Editing Marination (section)

{{Short description|Process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking}}
[[File:Chicken marination.jpg|thumb|275x275px|Raw chicken marinating]]
'''Marinating''' is the process of soaking foods in a [[Seasoning|seasoned]], often [[acid]]ic, liquid before [[cooking]]. This [[sauce]], called the '''marinade''', can be either acidic (made with ingredients such as [[vinegar]], [[lemon juice]], or [[wine]]), or [[enzymatic]] (made with ingredients such as [[pineapple]], [[papaya]], [[yogurt]], or [[ginger]]), or have a neutral [[pH]].<ref name=finecooking>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.finecooking.com/articles/marinades-flavor-tenderize.aspx |title=Marinades Add Flavor but Don't Always Tenderize |pages= |last=Corriher|first=Shirley|date=September 1999 |number=34 |magazine=Fine Cooking |issn=1072-5121 |publisher=[[Taunton Press]] }}{{pages?|date=August 2022}}</ref> In addition to these ingredients, a marinade often contains oil, salt, [[herb]]s, and [[spice]]s to further flavor the food items. It is commonly used to flavor foods and to [[tenderizing|tenderize]] tougher cuts of [[meat]];<ref name="homecooking_about_com">{{cite web|last=Filippone|first=Peggy Trowbridge|title=Marinade Science - How Marinades Work|url=http://homecooking.about.com/od/specificdishe1/a/marinadescience.htm|publisher=About.com|access-date=28 November 2012}}</ref> the process may last seconds or days.

Marinating is similar to [[brining]], except that brining relies on the action of salty [[brine]] rather than the action of acids or enzymes.<ref name="WaPo1">{{cite news |author=Benwick, Bonnie S. |date=November 14, 2007 |title=Wet Brining vs. Dry: Give That Bird a Bath |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/13/AR2007111300427.html |access-date=2018-04-07 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref> Marinating is also similar to [[pickling]], except that pickling is generally done for much longer periods of months or even years, primarily as a means of food preservation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elkus |first1=Grace |date=3 January 2023 |title=How Do You Know When It's Time to Throw Out Pickles? |url=https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/do-pickles-go-bad |access-date=13 July 2024 |website=Epicurious}}</ref> Conversely, marinating is usually performed for a few hours to a day, generally as a means of enhancing the flavor of the food or tenderizing it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=University |first=Utah State |title=Tips on Marinating Meat |url=https://extension.usu.edu/archive/tips-on-marinating-meat |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=extension.usu.edu |language=en}}</ref>

Marinades vary between [[List of cuisines|different cuisines]]. The French word {{Lang|fr|marinade}} derives from the verb {{Lang|fr|mariner}} "to pickle in sea brine", and ultimately from the Latin noun {{Lang|la|mare}} "sea",<ref>{{Cite web |title=marinade {{!}} Etymology of marinade by etymonline |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/marinade#etymonline_v_9616 |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=www.etymonline.com |language=en}}</ref> suggesting that marinades may have evolved from an ancient brining tradition or may have initially used sea brine as an ingredient.