MSG (a food additive / flavour enhancer) is seen by some as very suspicious but in Asian Countries like Thailand and many countries around the world it is used during cooking and as a condiment placed on the table in the same way as salt and pepper. MSG is said to add UMAMI (the fifth taste) to most food dishes. MSG is generally produced by fermenting “starchy food” like sugar cane, sugar beets and Cassava so it is all natural food and has no real health concerns, apart from making food taste better and causing you eat more 🙂
Supermarkets that cater for the Asian cuisines sell MSG (Mono sodium Glutamate) but other Supermarkets appear to be stocking it now. It is a fine powder and is usually in a sealed plastic bag so you might need to find a suitable container to store what you haven’t used.
How much MSG do you need to add to your food?
I haven’t found any guidelines on how much MSG to add to your food, probably because it is a “personal taste” thing in the same way that all seasonings and condiments are. You need to experiment, sometimes at the tasting stage when you have just cooked something. “it needs a bit more salt” or “it needs a bit more Garlic” etc. At this stage you could try adding MSG – bit at a time until you get to the “perfect” stage. Sometimes you are served a meal and think it needs a bit of salt or pepper, you could sprinkle some MSG on and see if that “hits the spot”.
The odd thing about MSG is that it doesn’t seem to taste of anything but adding it somehow adds flavour. The French might say “it adds a certain je ne sais quoi” ( I don’t know what). You might find it is something that you want to keep in the cupboard for occasional use or you might be tempted to use it in your everyday meals. Try it as a condiment first, like salt and pepper. Then try it by adding it during cooking. You might find that it is the “magic” ingredient that makes your food taste great or you might find it doesn’t improve the taste.
Obviously when you are cooking for the family, you try to cook meals that everyone enjoys and there are clean plates all round. Going for a “middle of the road” approach with regards to taste and flavour is a good option. You / they can make use of condiments to alter the taste and flavour e.g. add more salt or pepper or even mustard or horse radish. MSG gives something extra to try, either as a condiment or as an additive during cooking.
You might like to read my article on Herbs, Spices and Umami but taste and flavour is a personal thing, we are all different. We are all individuals and we should never be persuaded to like something just because other people like it.
We are are individuals, we all have different tastes, the food you eat should be what YOU like and should be cooked how YOU like it cooked.
Good nutritious food is often a luxury for many people and they have to eat whatever scraps are available. Quite often the simple and low cost foods can be made to taste great by adding herbs and spices and maybe MSG. The Italians have a phrase “Cucina povera” which translates to “kitchen of the poor” and the in the most southern parts of Italy Cucina povera is where you will find awesome simple and tasty food. Asian and other cuisines around the world have similar ideas where vegetables and cheap meat is used to produce tasty meals.
We eat food because our bodies need nutrients (Vitamins and Minerals) so that we can have a reasonably healthy life. A good cook is aware of nutrition and a really good cook knows how to cook tasty meals using simple foods that fill the belly and provide the nutrition that our bodies need.
Using MSG might help you boost the flavours and the taste of your food. Don’t knock it until you have tried it 🙂