Knorrs beef base ingredients?

On Sat 06 May 2006 05:35:40p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Julia
Altshuler?

Quoted message said:

Once again, I'm afraid I'm failing in Basic Googling 101. Can anyone
tell me the ingredients in Knorrs beef base? I've finally figured out
that there's something in it (and probably other commericial bases) that
gives me a weird headache in my temples. I'd like to narrow down which
ingredient does it. I've been back and forth on whether it is MSG.
Sometimes I'm sure it is. Then I'll read information that makes me sure
it isn't.

From the package...

"Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Beef Fat, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil,
Yeast Extract, Caramel Color, Dehydrated Beef Stock, Dehydrated Vegetables
(Onion, Carrots, Parsley), Turmeric, Disodium Inosinate And Disodium
Guanylate, Spices."

Take you pick. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Julia Altshuler said:

Once again, I'm afraid I'm failing in Basic Googling 101. Can anyone
tell me the ingredients in Knorrs beef base? I've finally figured out
that there's something in it (and probably other commericial bases) that
gives me a weird headache in my temples. I'd like to narrow down which
ingredient does it. I've been back and forth on whether it is MSG.
Sometimes I'm sure it is. Then I'll read information that makes me sure
it isn't.

--Lia

Be aware that MSG masquerades under a variety of names. From a website
www.nomsg.com:

Food labels are arranged in descending order of ingredient
concentrations. The earlier an ingredient below appears on a label, the
higher the likelihood that the food contains MSG.

Definite Sources of MSG
autolyzed yeast
calcium caseinate
gelatin
hydrolyzed protein
sodium caseinate
yeast extract

Possible Sources of MSG
textured protein
carrageenan
vegetable gum
seasonings
spices
flavorings
natural flavorings
chicken flavoring
beef flavoring
pork flavoring
smoke flavoring
bouillon
broth
stock
barley malt
malt extract
malt flavoring
whey protein
whey protein isolate
whey protein concentrate
soy protein
soy protein isolate
soy protein concentrate
soy sauce
soy extract
--------

gloria p

Wayne Boatwright said:

From the package...

"Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Beef Fat, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil,
Yeast Extract, Caramel Color, Dehydrated Beef Stock, Dehydrated Vegetables
(Onion, Carrots, Parsley), Turmeric, Disodium Inosinate And Disodium
Guanylate, Spices."

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Now I'm thinking MSG,
Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, or Caramel color. I'm pretty
sure the others have never bothered me.

They were nice enough in the restaurant I just ate at to tell me that
they used Knorrs. They didn't go into why they put it in a dish that
was billed as chicken marsala.

--Lia

The one on this list that jumps out at me is the barley malt. I used it
as sweetner in baked goods back in my health food days. It was sold in
the macrobiotic section of the health food store, wasn't as sweet as
honey or maple syrup but had (has) a nice flavor. I have a jar in my
cupboard now. I love it but don't use it nearly enough.

--Lia

Puester said:

Be aware that MSG masquerades under a variety of names. From a website
www.nomsg.com:

Food labels are arranged in descending order of ingredient
concentrations. The earlier an ingredient below appears on a label, the
higher the likelihood that the food contains MSG.

Definite Sources of MSG
autolyzed yeast
calcium caseinate
gelatin
hydrolyzed protein
sodium caseinate
yeast extract

Possible Sources of MSG
textured protein
carrageenan
vegetable gum
seasonings
spices
flavorings
natural flavorings
chicken flavoring
beef flavoring
pork flavoring
smoke flavoring
bouillon
broth
stock
barley malt
malt extract
malt flavoring
whey protein
whey protein isolate
whey protein concentrate
soy protein
soy protein isolate
soy protein concentrate
soy sauce
soy extract
--------

gloria p

Julia Altshuler said:

Once again, I'm afraid I'm failing in Basic Googling 101. Can anyone
tell me the ingredients in Knorrs beef base? I've finally figured out
that there's something in it (and probably other commericial bases) that
gives me a weird headache in my temples.

Everything from Knorr is bound to have [censored] of MSG in it.

-sw

On Sat 06 May 2006 06:23:14p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Julia
Altshuler?

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

From the package...

"Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Beef Fat, Partially Hydrogenated
Cottonseed Oil, Yeast Extract, Caramel Color, Dehydrated Beef Stock,
Dehydrated Vegetables (Onion, Carrots, Parsley), Turmeric, Disodium
Inosinate And Disodium Guanylate, Spices."

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Now I'm thinking MSG,
Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, or Caramel color. I'm pretty
sure the others have never bothered me.

They were nice enough in the restaurant I just ate at to tell me that
they used Knorrs. They didn't go into why they put it in a dish that
was billed as chicken marsala.

I had never thought much about it because I don't seem to be affected by
these things, but I was astonished at what it contains.

'Hope you can isolate the problem. Headaches are not fun!

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

knorrs also does chicken boullion as well , they might have used that
in the marsala

tessa

Julia Altshuler said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

From the package...

"Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Beef Fat, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil,
Yeast Extract, Caramel Color, Dehydrated Beef Stock, Dehydrated Vegetables
(Onion, Carrots, Parsley), Turmeric, Disodium Inosinate And Disodium
Guanylate, Spices."

