Like salt when cooking. Start with a small amount because if you use too much, it’s noticeable. Use in conjunction with salt. Try 1/2 msg and 1/2 salt for the amount of salt called for in a recipe.
That’s dependant on how much food you are making. You only need a couple pinches of MSG in most dishes. It’s not a salt substitute, so you can’t replace salt with it, but you can use a touch less salt since the MSG enhances the salt flavor.
I would like to clarify, I was thinking of a non-Asian usage, e.g., 6-8 quarts of chicken stock, vegan jambalaya for 10 people, tomato sauce, beef stew, etc. I wasn’t talking about a stir-fry.
I’m also a “taste as you cook” person, and rarely season these types of dishes until near the end of the cooking process, then adding small amounts of salt and/or msg until it tastes right.
If you have better advice on using msg in cooking, please let @President_Mochi know.
I like La Morena brand. Years ago, Saveur recommended some brands, and La Morena was my fave.
A cheat bbq sauce is a dry rub on pork ribs, slow cooked in oven for 2-3 hours, and then chipotle sauce (blended up in mini-blender) rubbed over ribs before you throw on grill.
Also, cheat sauce for chilaquiles. And throw some in homemade mayo!
All soups/stews. I made something a few years ago that was okay but not great. Added some salt and it was better but still a bit ho-hum. A couple of tablespoons of fish sauce and it was really, really good.