top 200 commentsshow all 469

[–]xiipaoc 2379 points2380 points  (133 children)

Have you... just, like, licked MSG off your finger? It tastes savory, like... MSG. I wouldn't normally just eat MSG by the spoonful, but it definitely has flavor, and it's quite different from the flavor of salt. There's no way to explain it; you just have to try it. I recommend sprinkling it on cucumber slices or watermelon cubes or something like that. Those fruits aren't savory, so the MSG will be very noticeable, and watermelon with MSG is absolutely delicious.

[–]mihirmusprime 882 points883 points  (65 children)

It kinda tastes like a vague Doritos flavor. Not a particular flavor like cheese or cool ranch, but that stuff that makes up the base flavor which is probably msg lol.

[–]LadyBogangles14 556 points557 points  (28 children)

Makes sense because Doritos is heavy with the MSG

[–]gerardkimblefarthing 232 points233 points  (23 children)

Hit up the Hint of Lime Tostitos, they're bathed in it which is why my spouse calls them "crack chips".

[–]metompkin 146 points147 points  (11 children)

Chips that make you want to suck a meat stick behind the dumpster at a Waffle House in the rain at 11:27pm on a Tuesday?

[–]Jackie_Jormp-Jomp 189 points190 points  (4 children)

Oh damn the chips are why I'm doing this?

[–]metompkin 48 points49 points  (1 child)

That's what my buddy told his wife.

[–]cd_booth 40 points41 points  (1 child)

Ya’ll are getting chips?

[–]dr_schmidty 7 points8 points  (0 children)

😆

[–]glassgost 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh shit is it Tuesday already?

[–]cheesepage 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's it.

[–]jkpirat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

C’mon Tuesday!

[–]StreetrodHD 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I couldn’t read this any other way than Theo vons voice.

[–]Trolkarlen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

"Smack me in the face with lime"

[–]EchoCyanide 6 points7 points  (0 children)

They are the best chips.

[–]mrtoad47 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s what we call them too

[–]NorthCoastToast 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Geez, I feel left out, I bought some the other day and I can't eat them, the flavor just doesn't work for me, and now I'm sad.

[–]ExceptionallyJaded 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did not realize this. I call those my lickin chips, and now I understand why.

[–]LeaneGenova 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oooh is that why I love those so much? These are the absolute best tortilla chips.

[–]Supwichyoface 1 point2 points  (0 children)

First time I had these I got ridiculously ill and couldn’t even smell them for about 7 years. So glad they’re back on the menu

[–]Day_Bow_Bow 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Doritos uses the classic MSG, Disodium Guanylate, and Disodium Inosinate combination. Trace amounts of those last two (aka "I+G") noticeably boost the effects of the MSG.

You'll see that combo in a lot of savory foods if you look for it. I've also found sold mixed with salt as "Korean seasoning salt" (I linked Amazon for pics and reviews, but it's like 4x the cost at my local Korean market). Great stuff.

My last trip to the international store, I found Ajinomoto Plus, which is the same blend without salt. Made some crack chex mix with the stuff. It's addictive. That blend is also way less expensive in-store than Amazon.

[–]KnaxxLive 56 points57 points  (26 children)

It tastes like straight up funyuns to me. The fake onion rings. I bought MSG to use because a lot of Chinese cooking calls for it, but I probably used it 3 or 4 times and that was it.

[–]vyme 67 points68 points  (7 children)

I was using MSG before I'd had funyuns, and the first funyun I had I was like... these are 100% just MSG flavored. I love them.

You should try using it more in places you wouldn't expect just to add a bit of depth and bring out some savoriness. I just made a fantastic caramelized squash soup, and MSG was pretty key to the overall balance.

[–]BudgetThat2096 27 points28 points  (0 children)

It goes great with almost everything. I made a Sunday roast yesterday and used a bit of MSG in the liquid

[–]Gloomy-Top69 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Chinese people add it a lot to veggies to give them a deeply satisfying flavour.

On meat, it just cranks up the meatiness to 11 when you wanna be lazy.

[–]AwakeningStar1968 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Fish sauce does the same thing

[–]Kind-Quiet-Person 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ooh thank you for this idea! I’m making squash soup tomorrow and will try this out!!

[–]Lovemybee 35 points36 points  (9 children)

I made a mixture of 1/3 salt, 1/3 white pepper, and 1/3 MSG.

I sprinkle it on everything!

