How do I MSG?

February 4, 2023 11:12 AM

I have some MSG, but I don’t know what to do with it. Add it to soups or sauces, I gather, but how much? Do I use it instead of or in addition to salt?

I bought it on impulse but every time I think about using it, I’ve already added salt and then I’m afraid of making it too salty. Or am I overthinking the sodium part of MSG? How much should I be using?

Things I’ve thougth about adding MSG to but then chickened out: black beans soup, scrambled eggs, bbq rub, creamy salad dressing, various marinades, baked potatoes, or anything savory I think it might dissolve in.

posted by skewed to Food & Drink (10 answers total)

Best answer: Move your salt so you don’t add it on autopilot. Start with adding a quarter as much msg as you would salt, then salt to taste.
posted by advicepig at 11:36 AM on February 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Next time you feel like a dish needs some more umami, add a pinch of MSG to a spoonful of what you’re cooking. If it improves the taste, add more to the dish, taste and repeat until you’re happy.
posted by whisper_robin at 11:40 AM on February 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: Kenji Lopez-Alt uses MSG in many recipes, maybe watching his YouTube channel might be an inspiration.

Once, it was a given element in a stock cube. So anywhere a stock cube would make sense, you could add a pinch of MSG. A pan gravy, a stew, a meaty soup. Anything where you would use a bit of soy sauce or Worchestershire sauce or marmite.

I'm one of the few (my doctor says one in ten thousand people) who is allergic, but as it happens with many allergies, I am growing out of it, and it is great, because msg is a natural part of parmigiano, soy sauce, and sun dried tomatoes, just to mention a few things I love and have missed for decades. Maybe this will give you an image of where it fits. Where would it work for you with sun-dried tomatoes? If you don't have any, put in some msg. Etc.
posted by mumimor at 12:17 PM on February 4, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: As with salt, start with a pinch, and add some more. While MSG is a type of salt, it is not inherently salty, and will not necessarily fuck with salt's saltiness. Unless you have medical conditions that suggest otherwise, why not both. I use a pinch, on lots of stuff. I have added pinches of MSG to everything on your list, except for baked potatoes, but now I'm gonna. A little bit goes a very long way with MSG, sometimes to the point you question if it is placebo effect or not.

I personally find the synergy between butter and MSG maddeningly good. So, corn on the cob, polenta, etc. You don't really taste the MSG much, but FUCK IS IT BETTER. I also tend to use it on straight vegetables. Green beans, asparagus, or any brassica all play SUPER well with msg.
posted by furnace.heart at 12:45 PM on February 4, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: I mostly use it in egg-friend rice, along with a dash of light soy sauce. I'd probably throw a hefty pinch in a lot of things, buy I only remember for rice.
posted by pipeski at 1:34 PM on February 4, 2023

Best answer: Comedian Nigel Ng's Uncle Roger uses MSG ("Makes Shit Good!") in his recipes. It's entertainment but he has a lot of good cooking tips too!!
posted by smorgasbord at 6:14 PM on February 4, 2023

Best answer: I have a salt shaker that I added about 1/3 MSG. I use it on popcorn. I think Alton Brown gave me the idea. I LOVE it, my wife and kids are meh on it.
posted by sanka at 6:42 PM on February 4, 2023

Best answer: seconding popcorn. add it to anything that tastes "flat" or "meh" even after you've already added salt to it/seasoned it as you usually would. it will bring more depth, breadth, fullness of flavor to anything. i also tend to add it to soups and microwave meals. i wouldn't worry about it making things too salty. MSG has a third of the amount of sodium salt does, so it doesn't add saltiness at the same level as straight up salt.
posted by dede at 7:03 PM on February 4, 2023

Best answer: I put it on French fries, among other things. You shouldn't be afraid of it. Just try adding a bit of it, even if your food is already salted.
posted by alex1965 at 8:44 PM on February 4, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I keep a jar of MSG in my spice cabinet. It goes in most things savory -- soups, sauces, roasted vegetables. I also add it to rice, grains and beans while cooking. Use it very sparingly, maybe around an 1/8 of a teaspoon if you're cooking for four. I personally find it enhances saltiness too, so ease up on the salt until you get a feel for it.
posted by slogger at 10:41 AM on February 6, 2023