April 25, 2010

Tips, Tidbits & Tricks: Marinating

Break out the charcoal! It's warm enough to grill (or bake, broil, etc. in the house). Check out these tips about marinating.

- Marinades should be a balance of oil, acid and spices or other flavorings.

- If using wine in your marinade, use red rather than white. Red helps preserve the tenderness of the meat.

- Cut of meat particularly tough? Tenderize it with pineapple juice, which has powerful enzymes that break down proteins in meat.

- Use a syringe to pump meat full of flavor--- the marinade works from the inside out and prep time can be shortened.

- Don’t skimp on the vinegar! It breaks down the meat’s connective tissue and protects against putrefaction.

- To cut potentially cancer-causing hetrocyclic amines (HCAs), marinate food in an acidic marinade. The acid can reduce HCAs as much as 99% according to the American Cancer Research Institute.

- Marinades aren’t just for proteins. Mix up a tasty batch for your favorite veggies. Marinate for 15-30 minutes before cooking.

- For easy mixing and marinating, put all your ingredients in a Ziplock bag, close, and shake! Then just add the meat or veggies to the bag for a delicious dish with minimal clean-up.

- Marinades that include a high percentage of salt help increase juiciness (combines the benefits of marinating and brining).

- Sugars help food brown during cooking which further develops flavor. Try honey or brown sugar.

Marinade recipes:
Ginger-Sesame Marinade

1 comment:

  1. What a beautiful Spring picture of your house. Bet someone cool took that.

    ReplyDelete