The more we cut down on calorie and fat-laden sauces and dressings, the more our attention turns to the arts of infusing and marinating.
Marinating once may have been a way of preserving and tenderizing. But now it is an open invitation to experiment with the myriad prepared vinegars, condiments, oils, fresh herbs and spices which infuse food with subtle flavors.
Given our growing health consciousness, the timing couldn`t be better. Why eat a chicken breast floating in a butter sauce when you can eat a breast of chicken that has been marinated in a yogurt and mustard sauce with one-third the calories?
Unfortunately many of us never think to marinate because it requires time and planning. This is the problem that designers at Upscale Products addressed when they dreamed up the Minute Marinizer. And, yes, at about $180, the price is upscale too.
Upscale engineered a product that cuts to 3 minutes a marinating process that otherwise can take up to 12 hours. And the Upscale people claim their product tenderizes just as well.
All this is achieved by a vacuum process that draws out the air surrounding the food. When air is allowed to re-enter the chamber, the marinade is drawn into the food. In the process, the fibers are stretched, expanded and relaxed, bringing about a sort of tenderizing process.
Being skeptical, we bought two one-inch thick, 8-ounce pieces of round steak for grilling. Using a soy marinade, we marinated one for 6 minutes conventionally in a dish and the other one for 6 minutes in the Marinizer.
Each steak then was grilled under identical conditions. There was no doubt about it: The Marinizer produced a noticeably juicier steak.
We went on to explore what could be physically happening in the Marinizer. We placed a tightly sealed Zip-Lock bag half filled with water in the marinating bowl, and a pound of coffee in a sealed vacuum pack bag. Within three minutes, the bags inflated. Then, shortly before the 3-minute cycle concluded, they deflated.
The Marinizer`s air-vacuum pump creates a pressure differential on the outside of the bags. One can conclude that if the Marinizer can expand bags, then it can expand the cells of meat or other food placed within it. The cells are forced to expel excess air. Then when the pressure is relaxed, the marinade gets quickly assimilated.
This all brings to mind vague recollections of high school science classes with a balloon inside a bell jar fitted with a pump. But if the Marinizer works over the long haul as well as the manufacturer claims, then the applications of this unique new tool are vast and sundry. Imagine, for example, having more flavorful pasta salads if warm pasta can be quickly marinated in olive oil and herbs in the Minute Marinizer.
The machine`s accelerated marinating time means vegetables such as green beans and asparagus won`t discolor in acidic marinades as they do when left marinating in a bowl for an hour. Short marinating times also are better for fish and chicken, as acidic marinades tend to draw out their juices.
The Marinizer is a fairly sizable unit, measuring about 15-by-10 inches. It has a heavy base that houses the air intake vent and the vacuum pump, which chattered away rather noisily in the prototype model we used for our experiments.
It comes with a removable 10-inch marinizing bowl, a large clear plastic cover and a recipe book that suggests dozens of applications, from marinating meats, vegetables and pasta salads to potatoes and fruit (the latter in liqueurs).
The Minute Marinizer sells for $179.95 at Marshall Field`s stores.