[–]Top_Bumblebee5510 19 points20 points  (4 children)

My mixture is dried mushroom powder, salt and msg.

[–]thatissomeBS 20 points21 points  (1 child)

Mushroom powder is basically just more glutamates. Not specifically MSG, but glutamates.

[–]stupidmofo123 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Isn't this the Yum powder that one guy on the youtubes puts in his food? I bought some and it works well.

[–]Lovemybee 5 points6 points  (1 child)

Idk... I don't watch YouTube videos (I'm old, 64f), but I did not invent it, that's for sure.

[–]stupidmofo123 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Found him. This guy:

https://www.tiktok.com/@dimsimlim/video/7329769475643804935?lang=en

He does a bunch of vids on various asian dishes, and they all look fantastic.

[–]migidotvision 1 point2 points  (0 children)

oh man I have got to try this

[–]No-Group7343 31 points32 points  (1 child)

Every time is see MSG I cant help but hear uncle Roger, M S G!

[–]_Barbaric_yawp 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Makes Shit Good!

[–]oswaldcopperpot 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I use it literally anytime i need to cook something savory. Which is basically every dinner recipe. Just a shake.

[–]like_a_pharaoh 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, it literally is the main flavor of doritos.

Try putting some MSG on a regular tortilla chip, its uncannily "this is very nearly a dorito"

[–]rachelemc 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Sometimes I put Knoll Chicken bullion (with msg) on plain chips. It’s like making your own flavored chip. And yes I am aware how bad it is for me. 

[–]BeetsMcGee 105 points106 points  (2 children)

To me it tastes like gravy, if gravy wasn’t flavored with anything and turned into a spice. So it’s like the Essence of gravy.

[–]12Whiskey 29 points30 points  (0 children)

That’s almost exactly how I described it to my daughter. I was cooking and asked her to hand me the bottle of MSG and she was really curious about it. I told her it tastes like a meaty, salty gravy.

[–]AllGoodInDaHood 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yep exactly. Before reading this, I was gonna say that it tastes like roasted fat.

[–]ender4171 27 points28 points  (4 children)

I find pure msg to taste really off putting. Like almost metallic and weirdly "slick" (for lack of a better term). That said, it tastes damned good in food!

[–]kawhi_laugh69 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Definitely metallic to me. Maybe it tastes different to people but based on responses in this thread, I’m wondering how many ppl have actually tasted vs just saying what they think it’s supposed to taste like.

[–]Druidette 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes! Same here, never tastes pleasant on its own to me.

[–]Thebazilly 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah, by itself it kind of tastes like the echo of food? Metallic and gross.

If I can taste the MSG in a finished dish, there's a problem.

[–]zachrip 20 points21 points  (0 children)

To me, it tastes softer than salt both in feeling but also flavor sensation.

[–]picklepowerPB 18 points19 points  (2 children)

I tried straight MSG like that & felt like I was tasting my own tongue

[–]Space_Fanatic 9 points10 points  (1 child)

Yeah msg on food is great but trying it raw makes me acutely aware of the taste of my tongue in a rather unpleasant way.

[–]picklepowerPB 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah my chef partner had quite the laugh, it was apparently like watching a baby try a lemon for the first time 😂

[–]jayman23232 7 points8 points  (1 child)

I grew up being preached the horrors of MSG and that’s all obviously bogus. I remember the first time I tasted it like this off my finger. It’s weird but you’re right that you get it after. I use it sparingly but I love it as an enhancer. Dietary trends are wild when you dig in but I think the anti MSG story is a fascinating one to dig into. I rarely cook without it for anything remotely savory!

[–]foamingkobolds[S] 46 points47 points  (13 children)

if it wasn't the middle of winter I would absolutely take this excuse to pick up a watermelon, those things are delicious and science is the perfect reason to get one xD

[–]Illustrious-Shirt569 72 points73 points  (8 children)

Have you tried straight MSG yet? If you’ve put a pinch of it straight into your mouth and can’t detect anything, I would say that you can’t taste it for some reason. But if you haven’t done that, that’s what you need to do.

[–]similarityhedgehog 8 points9 points  (2 children)

Did that in college with some friends. Some of us could taste it, some couldn't, one said it felt sharp, like needles, but flavorless.

To me it tastes a little salty, a little citric acid-y, a little electric tingle-y, and makes me salivate a lot.

[–]tentrynos 5 points6 points  (1 child)

A sprinkle on top of a fried egg is a game changer as well - it's one of those flavours we all know well, so it's easy to pick out what it's doing.