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Now I'm thinking MSG,
Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, or Caramel color. I'm pretty
sure the others have never bothered me.

They were nice enough in the restaurant I just ate at to tell me that
they used Knorrs. They didn't go into why they put it in a dish that
was billed as chicken marsala.

--Lia

Steve Wertz said:

Julia Altshuler said:

Once again, I'm afraid I'm failing in Basic Googling 101. Can anyone
tell me the ingredients in Knorrs beef base? I've finally figured out
that there's something in it (and probably other commericial bases) that
gives me a weird headache in my temples.

Everything from Knorr is bound to have [censored] of MSG in it.

It does. At least the stuff they make under license here does. Been into
their factory here once - the smell of MSG was overwhelming.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Steve Wertz said:

Everything from Knorr is bound to have [censored] of MSG in it.

Now that I've looked into it, it seems like everything from Knorr is
exclusively MSG and I can't figure out what else. Are there people who
actually like the taste of the stuff? It would be one thing if I liked
the flavor and just happened to have a reaction to it, but honestly, the
reaction isn't that bad. If I liked it, I'd put up with it, but the
taste is awful.

--Lia

On Sun 07 May 2006 06:44:10a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Julia
Altshuler?

Quoted message said:

Steve Wertz said:

Everything from Knorr is bound to have [censored] of MSG in it.

Now that I've looked into it, it seems like everything from Knorr is
exclusively MSG and I can't figure out what else. Are there people who
actually like the taste of the stuff? It would be one thing if I liked
the flavor and just happened to have a reaction to it, but honestly, the
reaction isn't that bad. If I liked it, I'd put up with it, but the
taste is awful.

Lia, a much better choice would be the Better Than Bouillon meat bases sold
in jars. The ingredients listed on the jars for beef or chicken are:

Meat & natural meat juices*, salt, cane sugar*, maltodextrin*, natural
flavor, dried onion*, potato starch*, dried garlic*, turmeric*, spice
extractives*. * = organic.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Chatty Cathy said:

It does. At least the stuff they make under license here does. Been into
their factory here once - the smell of MSG was overwhelming.

Interesting. I'd always thought of MSG as a flavor enhancer that, by
itself, had no more odor or flavor than salt. Then I thought I was
crazy when I could swear that I could taste MSG in a dish. I'm someone
who likes salt but doesn't like MSG. (At home, I cook with no salt. I
add it at the table. Jim never touches the stuff. I wouldn't say I use
as much salt as a smoker, but I do reach for the salt shaker several
times during a meal.) (I don't have high blood pressure, and no doctor
has ever told me to cut back on the salt.) Last night in the
restaurant, I almost swore I could SEE the MSG in the chicken marsala.

What does MSG smell like? Is it close to anything else?

--Lia

Wayne Boatwright said:

Lia, a much better choice would be the Better Than Bouillon meat bases sold
in jars. The ingredients listed on the jars for beef or chicken are:

Meat & natural meat juices*, salt, cane sugar*, maltodextrin*, natural
flavor, dried onion*, potato starch*, dried garlic*, turmeric*, spice
extractives*. * = organic.

Sounds good. Now if I can only convince the folks at the local Italian
and Greek restaurants to switch.

(At home, we make chicken stock from scratch and freeze it. I don't
make much that requires beef stock though I save the au jus from a roast
and use it on pasta or in a soup. I love it.)

--Lia

Wayne Boatwright said:

Lia, a much better choice would be the Better Than Bouillon meat bases sold
in jars. The ingredients listed on the jars for beef or chicken are:

Meat & natural meat juices*, salt, cane sugar*, maltodextrin*, natural
flavor, dried onion*, potato starch*, dried garlic*, turmeric*, spice
extractives*. * = organic.

Note that maltodextrin and "natural flavor" are often (usually)
used to introduce moderate amounts of MSG to the ingredients
without having to explicitly say "MSG" on the labels.

I don't think there's a bullion or soup stock/base out there with
some form of MSG in it.

-sw

"Steve Wertz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Wayne Boatwright said:

Lia, a much better choice would be the Better Than Bouillon meat bases

sold

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

in jars. The ingredients listed on the jars for beef or chicken are:

Meat & natural meat juices*, salt, cane sugar*, maltodextrin*, natural
flavor, dried onion*, potato starch*, dried garlic*, turmeric*, spice
extractives*. * = organic.

Note that maltodextrin and "natural flavor" are often (usually)
used to introduce moderate amounts of MSG to the ingredients
without having to explicitly say "MSG" on the labels.

I don't think there's a bullion or soup stock/base out there with
some form of MSG in it.

-sw

I buy some beef base from an online supplier and here's what is what it says
about the ingredients in their low sodium base... at least no added MSG.

"Ingredients: Roasted beef and natural beef juices, yeast extract,
maltodextrin, hydrolyzed (corn and wheat gluten, soy) protein, cornstarch,
carrots, flavor, dried whey, caramel color, paprika, disodium inosinate /
disodium guanylate, potato starch, and lactic acid. No added MSG (monosodium
glutamate), other than that which naturally occurs in the yeast extract and
hydrolyzed proteins."

