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Marinades are used to add flavor and juiciness to meat, preserve vegetables, and enhance the flavor of a dish. Acid-based and dry marinades are common, and a blend of ingredients creates a balanced flavor. Marinating only coats the outer surface of meat, and vegetables can also be marinated.
Marinades are used for various reasons in cooking. Different ingredients accomplish different things when used as a marinade. The most common reasons for marinating something are to add flavor or make a piece of meat juicy. Marinades could also be used to preserve something, like vegetables, or to add more flavor to a dish by marinating it after it’s cooked. There are many ways to marinate a food item, but a couple of the common ones are with an acid-based marinade, such as vinegar, or a dry marinade, made with a variety of spices.
The benefit of using a blend of ingredients to marinate a protein is that it creates a balance of different flavors that work to enhance the flavor rather than overwhelm it. A blend of red wine, spices, soy sauce, herbs, and sugar would go wonderfully with a grilled steak. Mixing soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, onions and garlic to marinate chicken can greatly enhance the flavor. Using a blend of ingredients to marinate meat works the same way as sprinkling something with salt and pepper, but distributes the flavors more evenly.
Vegetables can also be marinated. Many people do this to keep their vegetables in their refrigerator for a while longer. Vinegar and olive oil are excellent preservatives and work well to preserve the natural flavor and freshness of the vegetable when used as a marinade. The vegetables could then be steamed or even cooked in the marinade.
Another way to marinate is to use a dry marinade. One of the biggest benefits of using a dry marinade to marinate meat is that it allows an individual to flavor their meat without the use of the fat normally found in a wet marinade. A dry marinade is made with a variety of spices and herbs, and is a great way to add some heat to a dish in a controlled way.
A common misconception is that marinating a piece of meat flavors the whole meat or tenderizes it. Several food scientists tested this theory and found that using a marinade on meat did not flavor the entire piece of meat or make it palatable. The flavor coats the outer surface of a piece of meat if you marinate it, which is typically much more difficult to accomplish if the meat is simply seasoned with a few spices.
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