The Salt+MSG Founder's Tin
A true 1:1 swap for salt, perfectly balanced with MSG
Kenji—curious chef and award winning author—is known for using science to make everyday cooking a little bit better.
After several years in the test kitchen, he perfected a precise blend of salt and msg that adds savory flavor to all your favorite foods. This simple tin is not magic, it's BADOP!
Put it on everything. Swap your salt and keep your recipes. Just add while cooking.
This is the Founder's Tin, our very first batch, made for early MSG believers. We packed an extra-large tin with 8.5 ounces of Salt+MSG, and every purchase gets you 5% off all orders for one year.
Go make something good.
BADOP! blends MSG + Salt at the ideal ratio. A true 1:1 swap for salt perfected by Kenji.
BADOP! by J. Kenji López-Alt is a blend of kosher salt and pure monosodium glutamate (MSG), optimized for everyday cooking. It’s a true 1:1 replacement for salt that delivers more savory, deeper flavor with less sodium.
Kosher Salt + Monosodium Glutamate (produced via natural fermentation). That’s it.
Kenji designed BADOP! to use while you cook, just like regular salt. Marinate, season, finish, and build flavor from the ground up. It works great as a finisher too!
No new techniques are required. If your recipe calls for a teaspoon of salt, use a teaspoon of BADOP! instead. BADOP! makes everything taste better.
Keep it dry and keep it close. Your kitchen countertop works great. Our tin is shelf-stable, and BADOP! is just salt + MSG, so it’s not going to expire before you eat it all anyway.
Yes to both. BADOP! is vegan, gluten-free, and calorie-free.
Serving size: 1/4 tsp (1.2g) • Servings per container: About 95
Calories: 0 • Total Fat: 0g • Sodium: 440mg (19% DV) • Total Carb: 0g • Protein: 0g
Not a significant source of saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, dietary fiber, total sugars, added sugars, vitamin D, calcium, iron, or potassium.
Monosodium glutamate is just the salt form of glutamic acid, which is the most naturally abundant amino acid on the planet. Glutamate activates the savory, umami receptors on your tongue, making any food more satisfying and satiating. It’s produced through a natural fermentation process, the same way soy sauce, vinegar, and yogurt are made. No mystery, no weird additives.
Yes. BADOP! contains about two-thirds less sodium than ordinary table salt per serving, thanks to MSG. MSG activates your umami receptors, delivering more taste with less total sodium per serving.
MSG = sodium + glutamic acid.
When MSG touches water or your tongue, it immediately separates into:
- Free glutamate (glutamic acid)
- Sodium ions
That’s it.
The sodium part just tastes salty.
The glutamate part is what creates umami.
So, the active component in MSG is free glutamic acid, and free glutamic acid is identical to the free glutamate naturally present in kombu, tomatoes, parmesan, soy sauce, mushrooms, etc.
The key point is your body cannot tell the difference between:
- Free glutamate from kombu
- Free glutamate from tomato
- Free glutamate from parmesan
- free glutamate from MSG (Ajinomoto, BADOP!, etc.)
Chemically, they are the exact same molecule. There is zero structural difference.
Kenji is one of the world’s foremost experts in culinary science. We partnered with him to dial in the ideal salt-to-MSG ratio so every pinch enhances the natural savoriness of the food you cook.
For any questions not covered above, please visit our FAQ or email support@badop.co
with 2 tins
Precise ratios. Nothing extra.
Blended & packed domestically.