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Making Dinty Moore taste good again
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Tim May
Dec 6, 2011, 11:44:52 PM12/6/11
to
I've recently been putting MSG in my Dinty Moore stew. It takes what
had become bland and tasteless and returns it to what I remember from
30-40 years ago.
(For years I've generally avoided Dinty Moore. The meat seemed
"gnarstier" than I remembered it being. I though either the ingredients
had changed or my tastes had changed. But sometimes I'd buy a can or
two. Some red chili flakes and pepper helped. But not enough.)
About a year ago I got some Accent, the U.S. version of Aji-No-Moto MSG
(made under license). I experimented with it in soups, my own Chinese
food, on popcorn, on hamburgers, in lots of places. Obviously, I don't
have a "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" reaction. (Apparently the
Wikipedia and other sources also have a hard time finding those who
react to MSG. I expect at least _three_ people here will chime in that
yes, they get headaches after consuming MSG. I remain skeptical.
Well, via Amazon I bought a case of Aji-No-Moto shakers, and also a
2-pound bulk jar. A lot less expensive than Accent. This is more what
restaurants buy. (In Asia, MSG is on most tables.)
So I was watching "Shooter," with Mark Wahlberg, about a sniper. I've
seen in several times. In one scene, he shoots a can of Dinty Moore
stew. So, not having eaten all day, I got a sudden craving for Dinty
Moore. Which I happen to have most of a case of, as part of my rainy
day supplies.
I did an experiment. I ate a few bites. Bland, a real decline from my
apparent memories as a teenager. Then I sprinkled on some MSG, some of
the Aji-No-Moto I bought via Amazon. (The American brand is Accent, and
is more expensive, even through Amazon.)
Wow! It tasted delicious, again! I sprinkled on more.
(If you have a reaction to MSG, the so-called, rumored "Chinese
Restaurant Syndrome," you should of course not do this. But you should
also then volunteer yourself for study, as, paradoxically, no real
subjects have been identified who can be said to have "CRS." It appears
to be almost totally a self-hypnosis kind of myth.)
My conjecture is that one of the reasons we think a lot of modern food
is less tasty than we remember it has been the purging of MSG from
inexpensive foods. Expensive foods, of course, have the "natural"
glutamates that come from expensive ingredients prepared in expensive
ways.
My strong hunch is that a few cents' worth of MSG equals 10 bucks'
worth of porcini mushrooms and the like.
Kind of like the crapola about special versions of NaCl. "But the
sodium atoms in our form of sea salt are harvested by gentle scraping
of saltwater that has dried on the thighs of Tahitian virgins who dry
it on their beaches. This is why we at Whole Foods sell our "Tahitian
Maiden Sea Salt Flakes" for $62 a pound. If you cannot afford this,
perhaps you are not a Whole Foods sort of customer. Have a nice day."
(I keep kosher salt around, for the larger grain size. But not because
it is chemically different, and of course not because some Jew shyster
rabbi has waved his magic wand over the production tanks and blessed it
as kosher.)
--
Tim May
had become bland and tasteless and returns it to what I remember from
30-40 years ago.
(For years I've generally avoided Dinty Moore. The meat seemed
"gnarstier" than I remembered it being. I though either the ingredients
had changed or my tastes had changed. But sometimes I'd buy a can or
two. Some red chili flakes and pepper helped. But not enough.)
About a year ago I got some Accent, the U.S. version of Aji-No-Moto MSG
(made under license). I experimented with it in soups, my own Chinese
food, on popcorn, on hamburgers, in lots of places. Obviously, I don't
have a "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" reaction. (Apparently the
Wikipedia and other sources also have a hard time finding those who
react to MSG. I expect at least _three_ people here will chime in that
yes, they get headaches after consuming MSG. I remain skeptical.
Well, via Amazon I bought a case of Aji-No-Moto shakers, and also a
2-pound bulk jar. A lot less expensive than Accent. This is more what
restaurants buy. (In Asia, MSG is on most tables.)
So I was watching "Shooter," with Mark Wahlberg, about a sniper. I've
seen in several times. In one scene, he shoots a can of Dinty Moore
stew. So, not having eaten all day, I got a sudden craving for Dinty
Moore. Which I happen to have most of a case of, as part of my rainy
day supplies.
I did an experiment. I ate a few bites. Bland, a real decline from my
apparent memories as a teenager. Then I sprinkled on some MSG, some of
the Aji-No-Moto I bought via Amazon. (The American brand is Accent, and
is more expensive, even through Amazon.)
Wow! It tasted delicious, again! I sprinkled on more.
(If you have a reaction to MSG, the so-called, rumored "Chinese
Restaurant Syndrome," you should of course not do this. But you should
also then volunteer yourself for study, as, paradoxically, no real
subjects have been identified who can be said to have "CRS." It appears
to be almost totally a self-hypnosis kind of myth.)
