From the Test Kitchen: Demystifying Marinades

Posted by Emma Feigenbaum

A few nights ago, I fired up the grill to cook some snapper and whisked together a quick marinade with some olive oil, lemon juice, lemon thyme, salt, and pepper. I realized it's almost second nature for me to drop a piece of fish or meat into a flavorful marinade, like this tangy one that pairs well with lamb. So little work and such delicious results!

I get a lot of questions about why or when to marinate. Does it make a difference in the texture of the meat or fish? How long should I marinate? Is it safe? At room temperature or in the refrigerator? With what?

I've always been skeptical about the magical powers of the marinade. It's sometimes sold as a cure-all to all your barbecue woes. "Tough cut of meat? Just throw it in a marinade!" "Tornado on the way? Marinade!"

Well…maybe not that last one, but you get my point. There's a lot of mystery involved in the whole thing for a lot of people and I'm going to get to the bottom of it.

First, let's deal with the two pronunciations. Some people say "mare-i-nade," and some people say "mare-i-nahd." What say you? I usually say "mar-i-nade" -- what can I say, that's how it rolls of my tongue. No judgment here.

Second, what is a marinade? It's generally a combination of an acid such as citrus juice, vinegar, or wine (to tenderize), and an oil such as olive oil, vegetable oil, or, dare I say, bacon fat (to moisturize). There are a few exceptions, such as a yogurt marinade in which the yogurt is acidic enough that no additional acid or fat is necessary. Or a seasoning, with all the herbs (tarragon, basil, chives, parsley, etc.) and spices (cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, more, more, more!) under the sun. And never forget there must be salt. Without it, you're sunk -- the right amount really brings the flavor out of not only the meat, but also all of the other spices and herbs.

Before placing the meat in the marinade, give a taste so you can correct the seasonings -- that's how you'll know if it needs more salt or pepper or herbs.

In the Everyday Food test kitchen, we recommend marinating food in a shallow, nonreactive dish -- that means glass or enameled ceramic but not metal or porous plastic -- so that you can coat the food evenly with marinade (without having to make too much). For longer marinades, we suggest using a resealable plastic bag (put it on a plate in case it leaks, though -- save yourself the cleanup). Make sure if you're marinating overnight to turn the bag over at least once to distribute the marinade, too, so the flavor really penetrates.

I've never found that marinating makes a huge difference in the texture of large cuts of meat (except for yogurt marinades, which, when left on meat such as chicken or lamb, can do wonders) but a quick soak in a marinade can greatly improve the flavor of even the most mundane meat or seafood. For beef, chicken, or lamb, 30 minutes will do the trick at room temperature, with a strong flavored marinade (if they have garlic, chiles, soy sauce, or other pungent ingredients), but herb-based marinades can usually be left on for longer, and often overnight (refrigerated, of course!). Be more conservative with seafood; you don't want to marinate it for very long, or you'll end up with ceviche (the acid in the marinade will cook the fish).

Here are some of my favorite Everyday Food recipes that use marinades:

Salmon with Indian Spices
Pork Chops
Favorite Flank Steak

Comments

[Sylvia]

That's kind of funny as I just posted in frustration on this very issue:

http://www.foodbuzz.com/blogs/es/spain/449654-lean-pork-roast-too-dry

(I'm not too crazy about how foodbuzz does blog posts, seems like I had to really search just to find my own!)

[Chuck]

There's nothing better than a good marinade. A very informative post. Thank you!

[Steve]

Great idea for a post. I was of the same impression of most people until recently. I always thought mare-i-nading :) had to take a long time, therefore I usually dismissed it as not having prepared. I recently was recommended an easy marinade for flank steak that contained lime juice, cliantro and jalapenos. It was awesome and only took about 30 minutes. Changed me into a marinading man!