Marinades

The word marinate has a salty history. It was first used in 1645 and is likely derived from the French word mariner, which means “to pickle in brine” and was itself taken from the Latin word marinus, “of the sea”. Marinades are typically made from three ingredients: an acid such as vinegar, wine, or citrus, an oil, and herbs and spices that include plenty of salt. Kosher Salt helps draw moisture out from the inside of meats, which allows other flavors to penetrate the muscle, creating a more thoroughly seasoned dish. Choose herbs and spices that are flavorful and aromatic. If you’re marinating overnight, you may want to use whole spices rather than ground; whole spices are kind of like time release flavoring agents, and will build flavor more slowly. The all-out flavor of ground spices can become too intense over time. When marinating meat, the leftover marinade could be thoroughly heated and used as a basting sauce. If you’re not planning to heat the marinade, it should be discarded.