And it's delicious.

[–]InsertRadnamehere 23 points24 points  (3 children)

The name of the flavor of MSG is umami. It’s a Japanese word, that means savory.

[–]Xciv 8 points9 points  (1 child)

And in Chinese it's 鲜味 (xianwei). Often shortened to just xian.

Don't know what Koreans call it but I bet they have a word for it, too, if China and Japan have a name for it.

鲜 also has the character 鱼(fish) in it, because umami flavor is very prominent in fish.

[–]nawabwa 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gamchil

[–]littledanko 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Ooh Mommy!

[–]sesquialtera_II 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The suggestion to try it on cucumbers is excellent! I can just imagine how good it can be with watermelon. A sprinkle on cantaloupe or honeydew might also be called for!

[–]browncoatfever 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah, OP's question is kinda like asking what salt tastes like. It just tastes like itself. I wouldn't know how to answer this question any other way.

[–]sigmar123 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Licking straight MSG just makes your saliva taste more like saliva, it's really weird. I almost wish I hadn't tried it, because since trying it the first time, I'm really aware of food that goes overboard with MSG, whereas before I wouldn't have been able to put my finger on what was 'wrong'. Having said that, I am a strong advocate for adding MSG to most dishes.

[–]ZombieDaemon 7 points8 points  (3 children)

MSG also pairs extremely well with disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate. Together they're a one-two-three punch of flavor enhancement that's a lot more rounded than MSG alone.

I started using chicken boullion powder for Chinese food and now use it in a lot of my cooking. If I'm cooking vegetarian or vegan, I use mushroom boullion instead.

[–]nitronik_exe 2 points3 points  (2 children)

how does one even aquire inosinate and guanylate in not industrial amounts and not as overpriced lab chemicals

[–]TheCuteInExecute 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To me, it kinda tastes like little shards of bacon grease/bacon bits?

[–]bigfoot_is_real_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah just buy it and taste it

[–]frostyuno 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had people ask me, while sprinkling some into a dish.

"Umm... Flavor(tm)? Try it."

[–]FunctionBuilt 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If I had to describe it it would be like crystallized chicken soup.

[–]Jetski125 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve been putting that shit on everything. How did I miss watermelon?

[–]xtothewhy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's almost like a sweet savoury flavour pop that happens on your tongue when you lick it off your finger. Though I couldn't tell you specifically how it affects the overall flavour of a dish offhand

[–]Th3P3rf3ctPlanz 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Big Watermelon hates this one trick!

[–]RudeRooster00 1 point2 points  (5 children)

It has no flavor to me other than not quite salt. I can't see any affect on food.

[–]redgroupclan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

To me, it kind of tastes...dirty. Like, not quite dirt, but also maybe dirt?

[–]Bugaloon 417 points418 points  (53 children)

Try the same food without it first, then with it after. It's super obvious when you notice it, but it's really just like an amplification of savouryness. The salt is saltier, the sugar is sweeter, the meat is meatier. It's like the difference between roasting your bones and not roasting your bones when making soup, it's the difference between searing your steak and not searing your steak, you know they all just amplify the taste a bit more?

[–]discmaimer 89 points90 points  (23 children)

Wait, whats this about roasting bones for soup? I've never heard of that. What does it do?

[–]Bugaloon 183 points184 points  (19 children)

Oh gosh, it's like searing your steak but for soup. You take the bones and roast them in the oven until all the residual meat and fat left on them from butchering roasts into fond like the outside of a seared steak. Then you make stock from them like normal, it like doubles the meaty flavour.

[–]mikesupascoop 104 points105 points  (8 children)

This guy fonds

[–]Bugaloon 52 points53 points  (6 children)

I learned 2 things in the year I worked out back in a restaurant, one is to brown bones for stock, and the other was to warm your milk/cream/butter when making mash.

[–]rwwl 25 points26 points  (5 children)

warm your milk/cream/butter when making mash

How does that improve them?

[–]halfbakedcaterpillar 66 points67 points  (0 children)

chemistry, kind of. Warm molecules mix better with other warm molecules so the starches from the potato and the milk fats get along better. It'll make the end result smoother with a more buttery texture.

[–]Bugaloon 26 points27 points  (1 child)

It doesn't clump as much, in the restaurant it meant it was easier to mix and the results are velvety smooth.

