by Chef Ben Kelly | May 4, 2018 | Cooking Tips
Tomato sauce is one of those items that has been cursed by its commonality. Because the sauce is used so frequently it is often overlooked and prepared with little to no thought or effort. There are a few problems with this. First of all, we don’t just eat tomato sauce. The sauce is used as a component in numerous dishes and so if it isn’t good those dishes won’t be good either. The second problem is more of a philosophical one. If we can’t put in the effort to make something fairly simple the best it can be, what happens when we tackle more complex items?
A great tomato sauce is balanced.
What separates a regular tomato sauce from a great one? The answer is simple. Balance. It is surprisingly rare to find a tomato sauce that has a balance of flavour. Sometimes you can hardly taste the tomatoes for the amount of garlic, or there are big chunks of uncooked onion. Often tomato sauces find themselves being either way too sweet or way too acidic. A great tomato sauce is balanced. There is a touch of sweetness, a hint of garlic, a mild acidity. The flavours should be subtle and leave you wanting more not overpowering and fatiguing on the palate.
The perfect tomato sauce consists of only seven ingredients.
The perfect tomato sauce consists of only seven ingredients. Tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, and olive oil. Becuase there are so few ingredients they must be of the best quality in order to produce the best sauce. It is perfectly okay to use canned tomatoes but don’t buy the discount brand. There is only a few cents difference between good canned tomatoes and mediocre canned tomatoes. I generally use San Marzano tomatoes which are grown and imported from Italy. They are not really expensive, but honestly make a world of difference.
…taking the time to slowly caramelize the onions…means less refined sugar needs to be added…
When making the sauce it is all about pulling the natural flavours out of the ingredients. For example, taking the time to slowly caramelize the onions in olive oil before adding the garlic and tomatoes. The natural sugars that have been drawn out of the onion will add depth of flavour and also sweetness. This means less refined sugar needs to be added to balance the acidity of the tomatoes. Cooking the garlic with the onions for a minute or two will draw the natural oils out and add to the flavour as well.
If the sauce is cooked for more than an hour the flavours and nutrients start to be lost.
Once the tomatoes have been added to the pot they must simmer for at least thirty minutes but no longer than an hour. If the sauce is cooked for more than an hour the flavours and nutrients start to be lost. Thirty to forty minutes is kind of the window to aim for. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar prior to letting it simmer. Once the thirty or forty minutes have passed taste the sauce and season again with salt, pepper, and sugar as needed. Remember the sugar is to balance the acidity in the tomatoes and to complement their natural sweetness. The sauce should not be overly sweet.
this sauce is a base used to make many other sauces.
You are probably thinking that this sauce is pretty boring. There isn’t any meat or vegetables. The reason being that this sauce is a base used to make many other sauces. If we wanted to make a meat sauce, brown some meat, deglaze with a bit of wine and add a few scoops of this tomato sauce. We could then finish with some fresh basil. We could also saute some seafood then add a scoop of this sauce and a touch of cream. Because we put the effort in to make the base tomato sauce the best it could be, our derivative sauces will be that much better.
The only separation between a good dish and a great dish is the minor details.
This idea of taking the time to make the sauce the best it can be is really translatable to cooking in general. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right. Right? The only separation between a good dish and a great dish is the minor details. That little extra effort or time that makes all the difference. This really is more of a philosophy than a technique but I promise you will be able to taste the difference. Thinking about food in this way, about taking the time, and putting in that little extra will change how you cook and how well you cook everything.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Apr 27, 2018 | Cooking Tips
Cooking has always been a creative outlet for me. Taking ingredients and combining them in new ways to create dishes that are greater than the sum of their parts. The ability to create and manipulate flavours simply by changing the way an ingredient is cooked is a profound experience. It is a uniquely human experience passed down through generations. It is an experience that is not exclusive to trained Chefs. Anyone with even the slightest inclination towards creativity can cook in a creative way. Can you taste, smell, and see? Then you can cook creatively.
There is a childlike curiosity in most great Chefs.
There is a childlike curiosity in most great Chefs. They view the majesty of the world with a sense of wonderment and excitement. They look at things they have seen a thousand times with new eyes because every viewing initiates a new response.
