The Dollar Tree Seasoning Shoppers Prefer Over The Name Brand

Dollar Tree is a low-price haven for candy lovers and snack fiends. However, the discount store also carries a treasure trove of aromatic spices for households that like to cook from scratch. One such item is the seasoning salt from Supreme Tradition, which some shoppers actually prefer over the name-brand Lawry's.

In a Reddit thread discussing the flavor of the $1.50 product, the original poster said "Yall DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS It EASILY crushes Lawry's and taste a lot better especially in French fries or burgers." Several follow-up comments stated that it's likely the MSG in the ingredients list that lends the affordable seasoning its yummy quality, with one Redditor even joking that "MSG stands for Makes Stuff Good."

Lawry's seasoned salt is a mixture of salt, sugar, spices (including paprika, celery seed, and turmeric), onion, cornstarch, garlic, and an anti-caking agent to stop it from clumping in the jar. Meanwhile, Supreme Tradition's version contains almost the same ingredients, including identical spices, such as paprika , onion, garlic, and celery. The key difference is the presence of MSG and artificial colors. While you can easily make a copycat Dollar Tree seasoned salt at home (which will give you the flexibility to customize your blend with extra paprika or less garlic, for instance), a ready-made bottle is super-convenient and affordable.

MSG stands for monosodium glutamate and is a common flavor enhancer found in many convenience foods. Lauded for its ability to lend dishes an umami or intensely savory quality, it looks very similar to regular salt — but has a shinier crystalline granules — and is made via the fermentation of plant-based ingredients, like sugar beets or corn. The presence of MSG elevates the flavor of Dollar Tree's seasoning salt because it gives fries, popcorn, fried eggs, and more a rounded character, warming color, and moreish personality in seconds. That said, some brands like Lawry's purposefully make mention of avoiding MSG (there was a misleading and xenophobic stigma around MSG for many years, which wrongfully attributed symptoms like headache and dizziness to ingesting the flavor enhancer).

There are over 20 more spices from Supreme Tradition available at Dollar Tree, such as ground cayenne, paprika, and garlic powder, in addition to spice mixes, like Italian seasoning and lemon pepper, which combine several herbs and spices in one handy blend. Haven't got the pantry space for more spices? A clever Dollar Tree hack for getting extra spice storage is to repurpose the store's affordable wire mesh desk organizers. Simply glue some magnets onto the back and stick the organizers onto your fridge for plenty more accessible space to store your yummy seasoning salt.