MSG - Monosodium Glutamate?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Yes. Yes.

I kind of thought you would use it since you frequently speak of Umami. So, does it make the dish more pronounced? Do you only use it on some foods, or pretty much everything? Do you use it straight on meat like any other seasoning?

I saw a big jar of it for sale on Amazon.com fairly cheap and was thinking of getting some. Where do you get yours? Is it something Wal-Mart would carry? I’ve got a Flat Iron Steak to cook this weekend, so I’m wondering what MSG might add to that.
 
This is what I use (usually the kind without annatto) -- just a tiny pinch. A small amount heightens the savory taste in food. Too much, though, and you'll have a very "off" taste and weird aftertaste.

sazongoya.gif
 
I personally don't like straight MSG. Tastes too chemical or something.

The Goya seasoning has spices in it.

I bought a jar of Penzey's seasoned salt and added a whole package of Sazon Goya to it, as well as black pepper, garlic powder, onion pwder and thyme plus a small amount of white sugar. It's killer.

I'm not sure I'd use MSG alone on anything, as it only works for me in very small quantities.
 
Another yes and yes from me.

MSG is a very misunderstood thing. It is blamed for migranes and headaches and all sorts of other illnesses and in all reality, while it can cause these problems in some people (a very very small minority), the majority of people are not affected by it.

As a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet that almost everyone consumes MSG on a weekly basis without even realizing it. It is in so many prepared supermarket foods and other things.

MSG is a type of salt and as such I use it similar to how I use salt. It is a flavor enhancer. I do not use it on everything just as I would not use kosher salt on everything.

I get mine in the supermarket, under the name Accent. It is sold right were the salt is sold. It is inexpensive so there is no need to buy in bulk if you want to try it keltin.
 
This is what I use (usually the kind without annatto) -- just a tiny pinch. A small amount heightens the savory taste in food. Too much, though, and you'll have a very "off" taste and weird aftertaste.

So, that’s a seasoned salt with MSG, coriander and annatto? There are a few Mexican Markets in town, I’ll check there to see if I can find this. Thanks.

But for a big jar of pure MSG like the one at Amazon, I take it you don’t want to use MSG powder very liberally but would instead mix a little into a spice rub of sorts? Perhaps make your own seasoned salt? So it’s not something you just sprinkle all over the place like garlic powder?
 
I personally don't like straight MSG. Tastes too chemical or something.
I know what you mean Jenny, although I really like that taste. I describe it as flavorless flavor. Something that people won't really understand until they taste straight MSG.

I was talking to someone else a while ago who said when she was a kid she would lick her finger and stick it in the MSG and eat it just like that as she loved the way it tasted, but didn't taste.
 
Yes for me as well.

You can add a bit to stews and soups, a tomato sauce, etc.

Penzeys also offers it.
 
So it’s not something you just sprinkle all over the place like garlic powder?
Oh you absolutely can do this. It all depends on your tastes. Just as some people go to a restaurant and reach for the salt and pour it all over every thing on their dish, you can do the same thing with MSG.

Buy some and experiment with it. You will be very surprised at what it can do.
 
So, that’s a seasoned salt with MSG, coriander and annatto? There are a few Mexican Markets in town, I’ll check there to see if I can find this. Thanks.

But for a big jar of pure MSG like the one at Amazon, I take it you don’t want to use MSG powder very liberally but would instead mix a little into a spice rub of sorts? Perhaps make your own seasoned salt? So it’s not something you just sprinkle all over the place like garlic powder?

At the moment I can't remember if it has salt in it. Almost every regular supermarket that carries Goya products carries it.

You can buy Accent in any supermarket, too. That's just straight MSG. You can buy 25 pound boxes of it at asian markets!:ohmy:
 
Another yes and yes from me.

MSG is a very misunderstood thing. It is blamed for migranes and headaches and all sorts of other illnesses and in all reality, while it can cause these problems in some people (a very very small minority), the majority of people are not affected by it.

As a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet that almost everyone consumes MSG on a weekly basis without even realizing it. It is in so many prepared supermarket foods and other things.

