Posted by Michelle in Tips & Tricks | 0 Comments
Brining/Marinating Your Proteins
Whether it’s pork, chicken, steak, fish, or any other type of protein, the final goal is to create tenderness and flavor. Well, that’s exactly what you accomplish by using a brine or a marinade before cooking your food; I have a lot of different ideas that I’m working into a marinade section of the site, but until it’s finished, up and working, I’ll just provide you with some basics that I’ve picked up over the last couple of years. Since I’ve been addicted to the Food Network for a couple of years now, and I’ve tried a lot of different ideas (I’ve both failed and succeeded in said ideas, and I will only be sharing with you the ones that actually worked).
The great thing about marinades, though, is that you’re free to do pretty much anything with it, as long as the three main components are included, it’ll taste great. The three main components of a marinade are as follows: an acid (this could be any type of citrus juice, or any type of vinegar), an oil/sauce base (ex: olive/canola oil, soy sauce, etc), and aromatics (basically, anything to provide extra aroma/flavor, such as spices, garlic, onion, etc). Sometimes, I’ll just check my fridge to see what’s available and toss random ingredients into a resealable plastic bag and go from there!
The only difference between a brine and a marinade is the volume, really; also, a brine is used for tougher proteins, such as pork and turkey, whereas a marinade can be used for any type of protein. A brine consists of equal parts sugar and salt, dissolved in water; various flavors are added (aromatics, same as with a marinade), then ice is added to lower the temperature of the brine so it doesn’t cook the protein when it’s added. So, both are similar with their end goal, to provide juicy, flavorful deliciousness, and they’re similar to prepare. As soon as the new section is ready, I will have several brine/marinade ideas available for your viewing pleasure.
The term ‘marinate’ originally applied to only fish; the word originates from the Latin mare meaning ‘the sea,’ and is now widely used for meats as well. Marinades originated somewhere before the 1800s; cooks in pre-Columbian Mexico used papaya leaves in their cooking to tenderize the meat.
