Culinary Culture: All You Need Is Marinade!

Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 16 August 2011 14:30

Hollywood funny man Steve Martin once said, “I would do anything to lose weight. Except eat healthy and exercise!” While this prompted a few laughs, to former heavyweight boxing champion of the world George Foreman, there’s nothing funny about healthy eating. It is a well-known fact that Foreman started boxing simply to stay out of fast food joints. “If I don’t fight I’ll eat this planet!” he once said.

Foreman’s obsession with healthy eating not only saw him become the “oldest man” to ever win a heavyweight title, it also paid him major dividends after his final jab.
Foreman’s search for a product that would allow him to cook his favourite foods without compromising his health had Russell Hobbs (formerly known as Salton) coming to the party. Foreman landed a super-lucrative endorsement deal with the home-appliance giant for his endorsement of the Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine! And so Foreman and grilling became the latest trend in cooking.

Today, it’s obvious that grilling is a less fattening way to cook as no oil is used in the cooking process, but while this is good for your waistline, there is a danger of food coming into contact with intense heat and flames, which of course poses other problems. While the Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine doesn’t experience flare-ups (and so this danger is less pertinent), when it comes to grilling or braaiing it’s best to use meat that is lower in fat, such as chicken and beef.

Fat, like that on pork and especially lamb, does cause flare-ups, and when meat comes into direct contact with flames, a chemical reaction occurs and cancer-causing agents are formed. Now just a second… before you pour water over your beloved braai, there are many ways to combat this — the most delicious being marinade!

Not only does marinade tenderise your meat and add flavour, but it drastically reduces chemical reactions too. Marinades containing olive oil and citrus juices can reduce the formation of these chemicals by as much as 99 percent, and according to the Food Safety Consortium project at Kansas State University, herbs of the Lamiaceae family – that is basil, mint, rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage – offer antioxidants that reduce free radicals.

So, as if you need an excuse to grill with flavour, enjoy my healthy grilling-marinade of the month!

Marinade Made in Mexico
The Mexican marinade can be used on all meats and will add a delicious coriander and lemony flavour to your meat without being over-powering:
Total Time Needed: 20 minutes
How Much? Makes two full cups of marinade

Ingredients:
Juice of 1 lemon
5 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup white vinegar
Chillis (optional)

Easy Preparation: Marinades work best if they are made in advance. So, combine all ingredients and then pour the mixture over your meat in a preparation dish and allow to stand in the fridge. Marinate beef, lamb and pork for about six hours, chicken for three hours and fish for an hour.

The Ultra-Healthy Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine
Interesting fact: Since its launch in 1996, more than 100 million Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine units have been sold worldwide. Sales have earned George Foreman an estimated R1.4 billion from the endorsement – much, much more than he ever made as a boxer.