MSG Recipe Test: 5 Dishes It’s Supposed to Improve

by Barry Lewis

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

Popcorn
50g popcorn kernels
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Sea salt
Pinch of MSG (for test batch)

Roasted Broccoli
250g broccoli florets
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Black pepper
1/4 tsp MSG (for test batch)
Lemon juice (optional)

Smashburger
2 x 115g minced beef (20% fat)
Sea salt
Black pepper
1/4 tsp MSG (for test batch)
2 burger buns
Cheese slices (optional)
Pickles (optional)
Burger sauce (optional)

Mashed Potatoes
500g Maris Piper potatoes
30g unsalted butter
50ml whole milk or cream
Sea salt
Black pepper
1/4–1/2 tsp MSG (for test batch)

Garlic Bread
1/2 baguette
25g softened unsalted butter
1–2 garlic cloves, minced
Sea salt
1/8 tsp MSG (for test batch)
Fresh or dried parsley
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

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I Tried 5 Recipes MSG Is Supposed to Make Better — Here’s What Happened

After trying MSG for the first time in this video, I was surprised by how much it boosted flavour. That got me thinking — what happens if you actually put it to the test in the dishes it’s supposed to make better?

So, in this video, I picked five popular recipes that MSG is often recommended for. I cooked each one twice — once with MSG, and once without — to see if it really makes a difference or if it’s just another overhyped trend.

You can watch the full side-by-side taste test in the video above. If you’d like to try the recipes for yourself, the ingredients are listed separately and each method is written out below.

If you want to try just the Smashburger on its own (with or without MSG), you can find the full recipe for that right here.

What Is MSG, Really?

MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a flavour enhancer that’s been around for well over a century. It naturally occurs in foods like tomatoes, cheese, and mushrooms. Despite all the myths about it over the years, it’s now widely accepted as perfectly safe to use in home cooking — and incredibly effective at boosting savoury, umami flavour.

The 5 Recipes I Tested

1. Popcorn

Popcorn was a good place to start. I wanted to see if MSG gives it that extra addictive edge — the kind of snacky moreishness you get with crisps or cinema popcorn.

Steps:

  1. Pop the kernels in a dry pan or air-popper.
  2. Melt the butter and mix it with salt (and MSG in the test batch).
  3. Pour over the popcorn and toss until evenly coated.

2. Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli can be earthy and even a bit bitter. So, this was a good one to test whether MSG helps round out those sharper edges and bring in some extra depth.

Steps:

  1. Chop the broccoli and toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper (plus MSG for the test batch).
  2. Roast at 200°C fan for 18–20 minutes until golden and crisp on the edges.
  3. Optional: Squeeze over a little lemon juice before serving.

3. Smashburger

This is already a flavour-packed dish, but I was curious — could MSG actually enhance something that’s already bold?

Steps:

  1. Form two 115g beef balls — don’t overwork the meat.
  2. Smash onto a hot pan and season (add MSG to the test batch).
  3. Cook until browned and crisp, flip once, then build your burger.

4. Mashed Potatoes

This one’s simple and mild, which made it ideal for seeing whether MSG could give it a richer, more rounded flavour.

Steps:

  1. Peel, chop and boil the potatoes in salted water.
  2. Drain and mash with butter and warm milk or cream.
  3. Season and mix in MSG for the test batch.

5. Garlic Bread

Garlic bread already has bold flavour from the butter and garlic. I wanted to find out if MSG could take that even further — or if it would be too much.

Steps:

  1. Mix the butter, garlic and parsley together (add MSG to the test batch).
  2. Spread onto slices of baguette.
  3. Bake at 180°C fan for 10–12 minutes until golden and crisp.

If you do try any of these yourself, let me know what you think — especially if you notice a real difference between the batches. I’m genuinely curious to hear if you found MSG helpful, or if it still feels like a bit of a culinary myth.

Stay curious,
Barry

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