My conjecture is that one of the reasons we think a lot of modern food
is less tasty than we remember it has been the purging of MSG from
inexpensive foods. Expensive foods, of course, have the "natural"
glutamates that come from expensive ingredients prepared in expensive
ways.
My strong hunch is that a few cents' worth of MSG equals 10 bucks'
worth of porcini mushrooms and the like.
Kind of like the crapola about special versions of NaCl. "But the
sodium atoms in our form of sea salt are harvested by gentle scraping
of saltwater that has dried on the thighs of Tahitian virgins who dry
it on their beaches. This is why we at Whole Foods sell our "Tahitian
Maiden Sea Salt Flakes" for $62 a pound. If you cannot afford this,
perhaps you are not a Whole Foods sort of customer. Have a nice day."
(I keep kosher salt around, for the larger grain size. But not because
it is chemically different, and of course not because some Jew shyster
rabbi has waved his magic wand over the production tanks and blessed it
as kosher.)
--
Tim May
Steve Pope
Dec 7, 2011, 12:24:16 AM12/7/11
to
Tim May <tc...@att.net> wrote:
>I've recently been putting MSG in my Dinty Moore stew. It takes what
>had become bland and tasteless and returns it to what I remember from
>30-40 years ago.
>(For years I've generally avoided Dinty Moore. The meat seemed
>"gnarstier" than I remembered it being. I though either the ingredients
>had changed or my tastes had changed. But sometimes I'd buy a can or
>two. Some red chili flakes and pepper helped. But not enough.)
A man who onced worked in a Dinty Moore stew cannery in the Central
>I've recently been putting MSG in my Dinty Moore stew. It takes what
>had become bland and tasteless and returns it to what I remember from
>30-40 years ago.
>(For years I've generally avoided Dinty Moore. The meat seemed
>"gnarstier" than I remembered it being. I though either the ingredients
>had changed or my tastes had changed. But sometimes I'd buy a can or
>two. Some red chili flakes and pepper helped. But not enough.)
Valley told me that the stew was produced using large cans of
stew meat from Argentina. I can't remember the exact details
but the mental image I retained from the conversation was of a canning
line in which a line of 10-pounds cans of Argentine meat went in
one end, a large hopper of other ingredients was positioned overhead,
and a line of cans of Dinty Moore stew came out the other end.
Assuming things were humming along normally, which they didn't always.
This is not to imply anything about whether the meat was "gnarsty".
Actually I don't know for sure if any part of the story is true.
(I have sometimes bought fresh Argentine beef in the grocery stores,
and found it a little lacking, about the same level as Safeway
"good" beef.)
Steve
Tim May
Dec 7, 2011, 1:34:17 AM12/7/11
to
On 2011-12-06 21:24:16 -0800, Steve Pope said:
>
> A man who onced worked in a Dinty Moore stew cannery in the Central
> Valley told me that the stew was produced using large cans of
> stew meat from Argentina. I can't remember the exact details
> but the mental image I retained from the conversation was of a canning
> line in which a line of 10-pounds cans of Argentine meat went in
> one end, a large hopper of other ingredients was positioned overhead,
> and a line of cans of Dinty Moore stew came out the other end.
> Assuming things were humming along normally, which they didn't always.
>
> This is not to imply anything about whether the meat was "gnarsty".
> Actually I don't know for sure if any part of the story is true.
> (I have sometimes bought fresh Argentine beef in the grocery stores,
> and found it a little lacking, about the same level as Safeway
> "good" beef.)
And we enlightened foodies (including myself is a bit of humor) now
>
> A man who onced worked in a Dinty Moore stew cannery in the Central
> Valley told me that the stew was produced using large cans of
> stew meat from Argentina. I can't remember the exact details
> but the mental image I retained from the conversation was of a canning
> line in which a line of 10-pounds cans of Argentine meat went in
> one end, a large hopper of other ingredients was positioned overhead,
> and a line of cans of Dinty Moore stew came out the other end.
> Assuming things were humming along normally, which they didn't always.
>
> This is not to imply anything about whether the meat was "gnarsty".
> Actually I don't know for sure if any part of the story is true.
> (I have sometimes bought fresh Argentine beef in the grocery stores,
> and found it a little lacking, about the same level as Safeway
> "good" beef.)
appreciate the "use the whole animal" sensibility. "Snout to tail" is
only one part of it, offal is another, and finding ways to make the
less choice parts of an animal into tasty dishes is probably the most
important part.
So, stews, soups, meatloaf, etc. are all part of the overall picture.
The big chunks of beef in Dinty Moore are not nasty-tasting, just kind
of "soft and mealy." Which comes from their long, slow cooking to break
down the collagens, etc. (Cue Alton Brown.)
What I found is that the bland taste was rectified just by dumping in
some MSG. Something that used to be common in the U.S., is still common
in many parts of the world.
