Question re: oil in marinades

[Shirley Panek]

Okay, this is probably a dumb question, but what does the oil in a marinade actually do? Is it a necessary part of it? I have a chicken marinade that uses 1/4 cup of oil, juice of 2 lemons, 8 garlic cloves, fresh chives, tyme, parsley, and lemon zest. Can I reduce the amount of oil? Do I have to up the amount (or add anything else) to make up for the liquid lost in the 1/4 cup. Granted, 1/4 cup isn't all that much, but if I can reduce it, I'd like to.

Thanks for your help.

:)

[slknight]

I don't have any kind of scientific explanation for you, just my own experience. I never use the full amount of oil called for in things like this. I usually just toss in a tablespoon or two. I also don't usually add any extra water. The marinade ends up a little thicker, but it still seems to work out ok.

-Susan

[SusanT]

It helps the marinade adhere to the meat. I generally don't worry about the amount of oil in marinades unless it's boiled and later used as a sauce.

[Ohioan]

One of my Korean or Chinese cookbooks (can't remember which one) said that the oil in a marinade helps tenderize tough meats and take the "gaminess" out of such meats as mutton or older lamb.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[honeygirl1971]

I've always heard that the vinegar, lemon juice, or whatever "acid" is in the marinade is what tenderizes the meat, but it seems like it wouldn't "stick" that well is there was NO oil in the marinade. You can probably cut back a little on the oil if you want to, though.

Your marinade sounds good, BTW! Nice and lemony!

[Shirley Panek]

Thanks for your help. I cut the oil back to 2 tablespoons and it was still very flavorful and not too thick. I love this marinade and use it quite a bit. I recently tried the Lemon/Garlic chicken thighs in the July issue, and it doesn't hold a candle to this one.