You’ve probably heard a lot about umami by now, but you might not realize just how many ingredients are packed with this distinctive taste and why they’re so useful in a wide variety of recipes. Kenji, esteemed author of The Food Lab and The Wok, joins Dan to chat about MSG and other sources of umami.
Get our recipe for Chili Crisp:
Buy Kenji’s book, The Wok:
Follow Dan on Instagram:
Follow Dan on Twitter:
Follow Dan on Facebook:
ABOUT US: Located in Boston’s Seaport District in the historic Innovation and Design Building, America’s Test Kitchen features 15,000 square feet of kitchen space including multiple photography and video studios. It is the home of Cook’s Illustrated magazine and Cook’s Country magazine and is the workday destination for more than 60 test cooks, editors, and cookware specialists. Our mission is to test recipes over and over again until we understand how and why they work and until we arrive at the best version.
If you like us, follow us:
44 Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I would like to know where Kenji got his wok!! ❤️
Can I substitute MAG with mushroom powder? I don’t like adding MSG on my food.
Sorry, MSG is not good for any of us.
The reason for the movement is that water evaporates faster then without. Think of it as deep frying.
Colder temp taste saltier. Thats why you eat soup while its hot!!
Just saw this video a few days ago. Got my hands on a jar of chili crisp and promptly lost my mind over how delicious it is. Then….. the vanilla ice cream…. 🤯♥️😭…. I'll never be the same after this. Thank you!!
Scrambled Eggs have been forever changed after I first put Chili Crisp on them..! My Mother would have LOVED them..!!! 😲😋😳🤯🤯🤯
Headache! Msg
My first brush with the malaise of misinformation.
90’s me was warned about the dangers of this “horrible” ingredient.
Only years later did I find out how wrong I was; and how big a moron I was for not fact checking an urban myth (the internet wasn’t a thing, information moved slowly).
Now I proudly keep a full jar of the magic in my cabinet at all times.
I love msg. I grew up cooking with it
Can you please post the full information on how to find the articles you show in the video? I am interested in reading the full text. Thank you.
Dan: Today’s episode has something for everyone.
Me: patently false… I know for a fact that I am not the only oddity who has a sensitivity to MSG and it’s neurotoxin ilk. Let’s recall that MSG was isolated and put into mass production to improve military rations because MRE’s tasted like crap. Effectively MSG is crack for the flavor sensors… and it can actually cause damage to neurons not to mention it is also actually addictive. I can not blame manufacturers of cheap mass produced foods who use MSG. Well I do but at least I can understand the corporate greed aspect choosing crack as an ingredient to increase their profit margin. But when I see any chef choosing to add MSG to their cooking I am so deeply disappointed in them for choosing to add flavor crack rather than honest to goodness flavors from their ingredients. shaking my head sadly
I guess I'd better start using MSG or risk being accused of racism.
I am confused as to Kenji stating, "it has a this history that's fraught with racism, that started with racism." The paper was published by Dr. Robert Ho Man Kwok a Chinese immigrant in the 60's. How could it be "racism" if the man publishing the article was Chinese?
Do you know that in Canada all tha chinese restorani whear ptohibited to use in food. it is a poison. 80 % of prapor get terible migrene from MSG.
Kenji trying so hard not to be “James Lopez”
as an Asian American I get SO SICK of you morons who play the race card! dummies. It's a FACT that msg can cause a pounding heart in some people. racism my arse.
I'm amazed a show like America's Test Kitchen is promoting MSG – because of it's danger to the body…….Not the naturally occuring glutamates, but the processed one.
Great tutorial. Thanks so much
OK Kenji, I had to look up the word, interstitial, to tell what you meant whicH is "the space between". Thanks for the stretch! (heart)
Comment about the end- the chili crisp part. I bought a small jar of this delic. stuff that wis crispy garlic, probably a minor player version, at a big Japanese market, Mitsuwa in LA. I liked it so well I saved the jar. It was expensive to me $5 for a small jar.
Found it. 3.9oz of "Crunchy Garlic Topping" S&B Foods, product of Japan.. I want to know how to make this. (I tried but must be missing some technique.)
I need to become so good at Asian cooking that I need a 'Travel Wok'. GREAT episode btw 🙂
sugar vs. processed sugar; corn vs. processed corn (aka High-fructose corn syrup). kombu (dasima, haidai, kelp) vs MSG. good vs bad. Just another ingredient to sell more dish.
None for me, thank you.
I've been putting hot sauce on ice cream, & waffles for maybe a quarter century. I have anxiety about not having at least 1 vinegar, 1 sweet & hot, & 1 just hot af
Kenji said that he was using this new wok on induction cooktop as far as I know one's curved and one is flat how does he do that? please I'd like to know
What’s that thing he has on top of his head. Is that a bun? What a cook!
I put fish sauce and soy sauce it basically anything like Kenji haha. It really REALLY perks up a questionable pasta sauce. Any sauce really.
Gotta trust the man when the man says he’s a pretty big science guy…
can i give this triple stars
Please add chaptering and avoid slo-mo
Here is the problem, I don’t trust an industry, which seemingly influence all influencer!
I think normal MSG is not bad. But we are consuming a lot of MSG. Unnatural amounts. And this will degrade our palates and also sway us to eat things which are definitely bad for our health.
Making Fried Rice without MSG, and Soy Sauce, and with the freshest ingredients is so much better tasting and has no adverse illness side effects. So sad that ATK’s pimping for ‘The Glutamate Association’. Reminds me of those deceased Pimps for ‘The Tobacco Institute’ of years past. “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome” is a very real documented medical condition of the adverse effects of MSG exposure, in all its hidden processed forms.
I find these combos really help when cooking with bitter/ sulphurous compounds – especially veg like broccoli, kale, cabbage, brussel sprouts etc. I've had so many people say 'Oh, I hate <insert veg here>'. It's so fun to see their eyes widen in shock and awe when they try it 'my way'! 😀 I'm glad that the research around MSG continues to grow. It still has a bit of a stigma from that 'Chinese Restaurant Syndrome' article, of course. It's good that people understand that it occurs naturally in so many different foods.
12 WAYS MSG DESTROYS THE BODY — https://youtube.com/shorts/oEzHLxkkHh8?feature=share
I hate Doritos, because I can't stop eating them. Pro-tip: just buy those little tiny bags, because you'll eat the whole bag, no matter the size (even the Organic Doritos – ESPECIALLY those).
loved everything; especially the riemann hypothesis chat on proportions. great fun Gents; thank-you both.
MSG is not good for the body
You could tell there was too much salt when it displaced the liquid in the measuring cup.
No soy sauce and sesame oil on your fried rice?
There's a Chinese place near me that has a black colored condiment that I'm now wondering if it is a different version of chili crisp. It is oily with a lot of crunchy black stuff and it might be one of the best condiments in the world. I've tried to ask them what it is called but not gotten an answer. I'm not sure if it's the language barrier or if it's just a secret.
KENJIIIIII
I like that the entire YT cooking community treats Kenji like a demi-god now. We don't even use his full name anymore. He's that important.
Crispy chilli oil is one of those things that I can eat straight out of the jar. Sometimes I make real food as an excuse to eat more of the chilli oil
MSG is really bad for you, can cause headaches etc… what is your twist???
Try peanut butter (creamy or crunchy) & chili crisp on toast! Yum!