msg

MSG — monosodium glutamate — is bad, right? You've cleared out all the instant ramen, canned soup, cheap soy sauce, bottled salad dressing and Chinese sauce packets in the pantry and vowed to shun that evil salty stuff forever. Here's the thing, though: You can't, because MSG is a naturally occurring substance. That tomato you…

You’ve definitely seen the labels, from soy sauce packets at your local Chinese takeout spot to that large sign at the airport Panda Express you hit up just before your red-eye flight (never a good idea). “No MSG,” they proudly proclaim. But what exactly are they talking about and why should we care? MSG, or…

That bottle back there, with its tantalizing red cap, contains Japanese kewpie mayonnaise. Very few condiments are so important to me that I sacrifice valuable kitchen space to stockpile. This crazy nectar is one of them. Sprinkled with a secret ingredient we all know, and love to hate on, Japanese mayo would definitely prevail in…