MSG

[larry_stewart]

I use it but in moderation. I feel it does make a difference when I use it.

 

[jennyema]

I use it in very small amounts in almost every savory thing icook

maybe 1/8 of a teaspoon

 

[pepperhead212]

Today, I had to refill my small jar I keep of MSG, and it is that brand @Jade Emperor mentioned in the first post. I use it in a lot of things, in small amounts, and it took me a couple of years to use about 1/2 c. I'll refill it, and re-seal the foodsaver bag. It only cost a little more than $5 back then, for a pound, and it's about $2 more now.
The MSG I use. I thought this was the brand, but had been so long since I got it, I wasn't sure! I had to refill the first time, and it was still rock hard in the vacuum sealed bag. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

Today, I had to refill my small jar I keep of MSG, and it is that brand @Jade Emperor mentioned in the first post. I use it in a lot of things, in small amounts, and it took me a couple of years to use about 1/2 c. I'll refill it, and re-seal the foodsaver bag. It only cost a little more than $5 back then, for a pound, and it's about $2 more now.
The MSG I use. I thought this was the brand, but had been so long since I got it, I wasn't sure! I had to refill the first time, and it was still rock hard in the vacuum sealed bag. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I think I have the same brand, and use it the same way. A bag of that size goes a long way. I've never actually seen it in any recipes I follow, I just have a weird sense of when I want to use it. I use it in Asian soups, When I make Chow main and a few other things. Small amounts doesnt bother me, but I doo get a mild head ache if I use too much at one time.

 

[taxlady]

I think I have the same brand, and use it the same way. A bag of that size goes a long way. I've never actually seen it in any recipes I follow, I just have a weird sense of when I want to use it. I use it in Asian soups, When I make Chow main and a few other things. Small amounts doesnt bother me, but I doo get a mild head ache if I use too much at one time.

Is it an actual headache or just a weird muscle pulling sensation around the edges of your face?

 

[pepperhead212]

I've never gotten headaches from this, or Chinese food. I always thought the "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" might be with people having problems simply with extra amounts of sodium. Plus, The one time I had a horrible headache, but which was from a new Fish Sauce I was trying. I started getting a headache, less than an hour after the dinner, and it was bad - and I almost never get headaches! My friend, OTOH, wasn't even going to mention that he was getting a headache - he always gets them - but we knew it had to be something new, and it was the Shark fish sauce, of which we had eaten about 3 tb each. Turns out it was what I now call a "fake fish sauce", which I quickly identify by the ingredient "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" - something also in "fake soy sauce", which might be what gives that headache to some. These are fish sauces or soy sauces that are not naturally fermented, to speed things up. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein is in countless things out there, but it hasn't given me a headache before, or from anything since, so maybe it's another ingredient, but I just won't buy anything with that ingredient. I tested ½ tsp of it a week later, after the headache was gone, and I got a slight headache, so it was that fish sauce.

 

[Badjak]

I don't use MSG as such. I have nothing against it though.
I hardly use salt either.
But, I do use a lit of fish sauce and soy sauce and I am sure some brands contain msg

 

[taxlady]

I don't use MSG as such. I have nothing against it though.
I hardly use salt either.
But, I do use a lit of fish sauce and soy sauce and I am sure some brands contain msg

There is naturally occurring MSG in fish sauce and also in soy sauce to a somewhat lesser extent (as I understand it). My issue with MSG is whether it is the same form as the naturally occurring MSG or not. MSG has a steroisomer which is the identical chemical formula, just mirror image. The manufactured MSG we get nowadays is made using a bacterial fermentation process which produces the L isomer, which is the same one found in nature. There was a time when MSG was produced by chemical means, which may have produced a combination of the L and the D versions of MSG.

 

[larry_stewart]

Is it an actual headache or just a weird muscle pulling sensation around the edges of your face?

It was a legit head ache. Only happened a few times, but coincidentally after I used the MSG. It's wasnt debilitating, just annoying. Can't %100 prove it was a direct link to the MSG, but ever since I cut back, It's never happened again.

 

[Xocolatl]

I use it but in moderation. I feel it does make a difference when I use it.

Same, basically only for Chinese dishes I want to give that extra special something.

 

[taxlady]

It was a legit head ache. Only happened a few times, but coincidentally after I used the MSG. It's wasnt debilitating, just annoying. Can't %100 prove it was a direct link to the MSG, but ever since I cut back, It's never happened again.

Okay then, data point added to my personal collection. Back in the day, when a lot of people claimed to be getting headaches from MSG, I notice that almost everyone who claimed actual headache, had a pretty iffy story. But, the people w ho had paid attention and had an actual reaction to MSG, only seemed to get the weird muscle pulling, not actual headache, though many of them called it an MSG headache until questioned. In fact an acquaintance mentioned the symptoms, though hers were across her entire scalp and I asked if the resto she had just been to was Chinese? She was shocked by my question because, it was. BTW. back then, if I was in a town where I didn't know the restos, I often defaulted to a Chinese resto, because they knew what MSG was and it was the safest place for me to avoid MSG. Lots of other restos would serve gravy made from that powder or other things that were full of MSG and they had no idea, so they couldn't really be sure they weren't giving me food with MSG, even thought they claimed there was no MSG in their food.

 

[larry_stewart]

I never had any issues until I started using it myself on the kitchen. It could have been coincidental, but when I cut back the amounts, I had no problems. Many products I get have some amount of MSG in them, and I never had an issue .