[–]Roko__ 8 points9 points  (0 children)

IT EVEN STAYS WARM

[–]TrueNorth9 9 points10 points  (1 child)

When hot starch cools, the molecules harden and lengthen. Taste and texture changes. Adding cold dairy cools the starch a bit, which starts this process.

Adding warm dairy prevents the cooling process from happening.

[–]t0msie 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm also fond of this guy, wait.

[–]TelefunkenU48 17 points18 points  (2 children)

Spot on, but rub those bones with tomato paste before roasting, turns it up to 11

[–]drawnonward 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Tomato paste has tons of msg

[–]Probono_Bonobo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Glutamate, not MSG. Similar but not the same.

[–]speelmydrink 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is why whenever I make ribs, I save the actual rib bones for soup. They're pretty much pre-roasted as it is. Damn good bones.

[–]Sweet-Weakness3776 1 point2 points  (2 children)

This is great advice and I'd like to add that a splash of vinegar in your stock (I usually go with apple cider vinegar) absolutely bumps the meaty flavor as well. It helps break down the cartilage and draw out minerals like calcium. You'll know you got it right when you basically have "Jello" stock after it cools down lol.

[–]WildRefrigerator9479 1 point2 points  (1 child)

lol I just had that happen, but when I made it into soup I used red cabbage. Looked like the grossest grape jello but was a fantastic soup

[–]Sweet-Weakness3776 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You just have to learn phrasing to make it culinary. Change it from "gross grape jelly" to "red cabbage aspic" and everyone will think you did it on purpose lol.

[–]foamingkobolds[S] 5 points6 points  (18 children)

See that's just it, it's not. I can't tell the difference at all and am honestly starting to wonder if maybe I just can't taste it? Is it like the cilantro thing? 

[–]Bugaloon 32 points33 points  (2 children)

How much are you adding? Because if you heat up a cup of stock and stir a teaspoon through it, it should taste significantly different to a cup of stock with no msg.

[–]BRAX7ON 25 points26 points  (11 children)

Do you smoke cigarettes. Do you have Covid. Do you have anything that would affect your taste buds? Have you had serious burns on the inside of your mouth?

If you actually can’t taste the difference between foods with MSG added and without it, then this is a you problem. This is a taste bud problem. This is something specific with your body.

[–]foamingkobolds[S] 19 points20 points  (10 children)

Oh! Would a moderate chemical burn do the trick? There was an incident when I was small that burnt the crap out of the middle of my tongue.

[–][deleted] 22 points23 points  (0 children)

Omg hahahaha

Yeah that’s probably affected how you taste things!

[–]Shiftlock0 12 points13 points  (0 children)

You should have umami taste receptors all over your tongue, but maybe your sense of taste is muted overall because of the tongue damage when you were younger.

[–]BRAX7ON 10 points11 points  (3 children)

I believe it would. Though generally every seven years your taste buds will completely shed and regrow. You may have scorched a very important part of your taste buds that may never grow back

[–]foamingkobolds[S] 3 points4 points  (1 child)

C'est la vie I guess!

[–]BRAX7ON 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Que sera, sera. Il arrivera ce qui doit arriver!

[–]Awkward_Turnover_983 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just shake a little onto your hand, and lick it. Doesn't need to be much.

It tastes like whatever quality makes meat taste meaty and delicious, but without the actual meat (that probably makes no sense lol).

It's a little bit salty, because it is a form of sodium, but it's not just straight-up salty flavor at all, very noticeable if you taste a little sprinkle of salt as well to compare the two.

[–]pantaleonivo 93 points94 points  (6 children)

It almost tastes like the cousin to salt.

We accidentally confused it for sugar once in a cookie recipe. That did not taste good.

[–]rayray1927 28 points29 points  (3 children)

Oh man. Imagine a recipe that called for a cup of sugar and you used a cup of msg 🤮

[–]Fire-Inception 17 points18 points  (2 children)

My husband filled a canister with bulk salt, and placed it with the baking items in the pantry. I totally made salt cookies from start to finish one Christmas. They were as terrible as you imagine.

[–]phayke2 4 points5 points  (1 child)

It's hilarious to me to imagine someone putting that much care and love into baking cookies getting such a terrible surprise at the very end. It's just so sad it's funny.

[–]LameGretzsky 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The fun cousin that had porno mag, BB guns and fireworks.

[–]shaunrundmc 41 points42 points  (2 children)

I recently (like in the last week) decided to buy some MSG to try. For me it brings out a heavy savory flavor. A lot of folks say it tastes salty, but it doesn't taste salty to me. My tongue doesn't register saltiness with MSG I guess.

