Marinades are used for a variety of reasons in cooking. Different ingredients accomplish different things when used as a marinade. The most common reasons to marinate something are to add flavor or make a piece of meat juicy. Marinades also might be used to preserve something, such as vegetables, or to add more flavor to a dish by marinating it after it has been cooked. There are many ways to marinate a food item, but a couple of common ones are with an acid-based marinade, such as vinegar, or with a dry marinade, made with a variety of spices.
The benefit of using a mixture of ingredients to marinate a protein is that it creates a balance of several flavors that work to enhance the flavor rather than cover it up. A mixture of red wine, spices, soy sauce, herbs and sugar might compliment a grilled steak wonderfully. Mixing soy sauce, lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, onions and garlic together to marinate chicken can enhance the flavor tremendously. Using a mixture of ingredients to marinate meat works in the much the same way as sprinkling something with salt and pepper, but it more evenly distributes the flavors.
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Vegetables can be marinated as well. Many people do this to preserve the vegetables in their fridge for just a little longer. Vinegar and olive oil are great preservatives, and they work well to preserve the natural flavor and freshness of the vegetable when they are used as a marinade. The vegetables might then be steamed or even cooked in the marinade.
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Another way to marinate is to use a dry marinade. One of the greatest benefits of using a dry marinade to marinate meat is that it allows an individual to flavor his or her meat without the use of the fat that normally is present in a wet marinade. A dry marinade is made using a variety of spices and herbs, and it is a great way to add some heat to a dish in a controlled way.
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One common misconception is that marinating a piece of meat flavors the meat entirely 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 tenderize it. The flavor does coat the outside surface of a piece of meat if you marinate it, which generally is much harder to accomplish if the meat is merely seasoned with a few spices.