T he first time I bought a bag of MSG, I felt like I was buying some kind of illicit substance. I felt a rush as I took the bag of flakey white crystals to the cashier. Once home, I paused before ...

In the store, MSG might be packaged in medium-sized clear bags, or small seasoning bottles. ... MSG is a safe and helpful flavor enhancer, just like salt and pepper.

Calvin Eng, a 2022 F&W Best New Chef and coauthor of the forthcoming cookbook Salt, Sugar + MSG, says his family was among those scared off from using MSG. “It was taboo at home,” he says.

MSG contains sodium but at a way lower concentration than regular table salt (12% versus 39%). This is valuable for anyone who needs to be on a low-sodium diet for whatever reason.

A bottle of Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise outside of the bag. Q&B Foods. The traditional formulation, which comes in a squishy plastic tube covered with a plastic bag with Kewpie’s iconic, red and ...

MSG will make you like ground turkey Yes, you could put MSG in other ground meats, but no meat needs help in the flavor department quite as much as ground turkey. Use a 1/2 teaspoon per pound.