MSG is a type of salt and as such I use it similar to how I use salt. It is a flavor enhancer. I do not use it on everything just as I would not use kosher salt on everything.

I get mine in the supermarket, under the name Accent. It is sold right were the salt is sold. It is inexpensive so there is no need to buy in bulk if you want to try it keltin.

I can tell you that I am then in the "very very small minority" :rolleyes:. I have to look at every single package that I pick up from the supermarket. I have to request it not be added whenever possible.
If I have even the smallest amount, I will get a migraine, and more than likely, I will be sick :sick: from it.
 
Thanks guys! Ok GB, I’m going to Wal-Mart or Target later today, so I’ll look for a little bottle. I’m just gonna experiment with it and see what happens. The whole taste without a taste sounds rather exciting actually. Definitely going to dip my finger in it and try it straight! Can’t wait to see what this is like. Thanks all! :cool:
 
I can tell you that I am then in the "very very small minority" :rolleyes:. I have to look at every single package that I pick up from the supermarket. I have to request it not be added whenever possible.
If I have even the smallest amount, I will get a migraine, and more than likely, I will be sick :sick: from it.


That would be very tough, since it goes by so many names! And it's in soooooomany different things.

Can you eat soy sauce and tomatoes and things that have naturally occuring glutamates?
 
That would be very tough, since it goes by so many names! And it's in soooooomany different things.

Can you eat soy sauce and tomatoes and things that have naturally occuring glutamates?
or store bought salad dressings, or Doritos, or many things from McDonalds, or Worcestershire sauce, or a million other things.

If it really does affect you then I do feel very sorry. I am sure that can not be easy for you at all.
 
MSG tends to be used a fair bit in Oriental cooking. There was a big campaign over here a number of years ago against MSG, so I don't tend to use, just use salt instead.
 
After reading this thread in it's infancy I went out to the garage and started trying to figure out which box has my copy of The Curious Cook - because McGee devotes an entire chapter to it, if I remember correctly. Well, that's going to take some time .... but I did find the box with my wooden spoons!

Anyway - Wikipedia actually has a good page on MSG that contains the stuff MsGee was talking about (of course I didn't think to look there before I started my scavenger hunt in the garage).
 
I have one warning about MSG. It's in many, many foods and as ya'll said, it doesn't bother most folks. It's used a little more heavily in Chinese restaurants. I went with a friend to have Chinese and during the meal, my friend got very weak, pale and started sweating profusely. I was worried he was having a heart attack and suggested we go to the ER. When he agreed right away, I really worried. Turns out it was just a reaction to a heavy dose of MSG. I was surprised because I had eaten the same thing and I was fine. The ER doc said it's so common that they always ask people who are having cardiac symptoms what they have eaten, specifically watching for restaurant Chinese. But he also said it's not necessarily an allergy per se, just a reaction to lots of it at once. So, when you're experimenting keltin, I wouldn't pour it on heavily at first. (Just in case you buy a 25 lb. box!)
 
Well, I picked some up! Thanks GB for letting me know it’s called Accent. Had no idea!. I actually picked up the Accent and the Goya spice that Jenny uses. The Goya spice was $1.35, but the Accent was $3.45!

I haven’t tasted the Goya yet, but the Accent is pretty good. I know everyone’s taste buds are different, but to me, Accent taste a little salty (not nearly as salty as regular salt) with another flavor that is hard to describe. The best I can say is it’s “meaty” like a beef broth is. The texture is a trip. It’s finely granulated like salt, but dissolves into nothing in your mouth. Rather fun to taste!

I think I’ll use the Goya on a Spanish type rice dish I’ll make this weekend, and I’m definitely trying the Accent on that Flat Iron steak I’ve got to cook tomorrow night. I figure to grill the Flat Iron with just salt and pepper, then sprinkle some Accent on a slice or two during serving to see what difference it makes. This should be fun.

Here’s a pic of the two:
2j5ylck.jpg


And here is my Sous Chef approving of the Accent!
dvm3yp.jpg



(Just kidding about the last one, I didn’t give him any, but he did manage to accommodate me by licking his paw while I had the camera out! That’s the eldest indoor baby “AJ” by the way.)
 
Back
Top Bottom