These Are The Best Ways To Use Trader Joe's Umami Seasoning

Although the concept of the umami flavor was put into words by Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda in the early twentieth century, umami's popularity is fairly recent, as The New Yorker reports. The New Yorker explains that umami is the "fifth taste" which, alongside salty, sour, sweet, and bitter, completes the five basic tastes that humans can perceive. Umami gets its name from "umai," the Japanese word for delicious. It is no surprise then that umami is considered to be a magical flavor of sorts, responsible for some of the world's most delicious foods! 

According to Trader Joe's, umami has a "pleasant savory taste." Their umami seasoning blend uses porcini and white button mushrooms as its base which gives the seasoning an earthy mushroom flavor, along with onion, mustard seeds, and other spices like thyme and red and black pepper. However, if you're guilty of purchasing Trader Joe's umami seasoning blend on a whim after hearing somebody rave about it, but can't figure out what to do with it now, there are a bunch of ways to use it.

If you listen to Trader Joe's, they will tell you that their umami seasoning works best on literally anything. That might not be too far from the truth. Real Simple says that sprinkling it on top of your morning avocado toast and tossing your popcorn in it are only a few ways to use the versatile seasoning. According to Pocket, swapping salt for Trader Joe's umami seasoning in your everyday eggs will add heaps of flavor. They also suggest sprinkling umami seasoning over roasted veggies and using it to season chicken, since the mushroom and spices in the seasoning pairs particularly well with poultry.

Another creative way to make the most of Trader Joe's umami seasoning is by using it to make compound butter. Soften your butter till it is at room temperature, then add the umami seasoning. Pocket suggests three shakes of seasoning for half a stick of butter. Mix the butter and the seasoning together, roll it into a cylindrical shape using cling film, and refrigerate it till it hardens. When it's ready, you can take a slice of your umami butter to roast potatoes and vegetables, sear steak, or really, upgrade just about any dish to give it a punch of flavor! Insider suggests that when making roast chicken, rubbing the umami butter over and under the chicken skin works excellently. The drippings from the roasting chicken will also make for a wonderful gravy.