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I was in a large chinese supermarket yesterday stocking up on Soy sauce,fish sauce and sesame oil when I came across various sized packets of MSG. I suggested to Tara we could by some and try it in stir fries or even sausages. She gave me a look and said no chance, I agreed and left it at that but I've been thinking today.......why do so many people think it's a bad thing? If it makes food taste better and has no detriment on health if used in small amounts then surely it's a good thing? Does anyone here use it?

SteveW wrote:I was in a large chinese supermarket yesterday stocking up on Soy sauce,fish sauce and sesame oil when I came across various sized packets of MSG. I suggested to Tara we could by some and try it in stir fries or even sausages. She gave me a look and said no chance, I agreed and left it at that but I've been thinking today.......why do so many people think it's a bad thing? If it makes food taste better and has no detriment on health if used in small amounts then surely it's a good thing? Does anyone here use it?

I can't speak for everyone but most of us in my family experience reactions to msg, even in small doses...I would presume therefore that even if you are not getting visible/noticeable reactions to the stuff that ingesting it is not particularly good for you...

Also, MSG is basically just a mask for poor cooking...it enhances flavours...if the food is correctly seasoned to start with there should be no need for this...

You bought fish sauce, so no need for MSG!


~Martin

Just like Martin referenced, the compound that MSG is designed to imitate is regularly found in regular foods and it's flavor is described as Umami aka - the fifth taste. I don't buy that it's bad for you. Interesting article from the Guardian here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2005/jul/10/foodanddrink.features3

It seems to get a 'love it or hate it' reaction like Marmite.

Given that Marmite has one of the highest natural concentrations of msg of any food-stuff it's not surprising!

So that's why I like fish sauce so much ........Only discovered it a couple of years ago but it gets used by me in all sorts of dishes (not just asian). I buy it from chinese supermarket in bulk to save money. Interesting article that, thanks. I also eat quite a bit of Nori seaweed as a snack instead crisps (chips in the US) as I'm trying to watch my weight so maybe I have more of a thing for Glutamate then I realised.

I use fish sauce instead of MSG for most things I want savour in. I don't really know what the hate on for MSG comes from, but I don't need it so I don't use it. Mushrooms, fish sauce, rank-smelling cheese -- there's all lots of umami in those.

Seems we crave it

The human tongue has receptors for L-glutamate, which is the source of umami flavor.
As such, scientists consider umami to be distinct from saltiness.

Foods rich in umami

Many foods that may be consumed daily are rich in umami.
Naturally occurring glutamate can be found in meats and vegetables, whereas inosinate comes primarily from meats and guanylate from vegetables.
Thus, umami taste is common to foods that contain high levels of L-glutamate, IMP and GMP, most notably in fish, shellfish, cured meats, vegetables (e.g., mushrooms, ripe tomatoes, Chinese cabbage, spinach, celery, etc.) or green tea, and fermented and aged products (e.g., cheeses, shrimp pastes, soy sauce, etc.).

Humans' first encounter with umami is breast milk.
It contains roughly the same amount of umami as broths.

I'm also a fish sauce addict!!!!!

I love all things umami!

Nothing like a good anchovy and limburger cheese sandwich!!!

~Martin

Martin, you're an animal...I feel bad for whoever you live with!

I like to add dried mushrooms to stocks and sausages for the same effect. Also like to sneak anchovy paste into pasta sauces and such...

JerBear wrote:Martin, you're an animal...I feel bad for whoever you live with!

LOL


~Martin

wheels wrote:It seems to get a 'love it or hate it' reaction like Marmite.

Given that Marmite has one of the highest natural concentrations of msg of any food-stuff it's not surprising!

Being that I am part English (my mother came over on the QM just after the war) and I also have a very good friend who is from Australia I know what Marmite is, have tasted it, and will not have it in the house. At best I can say it is an aquired taste. For the sake of all the other Yanks on this forum you might want to discribe what exactly this paste is.

I love Marmite, but it's so blasted expensive over here....$4.99 for the little 125g jar.



~Martin

gsevelle wrote:
Being that I am part English (my mother came over on the QM just after the war) and I also have a very good friend who is from Australia I know what Marmite is, have tasted it, and will not have it in the house. At best I can say it is an aquired taste. For the sake of all the other Yanks on this forum you might want to discribe what exactly this paste is.

Best way of describing it is that it tastes marmitey. I once aye a full jar with a tablespoon when I was a toddler and threw it all up in my grandmother's car, which then smelt so bad she had to get rid of it.

I remember reading an article some years back about the big stink in the US about MSG and it being attributed to 'chinese' food having high levels of MSG causing people to have adverse reactions. They threw a whole pile of science into the article which I don't remember, but it boiled down to improperly prepared food made people ill and the mass media threw MSG under the bus and people have been buying into it ever since. They even cited a study where people were told something had lots fo MSG in it when it didn't and they made themselves ill eating it.

Me, I cook with it ocasionally, just like any other ingredient. Moderation in all things is the key.