Although marinades sometimes require advance planning, they're easy to throw together with on-hand ingredients, they increase the flavor of food and can tenderize it, too.
Many folks depend on these simple blends to boost the taste of meats and poultry before grilling. But marinades are so versatile, you can use them on fish, seafood and vegetables as well as foods that are broiled in the oven or cooked on the stovetop.
Mixing 'Em Up
Marinades usually consist of oil, an acidic ingredient and various herbs, spices and seasonings. Oil adds moisture and helps distribute flavors while the acid acts as a tenderizing agent on meats by breaking down the fibers. Common acidic ingredients are vinegar, wine, yogurt, and pineapple, lime, orange and lemon juices.
Helpful Tips:
- It's best to marinate foods in heavy-duty plastic bags or glass dishes. The acid in the marinade can react with aluminum pans, altering the flavor of the food and discoloring the pan.
- A general guide is 1 cup of marinade per pound of meat when marinated in a heavy-duty plastic bag and 2 cups per pound of meat marinated in a flat dish.
- The marinade should completely cover the food. If there isn't enough marinade to cover it, turn the food occasionally to ensure even distribution of flavors.
The advantages of marinating in a plastic bag are that less marinade is needed, the bag can be turned over easily to distribute the marinade, and when you're done, the bag can simply be thrown away.
Time to Tenderize
Marinating times depend on the type of food and the amount of flavor you want.
- Delicate seafood and tender cuts of meat pick up great flavor when marinated from 15 minutes to 2 hours.
- Less tender cuts can be marinated from 6 hours to overnight. (Marinating longer than 24 hours is not recommended because it can cause the surface of the meat to become mushy.)
- To help tenderize meat and to increase flavor, cut meat into serving-size pieces before marinating so it will absorb more of the marinade.
Although a marinade can help tenderize meat, it will not turn a tough cut of meat into a tender one. (A better way to tenderize a tough cut of meat is by cooking it with moist heat, such as braising or slow cooking, then slicing it across the grain.)
And don't forget--foods should be covered and refrigerated while they're marinating.
Tips for Basting
Here are some ways to make the most of your marinade.
- Consider reserving a portion of it before adding it to the meat to serve as a sauce with the food. Or double the marinade recipe and reserve half of it for basting, then discard the amount used to marinate the food.
- If you'd rather not discard the marinade after draining it from the uncooked meat, put it in a saucepan and bring it to a full rolling boil for 1 minute before using it to baste the food. This will ensure that it's food-safe.
- Before basting meats, first cook the food on one side for 5 minutes. Then turn and baste on the cooked side of the meat to prevent cross-contamination from raw meat to the marinade.
- If the food can't be turned on the grill (because it's too delicate or too large, for example), simply spoon the marinade or basting sauce over it.
When cooking foods that have been marinated in a sugary mixture, keep a close eye on them. The high sugar content will cause them to brown (and burn) more quickly, especially when grilling.
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