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Preparation skills · beginner

Marinating

Also: marination

Soaking or coating food in a seasoned mixture before cooking to flavour and sometimes tenderise it.

126 recipes use it

What it is

A marinade combines salt with acid (lemon, vinegar, yogurt), fat, aromatics and spices. Indian cooking often uses two stages: a first marinade of salt, lemon and ginger-garlic, then a second of thick yogurt and spices, as for tandoori chicken and tikka.

Why cooks use it: Salt seasons and helps meat retain moisture; aromatics flavour the surface; acid and yogurt can tenderise the outer layer and help browning.

The science

Salt penetrates meat slowly and partly dissolves muscle proteins, so the meat holds more water when cooked. Most other flavour molecules stay within the outer few millimetres, which is why scoring meat helps. Strong acids firm and can turn the surface mushy or chalky with long exposure; yogurt is milder. Enzymes in raw papaya, pineapple and ginger break down proteins and can make meat mushy.

How proteins set when cookedAcids and bases in cookingSalt and osmosisThe science of curingFood-safety temperaturesChanging texture: tenderising and crisping

Step by step

  1. Pat the food dry and score thick pieces of meat a few millimetres deep.

  2. For a two-stage Indian marinade, rub with salt, lemon juice and ginger-garlic paste; rest 20–30 minutes.

  3. Mix the main marinade (for example thick strained yogurt, chilli, spices, oil) and coat the food thoroughly.

  4. Cover and refrigerate: fish 15–30 minutes; chicken 2–12 hours; lamb and goat 4–24 hours.

  5. Let excess marinade drip off before cooking so it browns rather than steams.

Heat and timing

  • Marinating up to 5 °C · Marinate in the fridge, at or below 5 °C.

Time: 15 minutes (fish) to 24 hours (tough meat). Strongly acidic marinades: keep short.

How you know it’s right

  • Marinade clings in a thick coat
  • Meat surface looks slightly opaque from salt and acid

Common mistakes

  • Marinating at room temperature
  • Very long acidic marinades for fish or chicken breast, giving a mushy surface
  • Thin, watery yogurt that slides off
  • Reusing raw marinade as a sauce without boiling it

Troubleshooting

Meat mushy or chalky
Shorten the time or reduce the acid or raw papaya/pineapple.
Bland inside
Score the meat and salt it earlier; flavour penetrates only a few millimetres.

Restaurant DNA

How professionals do it

Restaurants marinate in labelled, dated containers in the walk-in fridge, often the day before, and portion items onto skewers before service.

At home

Marinate in a zip bag to use less marinade and turn it easily; plan the day before for tandoori dishes.

General professional practice — not any particular restaurant’s recipe.

Food safety

  • Always marinate in the fridge.
  • Do not reuse marinade that has touched raw meat unless it is brought to a full boil.
  • Use non-reactive containers (glass, ceramic, food-grade plastic) for acidic marinades.

Practise it

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