…these are the only ingredients I have, what can I cook with them?
Creativity comes in many shapes and sizes. It is born out of necessity. As in, these are the only ingredients I have, what can I cook with them? It can come from a flick of inspiration known as an “Aha!” moment. It can be found in a new flavour or experience. Where ever it comes from the key is to recognize it. To harness it, and to use it to its full potential. It is not something that can be forced. It is more something that forces you.
There are things that you can only know through experience.
The real secret to being able to cook creatively is knowledge. This comes in the form of building a flavour library in your mind. You already have one. You have tasted millions of things over the course of your life and all those memories are there. It’s adding to and building upon that naturally engrained library. Knowledge comes in the form of experience with cooking. There are things that you can only know through experience, little cues that are picked up subconsciously. Knowledge comes in the form of learning as much as you can or desire too through books, videos, blogs, podcasts, whatever the case may be.
For me being able to build a dish in my mind has always been one of the paths to cooking creatively.
For me being able to build a dish in my mind has always been one of the paths to cooking creatively. Sometimes it starts with a whole dish, sometimes it starts with the ingredients. Either way, I imagine what I want the dish to taste like, look like, and smell like. I reverse engineer it. I think of everything I had to do to make that dish the way I wanted it. Based on the flavour I’m imagining I access my flavour library and start combining flavours in my mind to get that combination.
Generally speaking, Chefs don’t ever just throw things in a pan. Even if it looks that way…
Before I make a dish in the real world I have often made it 10-15 times in my mind. I know how flavours combine. How different cooking methods change the texture and flavour of ingredients. I imagine all of this before I ever turn on my stove. Generally speaking, Chefs don’t ever just throw things in a pan. Even if it looks that way, we have mapped some kind of plan in our minds. Plan your dish, no matter how simple or complex it may be.
Just enjoy the process just as much if not more than the dish itself.
Being able to make something out of nothing is a valuable skill. It is a skill that can be learned and honed. I may have made it seem much more complex than it is based my own romantic view of cooking. Really, just use your imagination. Use the knowledge you have, and have fun. Taste everything you can, and taste constantly as you cook. Just enjoy the process just as much if not more than the dish itself.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Apr 20, 2018 | Cooking Tips
I like to imagine myself in the future as the best possible version of me. The ideal version of me. I imagine all the things I do. All the things I know. I imagine how I think and how I see the world. Then, I imagine all the things I had to do to become that person. I follow the path from there back to me now and I see all the things I want to change and how to change them. Then I use this information, this reverse path, to set goals for myself. I do this with the hope that those goals will lead me to be the best possible version of me that I can be.
Goals are the measurements of success that we use to mark our progress to our destination.
Without goals, we are just ships floating blindly on the sea. If there is no destination, no end point in mind, we fall stagnant. We float along going where the wind and the current take us until we die or by sheer blind luck reach some sort of dry land. Goals motivate us. They give us direction. Goals are the measurements of success that we use to mark our progress to our destination.
I was unhappy because I had no purpose.
I spent a long time floating blindly. Accepting whatever came my way and only passively desiring anything else. I had no goals. I had no idea of where I was going. I was unhappy because I had no purpose. I blamed the world and everyone but me for all my problems. Until one day out of absolute frustration, I set a goal. I didn’t even see it as a goal, but that’s what it was. I set one goal, which I completed. This led me to set another goal. I completed that one too! Soon enough I was setting and completing goals left right and center. My life changed.
Discouragement is a temporary condition when you know what you want.
Six years ago I made a decision to change my life. I saw the vague version of the person I wanted to be and I knew that the path I was on was taking me in the wrong direction. If you looked at me six years ago I would be almost unrecognizable as the person I am today. It has not always been smooth sailing. There have been storms and sea monsters. I have stumbled at times. I have failed at times. But you when you have a destination. When you have goals. Even when you fall off the path, it is easy to find your way back. Discouragement is a temporary condition when you know what you want.
Cooking is no different than life.
Cooking is no different than life. Without goals, we cook the same things over and over and never get better. We get stagnant. We learn to hate cooking because there is no growth. There is no excitement or satisfaction. By setting goals, even simple ones we are setting our minds to task on something. We are creating a destination so there is at least a little wind in our sail.