Chris in Pearland, TX

Chris Marksberry said:

Quoted message said:

I don't think there's a bullion or soup stock/base out there with
some form of MSG in it.

Quoted message said:

I buy some beef base from an online supplier and here's what is what it says
about the ingredients in their low sodium base... at least no added MSG.

"Ingredients: Roasted beef and natural beef juices, yeast extract,

MSG.

Quoted message said:

maltodextrin,

Often contains MSG

Quoted message said:

hydrolyzed (corn and wheat gluten, soy) protein,

MSG

Quoted message said:

No added MSG (monosodium
glutamate), other than that which naturally occurs in the yeast extract and
hydrolyzed proteins."

The only reason to add hydrolized vegetable protein and yeast
extract is for their MSG. This is just a conveneient way for
manufacturers to advertise their product as "No MSG Added", while
pumping loads of MSG into the product.

Here's 1.4 million articles on the subject if you care to check
it out ;-)

<http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=MSG+hidden+sources&btnG=Search>

-sw

Julia Altshuler wrote:

<snipped to save (some) space>

Quoted message said:

What does MSG smell like? Is it close to anything else?

Can't really explain what it smells like... but I don't have to read the
label to know that a product contains MSG. We get something here (made
locally under license) called Knorr Aromat Seasoning - basically it's a
"flavour enhancer". We don't buy the stuff, but many people love it. It
contains high levels of MSG, tastes very salty and has a few other
spices, garlic, yeast extract, some sort of dried vegetables and some
fat/oil. I did some googling and couldn't find much on the exact
ingredients and amounts thereof used in the South African product -
other than being able to order it on ebay!

I did find this though:

http://www.germandeli.com/048001704015.html

The ingredients they list seem close enough to our local brand.

Dunno if you can buy it where you are? If you do, smell that and you
will know what I mean.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Steve Wertz said:

Note that maltodextrin and "natural flavor" are often (usually)
used to introduce moderate amounts of MSG to the ingredients
without having to explicitly say "MSG" on the labels.

I don't think there's a bullion or soup stock/base out there with
some form of MSG in it.

(Assuming you meant "without" some form of MSG.) There's an interesting
question buried in here. Why not? With all the people complaining
about MSG, and with all the people (including restaurant owners) who
think making stock from scratch is a pain in the neck, why hasn't some
enterprising company made a good bullion or stock base and packaged it?
I used to buy chicken stock frozen at an Italian grocery/deli in North
Miami. It was great! They made it from vegetables, chicken and chicken
bones in giant stock pots and sold it in quart size plastic containers.
If such a thing existed here, I'd buy it. (Or rather, I do make
chicken stock at home so I'd really want the restaurant owners to buy it.)

--Lia

"Julia Altshuler" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Steve Wertz said:

Note that maltodextrin and "natural flavor" are often (usually)
used to introduce moderate amounts of MSG to the ingredients
without having to explicitly say "MSG" on the labels.

I don't think there's a bullion or soup stock/base out there with
some form of MSG in it.

(Assuming you meant "without" some form of MSG.) There's an interesting
question buried in here. Why not? With all the people complaining about
MSG, and with all the people (including restaurant owners) who think
making stock from scratch is a pain in the neck, why hasn't some
enterprising company made a good bullion or stock base and packaged it? I
used to buy chicken stock frozen at an Italian grocery/deli in North
Miami. It was great! They made it from vegetables, chicken and chicken
bones in giant stock pots and sold it in quart size plastic containers. If
such a thing existed here, I'd buy it. (Or rather, I do make chicken
stock at home so I'd really want the restaurant owners to buy it.)

--Lia

I've been using this brand for years.
http://www.superiortouch.com/btb.htm
It is not in cubes. Just take out in a spoon whatever you need; it is the
consistency of a marmite. You can use it for a cup of broth and it's
delicious. Delightful, lovely, I cannot say enough good about it.
Dee Dee

Dee Randall said:

I've been using this brand for years.
http://www.superiortouch.com/btb.htm
It is not in cubes. Just take out in a spoon whatever you need; it is the
consistency of a marmite. You can use it for a cup of broth and it's
delicious. Delightful, lovely, I cannot say enough good about it.

Thanks. I'll have to check it out. I'm also getting a delicious,
wicked, vision of going into the restaurant I ate at Friday night and
presenting them with a jar.

(I ordered the chicken marsala. It had to have been made entirely from
an MSG based base with no marsala wine. I ate sparingly, really only
had a few bites, got my slight weird headache anyway, and didn't want to
complain as the waitress was so friendly and nice. I couldn't see that
it was kitchen's fault that I didn't happen to like the dish. I did ask
the waitress, as neutrally as possible, if she'd find out the brand name
of the soup base used in the sauce. When she came back, she said the
chef said that it was Knorr's and that he said that it's the best
available. To further make sure I wasn't insulting anyone (and I find
this part amusing), I acquiesced when she offered to package my uneaten
dinner, took home the styro container, and threw it away here.)

--Lia