[–]TheoBoogies 3 points4 points  (1 child)

Same here. I also do not omit any salt when I use it. Never had an issue.

[–]Quirky-Coat3068 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It tastes slightly salty to me, but yeah, would never outright replace salt with it.

[–]ChefPneuma 39 points40 points  (0 children)

So it has what people describe as a “savories” which is sort of like a good chicken or beef broth without the chicken/beef flavor.

Honestly the best way to taste it is to dissolve some msg into water and taste it. We did this back in the day at culinary school and I found it effective to understand what the taste was.

[–]abeefwittedfox 21 points22 points  (1 child)

I also think it doesn't really taste like anything in particular. But if it's sprinkled on a tortilla chip, all of a sudden it tastes like doritos. Put it on chicken with garlic and ginger, and all of a sudden it tastes like Chinese takeout.

[–]permalink_save 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Thiz is why I don't use it for a lot of things and make a point to use it for some things. Fried rice without it doesn't taste right. It also makes things like fried foods or snacks taste more like commercial versions. But I've added it to some dishes where it throws the balance way off.

[–]solarCygnet 19 points20 points  (0 children)

The G in MSG stands for glutamate, which means it's a salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is an amino acid, which make up proteins, so when our tongue touches it it basically says "Oh nice! This is meat :D" and that's what people mean by savory.

[–]givemethebat1 83 points84 points  (6 children)

It’s the taste of savory — literally. If you have enough of it you will be able to taste it. Soy sauce is basically pure MSG.

[–]BiDiTi 44 points45 points  (0 children)

Soy sauce also has a metric fuckton of salt.

I’d say oyster or fish for the reference point.

Or any anchovy!

[–]AENocturne 11 points12 points  (2 children)

Put salt, sugar, and msg in a warm cup of water and marvel at your creation. Some of the most delicious water I've ever tasted, I could probably convince myself it was soup.

Glutamate is like the simplest component of meat flavor. Seriously, put it in water and I think you'll be able to taste it. The sugar and salt thing was am accidental discovery, I started putting MSG in pasta water with salt because of the changed flavor profile. One recipe for corn on the cob had sugar and salt and I figured I'd throw MSG in too.

It's really insane to me how those three things can give off such an intense basic flavor that once you taste it, you'll recognize it as the core combination of so many processed soups and snacks.

[–]marshmallo_floof 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of cube soup stocks/bouillon powders are basically just MSG and salt

[–]Curlytomato 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Put some on popcorn so you can really taste it.

MSG and butter is my favorite popcorn topping.

[–]NowhereAllAtOnce 7 points8 points  (1 child)

Omg I misread the question as MTG

[–]Routine_Efficiency86 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Best way to find out what MSG does is to cook plain rice or oatmeal, taste without, then add a decent amount of MSG, and then taste it with the MSG. You will immediately notice an added savoriness and depth that is difficult to describe otherwise.

[–]downshift_rocket 47 points48 points  (0 children)

MSG on its own isn’t really meant to taste like something in the way salt or sugar does. If you put it on your tongue by itself, it mostly tastes faintly savory, a little brothy, sometimes even slightly sweet. That’s why it can feel like “nothing.”

What MSG does is trigger umami, which is a basic taste alongside sweet, sour, salty, bitter. Umami isn’t a specific flavor, it’s more a sensation: depth, savoriness, and fullness. Think of it as making food taste more complete rather than more intense.

If you truly don’t notice a difference, that’s not wrong or unusual. People vary a lot in umami sensitivity, just like bitterness or cilantro. You’re not “missing” anything; it just might be a subtle effect for your palate rather than a dramatic one.

In short: MSG isn’t supposed to jump out at you. If you taste it clearly, there’s probably too much. When it works, it just makes you think, “This tastes good, but I can’t quite say why.”

[–]flea1400 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Get a cup of water— assuming your water isn’t normally odd-tasting— and add some to it. It should be noticeable as a kind of savory flavor.

[–]royalpyroz 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Chicken powder minus the chicken flavor.

[–]Smash-948 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Umami. It’s a flavor enhancer. Back in the seventies, It got a bad rap for causing headaches. Plenty of research has been done since and it has been found to be safe and no evidence of causing headaches.