Imagine yourself in your kitchen. You are the best cook you want to be. You can cook everything you want to cook easily and joyfully. Now, imagine what you know. The knowledge you have. Imagine the skills you have. Imagine the time and effort you have invested. Think of all the things you had to do and learn that got you to that point. Now, look backward and see the path back to where you are now.
You don’t have to be the best cook in the world. That doesn’t have to be your goal. Your goal could be as simple as wanting to be able to make really good homemade pizza. It really doesn’t matter what it is. But if you want to find joy in cooking, if you want to be better, this is a way to do that.
With purpose comes fulfillment.
Your goal could be broad. You could say simply “I want to be a better cook.” that’s fine. But map it out. Make a plan on how to achieve that. With purpose comes fulfillment. Seriously. Try it. Set a small goal like you want to make the best pasta sauce. Imagine what that pasta sauce tastes like. What makes it the best? What ingredients are in it? Is there some specific knowledge that you need to make that sauce? Map it out. Follow the map. You won’t believe the profound change it will have on your cooking.
I honestly believe that a lot of people don’t like cooking because they have never really tried to enjoy it. They have had no success because they have had no goals. They haven’t grown because they have no vision of what they want to grow into. No wonder they hate it. But by setting one small goal, just one, and achieving I think that most of those people would enjoy it at some level.
There is no secret to enjoying cooking. Just like there is no secret to enjoying life. But there is a formula for happiness and fulfillment. Set goals. Achieve them. Repeat.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Apr 13, 2018 | Food and Culture
Failure
Failure can be hard to stomach both metaphorically and literally. Food is expensive, and making a dish that you aren’t happy with, or worse that you can’t even eat, is rough. Unfortunately, reality doesn’t give a shit about your feelings. Sometimes things just go to hell and all you can do is accept it and move on. In those moments you can either laugh or cry. You can either admit defeat and never cook again, or you can take your lumps and learn from them. The choice is yours.
We all have our own version of the same story.
In those darkest moments, as piles of dirty dishes sit in the sink, a monument to failure, remember that you are not alone. Everyone has shared this experience. We all have our own version of the same story. Disappointment and frustration caused by a meal that was supposed to be delicious but ended up as a giant turd. This story, frustrating as it can be, is a story of progress and education. Let it act as a reminder of all the successes, not all of the failures.
I am writing about failure this morning because it is fresh on my mind. Last night I experienced my own culinary failure. Not my first, not my worst, and definitely not my last. The dinner I made was subpar at best. It was frustrating, and I was really annoyed with myself. However, I was immediately able to pinpoint where I went wrong and I won’t do it again. That’s the best you can ask for out of these types of situations.
Where I went wrong.
My mistake last night was that I rushed, and I was more focused on the appearance of quality than the quality itself. What I mean is that I was more focused on what I was going to post on Instagram than on what I was cooking. I made a dish that should have taken two days, and tried to make it in a few hours. Sure it looked pretty, but it was bland and boring. It was not at all what I was hoping for.
I’m telling you this because it’s important for me to be honest with you. It’s the same reason I posted about it on Instagram last night and openly talked about the failure. I want you to cook. I want everyone to cook. But that’s not going to happen if you are afraid to fail. If you think, based on what you see, that everyone else is perfect and your the only one who ever fucks up your never going to want to cook. In the time of social media, we need to be honest with each other more than ever. Not pushing polished turds out into the world and pretending that everything is perfect. Life is gritty. Cooking is messy. Failure is part of it all.
The only way to move forward is to move forward. Take your lessons with you on to the next challenge. Wear your failures as a badge of honor not shame. Because failure, more than success is what brings us together. It’s how we have always learned and how we always will.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Apr 11, 2018 | Cooking Tips
There are just some days when cooking is much harder than others. On those days your fridge looks empty no matter how much food is in it. You feel unmotivated, probably tired. When you have these kinds of days, which are inevitable, what can you do? I suggest you pick up the phone and order a pizza. That probably isn’t what you thought I was going to say, but I think it’s important to say it. I think that sometimes the only way to enjoy cooking is to not do it at all.
