Marinating is a terrific basic kitchen technique. Essentially, you can take any kind of meat, fish or seafood, or even vegetables or soy products, submerge them in a marinade, and you’ve turned a plain something into a great dinner.
Marinades add flavor — what kind obviously depends on the ingredients and seasonings. You can make (or buy) anything from a Mediterranean herb- and citrus-centered marinade to a ginger- and soy-based Asian marinade to an Indian, spice-infused yogurt marinade.
Marinades also can make foods more tender.
But how long do you marinate chicken? Pork chops? Vegetable kebabs? Tofu?
Here’s a primer on all things marinade.
Some general guidelines
1. The thinner the food, and the less dense it is, the less time it needs in the marinade.
2. The more acid (citrus juice, vinegars) there is in the marinade, the less time the food should marinate. Acidic ingredients can start to “cook” the food and change its texture (for example, making it mushy).