Tips To Great Marinades

What’s the secret to a great marinade? Melanie Barnard, author of “Marinades” (HarperPerennial), provides these tips:

The word “marinade” is derived from the Latin or Italian “marinara,” meaning “of the sea.” Like seawater, the original marinades were briny solutions meant to tenderize, preserve and flavor foods. Today, refrigeration and high product quality have eliminated the tenderizing and preserving needs, but marinating continues to be the most effective way to add flavor and character to food.

A liquid marinade is composed of an acid, an oil and some seasoning. The acid, which allows the marinade to permeate the food, might be vinegar, citrus juice, tomatoes or wine. The oil acts both as a protector for the surface of the food and as a carrier for the seasonings. The seasonings are often whole or ground spices, fresh or dried herbs.

Because acids react with metal, be sure to marinate your food in glass or crockery dishes or in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags.

Refrigerate all foods that are marinating longer than 15 minutes.

If you plan to use part of the marinade as a table sauce, reserve and set it aside at the beginning of the recipe before adding the poultry, meat or seafood.

Marinades that have been in contact with raw meat, poultry or seafood must be boiled for at least one minute before using as a table sauce. Don’t attempt to save and reuse a marinade.

Marinating times: Delicate seafood such as flounder or scallops, 15 minutes; stronger seafood such as tuna, shrimp and salmon, 30 minutes; skinless, boneless chicken breasts or turkey cutlets, up to 3 hours; skin-on chicken parts, 3 to 24 hours; whole chickens or turkey breast, 4 to 24 hours; beef steaks, pork or lamb chops, 3 to 24 hours; beef or pork roast, boneless leg of lamb, 3 to 24 hours.