Eating Take OUt
I want to be clear. I absolutely want you to cook as much as possible. But I’m not crazy, or unrealistic. I think that every once in a while cooking can be a bit of a hassle. On those days when you really just are not feeling it, order out. Hell, eat a frozen pizza, or kraft dinner, or whatever you want. I don’t judge. But, remember that this should be a rare occasion, not the norm.
We obviously live in a time and place that is different than any other point in human history. We are all pulled in hundreds of different directions all the time. Because of this, I don’t think it’s fair to imagine that cooking as often as our grandmothers did, or their mothers did is practical. It just doesn’t make sense. They had much more time and way fewer options.
Enjoy Cooking
There are going to be sometimes when you have to force yourself to cook. Some days are going to be harder than others and that’s perfectly fine. However, if you are constantly pushing yourself to do something that you don’t feel like doing you develop a disdain for it. So, eat a pizza, or Chinese food, whatever you want. The key is that it is only sometimes. Not all the time.
Cooking should generally be enjoyable. If you are always forcing it, it never will be. So relax, order a pizza and just enjoy an evening here and there. It will do wonders for your mental health. And, I’m willing to bet that it will help you enjoy cooking more.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Apr 2, 2018 | Food and Culture
It is easy to get trapped in a cycle of making the same food over and over. It happens honestly and usually without notice. You find a dish you like. You make it a few times, the family likes it. One day you’re making that same dish and you realize that you’ve made it exactly the same every Tuesday for the past six months. You take a second to think about it, you realize that you have a dish for every day of the week. How do you get out of this cycle? How do you get your family to try and to enjoy new foods?
What if they don’t like it?
It can be nerve-racking trying a new dish. Food is expensive. Your family is picky. What if they don’t like it? What if you put in the time to make a nice dinner, to make something new, and everyone hates it?
If you hand me a parsnip and adamantly tell me its a carrot, I’m going to get some pretty weird feelings…
I don’t have kids, but I do have a pretty good understanding of the relationships people have with food. People have very strong feelings attached to food. These feelings are probably based on some evolutionary safeguard put in place to prevent us from poisoning ourselves. Because of this, we attach strong feelings to the perception we have of what we think something should look and taste like. If you hand me a parsnip and adamantly tell me its a carrot, I’m going to get some pretty weird feelings pretty quickly. The more adamant you are, the stronger my negative feelings are going to get.
…want people to try new foods, don’t give it a name…
In my experience, if you want people to try new foods, don’t give it a name. If you make an authentic taco, but your family has only ever had old el paso, don’t call what your making tacos. Don’t even call it Mexican. Just say it’s something new you saw and wanted to try.
When you say taco, your family expects something very specific.
The secret to getting people to try and to enjoy new foods is to circumvent their expectations. When you say taco, your family expects something very specific. They will be disappointed when you present them with something that doesn’t fit those expectations. It doesn’t matter how delicious it is. If instead, you just put the food on the table and say it’s something new, they won’t be so reluctant to try it.
Once they’ve enjoyed this new dish, you can then tell them that it was a taco. You can explain that this is an authentic taco like the ones they actually eat in Mexico. Tell them about the difference between this and the old el paso version. This has created a positive connection in their minds. You have managed their expectations and thus have been able to introduce something new to the dinner table.
I know that this works because we have used it restaurants for years.
I know that this works because we have used it restaurants for years. A perfect example would be a Manhatten Chowder. When someone says chowder, your mind jumps to a cream based soup. Manhatten Chowder is tomato based. It is easier to describe Manhatten Chowder as a Tomato and Seafood Soup than it is to use the term chowder. People will love the Tomato and Seafood soup. They will hate the Manhatten Chowder. It’s the same dish, it’s just that the expectations are different.
This is the best advice I can give you on getting your family to try new foods. It will work. And, the more often you introduce something new, the more willing, and excited your family will be to try new foods. Hopefully, this will also create an excitement for you to learn new things, and to cook more than you do now.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Mar 30, 2018 | Cooking Tips
Easter is upon us. Rather, easter dinner is upon us. For many of you this marks one of three or four times a year when you cook for larger groups of people. This task can be daunting and comes with unfamiliar challenges. You have to balance time and space in order to have everything ready to go by dinner time. All this, and you have to make sure that you don’t give anyone food poisoning. So, what’s the plan? How are you going to make this work? You my friend, are going to relax, and follow my Easter Cooking Guide.
