MSGdish

We all love the satisfying flavor of our favorite restaurant meals, but those dishes often pack a hefty dose of sodium. What if you could recreate the same flavors at home while significantly cutting down on salt? You can with the help of MSG (monosodium glutamate).

MSG is the purest form of umami, which is often described as a savory or meaty taste. The glutamate in MSG natu...

What’s “umami”? It’s still a new word for many, but there isn’t a trained chef anywhere who isn’t familiar with umami.

Umami is often called “the fifth taste,” after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. How is it different than those other four tastes?

Umami is different because it’s all about the overall “savoriness” of food. Think about foods like broths, meat stock, and ...

A smiling Asian girl in a traditional Chinese dress clutches a carton of MSG while a trail of white crystals spills behind her. The image, a playful riff on the iconic Morton Salt Girl, hangs prominently on the wall of MAKfam, the Michelin-recognized Denver restaurant owned by Doris Yuen and her husband, Chef Kenneth Wan.

For some diners, the poster sparks curiosity. ...