| It's a sad fact that these days it has become almost | | | | them.Leaving meat in them for too long would result |
| essential to marinade most cuts of meat, unless you | | | | in an unpalatable mush. If you want to try this for |
| intend to casserole them.I'll go into why that is the | | | | yourself, leave a piece of pork in fresh pineapple |
| case a bit later on, but for the time being let's just | | | | juice overnight and then see what happens when |
| examine why we use marinades at all.Principally there | | | | you cook it.You probably won't like the result.Why is |
| are two reasons. One is to add flavor, and the other | | | | meat tough?It's a tragedy that although we are killing |
| is to tenderize. Usually, we are trying to do both.It's | | | | our animals at an earlier age in order to satisfy the |
| worth bearing in mind that marinating is a cooking | | | | demand for fresh meat, the end product still tends |
| process, even though heat is rarely applied. The | | | | to be tough.There are good reasons for this and it is |
| importance of recognizing this is that, like any other | | | | useful to have a working knowledge of them if only |
| cooking process, you can overdo it.It's not just a | | | | to avoid potential disasters.It is not, as some cooks |
| case of putting the meat or fish in a sauce and | | | | would have you believe, simply a matter of finding a |
| leaving it there until you are ready to use it. Many of | | | | butcher who will take the trouble to discuss your |
| the fruit juices we use in marinades, such as lemon | | | | needs with you, if indeed such a person still exists |
| and pineapple, contain enzymes that break down | | | | outside of the more fanciful cookbooks.Our meat is |
| proteins. In essence, what they do is digest | | | | tough because it started out that way. |