…easter dinner on Sunday and reading this on Friday, make the list right now…
Cooking for groups is all about planning and preparation. Sit down and make a list of everything that needs to get done by dinner. If you are having easter dinner on Sunday and reading this on Friday, make the list right now. Start the planning as soon as possible in order to be as successful as possible.
Planning to complete some small tasks…will save you time and headaches.
Looking over your now completed prep list, you should be able to map your time. Pie dough can sit in the fridge for a few days so you could make that now. When you’re ready to use the dough just pull it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Planning to complete some small tasks like pie dough, or peeling vegetables a day or two before easter dinner will save you time and headaches.
Take a little bit of time and clean and organize your fridge.
Doing things ahead of time is a great way to get a jump on the day. However, it is obviously important that you have proper storage for everything you are preparing. Take a little bit of time and clean and organize your fridge. I know that it seems like the last thing you want to do on a long weekend, but it will make your life easier. Having room in the fridge to store prepared vegetables and other things means that you get to relax a bit more on the day of your easter dinner.
A cluttered kitchen creates a cluttered mind.
When it comes time to actually cooking easter dinner, cleanliness is key. A cluttered kitchen creates a cluttered mind. Keep your sink full of hot soapy water and clean as you go. This will prevent a large build up of dishes and it will keep your kitchen tidy and organized. Wipe your counters down often, especially if dealing with raw meat or poultry. Cross contamination is a serious concern and happens when things aren’t properly cleaned. This should go without saying, but wash your hands a lot. Like a lot to prevent cross contamination and potential illness.
Having everything ready at the same time is a true easter miracle.
Timing is probably the biggest concern most people have when cooking easter dinner, or any other large family meal. Having everything ready at the same time is a true easter miracle. The thing is though, not everything needs to be finished at the same time. The main protein needs to rest, likely for at least twenty minutes. Wrapping your turkey or ham in aluminum foil after it comes out of the oven will help it retain its heat for up to forty minutes depending on the its size. This gives you plenty of time to steam vegetables and make sauces. Mashed potatoes can sit in a covered pot on the stove top, but off the heat, for up to twenty five minutes before they lose their heat.
Planning and PREPARATION…cleanliness and organization
The secret to a successful easter dinner is pretty simple. Planning and preparation are at the top of the list. Followed by cleanliness and organization. Keeping these four things in mind and executing on them will make your easter dinner a warm spring breeze.
Happy Easter Everyone.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Mar 28, 2018 | Cooking Tips
If you type “How do you cook…” into your google search bar, a list of suggested searches will pop up. These suggestions are based on what other people are searching. As these are some of the most asked questions on the internet I thought it would be fun to answer as many of them as I can. So, here we go.
How do you cook spaghetti squash?
There are a lot of different ways to cook spaghetti squash. There is however, one way that is easier than the rest. Simply place the squash in front of you on your cutting board. Carefully, cut it down the middle lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Put about an inch of salted water in a casserole dish. Place the squash in the casserole dish cut side down. Cook on 400°f for 35-45 minutes. When it’s fully cooked a knife should easily penetrate the skin. Remove the squash from the oven and scrape the flesh with a fork. This will reveal the classic spaghetti strands that gives this squash its name.
How do you cook lobster?
Get a big pot of salted water boiling. Put the lobster on your cutting board. Put the tip of your knife on the lobsters head and push the knife through. This will kill the lobster quickly. Place the lobster in the boiling water. Boil for 7 – 12 minutes depending on the size of the lobster. When it’s fully cooked the tentacles should easily pull off when gently tugged. Serve with melted garlic butter and lemon.
How do you cook asparagus?
Grab the asparagus about halfway down the stem. Grab the base of the asparagus with your other hand. Gently bend the asparagus until it breaks. The bottom part of the asparagus, the piece that broke off, is woody and not much fun to eat. Discard it. Get a medium sized pot of salted water boiling. Drop in the asparagus. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain the asparagus, season with butter, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. If the asparagus are thicker than your pinky finger peel them with a vegetable peeler prior to cooking them.
