Marinating Spice : How to... : Marinating is the Spice of Life

Getting Started

Learn the basic steps to make a Marinade

Find out how long to Marinate your food

How to cook Marinated food

How to...

Oil - vegetable, olive, walnut, sesame.
Acid - vinegar, citrus juice, yogurt or buttermilk, worchestershire sauce.
Salt - season salt, mixed blends, soy sauce.
Spices - pepper, onion, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mustard.
Herbs (fresh or dried) - garlic, cumin, oregano, tyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, chili, marjoram.
Sweet - brown sugar, sweet juices, molasses, honey, teriyaki sauce.
Alcohol - wine, brandy, beer, sherry.

Combine your ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
Not in the mood to make up a Marinade? Store bought salad dressings (the oil based ones) make easy substitutes. Italian dressing works very well.
Find a tupperware container large enough to fit your food with a tight fitting lid. You can also use a plate and cover with plastic wrap but never use aluminum or cast iron and try to avoid metal altogether when Marinating. Some people even find that using a freezer sized zip-loc bag works well and has the advantage of no clean up.
Place food in your choice of container and use about 1/2 cup of Marinade per pound of food. Cover, and let sit in your fridge for at least 15 minutes, depending on the type of food. As a guideline, 15 minutes for all Loin and Rib sections of Beef and Pork and most vegetables. Longer for all other cuts. The best and easiest is to let soak overnight.
When the Marinating time is up and your ready to start cooking your food, discard your Marinade or boil for at least 2 minutes if you want to use to baste your food.

[ Email | Site Map | Home | Search ]