Amp Up Your Cooking With Chefs’ Favorite Secret Ingredient

MSG has been used as a flavor enhancer since the early 1900s. From pepperoni and potato chips to salad dressing and canned soup, MSG is found in a variety of prepared foods throughout the grocery store. Chefs are also on board, leaning on MSG to boost flavor in both sweet and savory dishes like roast chicken, caramel sauce, and burgers. 

The exact flavor of MSG can be hard to pinpoint, but rather it adds pure umami — one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. This versatile ingredient is gaining popularity and has the ability to transform your everyday cooking. Learn how to use MSG at home and why it deserves a spot on your counter next to the salt and pepper. 

What is MSG?

MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a crystallized food additive made from glutamic acid, one of the most common naturally occurring amino acids. It is formed through the process of fermentation. The natural version of glutamate, found in foods like seaweed, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, and parmesan cheese, is chemically indistinguishable from the white, granular lab-created version of MSG, areand are processed by our bodies identically.  

What does MSG taste like?

By itself, MSG doesn’t have a distinct flavor. It’s fairly tasteless with a mild salty finish. Once MSG is combined with other ingredients, it amps up the savory aspect of the dish.

Is MSG bad for you?

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the American Chemical Society, moderate consumption of MSG has been proven to be safe. An average serving of food containing added MSG typically contains less than 0.5 grams of MSG. Avoid consuming 3 grams or more of MSG at one time without food.

How do you use MSG?

Chefs around the country are using MSG in innovative and approachable ways in their restaurants. Bookmark the recipes below and follow these ratios to get started cooking with MSG at home.

Try it in soups, stews, and stocks by adding three-quarters of teaspoon of MSG for every tablespoon salt. The same ratio can also be applied, with the addition of a tablespoon of black pepper, as a rub on pork tenderloins, an extra-savory roast chicken, and lamb chops or sprinkled on burgers (like Johnny Spero’s MSG Burger) before roasting or grilling. 

Use a pinch of MSG (a quarter teaspoon for every cup of liquid) in salad dressings and marinades. This ratio also works well in sauces and dips like barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, and caramelized onion dip. 

Similar to seasoning pasta water, Calvin Eng dissolves MSG in water and uses it as a blanching liquid for vegetables in his Garlic-Chive Ranch Dip with Crudite. It could also be used to poach chicken and fish. For every one quart of boiling water, stir in one tablespoon kosher salt and one and a quarter teaspoons MSG. This simple solution seasons the food while intensifying flavors and imparting a slight savory edge. 

Even bartenders have been known to reach for MSG, dissolving it in water and adding a dash to cocktails like dirty martinis for complexity. 

This versatile ingredient can also be used in sweet applications like Eng’s Salted MSG Caramel Sauce, ice cream custards, banana bread, and brownies. For every cup of sugar, add half to one teaspoon of MSG, depending on the intensity of umami you’re looking to deliver.