Jeff, the A.D.D. Chef

Marinate: Marinate means to coat or immerse foods in an acidic-based liquid or dry rub, to tenderize and flavor before cooking. Food is marinated in a marinade.

Marinade: The liquid foods marinate in. Marinades always contain some acidic liquid like lemon juice or vinegar to tenderize the foods, and may contain spices or herbs to add flavor.

Ziploc® Bags: A popular brand of plastic bag characterized by its distinctive method for closing the bag, essentially zipping it like a zipper.

Zip It: Spoken by Doctor Evil.

Now that we’ve differentiated marinate from marinade, Ziploc® bags from Zip It, we can speak intelligently about this oh-so-simple method for marinating your foods. Simply stated, use a Ziploc® bag.

How to Zip It (your food, that is):

1. Mix marinade in a container.
2. Place food to be marinaded in the Ziploc® bag.
3. Pour marinade into Ziploc® bag.
4. Gently squeeze out some of the air in the bag and then seal the bag.
5. Toss and turn the bag a few times to swish around the food and the marinade.
6. Place bag in refrigerator.

Some of the Reasons to Use this Method are:

• The marinade is more evenly distributed around the food.
• It’s easy to store in the refrigerator.
• You don’t have to search your cabinets for a container and matching lid.

Chicken marinating in balsamic vinegar

Here are Other Ziploc® Bag Ideas:

1. Before you go on your camping trip, premix ingredients you need for your morning pancakes and put it in a Ziploc®. See Zip-lock Bag Ideas for Outdoor Cooking. (And go here for health and nutrition information on chocolate chip pancakes.)
2. Here is a list of twenty five other uses for Ziploc® bags, like kneading dough, storing your pantyhose¹ and using one to create an instant funnel.²
3. And be sure to visit Ziploc® Central at http://www.ziploc.com/.

1. This tip does not apply to most men. [↩]
2. Hint: cut a small corner of the bag. [↩]