Will you Marry-nade me?

So a friend of mine, Heather S., is a big foodie just like most of you. She posted on my facebook an interesting topic for this blog entry. 


Heather - Another blog idea might be about meat and vinegar... ((Unless you have a definite opinion against using vinegar.)) 
My mom told me that the vinegar "tenderizes" the meat (or something like that). I need to Google the why and how questions... But I was wondering if you had any advice on the cooking aspect of it, flavour, etc. I know, K.I.S.S., and not overcooking beef/lamb/etc... But I've found I do like the "softening" effect. =)

Me - ok let's talk about marinades for a second. I was always taught that there had to be 3 main ingredients in ANY marinade. 

1) Oil
2) Flavoring
3) Acid

Oil to keep food moist
Flavoring to..well give the food flavor
Acid to break down cell walls/membranes of the meat.

that's why you see a lot of people will just use "dressings"...even though they are for salad they do have all 3 ingredients in them.

your mom is absolutely right. It does make the meat a little more tender, but only over time. You can't just dip a steak in some vinegar and cook it, that won't really do anything except leave a very acidic taste in your mouth.

Personally i'm not a fan of vinegar, i've never been a fan of vinegar. When i marinade i like to use fruit acid. Lemon, lime, orange, tomato, etc. That way you're adding your flavor as well as your acid.

I hope this helps!...i'm making this a blog.
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Let me add just a little bit more to this...

By using fruit acid such as lemons, limes, oranges, kiwis, etc...you will get the natural sugars from the fruit. So when you sear, roast, fry...whatever your meat it'll naturally caramelize your meat leaving a nice little crust on the outside (crust depends on type of meat and cooking method). 

bien manger 

-cwis