How do you cook quinoa?
There are two main methods for cooking quinoa. The first method, known as the pasta method, is just like cooking pasta. Essentially, get a pot of salted water boiling. Add your quinoa and boil until the individual quinoa grains begin to pop. Drain off the water, season with salt, pepper, and butter, and enjoy. Or the rice method. Rinse the quinoa and drain well. Place one cup of quinoa and two cups of water or stock in a pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, put a lid on the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 12-15 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the liquid.
You can add whole sprigs of thyme or rosemary, or bay leafs to the liquid when cooking the quinoa to add extra flavour.
How do you cook bacon in the oven?
The easiest way to do this is to get two identical baking sheets. Cover the first pan with parchment paper. Lay your bacon out on the the parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the bacon with a second piece of parchment paper and top with the second baking sheet. Bake the bacon at 350°f for 25-35 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon.
How do you cook rice?
I’m going to describe how to cook basmati rice here as it is very common and very easy. Measure out your rice. Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear. Drain the rice very well. Put the rice in an appropriately sized pot. Measure out two times as much water as rice. Add the water to the pot along with one tbsp of butter or olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring the rice to a boil over high heat. As soon as the rice starts to boil put a lid on the pot and turn the burner down to the lowest setting. Set a seventeen minute timer and leave the rice alone. DO NOT OPEN THE LID!! Once the timer goes off remove the pot from burner and set another seventeen minute timer. Again DO NOT OPEN THE LID!! After the second seventeen minute timer goes off take the lid off of the pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Enjoy!
I could do this forever, but I think I will stop there for today. If you have any questions about cooking please don’t hesitate to contact me on Instagram, twitter, facebook, or right here on the blog.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Mar 21, 2018 | Cooking Tips
You can get many different flavours out of an onion based on how you cook it. One that is charred on the grill or under the broiler has its own unique flavour. As does a caramelized onion. One that has been deep fried does not taste the same as one that has been briefly sauteed. Yes, all of these will taste like onions. But, they all have their own unique subtleties.
Building flavour is all about subtleties. Using time, and different techniques to build layers into your dish. Layering really is the key.
How to Layer Flavour
If you were making a bolognese sauce, you typically wouldn’t just throw everything in a pot and hope for the best. You would brown the beef and set it aside. Lightly caramelizing the onions would add a touch of sweetness. Cooking some chili flakes with the onions would draw their flavour out into the cooking oils. Next you would add some garlic and cook that out. Then some tomato paste and cook that out as well. You would then add the browned beef back into the pot. Red wine could be added and allowed to reduce. Next you could add some beef stock and let that reduce. Then the tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Then you would let it all simmer. This is the technique for building flavour.
Of course, you could brown the beef, throw the rest of the ingredients in at the same time and hope for the best. This sauce would be edible, but would it be enjoyable? Probably not.
In order to really understand layering flavours you must first have a basic understanding of the chemical changes happening in your food. Now, to be clear, I mean the most basic understanding. More than anything, you just need to think about what’s happening to your food.
Think of tomato paste for example. On it’s own it generally has a slightly metallic taste. Adding it to your dish as is will simply transfer that flavour to your food. However, if you take the time to cook it out, its flavour will transform. You can take this metallic paste, and make it sweet and balanced, simply by cooking it in some oil. Generally, the tomato paste would be added to the onions after they have been sauteed and just prior to adding any liquid ingredients.
If we take a second and look back at our bolognese sauce example, we can see something interesting. Tomatoes are acidic which is balanced by sweetness. It maybe common to just add a spoonful of sugar to a bolognese sauce, and depending on the tomatoes it may be needed. But, if you take the time to lightly caramelize the onion, and cook out the tomato paste, that sweetness will be built in. This means there will be less of a need to add sugar, because you are drawing that sweetness out of the ingredients naturally.
Another takeaway form the bolognese example would be the addition of the liquids. The wine and the stock. These liquids weren’t just added together and then topped with the tomatoes. Add the liquids individually and allow them time to reduce. Reducing the liquid simply means to evaporate the liquid thus concentrating the flavour. For the wine this also removes some of the harsh alcoholic flavours.
