Marinades and sauces
Marinades improve taste, and tenderise meat
Marinades are spicy sauces that, in addition to the spices, include water, oil and often vinegar or wine to add acidity. Marinating for flavour can be done without oil, for example by mixing spices with yogurt or rubbing them directly on the meat or fish. However, an oil-based marinade guarantees an even taste by seasoning the product deeper than on the surface and prevents the product from sticking to the grill.
In addition to seasoning, marinades also affect the conservation, appearance, and cooking time of the product, and help to tenderise the meat. Marinades improve the conservation of uncooked meat, because the sauce forms a film on the surface of the meat, and an acidic marinade allows meat to keep better. Vegetable oil in marinades gives a nice surface to the grilled food during cooking. It also protects the food from cooking too quickly and the surface from getting burned. Meat can also be tenderised by marinating for at least 24 hours in an acidic marinade (containing e.g. wine vinegar, wine, lemon juice, or other fruit juices).
Meat is the most commonly marinated product, but also other grilled foods, such as fish, vegetables, and mushrooms, are suitable for marinating. Tofu, the vegetarian grilled delicacy, is also worth marinating before cooking.
Give sauces a try
Ready-made sauces provide an easy way to add flavour to food. Experiment boldly with different sauces and use them in various ways, for example in marinades or as flavourings for other sauces and spreads.
A busy grill cook can use ready-made grill or marinade sauces. In addition to these, other ready-made sauces are also worth trying as marinade bases: barbecue or teriyaki sauces make a tasty marinade for meat, and many salad dressings are well suited to marinating vegetables. The sugar, honey, or syrup in the sauces turns brown when cooked and provides the food with a nice, crisp surface. However, remember that sauces containing sugar also burn easily. Before grilling, wipe the surface of the food with a paper towel to remove excess marinade. A glaze sauce is added during the grilling process. The surface of the meat gets a delicious salty-sweet taste and a lovely, shiny texture when sweet and sour sauce is brushed on it during grilling.
Ready-made sauces are also great for marinating cooked food. Pour e.g. flavoured lemon, garlic, and herb oils or vinegars on top of just-grilled, still warm products to add flavour and moisture.
Ready-made pastes, such as satay, curry, and chilli pastes, fruit chutneys, and flavoured mustards are well suited for paste-like marinade mixes. The taste can be made milder by mixing the paste with fruit juices, oil, or yogurt, for example. Different spicy pastes also give flavour to condiments served with grilled food. Pastes provide added taste to sour cream and yogurt sauces, and various spreads for bread.
