marinate
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb:
- To soak food in a seasoned liquid (a marinade) before cooking: The primary meaning is to immerse food, typically meat, fish, or vegetables, in a savory, often acidic, liquid mixture to flavor it and sometimes tenderize it.
Usage
- The verb "marinate" describes the action of preparing food by soaking. It is a transitive verb, requiring a direct object (the food being marinated).
- The process can last from a few minutes to several days, depending on the recipe.
- The liquid used is called a "marinade."
Examples
- Verb:
- You should marinate the chicken for at least two hours.
- The recipe says to marinate the tofu in soy sauce and ginger.
- The beef was marinated overnight in a red wine sauce.
Advanced Usage
- "To marinate in": This is the standard construction, specifying the liquid or the purpose.
- Let the fish marinate in lemon juice and herbs.
- Figurative/Informal Use: Sometimes used metaphorically to mean to soak in or be immersed in an experience or idea.
- He needed time to marinate in the new information before making a decision.
Variants and Related Words
- Marinade (noun): The seasoned liquid in which food is soaked.
- The marinade for the steak includes garlic and rosemary.
- Marinated (adjective): Describes food that has undergone the marinating process.
- We ordered marinated olives as an appetizer.
Synonyms
- Soak: To lie immersed in liquid.
- Steep: To soak in a liquid to extract flavor or to soften.
- Infuse: To instill or introduce a quality into something (often used for flavors in liquids).
Phrasal Verbs
- Marinate in: The standard phrasal construction. (See examples above).
Related Idioms
- Let it marinate: An informal idiom advising someone to take time to think about something.
- That's a big idea. Let it marinate for a while before you decide.
Verb
- soak in marinade
- marinade herring