602949 Wed Mar 11 13:33:41 -0700 2009 10 31 Home Cooking 0 4495275 There's a few bottled, store bought, 30-minute marinades out there, Consorzio's, Lawry's, Newman's Own. All work well and fast but I know they're mostly water, oil, acid (vinegar or citrus) and spices, herbs, etc., and paying $4 bucks for a small bottle isn't economical. The thing is, I've tried other marinade recipes but none work as quickly as these and take several hours to overnight to work. Anyone have a home recipe for these that works as well (i.e., fast)? *OR* does anyone know the key to why these work fast? My understanding is they tend to set "on top" of the meat and get grilled in at the time and that's where the flavor happens....something between a glaze and marinade. Thanks in advance. Wed Mar 11 13:33:41 -0700 2009 27275 ML8000 1 4495302 I don't have a recipe for you, but I do have an idea. Do you have one of those gadgets you use to vacuum seal food in a plastic bag? When we first got one, many years ago, it came with some samples of spice rub that was stuck to sheets of plastic. You'd wrap the meat or chicken or whatever so that it was covered in spice, then put the whole deal into the plastic bag, suck the air out and seal it. It dry-marinated your meat in 30 minutes. If you have one of these things, you could probably do the same thing: roll the meat in your spices - without any liquids - wrap them in plastic wrap and then seal them. Apparently, the vacuum is the key. Just a thought... Wed Mar 11 13:40:54 -0700 2009 4495275 10787 Deenso 1 4495368 ML, I suspect they work so fast because of the *sodium* content...usually in prepared marinades and bottled salad dressings, it's astronomical. Come to think of it, the only marinade that *works fast in 30 minutes* for me is anything with soy sauce, there you go, tons of sodium in that, right? Wed Mar 11 13:57:57 -0700 2009 4495275 11983 Val 2 4495509 Val, sodium makes sense. Didn't think of that one. So I looked at a label and found it is 5% of the daily allowance of sodium -- for one (1) tablespoon. Holy cow, I look at those labels and never thought about it because 5% seems reasonable on fast look. Quite deceptive. (1 oz = 2 tbls, so 4 oz = 40% of the daily...spread across several servings..and you're not comsuming it all.) Okay, so it's salt. Didn't think of that. Thanks. http://www.anniesnaturals.com/uploads/481b971abdc61.gif p.s. Deenso -- thanks for the tip on cryo-vac'ing the marinade. Might have to look into one of those. Wed Mar 11 14:33:50 -0700 2009 4495368 27275 ML8000 3 4495546 There are now $10 versions (Reynolds is one) that have a battery operated thing and reusable bags. Some people have trouble getting the seal tight; others not. Check for opinions on the Cookware board. Unless you're going to commit yourself to doing a lot of sealing, the cheap one sounds like the way to go. Especially since when you seal anything with liquid it tends to get drawn into the innards of the plug-in sealer, and needs to be carefully cleaned out. Wed Mar 11 14:45:39 -0700 2009 4495509 159317 greygarious 4 4495769 Thanks -- that is a good tip. I really don't need a serious one, although it could also be handy for camping. Wed Mar 11 16:02:42 -0700 2009 4495546 27275 ML8000 3 4495869 You don't need a cryo-vac. Use zip lock bags and a straw. Insert straw, zip up to the straw, suck out air, pull out straw and seal in one quick move. Wed Mar 11 16:42:09 -0700 2009 4495509 36661 Sam Fujisaka 4 4496409 I've tried that before...got a mouthful of marinade...which was better then gasoline however. If I go that route I just fold over the zip lock in the sink, roll out all the air until it squirts out and then zip it...and rinse it out. I never got a sense that if was any better one way or another. Wed Mar 11 19:44:59 -0700 2009 4495869 27275 ML8000 1 4495467 This Martha Stewart lemon/oregano marinade works in 30 minutes and the chicken always comes out moist and flavorful (and I use boneless, skinless breasts). I think it's the lemon juice that does the trick. I only have made it on the grill and I'm looking forward to warmer weather in part because I love this chicken! http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/grilled-chicken-with-lemon-and-oregano Wed Mar 11 14:21:14 -0700 2009 4495275 10205 valerie 1 4495654 Quoting from McGee - 'the acid in marinades does weaken muscle tissue and increase its ability to retain moisture. But marinades penetrate slowly . . . penetration time can be reduced by cutting the meat into small pieces or using a cooking syringe.' The marinades I looked up also have sugar that would assist with the carmelization. But as previously noted, they also have tons of salt. Salt would be useful for pieces of chicken or pork for brining - give the 30 minutes - but might toughen up the beef. What I thought interesting though, was that the few I did look up did not have any ingredients for tenderizing meats. Common tenderizers are ginger, papaya, and pineapple (these are sometimes in a salt form in processed foods). Sorry, I have no recipe to offer for marinades - I tend to use rubs. For beef - garlic, ginger, and maybe some coffee or herbs/spices. Wed Mar 11 15:16:08 -0700 2009 4495275 155034 alwayscooking 1 4495742 In my cooking class they told me that meat at room temperature will absorb a marinade in 30 min to an hour, whereas refrigerated marinating takes overnight. Maybe it's about the temperature? Wed Mar 11 15:52:41 -0700 2009 4495275 91032 Danica21