too much kimchi!

[trillium]

Gastro888, though these days for us all MSG may be an absolute no-no, I'm sure if used judiciously it could probably intensify flavour without the hangover effects. But it's still something we'd probably all prefer to avoid, right? Or maybe not. Does anyone admit to using it?

←

Unless you're one of the very, very few people who actually has a legitimate problem with MSG (in which case you're also avoiding nearly all processed foods, fermented bean products like soya sauce, aged meats and cheeses like salami and parmagiano) there is absolutely no reason why MSG is an "absolute no-no". Free glutamate exists in nearly any food, and many of the foods we really love and use for flavoring contain copious quantities of glutamate all on their own. I would readily admit to using it, I view it just as I would any other flavoring in the kitchen, in bad hands nearly anything can wreck a dish, but if you know what you're doing, why not?

regards,

trillium

[jschyun]

yeah, what trillium said. free glutamates exist in all sorts of food, not just East Asian cooking. okay, maybe the protein in parmesan means the glutamates are not as "free" as the ones in soy sauce, but it's not like Korean flavor is all about msg.

I notice in the korean markets, they've bought the paranoia against MSG and I see lots of stuff that advertise no msg from kimchi to all sorts of banchan, to whatever. Actually, the items that do have msg are not as prevalent as Westerners seem to think. Also, organic food (ex: organic soy sauce) and healthy eating in general seem to be all the rage.

Anyway, MSG in Korean food is a lot less prevalent than in other cuisines, not that this is bad or good.

[touaregsand]

Kim chi doesn't go bad in two weeks. It gets more sour and increasingly so with more time obviously. Some folks, especially older Koreans prefer their kimchi to be quite sour. I've seen quite a few really old jars of kimchi in my life, I'm not even counting the stuff that's been buried in the ground. Don't be afraid of the bubbles it's a sign of fermentation and not a sign that it has gone bad. We have a jar that's 4 months old in the fridge (I can't stand the smell so I really need to give it to mom to make kimchi mandu or something) and it's edible and it's not bubbling.

I