MSG: is it a gourmet seasoning?

[vernplum]

I use Ajinomoto brand MSG almost solely for when I'm trying to make a Chinese restaurant/takeaway-style fried rice, though it does occasionally go into other Chinese dishes I do. There are other sources of MSG as well I use - powder mixes from noodles packets, Knorr 'chicken' powder is another one.

When I was a kid there was a Chinese takeaway about a block from my house and my mum brought back some 'special' fried rice from there one day. I thought it was amazing and that there was a certain something about the taste of it that I couldn't quite put my finger (tastebuds) on. After a couple of decades of trying to recreate takeaway fried rice I realised that missing 'it' factor was MSG (amongst a couple of other techniques. You have to have the right balance of MSG and plain old NaCl salt to get it just right and I think I can make a pretty amazing special fried rice or 'Yung Chow' fried rice now.

MSG isn't a gourmet ingredient by any means. In a large part of the world, it's a very ordinary and everyday ingredient and it's not intended as a salt substitute, rather the source of umami.

 

[TastyReuben]

Well, I bought that Accent brand of MSG, and I’ve been using it every chance I get, and I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference, good or bad.

My food isn’t 100x more tasty, nor have I developed rashes and/or headaches. I did do a bit of research (and read the little guideline on the back of the bottle) with respect to how much to use, which basically came down to “as much as you like,” so I’ve been increasing it a bit every few days, but I’m feeling rather bland about the whole thing right now.

Bland?! Waitaminute!…maybe I need to sprinkle some on myself first?! Then I’ll be ExtraTastyReuben.

 

[Morning Glory]

Well, I bought that Accent brand of MSG, and I’ve been using it every chance I get, and I can’t say I’ve noticed any difference, good or bad.

My food isn’t 100x more tasty, nor have I developed rashes and/or headaches. I did do a bit of research (and read the little guideline on the back of the bottle) with respect to how much to use, which basically came down to “as much as you like,” so I’ve been increasing it a bit every few days, but I’m feeling rather bland about the whole thing right now.

Bland?! Waitaminute!…maybe I need to sprinkle some on myself first?! Then I’ll be ExtraTastyReuben.

I reckon your food must be seasoned so perfectly that you really don't need MSG.