Don't Throw Out Your Meat Marinade. How To Safely Reuse It For A Delectable Sauce

If you love a flavorful bite, then skipping a marinade is a culinary sin. But have you ever thrown out the leftover liquid and thought about what a waste it was? A hefty dose of perfectly good sauces and spices went down the drain just like that. Well, you're not alone. Renowned chef and culinary personality Marcus Samuelsson is adamant that "in any good kitchen, nothing should go to waste if you can help it."

While reusing meat marinades can be tricky because of health risks, Samuelsson — who designed his dream kitchen featuring Monogram's luxury appliances — exclusively told us how to prevent wasting marinade in the future. The best solution is to cook it: "Bring that marinade to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes. That high heat kills off anything harmful, and you're left with a deeply flavored reduction that can be used as a glaze, a sauce base, or even brushed back onto the grilled meat in the final seconds of cooking." he says.

This easy tip to reduce food waste gives perfectly good ingredients a chance to shine again, so not a single drop is thrown away. Instead, the repurposed marinade is used to amplify the flavors of your dish even more. So, the next time you soak meat, fish, or vegetables in all that good stuff — you know what to do.

As a seasoned chef, Marcus Samuelsson is big on safety. "You should never reuse a marinade straight from the bowl or bag ... but if you cook it, really cook it, you can absolutely transform it into something delicious and safe," he says. Boiling the marinade for five minutes at 165 degrees Fahrenheit kills dangerous bacteria that may come from raw meat. A food thermometer will help to ensure a safer procedure. However, keep in mind that with this method comes the possibility of altering the marinade's original flavor and consistency.

Whether you're utilizing the simple ratio for easy marinades or going heavy with your favorite flavoring, the end result might not always be pleasing. Sometimes the flavor might develop an off-putting  taste, so this process won't work every time. To avoid ruining the dish you're planning to use your leftover marinade on, it's best to do a taste test before saucing the plate or glazing meat.

Reducing yields a denser, heavier liquid than what you started thanks to evaporation during boiling. This texture works well for sauces, but not so much for glazes. As such, it's a good idea to add more liquids to the base mixture before heating it in the skillet if you'll be brushing it over food; something as simple as water will easily dilute, but chicken or vegetable broth will lend more flavor — and flavor is what marinades are all about.