- Lea W.

A: A marinade does two main things: It tenderizes food by breaking down the fibers, and it adds flavor. Although salt can enhance the flavor of a marinade, it certainly isn't necessary.

Three elements are required for marinades to be able to work their magic and achieve their tenderizing, flavorful goals:

First, your marinade needs some type of acid. An acid marinade will transform an inexpensive, lean piece of meat into a tender, juicy, flavor-packed entree. It does this by breaking down the tissue, essentially unwinding the protein strands, allowing more moisture to be absorbed.

You can choose from a wide variety of acidic liquids such as wine, vinegar, buttermilk and fruit juices. Experiment with different acids or combine several for a more complex flavor.

The second key element for a magnificent marinade is the addition of herbs and spices. Use whatever you have on hand in different combinations that complement the food you are cooking.

Try adding fresh ginger, different citrus zests, hot or mild peppers, fresh herbs from the garden, garlic and different spices from around the world. You will probably come up with some favorite mixtures, but there are so many potential combinations you could make a different marinade every time.

The final requirement is making sure you give your marinade enough time to its job - but you also don't want to over-marinate and have your food turn into mush.

This is especially true with seafood. If you keep your food in marinade too long, it will "cook" your food, like ceviche.

As far as using your marinade as a basting sauce, or a finishing or side sauce served at the table, the safest solution is to make extra and set it aside in another container before you add raw food.

A few other marinade tips:

_ Make sure the food is completely covered by the marinade. As a rule of thumb, you will need around a 1/2- to 3/4-cup of marinade per pound of meat.

_ I prefer resealable plastic bags for marinating. Don't use aluminum, because it can react to the acids.

_ Try to keep the size of the meat pieces uniform, preferably on the small side. This allows for more surface area to come in contact with the flavor agents and means less time on the grill, which will cut back on flare-ups and burning.

_ Not all foods marinate for the same length of time. Usually 30 minutes is all that's needed for average-sized fish and seafood. Poultry that is boneless and skinless and in less than eight-ounce portions will be good to go after an hour.

When it comes to beef, pork, lamb and whole or large poultry pieces, go with the "longer is better" theory - a marinating time of at least six and up to 24 hours (sometimes up to two days).

Lea, this culinary item goes back so far and is so widespread that it is impossible to credit any one culture or region with its discovery.

It is known that in the cradle of civilization - ancient Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq) - kabobs with meat and vegetables were marinated in herbs and spices and then cooked over open fires.

The term "marinate" is thought to have applied only to fish originally. It comes from the Latin word mare, which means "the sea."