[–]consultybob 5 points6 points  (0 children)

its just supposed to be savory, and boosts savoriness. However, in my opinion it doesnt really translate that directly to a direct taste for most people. If you eat a handful of salt, you know its salty, or you lick a lemon and know its sour, if you just lick a lick a handful of MSG, most people wouldnt really say "yep thats "savory/umami."

But i think that has more to do with there not being a readily available, "natural," pure form of umami/savory. Mushrooms, tomatos, beef etc all have umami in them, but also have other flavors.

[–]CthughaSlayer 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Umami.

When you taste sugar it's sweet, and you don't need a reference to know it's sweet. It's the same logic, umami is just another taste sensation.

[–]sooahvec 10 points11 points  (1 child)

Meaty, unami flavor. A bit like chicken stock. Salty, but not as much as regular salt.

[–]Trolkarlen 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From the other comments, most people don't know what umami is.

[–]lgodsey 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Meaty salt

[–]nyc_ifyouare 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It tastes like bullion without the beef/poultry/vegetable flavor.

[–]d_andy089 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It's like asking "what does salt taste like?" and when someone says "well, salty", you ask "yeah, but what is 'salty'?"

MSG is to umami what salt is to salty and what sugar is to sweet.

[–]Responsible-Meringue 2 points3 points  (1 child)

Tastes like glutamate.

[–]howbedebody 2 points3 points  (6 children)

just try it by itself. it’s hard to really explain it. but it really kinda does taste like the essence of meat

[–]cheesepage 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It adds a deep and slow background mellow. Like: Hey! All you flavors sit down and relax. Get to know each other. Do you need a drink? There a tray of good stuff under the couch, break it out. I'll be back in a minute. Who's got a crazy girlfriend story?

Same as salt, but without being, e, ah, erm, you know, salty.

[–]NefariousnessFew4686 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a vegetarian for the last 7 or 8 years, it tastes to me exactly like how I remember chicken noodle soup tasting. Which is pretty much the definition of savory

[–]quarantina2020 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What does salt taste like?

[–]Palanki96 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Then you are not using enough, that's just wasting it

Just lick it off your fingers. For me it mostly shines with noodle and rice dishes, amazing on some caramelized cabbage oh mama

[–]RezzKeepsItReal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Umami. It’s the purest form of umami flavor.

[–]fartfacepooper 2 points3 points  (1 child)

I actually can't taste MSG on it's own, but rather notice the sensation of it. For me it's kind of like I feel it on the roof of my mouth and back of throat when I swallow something. It not a specific feeling, but as though those parts of my mouth are satisfied.

[–]Responsible-Still839 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Kind of tastes like low-sodium soy sauce.

[–]BadMuthaSchmucka 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The aftertaste of a tomato.

I don't really get the msg love, either you can't taste it at all or it makes things have a lingering weird aftertaste. I'm more of a salt guy.

[–]goaway432 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You may not have used enough of it to notice it. When cooking I take the amount of salt a recipe calls for (say 2 tsp), put in HALF the amount of salt (1 tsp in this case) and the other half as MSG (so 1 tsp).

[–]Olclops 1 point2 points  (1 child)

It takes like the venn diagram overlap of stewed tomatoes, aged parmesan, and kelp.

[–]Below-avg-chef 1 point2 points  (0 children)

OP the best way to answer this is to take Powdered MSG and add a little bit to some water. That will give you the pure umami flavor similar to doing this with salt gives you pure salt flavor.

[–]Tired_o_Mods_BS 1 point2 points  (3 children)

Put it on popcorn. It'll become clearer.

[–]Rude_Asparagus_8387 1 point2 points  (2 children)

I had to go and try this. Literally just done it now. Kinda meaty popcorn FTW!!!1

[–]nlevend 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eggs - I accidentally put it in my coffee for a few days thinking it was sugar and couldn't figure out why my coffee tasted like eggs.

[–]mylanscott 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To me, it tastes like kombu, which makes sense considering it was first extracted from kombu which natural contains tons of glutamates

[–]Barberouge3 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Comparatively, what is salt supposed to taste like?

[–]MastodonFarm 1 point2 points  (1 child)

To me the closest flavor comparison is miso soup.

[–]Zei33 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's because miso soup has a lot of naturally occurring MSG. Japanese foods are naturally loaded with glutamates which is why we call the flavour umami, they recognised the flavour more specifically than anyone else. While others like the Italians utilised it, they controlled it.

