The Consolidated "MSG" thread
 

So the other day, my wife and I are sitting at a local Sichuan restaurant eating our meal when the customers at the table next to us say "We need more flavor for this soup". The cook comes out with a heaping coffee cup of MSG and pours it into the pot of soup which was on the table. The customer stirs and says "thanks" and enjoys his soup.

If you like Japanese food, anything that has seaweed has natural MSG in it. My understanding is parmesean cheese is natural msg properties which is the reason why Italian food is so tasty.

I like MSG on my popcorn with real butter and sea salt.

Why are the Chinese NOT allergic to MSG? or are they immune? or are we too sensitive?

I don't know what was in that coffee cup, but one heaping teaspoon of pure MSG would be more than enough for a pot of soup. I've heard some say they were allergic to it, then watch them eat things like Campbells soup or snack chips which are loaded with it with no ill effects. I have no problem with it at all. We keep it at home and use it regularly in certain things.

There are many who believe that MSG "allergy" is made up. That said, umami is the flavor profile of MSG and can be added with ingredients like anchovy and mushroom. There is a British company which is producing a natural umami paste, "Taste No. 5" which looks interesting.

Be careful with MSG
 

MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. It is supposed to bring out "meat" taste. There has been a great debate about it. While generally it is felt to be "safe", there is a powerful lobby behind it.
Glutamate is a powerful neuro transmitter and although MSG is a imple amino acid, it does have potent biological properties. Those who may have "allergies" might have earlier adversely affected by MFG. After consuming massive quantities of MSG for over a period of a month, I became terribly depressed. While there is no scientific literature, be careful in consuming daily/routine/large doses of MFG.

It was at least a cup not a teaspoon of MSG. We don't mind MSG but that was so much that made us wonder if MSG can be bad for you.

:D I laugh when resturants say they don't use it; and then I get sick!
The closest Asian restaurant to where I work does this. I don't really think they are trying to drive off the customers. I suspect they don't understand that what may be acceptable for them is too much for me. Several of my coworkers complain about this, too. But, the restaurant is still in business; and we are all still going somewhere else for Asian.:D

Well I am Chinese and while I am not allergic to MSG, I prefer meals that do not contain too much MSG. I have been in restaurants that have done so and I would end up drinking water endlessly the following couple of hours after the meal.

much agreed. one of many reasons i like cooking at home: pasta oil tomato that's it.i've also found that its getting harder and harder to find a place to eat with all this MSG rubbish that gets my tongue numb...

I get headaches after eating pho sometimes, which has lead me to believe that the vast amounts of MSG added is what causes the headaches.

i do believe some people are allergic to it. There's a food allergy for everything.

But I'm not a believer that MSG = bad tasting. It's used extensively in japanese cooking and overall east asian cooking, as it's considered almost like salt or a spice. I know with vietnamese pho, it's almost imperative that the best phos make at least a bit of msg.

MSG unfortunately is a key element for a tasty Pho which is what my Vietnamese friends told me. From my experiences, some restaurant are better than others in not over overloading on the MSG and yet at the same time still maintain the high quality taste of the Pho.

While on biz trips in Asia, I usually keep track of restaurants that do use MSG and ones that don't (to a lesser degree in the U.S.- some of them still do, caveat emptor), it helps me maintain a sense of sanity, as too much MSG for me is a no-no.

When it comes to chinese restaurants, when there's a sign that says "No MSG", i'll skip it. To me it's a euphemism for "We sell americanized chinese food here".

Or it's the rope that they've thrown in order to rope you in.

I always skip restaurants that display this sign.

While most of the posts above reference Asian food, I think it's worth noting that it's nigh unto impossible to find a commercial dry rub for your brisket that doesn't contain MSG, and in the world of competition BBQ, MSG-free is pretty much unheard of. If you've ever tried to make your own mix and wondered why it didn't measure up, you've probably left out the Accent.

