It has been ten months since this blog went live. If you are reading this article, then the time and effort have been worthwhile. Andrea and I have enjoyed catching up every Friday when she sends her articles.

Friends have been sending photos of what they have cooked and comments on how the blog has inspired them to cook.  Angela is among them. She sent this photo. "My family cooked this for lunch: baked potatoes with onion and cherry tomatoes, and baked whole chicken legs sprinkled with lemon juice." Angela.

This week Ferninda sent a photo of the chicken she cooked and the sauce her two year old son helped her to make. Yes, we have come a long way!

Ferninda had some questions about marination, so I did some reading up.

Marination

Marinating meats adds flavour and makes the meat more tender. Marinating food with wine, vinegar or lemon juice makes the meat softer, as some of the surface protein is broken down. But when the meat is cooked it becomes drier.

Avoid marinating tender meats for too long, as they can become too soft.  Keep the meat in the fridge while marinating.

Marination time depends on the type and size of the meat. Small pieces of meat can be marinated for just two to three hours. A whole piece of meat of 2 to 5 kg needs from 12 to 24 hours. Some meats for stews are marinated for longer (2 to 3 days). Stir the meat from time to time so that the meat is evenly marinated.

What are the popular marinades? They include:

  • Oil
  • Wine
  • Vinegar
  • Lemon juice
  • Herbs
  • Spices

I like to use:

  • soya sauce and garlic,
  • sesame oil and soya sauce
  • teriyaki sauce
  • plum sauce and sesame oil
  • honey, dark soya sauce and garlic

Some tips:

If you want the meat to brown, you need to drain the marination and pat the meat dry. Meat that is very wet will not brown properly.

Thai chicken nuggets – Kids' favourite

Soph of Weave the Story channel read last week's post and thought that it's a good idea to get kids to be involved in cooking their own food. He sent a link to a video with a recipe of Thai chicken nuggets which he learnt when he was in Thailand.  He cooked the nuggets for his niece and nephew and they enjoyed them. In the video, Soph shows how he used coriander roots in the marination.

Lemon meringue pie with blue berries and marshmallows

Just to end on a sweet and sour note, Elena designed a special lemon themed dinner celebration for someone who wanted lemon meringue pie for dessert. The lemon meringue pie was super yummy (needless to say) and complete with candied lemon slices.

By Chayo, HomSkil Editor 1, 17 October 2021