Marinades

A marinade is an emulsion made from a fat component (oil, butter, lard, animal fat, etc) in an acid (lemon, vinegar, wine, beer, pineapple, citrus fruits, etc). To this, you can add the most suitable spices (preferably fresh instead of dried herbs) and salt.
The food to be marinated is immersed in this mixture for several hours. It has the purpose of flavoring and preserving the tenderness during cooking and is used in cases where you want to increase or enhance the flavor of the treated food.
Aromaticity and tenderness:

Liquids with an acidic pH are easily absorbed through the cell membrane of food. The fatty substances, given the tendency of their molecules to agglomerate, are not easily absorbed, therefore thanks to the partial demolition of the surface fibers by the acid, an absorption of the fatty substances is obtained which can improve the taste of the dish.

To obtain a good marinade, you just need to mechanically emulsify the fat substance in the acid one (for example oil in lemon juice). The marinade will be more stable when a stabilizing ingredient (such as mayonnaise, yogurt, creams, mustard, etc) is added to the emulsion which maintains the effect in the long run. This is the so-called marinade, to which various aromas and spices can be added in order to add to the flavors within the treated food.

The proportions between the acid and fat ingredients can vary according to the purpose, and what influence one tries to achieve by each. As a rule of thumb, the ratio between fatty substance and acidic substance is around 1: 1 to 1: 3.

The greater the acid part, the faster the effect of the marinade and the more stable the emulsion. The greater the fat part, the greater the “flavor” brought to the meat, thus lengthening the immersion times of the meat.

Be careful though, because the measure of acidity determines the aggressiveness of the marinade. Subjecting the meat fibers to a very acidic substance will start to degrade the surface.
If we brine before marinating, this will have significant effects on the surface structure of the food, significantly changing the cooking times.

Summarizing, the effects of marinating are:

• Increase in moisture
• Flavoring
• Tenderising

The times are calculated based on the density and hardness of the food fibers.

• red meat 4-6h
• pork 2-4h
• white meat (chicken, turkey) 2-4h
• whole fish 1-2 hours
• steak fish (salmon, tuna, swordfish) 30min-1h
• fillet fish 30min-1h
• shellfish 30min-1h
• vegetables 30min

Marinades are very perishable, therefore you should always carry out the marination in the refrigerator or at a temperature between 1 and 4 ° C.
Do not leave marinated foods out of the fridge as they will easily become contaminated.

Always dry food after removing from the marinade because humidity is the enemy of Maillard’s reaction.

The marinade used for fish and meat has a very high bacterial load so it must be thrown away. If you need to use marinade during cooking, prepare some surplus and keep it in the refrigerator until ready for use.
Marinating containers should not be made of metal, cast iron, copper or light plastic. Marinade in glass, stainless steel, or porcelain or plastic containers specifically for use.

Cutting the food to be treated into pieces or cutting the surface of the meat with a knife or making holes with a fork will help the liquid to penetrate.
The skin of birds is made up of fats which are a barely penetrable barrier, therefore the best method is to remove it, thus marinating will have a greater degree of penetrability and efficiency.
It is important that the foods are completely covered by the marinade.