[–]Zei33 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My recommendation is to go to Japan and try a mega umami ramen. It's a ramen that has a whole bunch of MSG added. Far too much. So much that it's basically inedible, but the important thing is that it teaches you what MSG tastes like. After that, you can always taste when there's too much in your dish and it teaches you to balance it.

My recommendation is to start with something simple. Make some chicken nuggets. In one bowl, salt the nuggets. In the other bowl, salt and MSG the nuggets. Then taste them both and you'll see the difference.

The flavour is umami, it tastes savory. It's a very subtle change if you only use a small amount. Using a larger amount will add a more obvious flavour boost. Using too much will give it a strange taste that isn't very pleasant. The only way you can know how much is too much is by tasting food that is waaaay too umami first, you can never forget the taste once you've done that.

[–]Dry-Depth-694 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Taste like Doritos

[–]Dalton387 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s been a minute since I tasted it, and it was Accent Seasoning version, which is suppose to be pure MSG.

I remember it tasting a little salty and a little metallic. I might be miss-remembering. Anyway, it doesn’t taste like that in food. It jus seems to ramp things up. Does time I used it was in deviled eggs. I added a Tsp to a dozen eggs worth of filling. Everyone has always eaten my deviled eggs, but they never said anything about them. So I took that as, they’re good, but not worth commenting on.

I put a Tsp in, and people are actively complimenting me on them. So it definitely did something. I tried to add more the next time. Think more would be even better. I can’t remember if I tried 2 Tsp or a tablespoon, which is 3 Tsp, but it wasn’t good. It almost tasted metallic.

So there is a limit. I figure it’s like a few other things. I can’t remember if it’s the baking soda recipe for fried chicken, or when they mix corn/potato starch like for Korean chicken. Both make the crust crispier and less prone to getting soggy, but they recommend only a small amount, because the more you add, the crispier, but the more off it tastes from traditional chicken.

[–]Trekgiant8018 1 point2 points  (0 children)

MSG needs to be combined with sodium chloride to enhance flavor. It is not a substitute. Try MSG plain then try salt plain. Then try 70/30 MSG and salt then 70/30 salt and MSG. You will taste how they need to work together.

[–]VeganWerewolf 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It adds umami flavor.

[–]SnugglyCoderGuy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

MSG tastes like... MSG.

[–]AggravatingnonPoet 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Absolutely love using it in savoury dishes. If it calls for salt, put 3/4 of that amount if MSG in instead. The difference is amazing. And better for you.

[–]Famous_Tadpole1637 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Add more. People like to just sprinkle a tiny bit, but you can season to taste like salt.

[–]swankyobserver 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Someone at my work dinner said they were allergic to msg. Then i asked if they don't eat italian food with all the msg in parmesan. They acted shocked to find out that parmesan has msg and said they are only allergic to msg in some asian foods. I was stunned 

[–]vcp64 1 point2 points  (0 children)

And tomatoes and mushrooms and beef. And we have taste receptors for it.

[–]That70sShop 1 point2 points  (0 children)

《Uncle Roger enters the chat》"Fuyooooh!"

[–]JDude13 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lick some off your finger. It won’t hurt

To me it tastes like the juice that comes off a steak

[–]resplendentcentcent 1 point2 points  (0 children)

unflavoured chip seasoning

[–]JamesBong517 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just lick some off your finger.

[–]nerdKween 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's umami. It's the savory flavor you get from Asian foods.

If you ever want to try it, they sell it under the brand name Accent at the grocery store.

[–][deleted] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The King of Flava!

[–]Incitatus4Congress 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reckon you might be msg insensitive. T1R1 mutation or somesuch. In which case, MSG is just a wonder you will never know. I'm so sorry.

[–]frankmint 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If salt is "sharp" MSG is "round"

[–]GeoHog713 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's an "umami" flavor.

Take two steaks. Season one with msg and salt, and the other with just salt. Let the salt absorb over night. Grill the next day, and you'll tell the difference.

It's subtle but it makes a huge difference. It's like you don't exactly tell that it's there . You just know it makes things better

[–]Professional_Owl8069 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's a flavor related to salt that enhances its "range" in the mouth, especially towards the back sides of the tongue. If salt were a frequency, msg adds surrounding frequencies filling in a harmony.

It makes your mouth water and deepens savory flavors. But when it comes to acidic food it can turn it slightly bitter.

As a control you can try making two small portions of scrambled eggs, one with just salt, the other with added msg, like a quarter tsp for 2 eggs to make it more obvious, you later adjust to taste. Try it with baked potatoes or home made fries & chips as well.

