simply by using the myriad of foods that have naturally occurring glutimates.

Cooks have either deliberately or innately cooked with umami in mind for hundreds of years. Including very average home cooks and even novice cooks -- when they follow a recipe that uses paremsan cheese as an underlying flavor.

A great many people "think of the umami seasoning" when cooking but would never using Accent or added MSG.

Accent increases Umami, but you Umami absolutely does not mean "Accent."

 

[Cajun Cook]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, I want my Umami!!!!

 

[Green Lady]

I believe MSG is considered a neurotoxin. The way it works is that it doesn't improve the flavor of the food or, as the Accent commercials used to say, bring out the flavor of food. Instead it TRICKS the brain into thinking the food is better than it actually is.

A friend's father was a researcher for a large food company. He brought home MSG when it was first being used in commercial foods. What he brought home was pure, unadulterated, "industrial" strength MSG. They used it liberally on steaks and other foods. After a few months her father removed it from their home saying that this was going to kill the American people. A year later my friend, who was 15 at this time, began suffering from mental illness. She has had a history of depression and has been on meds most of her adult life.

Something to consider.....

 

[Andy M.]

I believe MSG is considered a neurotoxin. The way it works is that it doesn't improve the flavor of the food or, as the Accent commercials used to say, bring out the flavor of food. Instead it TRICKS the brain into thinking the food is better than it actually is.

A friend's father was a researcher for a large food company. He brought home MSG when it was first being used in commercial foods. What he brought home was pure, unadulterated, "industrial" strength MSG. They used it liberally on steaks and other foods. After a few months her father removed it from their home saying that this was going to kill the American people. A year later my friend, who was 15 at this time, began suffering from mental illness. She has had a history of depression and has been on meds most of her adult life.

Something to consider.....

In my opinion, it's a real stretch to link MSG with one person's mental illness.

Not to mention I don't think you have the physiology of MSG correct.

 

[keltin]

You made a broad claim about Umami:

"When you look at it, we cook with every taste sensory in mind except Umami (savory), yet the US diet utilizes savory dishes up to 90% of the time and doesn’t think of the Umamai seasoning. . "

That's what I am disputing.

Umami does not = "Accent"

Umami is a flavor sensation having to do with glutamates in food. Glutimates occur in all kinds of foods naturally.

You can up the umami level in foods very easily without MSG simply by using the myriad of foods that have naturally occurring glutimates.

Cooks have either deliberately or innately cooked with umami in mind for hundreds of years. Including very average home cooks and even novice cooks -- when they follow a recipe that uses paremsan cheese as an underlying flavor.

A great many people "think of the umami seasoning" when cooking but would never using Accent or added MSG.

Accent increases Umami, but you Umami absolutely does not mean "Accent."

You can play semantics all day if you like. I’d thought the simple picture was clear. Use a condiment called salt for salty taste. Use a condiment called MSG for umami. Why is that so hard for you? I’m speaking of using condiments, and you are simply running in circles looking for a technical verbiage loophole to pick a fight. Whatever.

 

[GB]

Keltin it is not semantics. You made a statement that was completely untrue. Jenny showed you such. You then took that as her fighting with you. We are not going to go down this road again. This topic needs to get back to MSG now or this thread will be locked.

 

[Cajun Cook]

Hi Green Lady,

You are very correct in what you just stated but then again, plain ole table salt also brings out flavors. Now whether or not that salt tricks the brain I am not sure. I know this is a wierd jump but it might help resolve some issues here. When I was in high school, I had a science teacher that asked us, "where do you think sex happens.......your brain or your naughty bits". As I am sure you all guess, it was the brain. I will let you all fill in the rest.

P.S. I am not trying to pick a fight. Actually I am hoping this will not turn into a free-for-all.

Jim

I believe MSG is considered a neurotoxin. The way it works is that it doesn't improve the flavor of the food or, as the Accent commercials used to say, bring out the flavor of food. Instead it TRICKS the brain into thinking the food is better than it actually is.

Something to consider.....

 

[Rom]

Ever seen "Accent"? MSG.

Nope haven't seen that either lol, feeling so deprived right now hahaha

 

[keltin]

Actually, MSG is just a taste bud stimulate. It stimulates a specific area just as salt stimulates a specific area to generate the taste sensation of salty.

MSG stimulates specific receptors located in taste buds such as the amino acid receptor T1R1/T1R3 or other glutamate receptors like the metabotropic receptors (mGluR4 and mGluR1) which induce the taste known as umami, one of the five basic tastes (the word umami is a loanword from Japanese; it is also referred to as "savoury" or "meaty").

Wiki article.

MSG (more specifically, glutamates or glutamic acid) was discovered in 1907 by Professor Kikunae Ikeda of Tokyo Imperial University who then went on to name the 5th taste sensation that glutamates trigger as Umami.

He was searching for the elusive taste that was neither salty, sweet, sour, or bitter, but was present in many foods, especially broth made from kombu. He started with a huge amount of kombu and was able to extract crystal of glutamic acid, or glutamate. These glutamate crystals stimulated the receptors which trigger the “taste” he named umami or savory.

So, MSG (more specifically, glutamates or glutamic acid) is just a naturally occurring substance that, like salt, triggers a specific taste sensation. Even without MSG, you still experience the umami flavor/sensation/taste if you eat any savory dish that is heavy in glutamic acid, in particular are tomatoes (and salt really helps to bring this out), asparagus, cheese, meat, etc.

Just as salt is a naturally occurring element (item, seasoning, thing, component, pick your favorite word) in our food, but we add more salt to give an even saltier taste, glutamate is an element present in our food, and you can add more MSG to make the savory or umami flavor/sensation/taste stronger.

 

[Rom]

*goes and searches for this umami everyone is talking about and that i have no idea about* excuse me for a moment

 

[Rom]

cool i'm down with it now...one of the 5 basic tastes....but of course it is

 

[keltin]

cool i'm down with it now...one of the 5 basic tastes....but of course it is

Yep. Discovered and named in 1907. Relatively new (comparably speaking to our written understanding of the other 4 taste sensations). I didn’t even know what it was till I came to DC and kept reading cryptic posts like “Soy Sauce = UMAMI”.

I didn’t know what umami was, so I just Googled it and learned about how it was discovered and how MSG, a glutamate additive, can enhance this sensation just as salt can enhance the salty sensation, or sugar can enhance the sweet sensation.

After a bit of pondering, here is this thread where I was wondering outloud if anyone else used a condiment to enhance the umami sensation in much the same way as we use salt for salty, sugar for sweet, etc. It seems MSG has gotten a bad rap over the years, but once you understand it, and use it in moderation of course, it seems a viable condiment to enhance the desired taste sensation.

 

[Rom]

welll u certainly learn something new everyday, keltin! i must now go and spread the umami word LOL my bf will probably think i had something dodgy for lunch LOL

 

[middie]

I don't use msg anymore cause the bf doesn't like it.
My mom uses it on just about everything though.

 

[Chefellas]

Ever since I can remember,MSG has made my face go a little numb. I personally don't see the need to enhance flavors with MSG.Just add alittle more seasoning.

 

[Cajun Cook]

I do believe some people can have an allergic reaction to the stuff. Some people complain of headaches, some say they have cold like symptoms. I don't mind using it because it doesn't bother me but I have to agree with you on this point, you can certainly boost flavor by other means.

Ever since I can remember,MSG has made my face go a little numb. I personally don't see the need to enhance flavors with MSG.Just add alittle more seasoning.