Making Marinades Safe to Serve (2024)

Trending Videos

Making Marinades Safe to Serve (2)

After you marinate meat, you may want to use the marinade to baste the meat as it cooks or as asauce on the finished dish. However, once a marinade or sauce has come into contact with raw meatit is no longer safe to consume.But this doesn't mean that you have to throw it out when you are done marinating. Learn the safe way to use marinade rather than tossing it.

When Is It Safe to Use a Marinade?

Marinating meat before cooking can add flavor and moisture to a dish. Raw meat and fish have germs on their surfaces that will contaminate a marinade after use. Even if your marinade has acid or alcohol, these ingredients are not strong enough to kill the germs. Enough contamination remains that you can get sick from a foodborne illness if you use the marinade for basting or as a sauce.

The most effective way to kill the germs and make the marinade safe to eat is toboil it.This is an approved suggestion according to the USDA's food safety guidelines.​​​

How to Boil a Marinade

Pour any marinade or sauce that has been in contact with raw meat into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. This needs to be a complete, rolling boil to ensure that all of the bacteria is killed. Foodborne bacteria die at 165 F (75 C), so this is your target temperature. Once the marinade has reached a boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

The marinade doesn't need to cool completely after boiling if you want to use it for basting, as bastes can be applied hot with a brush, spoon, or heatproof baster. The marinade is also safe to use as a sauce to slather on top of the finished meat or as a dipping sauce.

Taste the Boiled Marinade

Not all marinades tolerate boiling well, so taste your boiled marinade before you use it again to make sure that the flavor has not been altered. Most marinades will be unaffected by the heat, but some may develop an unappealing flavor. You might want to adjust the acidity, for example. Also, sugars burn at 265 F (130 C), so if the marinade contains sugars, avoid a rolling boil for more than a few minutes to prevent burning.

Marinades that are boiled for safety can be used as a sauce all on their own or additional ingredients can be added as desired. Depending on how thick or thin you want your sauce, you may need to add additional liquid to the marinade since boiling will also reduce and thicken the liquid. When adding liquids, don't just water it down. Add more liquids already used in the marinade to preserve the flavors.

The Safest Choice

While you may not feel right about tossing the marinade, that is the safest choice if you're unwilling to boil it properly. It is better to make up a larger volume of the marinade and set aside some you will use for basting or to make a sauce. Once you're done marinating the meat, discard the used marinade and use the remaining, untainted mixture for basting or sauce.

Making Marinades Safe to Serve (2024)

FAQs

Making Marinades Safe to Serve? ›

Pour any marinade or sauce that has been in contact with raw meat into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. This needs to be a complete, rolling boil to ensure that all of the bacteria is killed. Foodborne bacteria die at 165 F (75 C), so this is your target temperature.

What are 2 rules for safe marinating of meat? ›

Do not marinate in a metal container since the acidic mixture can react with the metal. Use a plastic or glass container and cover with plastic food wrap. Turn meat occasionally so all sides are coated evenly with the marinade.

What are the food safety guidelines regarding marinade used for raw meat? ›

Boil the used marinade if you want to brush it on the meat or poultry while it's grilling. Whenever marinade used on raw meat or poultry is to be reused, make sure to let it come to a boil for a few minutes to destroy any harmful bacteria. Then store the marinade in shallow containers in the refrigerator for later use.

How long to boil marinade to make it safe? ›

Cook for 5 minutes.

How do you marinate meat safely? ›

Another option is to place the meat in a plastic food bag, pour in the marinade, seal and refrigerate. Turn the bag from time to time. For safety, marinate meat in the refrigerator, not on the kitchen counter. Some older recipes call for marinating at room temperature.

Which are the 3 basic components in marinating meat? ›

A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid (such as vinegar, wine, or citrus), an oil (such as olive oil or sesame oil), and a flavouring agent (such as herbs and spices). These elements work together to transform the taste and texture of your dish in different ways.