I grew up in Hawaii and two things were ubiquitous in every local kitchen: a rice cooker on the counter and a jar of 'Aji-ni-moto' to season everything.

I live in the SF Bay Area with hundreds of decent to good regional-specific Chinese restaurants, and hundreds of crap Chinese restaurants as well.

People tend to get overworked about MSG. I don't prejudge a restaurant if they put "NO MSG" on their menu/sign or if they don't. Personally I prefer if the restaurant doesn't use MSG or uses minimal amounts. MSG is just an easy method for the cook in the kitchen to produce umami flavors. But depending on the dish, I won't eschew it either.

Many people who complain about MSG often proceed to dump lots of soy sauce (natural glutamates) all over their food. :confused::confused::confused: Some people also dump tons of tabasco or sriracha hot sauce all over their food :confused::confused::confused: Doesn't matter what you eat if all you taste is soy sauce-sodium or hot sauce.

Just took a closer look at Maggi sauce to see what it contains. MSG is a major ingredient which may explain why it, a German/Swiss product is so popular with east Asians. I guess those who don't like fish sauce...

Lovage is agood substitute for the bouquet.

Pho without msg taste good.

agreed !

MSG as a salt substitute in a low-sodium diet?
 

MSG has one-third the sodium of salt and is a flavor enhancer. Despite the fears about MSG years ago there seems to be no credible scientific evidence that it is harmful and is quite common in processed food. MSG is not banned by the FDA, Health Canada, Food Standards Australia/New Zealand or the EU and the culinary world seems to be revising its attitudes toward it.

Instead of cooking blander, low-sodium food is anyone using MSG to improve food taste while staying under 1,500 mgs. of sodium per day?

Given the widespread use of MSG in processed foods and the lack of complaints one wonders if there are other motives behind the accusations behind MSG-induced "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." Any time I've felt sick after eating in a Chinese restaurant it was the result of too much baijiu. ;)

It doesn't seem to bother me although I only consume it on rare occasions that I know of. But I had a neighbor who would request all his Chinese food to be MSG free. He claimed it gave him headaches. He described it as a sensitivity.

I wouldn't be surprised if many of these symptoms are caused by the 5000 mg of sodium some people are eating during a gluttonous Chinese meal, and would occur with or without the MSG.

I think MSG is just an earlier version of "gluten intolerant" Most people aren't affected by either - and I just think of it as another version of "being fussy".

MSG is in everything from cheese to tomatoes. Growing up I'd see my mom and grandma add about half a teaspoon of it to a family-size dish, and I think that's all you really need for it to work its magic. Enjoy!

Does he do the same in a Japanese restaurant? MSG was discovered in Japan and "ajinomoto" is a common ingredient in their food too.

I have acquired some MSG which was a bit hard to find in my part of Canada. I'm going to start cooking with it as a salt replacement and see what happens.

Accent Flavor Enhancer is widely available on the internet, Amazon, WalMart, etc. It is primarily MSG with a few other ingredients. It's pretty much all my Grandmother used and she was one of the best cooks in the world :)

MSG
 

I had Chinese last night and this morning I feel completely hung over with a headache. I will not go to this place again. Is it that hard to find Chinese places that don't use this ingredient?

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/...urant-syndrome

It's an old wives' tale.

I've eaten here twice, both times same headache the next morning.

Some folks are sensitive to MSG and should avoid it.

MSG is okay for most people. You'll just need to find a restaurant that can accommodate your special dietary need. I'm sure I've seen Chinese places advertising no MSG.

It happens. It might be the particular dish or a particular cook who has a heavy hand with the MSG.

No different than nitrites (?) in red wine. Some folks can't drink the reds without getting headaches, most are OK.

I see no MSG on menus at many Asian restaurants. Shouldn't be too hard to find these days or to ask if you are that sensitive.

Did you request "no MSG" when you ordered? That won't help for pre-prepared items like soup, but should work for any made-to-order items.

How much did you have to drink after dinner? :D