I'd love to be able to track down some history of when the
makers--Armour, Libby, Hormel, whichever--decided to yield to the
drumbeat of the "No MSG!" crowd and remove a lot of the MSG.
Other heavy users of MSG, like the addicting Doritos chips, have not
yet removed their MSG. Though they hide the issue with a list of
ingredients that screams out "MSG!"
As all umami fans here know about, various other names in the
ingredients list signal the appearance of glutamic acid even if the
label says that no MSG was specifically added. Names like "hydrolized
vegetable" and any mention of soy sauce, fish sauced, Worcestershire
sauce, dried mushrooms, and a dozen other such names means a variant of
umami was added. Many of the pan reductions of sauces and "bottom bits"
are essentially concentrating the glutamates. I have a book called
"Umami." I bought a few of them on the remainder table to give out to
my friends. The authors talk about all of this, but then claim that the
pure crystal form of glutamic acid, MSG in the form of Aji-No-Moto or
Accent, is "not as good as" the more nuanced varieties in nori,
poricini mushrooms, a well-seared steak, certain bread crusts, certain
beers, etc. Yeah, I can believe the MSG in these things is then
mixed-in with other variants of the molecule, other subtle tastes, etc.
But the issue is that should one eat a $1.50 can of Dinty Moore with no
MSG or with the addition of some crystalline MSG, not whether one
should throw in $4 worth of dried porcini mushrooms or $2 worth of
grated parmesano reggiano, a source of MSG that is so strong that
crystals of MSG appear in the cheese. Go check it out. A big reason
it's so popular in soups and salads and sprinkled on vegetables is that
it's essentially MSG carried in a cheese.
--
Tim May
Julian Macassey
Dec 7, 2011, 1:45:40 AM12/7/11
to
On Tue, 6 Dec 2011 20:44:52 -0800, Tim May <tc...@att.net> wrote:
>
> Kind of like the crapola about special versions of NaCl. "But the
> sodium atoms in our form of sea salt are harvested by gentle scraping
> of saltwater that has dried on the thighs of Tahitian virgins who dry
> it on their beaches. This is why we at Whole Foods sell our "Tahitian
> Maiden Sea Salt Flakes" for $62 a pound. If you cannot afford this,
> perhaps you are not a Whole Foods sort of customer. Have a nice day."
>
> (I keep kosher salt around, for the larger grain size. But not because
> it is chemically different, and of course not because some Jew shyster
> rabbi has waved his magic wand over the production tanks and blessed it
> as kosher.)
I like to use the larger grain salt around for cooking
>
> Kind of like the crapola about special versions of NaCl. "But the
> sodium atoms in our form of sea salt are harvested by gentle scraping
> of saltwater that has dried on the thighs of Tahitian virgins who dry
> it on their beaches. This is why we at Whole Foods sell our "Tahitian
> Maiden Sea Salt Flakes" for $62 a pound. If you cannot afford this,
> perhaps you are not a Whole Foods sort of customer. Have a nice day."
>
> (I keep kosher salt around, for the larger grain size. But not because
> it is chemically different, and of course not because some Jew shyster
> rabbi has waved his magic wand over the production tanks and blessed it
> as kosher.)
and table use. I have some fine salt for baking.
In France you can buy greyish sea salt for about one Euro
a kilo. I see such salt here for about $10 a quarter pound. It
must be transported here by virgins.
Mexican large grain sea salt is about $1 a pound. Maybe
there are no virgins left in Mexico.
As for MSG, I have eaten four ounces straight with no
problems.
--
It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through
disobedience and through rebellion. - Oscar Wilde
pfraser
Dec 7, 2011, 6:41:10 AM12/7/11
to
Tim May wrote:
>
> What I found is that the bland taste was rectified just by dumping in
> some MSG. Something that used to be common in the U.S., is still common
> in many parts of the world.
I experimented with MSG after my accident.
>
> What I found is that the bland taste was rectified just by dumping in
> some MSG. Something that used to be common in the U.S., is still common
> in many parts of the world.
I found it sometimes helped the flavor, but had a nasty aftertaste.
> I have a book called
> "Umami." I bought a few of them on the remainder table to give out to my
> friends. The authors talk about all of this, but then claim that the
> pure crystal form of glutamic acid, MSG in the form of Aji-No-Moto or
> Accent, is "not as good as" the more nuanced varieties in nori, poricini
> mushrooms, a well-seared steak, certain bread crusts, certain beers,
> etc. Yeah, I can believe the MSG in these things is then mixed-in with
> other variants of the molecule, other subtle tastes, etc.
porcini, anchovies, black olives and balsamic vinegar. It comes in
tubes, and ends up costing a little under $50 / pound. Before you
express your ire at my squandering my retirement nest-egg, I should
point out that a little goes a long way, and I can get the desired
effect for < 5c / dish.
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