Every once in a while I like to marinade some of my meats and poultry. I'm going to share with you some hints and tips for marinading. If you've ever wondered why your meats turn brown really quickly when you are cooking or grilling them, it might be the marinade. You see marinades are for the most part highly acidic. The acidity in the marinades react with the muscle pigments of the meat causing it to brown quickly.
The acid in many marinades will reduce the ability of most meats to keep in moisture, so your meat may not be as moist as you thought it would be. However this lost in moisture is usually offset by the meat absorbing some of the marinade and also the flavor the marinade adds to your meats.
If you are marinading large pieces of meat, it should be done in a large plastic bag, like a Zip-Lock bag. It will require a lot less marinade if you do it this way. With smaller pieces of meat, you can marinade them in a glass dish. One thing you never want to do is marinade in a metal container. This is because the acid in the marinade will react with the metal giving your meat an off flavor.
Do not baste our meats with the marinade you soaked it in, always use fresh marinade. The reason is the marinade may get contaminated by bacterias from your meats. And finally always cover and refrigerate any meats that you are marinading.
Looking for more information on cooking meats? Visit >> Does Searing a Steak Really Seal in the Juices?
