Only the glimpses of marinated recipes bring water to the mouth. From chicken tandoori to paneer tikka, several recipes start with a marination process to infuse the meat and vegetables with more flavours to the core and also tenderise them for better cooking.
Marination is not just about the taste, it is about the science of convenient cooking. The acidic components of marinades help in penetrating through the hard skins of meat easily, softening every tissue and filling it with flavours on every spec. Not only does it decrease cooking time, but it also helps in breaking down the fragments for easy digestion. With respect to the nature of the ingredients, different marinades and durations are used with higher and lower acidity to avoid over-marination and spoilage.
Many hard vegetables, meats and poultry require overnight marination for more than 6 hours. Know what foods you need to marinate overnight and prepare them tonight for easy cooking tomorrow.
7 Ingredients You Need To Marinate Overnight
1) Chicken
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The tissues of chicken take up to 6 hours to break down. While it's not as hard as other meats, it still needs time to soak up the flavours and marinating helps in cooking. Dairy-based marinades made with yoghurt and buttermilk are perfect for marinating chicken since they are mildly acidic and prevent them from toughening meat.
2) Lamb
Lamb has thicker tissues than chicken. They require longer duration ranging from overnight to 24 hours to marinate perfectly. In several countries, oil marinade is widely used for lamb with lemon and balsamic vinegar.
3) Seafood
Seafoods like shrimp, prawns, octopus, and oysters take up to 8 hours for marination. Marination helps in adding flavour to seafood and enhances moisture to allow easy cooking. Once seafood soaks all the flavours, every recipe turns out to be delightful in every bite.
4) Fishes
Fishes have hard skin but soft flesh. Many fishes like Salmon, Trout, Mackerel, Sardines and Anchovies that have several bones usually have muscular and connective tissues, which are hard to break down. While many fishes like Cod, Haddock, Halibut, Tuna, Swordfish and Mahi-mahi have firm flesh. Depending on the time of the fish, alter the marination time and marinade for at least 6 hours.
5) Potatoes
Potatoes are comparatively harder vegetables, and many might consider boiling or steaming them instead of marinating. But little do you know, marination can bring a whole new depth to the bland flavours of potato. After peeling potatoes and dicing them into wedges, you need to marinate them for 8 hours in balsamic vinegar marinade flavoured with herbs and lemon juice.
6) Carrots
Carrots, just like potatoes, are root vegetables with a hard texture. When broken down with overnight marination, they turn out to be juicy and sweet with concentrated flavours. It can be used as a base for your pasta and can also be a standalone side dish.
7) Beets
Marinated beets taste sweet and tangy with an acidic kick. They are a perfect addition to your grain bowl, salad, and side dishes and can also be a perfect evening snack. Since it's also a root vegetable with a hard texture, it needs to be marinated for up to 8 hours to tenderise beautifully. Simple vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar with herbs, lemon juice, spices and seasonings can infuse every speck of beets with flavours.
Marination can infuse your recipes with flavours you've never imagined. You can try making your own marinade mix by using your preferred ingredients and flavours. Also, you can use the leftover marinated juice after boiling it to kill all the harmful bacteria.