--- title: "MSG: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates" description: "MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a seasoning that adds pure savory umami taste. How much to use, how it compares with salt, and what it is made of." url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/msg" --- # MSG MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is a seasoning that adds pure savory umami taste. How much to use, how it compares with salt, and what it is made of. Also called Monosodium glutamate, E621, Umami seasoning. MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. It is a fine white crystal, like salt, made of sodium and glutamate, the compound that gives tomatoes, Parmesan, mushrooms, soy sauce and [kombu](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/kombu) their savory depth. It adds [umami](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/umami), the savory, meaty taste, and makes food taste fuller and more rounded. ## Why it works Your tongue has receptors for glutamate. Foods rich in it register as savory. MSG gives you that compound in pure form, so a little goes a long way. It also lets you use less salt. MSG has about a third of the sodium of table salt by weight, and it boosts the sense of saltiness, so many cooks swap some of the salt for it. ## How to use it * Use it like salt, but much less. Start with about ¼ teaspoon for a pot of soup or stew that serves four, then taste. * Add it to soups, broths, stir-fries, fried rice, dressings, marinades and dry rubs. * Sprinkle a pinch on tomatoes, eggs, popcorn or fries along with salt. * It dissolves easily, so you can add it at any point in cooking. Used well, you do not taste MSG itself. The food just tastes more savory and satisfying. Used too heavily, it gives a flat, oddly sweet and mouth-coating taste. ## Substitutes Other glutamate-rich ingredients do the same job with more of their own flavor: soy sauce, fish sauce, miso, grated Parmesan, tomato paste, dried shiitake and kombu. ## How to store it Keep it in a closed container in a dry cupboard. It does not spoil. ## Where it comes from Glutamate was identified as the source of savory taste by the Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in 1908, and he began producing MSG soon after. Today it is made by [fermentation](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fermentation) of starch or sugar, from sources such as corn, cassava or sugar beet, much like yogurt or vinegar. Food safety agencies, including the US Food and Drug Administration, consider it safe to eat in normal amounts. On European ingredient labels it appears as E621. ## MSG recipes 1 recipe from the sites we collect. * [![](https://www.skinnytaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Homemade-Dry-Sazon-Recipe.jpg)Homemade Sazon Seasoning Recipewww.skinnytaste.com · 5 min](https://www.skinnytaste.com/homemade-sazon-seasoning-mix/) ## Related terms * [UmamiUmami is the savory, meaty taste found in Parmesan, soy sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms and broth. It is one of the five basic tastes.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/umami) * [KombuKombu is dried kelp, the seaweed behind Japanese dashi. It adds savory depth to stocks, beans and rice. How to soak it, cook it and swap it.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/kombu) * [Adjust the seasoningTo adjust the seasoning is to taste a dish at the end and add salt, acid, pepper or sweetness until it tastes right. Here is how to do it in steps.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/adjust-the-seasoning) * [FermentationFermentation is when yeasts or bacteria break down sugars and change food. It raises bread, sours sauerkraut and yogurt, and makes wine and miso.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/fermentation) * [To tasteTo taste means you decide how much to add by tasting as you go. It is used for salt, pepper, acid and heat, where preferences and ingredients vary.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/to-taste) [More in pantry ingredients](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/pantry-ingredients)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)