”Oh, you know, I only go for home marinated meat and fish for my BBQ!” – well, that’s something to tell your neighbours. You’re not that type of pretentious person? No problem, you’ll love the following marinating insights nevertheless. Here’s everything you need to know about this popular technique that will help you make the most out of this summer’s grilled meat and fish! All it takes to look and feel like a pro is the right equipment – and some background knowledge. Marinating meat or fish before it goes in the oven or on the grill brings out different nuances of the ingredients’ flavours, and is best done ahead of time. Like many culinary techniques, marinating originates in French cuisine – the word comes from French “mariner”, literally “to pickle in salt”. These days, salt is by far not the only thing you can use to make your meat and fish dishes even more delicious. Marinades typically have an acidic base (e.g. lemon juice or vinegar) or an enzymatic one (e.g. pineapple or ginger), complemented by oils, herbs and other spices to add flavour.
Don’t lose your cool.
Not only have ingredients diversified over time, but so has the equipment. For instance, have you heard about marinating in vacuum conditions? It’s a lot easier than you might think and it speeds up your marinating process: hello, same-day marinade! The Bosch Fresh Vacuum System offers you an easy-to-use tool to remove air from your marinade container. With the easy to use vacuum pump that comes with the Bosch hand blender , for example, you go from a reliable kitchen helper to a vacuum device in no time. After mixing your marinade, just switch the mixing foot with the vacuum pump to go from blender to vacuum device – it’s as easy as that! The two in one kitchen helper makes the whole process super quick and easy – plus, you don’t have too many pieces to clean up afterwards. There is no more need to think about and prepare your marinade the day before your BBQ. Just vacuum-seal the box with your marinated food inside, store them inside your fridge and put them on your grill just after a few hours. Just a few hours? That’s right! Due to below atmospheric pressure, fish and meat begin soaking up the spices and flavours of the marinade instantly, thus your meats and fish will absorb any marinade’s aroma much faster when vacuumed.
But first, marinade!
First things first: before anything can be vacuumed and stored, how do we create a tasty marinade that perfectly complements your favourite meat or fish? Bosch vacuum hand blenders and blenders allow you to create all kinds of smooth sauces, smoothies, and marinades – among many other options. With the hand blender, you can cut, blend, and stir together all your preferred ingredients – be it fresh herbs, whole pepper corns or seeds, different sauces and juices – to create the perfect marinade for your dish of the day.
In any case: vacuuming allows you to be more spontaneous than ever, because marinating can be done a lot faster than usual – so you don’t need to think about it the day before your barbecue. Just put your meat or fish in one of the vacuum containers with your marinade and suck out the air using any of the products with the Bosch Fresh Vacuum System. That same day, the meat will be marinated and ready to use. Just be aware that vacuuming brings out flavours and spices much more intensely, so you might want to take it easy with garlic and chili pepper – hotness alert!
Unboxing: bring on the good stuff.
Lastly, the right storage is key to a good marinating process. Luckily, the Bosch Fresh Vacuum System provides you with the perfect containers to store your marinating goods. Plus, the vacuum boxes, made of BPA-free Tritan, are odor and taste resistant and can go in the dishwasher for easy cleaning after use.
If you love a good steak, you might enjoy this rib eye steak marinade - or if you’re not into meat, try marinated veggies - aubergines taste great with the following marinade (for 4 servings):
Allergens in bold
60 ml water
25 ml dark soy sauce
75 ml Bourbon
2 spoons Worcester sauce
2 tea spoons lemon juice
1 spoon brown sugar
In addition, have some salt, black pepper and nutmeg at hand for seasoning when serving.
Allergens marked in bold
600g Aubergines
4 Bay Leaves
300ml White Wine Vinegar
150g Salt
1 Chilli Or Cayenne Pepper
¼ Teaspoon Oregano
200ml Olive Oil
750ml Water
5 Peppercorns
1. Wash the aubergines, peel and cut into slices 2-3cm thick. Sprinkle the slices with plenty of salt to remove the bitterness. Then cover and leave to rest for 2 hours.
2. Next, wash the aubergines thourougly to remove the salt. Then pat dry and cut into sticks.
3. For the marinade bring water, bay leaves, vinegar and chili to boil in a pan at setting 5 for approx. 7 minutes. Add the aubergines, turn down to setting 4 or lower and cook for 3½ minutes.
4. Cover and allow the aubergines to infuse in the marinade for 12 hours – or 6 hours in vacuum condition. Then drain and place in a dish.
5. For the flavoured oil peel the garlic cloves, chop finely and mix in a bowl with the oregano, oil and freshly ground peppercorns.
6. Pour the flavoured oil over the aubergines.
Tip: Serve the marinated aubergineswith toasted bread.
Now all you need is good company and barbecue weather – bon appétit! Need more inspiration to fuel your food lifestyle with the Bosch Fresh Vacuum System? Check out our website and discover more new ways to value food.