Marinating is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking.
The acetic acid in the vinegar breaks down meat fibers, making them more tender and flavorful.
An hour-long soak for every pound of meat will do the trick. Cook it low and slow: It's a surefire way to turn tough, collagen-rich cuts like chuck or beef shoulder buttery soft.
In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.
However, keep in mind that leaving an acid on the surface of the meat will actually lightly cook it and make it tough, so you want to rinse off your acid solution before storing your poultry for any length of time.
The vinegar removes all the gooey, fatty residue from chicken skin so that chicken parts hold coating better. Rinse off vinegar water and pat chicken pieces dry. You will be amazed to notice the difference in how the chicken feels!
Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.
Ever notice how the chicken in stir fries at your favourite Chinese restaurant is incredibly tender? It's because they tenderise chicken using a simple method called Velveting Chicken using baking soda. It's a quick and easy method that any home cook can do, and can also be used for beef.
Today, marinades are generally used to bring out the flavor of the meat. An ideal ingredient for this purpose (among many other uses!) is apple cider vinegar. As a powerful bactericide, it helps eliminate any impurities in the meat.
Velveting meat—the practice of marinating slices of meat in egg white, wine, and cornstarch—is a Chinese cooking technique that we've covered on Serious Eats before. Typically, after the meat is marinated, it is quickly blanched in a bath of hot oil and then drained, at which point it's ready to be stir-fried.
Marinating your meats in apple cider vinegar can work to tenderize them, as long as you don't add too much vinegar and don't marinate them too long (it's very acidic, so prolonged exposure can break down the fibers in the meat and turn it to mush).
Do not do it: apart from the fact that vinegar contains "real" acid, and would hurt the stomach if drunk alone, there is not a single scientific study that proves its effectiveness as a weightloss aid or that it "melts away fat". Vinegar is therefore used to flavor dishes, and I suggest that you always have it at home.
Besides velveting the meat prior cooking, the meat in restaurants may be marinated with chemical meat tenderizers. The active ingredients are usually papain or bromelain, which are enzymes extracted from fruits.
The ingredients used by Chinese chefs to cook dishes are fantastic. Herbs and spices included in Chinese cuisine make each dish taste like heaven. We also can't forget about all the delicious types of sauces that make the dishes mouth-watering.
Briefly soaking meat in a solution of baking soda and water raises the pH on the meat's surface, making it more difficult for the proteins to bond excessively, which keeps the meat tender and moist when it's cooked.
To better understand this, let's look at the three main methods of tenderizing meat: mechanical, thermal, and enzymatic.
But baking soda tenderizes meat in a different way. Instead of breaking tissues down, the ingredient causes a chemical reaction to occur on the meat's surface, which stops the proteins from seizing up when cooked. This means the meat stays softer and juicier since the tightening that squeezes out liquid doesn't happen.
Whisk vinegar, Italian seasoning, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined. Place chicken in a shallow dish or 1-gallon sealable plastic bag. Add the marinade, toss to coat and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. Remove chicken from the marinade, shake off excess and discard leftover marinade.
Important: If your marinade is full of fresh citrus or vinegar, like the one in this chicken skewers recipe, keep the marinating time below an hour for optimal results. Poultry marinated in citrus, like lemon or lime juices, or vinegars can turn mushy and stringy if left to soak for too long.
The reason you do not want to marinate chicken for longer than 4 hours is that the acidic ingredients in the marinade (like vinegar, wine, or lemon juice) will begin to break down the structure of the meat too much and it will start to “cook” before ever touching a heat source.
Does Balsamic Vinegar Tenderize Meat? It actually does! The acid in the vinegar can help make tough spots more tender throughout the cut of steak.