Marinating

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About

To marinate means to soak a food product in a seasoned liquid in order to:

  1. Flavor the product.
  2. Tenderize the product.

The tenderizing effect of the acids in the marinade is relatively small. It is still essential to match the proper cut of meat with the proper cooking techniques for greatest tenderness.

The marinade can also serve as the cooking medium and become part of the sauce. Vegetable marinades, called vinaigrettes, are served cold with the vegetables as salads or hors d’oeuvres without further cooking or processing.