How do you make marinade safe to eat? ›

Pour any marinade or sauce that has been in contact with raw meat into a saucepan and bring it to a boil. This needs to be a complete, rolling boil to ensure that all of the bacteria is killed.

Which is the following should not be done when marinating? ›

Don'ts of Marinating

Don't add too much salt. Too much salt drains moisture from the meat, causing the meat to dry out and preventing flavors from absorbing. Don't re-use marinades or use them as a sauce. Marinades are in contact with raw ingredients; therefore, the marinade could contain harmful bacteria.

What is marinade protocol? ›

Marinade Finance is an automated staking protocol on Solana that provides liquid and native staking solutions. Marinade has over $1.8 billion in TVL. At $1.2 billion, Marinade Liquid recently lost its place as Solana's top liquid staking protocol to Jito.

Do you rinse marinade off meat before cooking? ›

Remove Marinade Before Cooking: To prevent flare-ups on the grill and ensure properly browned meat when sautéing or stir-frying, wipe off most of the excess marinade before cooking. Keep just a little marinade on the meat surface to maximize flavor.

Can you cook bacteria out of marinade? ›

Most recipes say to discard the marinade after you remove the food that was being marinated. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's www.foodsafety.gov website, marinades can be reused, but only if they are boiled for five minutes to kill any potential bacteria.

Can I reuse marinade if I boil it? ›

However, if the marinade is thin and you'd like to reuse it as a thicker sauce, boiling will help reduce the leftover marinade and concentrate the flavors. Plus, this step doubles as a safety measure.

What is the rule of thumb when marinating? ›

Not allowing enough time for the food to marinate can prevent the flavor from penetrating the food. The amount of time you need to marinate will depend on the cut of meat, but a good rule of thumb is 2-4 hours. For thicker cuts of meat, you may need to marinate for longer, up to 12 hours.

What is the secret to a good marinade? ›

Making a mouth-watering homemade marinade isn't rocket science! You simply need to follow this simple formula: an acidic ingredient to tenderize the meat (think vinegar, juice, yogurt, or mustard), fresh herbs and spices for added flavour, and a fatty ingredient, such as oil or butter.

Is boiled chicken marinade safe to eat? ›

Be mindful with the marinade.

Cross-contamination can lead to food poisoning. This may occur when a marinade is used on raw meat, poultry or fish, and then reused "as is" on cooked food. If reusing marinade on ready to eat food, boil it first before reusing to destroy harmful bacteria.

What are the two types of marinating the meat? ›

Technically, there are just two types of marinades - dry or wet marinades. As the name suggests, wet marination involves liquid ingredients. It is said that this type of marination should be done for a short period of time and it should always be left to marinate in the fridge.

Which should be avoided when marinating? ›

Marinade Mistakes to Avoid
  • Overmarinating. Marinating for too long can change the texture of the food by making it either tough or mushy, depending on how acidic the marinade is.
  • Undermarinating. ...
  • Not using enough marinade. ...
  • Marinating in the wrong container. ...
  • Not marinating in the refrigerator. ...
  • Reusing the marinade.

What are the two primary purposes of marinating meat before cooking it? ›

Marinating meat works by adding flavour to meat and also aiding the texture to become more tender. Marinades often have some acidity added to them, whether this is from types of vinegar or from citrus like lemon juice, or enzymes that are commonly found in fruits like mangoes.

What are the basics of marinating? ›

A good marinade must contain three types of ingredients: an acid element, a fatty element and aromatics. – The acid element is used to tenderize the meat. Lemon juice, lime juice, Dijon mustard, yogurt, apple cider vinegar, wine or balsamic vinegar are examples of acidic elements.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Terrell Hackett

Last Updated:

Views: 6121

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (72 voted)

Reviews: 95% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Terrell Hackett

Birthday: 1992-03-17

Address: Suite 453 459 Gibson Squares, East Adriane, AK 71925-5692

Phone: +21811810803470

Job: Chief Representative

Hobby: Board games, Rock climbing, Ghost hunting, Origami, Kabaddi, Mushroom hunting, Gaming

Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.