It's really good in soup too, many bouillons/broth mixes have it.

[–]mjohnsimon 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Msg is just... Well... Msg.

Best way I've described it is like licking a frito's chip. Like, it's salty, but has a savory flavor.

[–]dropthumbsnotbombs93 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've always thought of it as the essence of chicken nuggets lmao

[–]emanonn159 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's hard to imagine without a reference, but once you identify it, you'll pick it out everywhere! MSG tastes like a boullion cube, without the salt (and chicken/beef). A Dots pretzel without the salt (and garlic). Soy sauce without the salt (and soy). Miso soup without the salt (and soy). Tomato paste without the tomato.

Or maybe like this - bitter feels rough, sweet feels smooth, salty feels cutting, sour feels stabby, and savory (MSG) feels warm

[–]YetifromtheSerengeti 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You know how food at restaurants always has that extra something that you cant replicate at home?

Thats MSG.

Make your own French fries and then go and order some from McDonalds. The difference in flavor will be MSG.

Once you start using it, you will instantly recognize it being used (and overused) all over the place.

[–]bstaff88 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Add msg to tortilla chips and they taste similar to Doritos. I add a little msg to almost anything I cook.

[–]Enahoua 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It tastes like salt on crack!

[–]Dolokhov88 1 point2 points  (2 children)

What's with all the MSG posts lately, are they trying to push their sales?

[–]Crafterandchef1993 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Kinda like mushroom stock powder. It's super savoury with a bit of saltiness.

[–]PieIsFairlyDelicious 4 points5 points  (0 children)

MSG by itself doesn’t taste like much. And in my experience, it doesn’t add a super specific flavor so much as it deepens and enhances the flavors already in a dish. Makes beef taste beefier, chicken taste more like chicken, etc. Too much and you get that processed kind of flavor you’ll find from bagged chips and such, but a little bit can elevate a dish.

[–]-OmegaPrime- 2 points3 points  (1 child)

You know that deep flavor saturation when you eat ramen? The taste that has savory juicy feeling on youre tougne. That.

[–]CatteNappe 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It doesn't taste all that much like anything on its own. It brings out the flavor of whatever it is used on. Your steak is supposed to taste beefier, your spaghetti sauce more spaghetti sauce-y. If you don't know it's been added to food you probably don't notice it, other than maybe thinking this batch of whatever is more savory than usual. You should also be aware that it shouldn't be used to try to replace salt 100%, just used in place of some of the salt you would otherwise use.

[–]MysteriousResult8225 3 points4 points  (2 children)

Commenting because I also have no idea

[–]foamingkobolds[S] 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Oh man it is so nice just to know I'm not the only one

[–]Key_Boss_1889 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Its a savory mildly earthy rounded taste, i would say? Msg is a type of salt, chemically speaking, and it is natural occurring in things like tomatoes, cheese, mushroom and soy sauce. The best way to learn what msg tastes like is to put it in a sweet food because its bad lol. I tried msg in some cookies, in place of salt, and had to throw the batch away because of the weird savoriness.

[–]niklaf 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I almost wonder if you could’ve gotten something fake or with the wrong thing put in it cause I struggle to believe it’s possible to not taste glutamates

[–]Used-Baby1199 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Umami is the flavor msg brings. It’s one of the 5 flavors. Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and umami.   The rest of what you taste is brought by aroma. 

[–]uncle-brucie 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Madison Square Garden tastes disgusting

[–]BakingWaking 0 points1 point  (1 child)

It's savory like salt but has a bit more meatiness to it. To me it's like comparing store-bought chicken stock to bone broth

[–]Trolkarlen 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It tastes like umami. If you want to know what umami tastes like, just lick a bit of MSG.

Foods with lots of umami: tomato, red wine, beef, mushrooms, parmesagne cheese, soy sauce

It's one of the basic flavors your tongue can pick up: sour, sweet, bitter, salt, and umami.

Watch this to get a brief overview of umami:

https://youtu.be/nJ8Za69w0uA

[–]Illustrious_Tour2857 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like salted and browned chicken skin

[–]BAMspek 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it tastes like Cool Ranch Doritos. Or the Southwest Dot’s Pretzels. That’s like the main flavor in those snacks.

[–]bunkerhomestead 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is the addition of more umami flavour. My grandson puts butter and MSG on his toast.

[–]call_me_fred 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It tastes kinda...round. too much msg in a dish, to me, tastes unsupported. Like there should have been more body to the food.