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How to Make Great Marinades




Source of Recipe


Excerpted from Brilliant Food Tips and Cooking Tricks, by David Joachim


Recipe Introduction


"Typically blends of an acid (such as vinegar), plus oil, salt, and seasonings, marinades are a terrific way to boost the flavor of food. The acid and salt tenderize tough fibers, while the oil acts as a flavor carrier."


To marinate successfully: Use a nonreactive container, such as one made of glass, ceramic, or even plastic. Avoid aluminum containers because the acid in your marinade will react with this metal and begin to corrode it, causing off flavors in the food. Also, always refrigerate foods while they marinate, and keep in mind that the larger the food, the longer its marinating time will be. If using the marinade for basting, avoid cross-contamination by setting aside a small amount of marinade before adding any raw meat, poultry, or fish to it. If you forget to do this, be sure to boil any used marinade for at least 5 minutes to kill harmful bacteria. Then, the leftover marinade can be used for basting. Or, you can boil it down to use as a sauce.

To help marinades penetrate more deeply. Prick the food with a skewer before adding to the marinade.

To avoid mushy marinated foods: Limit the amount of time that foods soak in the marinade. In general, foods with open-textured flesh, such as fish and seafood, need less than 45 minutes of soaking. Note that ingredients such as yogurt, papaya, pineapple, and kiwifruit tenderize by enzymatic action. If your marinade includes any of these, marinate no more than 30 minutes.

To avoid tough marinated foods: Go easy on the acid in the marinade, which can toughen the proteins in food.

To add flavor through marinating: You can add large amounts of highly flavored ingredients to marinades because only some of it will penetrate and flavor the food. For example, you can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped fresh herbs or just as much fresh grated ginger to about 1 cup of liquid. Don't forget to get creative, either: Fruits and fruit juices make wonderful marinade ingredients. Use lime juice, tangerine juice, pineapple juice, passion fruit juice, or tomato juice for the liquid in your marinade. Also add flavor with sour cherries, balsamic vinegar, or sliced carambola.