It takes thought to cook like this. It can not be a mindless effort or you end up with mindless food. However, once you wrap your head around this idea of layering, and building flavour, it becomes second nature. Especially, when you taste the difference.
by Chef Ben Kelly | Mar 19, 2018 | Cooking Tips
Marinades are used to impart flavour to meat and vegetables, and also to tenderize meat. A marinade can be wet or dry and would typically either have a water, acid, oil, sugar, or salt base. How do marinades work? How long should something be marinated? How do you decide what type of marinade to use? Find out below in an in depth guide to marinades.
How do marinades work?
Acids like vinegar, yogurt, or citrus juices work to break down muscle tissue causing a tenderizing effect. This tenderizing of the muscle fibers allows them to absorb small amounts of the marinade distributing flavour throughout the piece of meat. Water or oil based marinades flavour only the surface of the item being marinated unless an amount of salt or acid is included in the recipe. Salt and sugar draw moisture to the surface of meat which then absorbs flavour. In order to find an equilibrium the muscle fibers will then absorb that liquid back into the meat. If too much salt or sugar is used, or if the meat is left to marinate for too long, too much moisture will be drawn out, and the item will be cured instead of marinated.
Dry Marinades
Salt could be considered the star of most dry marinades, because of this it is important to use a high quality salt. Iodized table salt, has a harsh flavour which would transfer to the item being marinated. Kosher salt, or sea salt would typically be the better options.
When making a dry marinade that includes sugar, try and stick to a two to one ratio. Two parts salt, one part sugar. Brown sugar would be the more common choice but white sugar could be used as well. White sugar will provide a more intense up front sweetness while brown sugar offers a more subtle caramel flavour.
The herbs and spices you choose for your dry marinade depend on multiple factors. What are you marinating? What flavour are you looking for? How will the item be cooked? Some spices go better with pork than they do with beef. Pretty much everything goes with chicken. Some fish has a delicate flavour which can be easily overpowered by strong spices.
Pretty much any herb or spice can used in a dry marinade. However, try and avoid soft herbs like sage if the item will be cooked over direct heat. Soft herbs and some spices such as cinnamon can become bitter if over exposed to heat. Really, it’s up to you.
Wet Marinades
Water, wine, vinegar, yogurt, buttermilk, or oil. How do you choose? Again, it comes down to the item being marinated, and the flavour you want to impart.
A water based marinade would be more often considered a brine. This would be a solution of water and salt, possibly sugar as well. To this, whole herbs and spices could be added. Brines are great for items that are prone to drying out when cooked such as whole turkeys, or ribs. The salt in the brine cause an expansion of the cells within the meat allowing them to absorb and retain more moisture. The result of this is a much juicier piece of meat.
Acid based marinades such as those made with wine, vinegar, yogurt, buttermilk, or citrus juice have more of a tenderizing effect than other marinades. The acid breaks down muscle fibers which allows flavour to more easily penetrate the surface. However, if too high a proportion of acid is used in the marinade, or the item is left to marinate for too long, the acid can have the opposite effect. Essentially, the acid cooks the protein. This can be seen in items like ceviche, where the seafood is toughened by the acid as opposed to softened.
Oil based marinades simply coat the surface of the item. These types of marinades are better suited to vegetables than to meat. However, some oil based marinades like chimichurri, that are loaded with herbs and spices are great for marinating meat.
Time
How long should you marinate something?
The amount of time an item should be marinated depends on its size, and the strength and type of marinade being used. Items can sit in oil based marinades for long periods of time with little to no ill effects. A marinade that has a high acid content can start to toughen protein in a few hours.
Generally, a few hours to overnight is a perfectly reasonable amount of time to marinade anything. Any more and you risk quality. Any less and it is seemingly pointless.
The right marinade for the job.
Choosing the right marinade for the job is crucial to getting the most flavour and the best texture out of your meat. Think about what you want the marinade to do. Does the item need to be tenderized? Do you want the flavour to be distributed throughout the entire item? Are you trying to retain moisture?
It is very difficult to go wrong when choosing your marinade. There are rarely wrong choices. Just keep in mind the above information and get cooking.
