The Controversial Ingredient That Instantly Upgrades Any Tomato Dish

If you're a tomato lover, you know how often the versatile fruit appears in dishes from all around the world. While we love tomatoes as they are, there's a key ingredient that can take any tomato dish from good to great with minimal effort: monosodium glutamate, better known as MSG. 

MSG isn't just an additive you can buy at the store — it's a naturally occurring substance in foods that have that savory umami flavor, like mushrooms, cheese, and, most importantly, tomatoes. Every 100 grams of a ripe tomato contains roughly 250 milligrams of MSG, which is why adding an extra dose of MSG in your tomato dishes will set off the flavor fireworks.

"Glutamic acids are what our brains perceive to be meaty," explained Eric Huang, chef and owner of Pecking House in New York City, in an exclusive interview with Tasting Table. "You're just boosting that a little bit, especially if you have maybe not the best in-season tomatoes or out-of-season tomatoes. You can add a pinch of MSG, a pinch of sugar, and you really bring out the wonderful savory qualities in the tomato."

Although MSG gets a bad rap, the FDA considers it as an additive to be "generally recognized as safe," and researchers haven't been able to consistently identify allergic reactions to MSG in studies. So if you're already enjoying naturally MSG-laden foods like tomatoes, a jar of the purified, powdered version can become one of the best tools in your kitchen. 

The first step to improving your tomato dishes? For one thing, keep your tomatoes out of the fridge. Then when you're ready to cook, use the MSG sparingly and taste frequently until the dish is to your liking. MSG is a powerful seasoning; too much and you'll end up with super salty food, so try to stick to about 1 ½ teaspoons of MSG for every six or seven servings. 

Huang pairs MSG and tomato at Pecking House to make the Sha Cha Sauce, one of its original side dishes. "You take beefsteak tomatoes, you marinate them with olive oil, salt, sugar, MSG, and then you make a tofu cream, and you blend it with garlic and oil," Huang explains. "It has a burrata and tomato kind of feel to it." 

If that sounds too adventurous, or you just want to practice using MSG before committing to a complicated recipe, Huang recommended getting a feel for it in fried rice. "Fried rice is just not the same without MSG. You need it," he said. "So I think if you practice cooking with that at home, you'll really realize what impact it brings and how it makes everything more delicious."