Why you should marinate your Kampong chicken

Summer’s already here, so it’s time for a barbecue with friends and family. Grilled meat is the heart of any barbecue party. Grilling has long been known as a low-fat way to cook meat, but what may come as a surprise to you is the fact that grilling meat can increase the risk of cancer. Yep! You heard that right. To protect your health, it’s advised to marinate the meat before grilling. But, fret not; marinating your kampong chicken will only make it tenderer and juicier!

Some lesser-known health benefits of marinating meat

Cooking meat at high temperatures often leads to the formation of carcinogens, an agent well capable of causing cancer. You might be wondering now exactly how marinating meat would solve this issue. To start, marinating is the process of soaking meat in seasoned liquids. This creates a barrier to high-temperature cooking, thereby decreasing cancer risk by 95%.

 

Marinades often use an acidic liquid such as lemon juice or vinegar. The acid causes the meat’s texture to change slightly and must be used minimally. Otherwise, there’s a risk of the meat becoming either too mushy or too hard. The acid in a marinade also slows down the growth of certain harmful bacteria, such as listeria.

 

What ingredients do you need to prepare the perfect marinade?

Fat: Marinating is a fantastic way to introduce moisture into the meat. The meat can become too dry after cooking, so to help retain the moisture, you can use some tahini sauce, mayonnaise or olive oil.

 

Acid: By adding some lemon juice or vinegar, you can naturally boost the flavours of your meat. Not only that, the acid helps in breaking surface proteins, making the meat tender.

 

Seasonings and herbs: If you want to treat your family to a lip-smacking BBQ, you must first get the flavours right. Add some chilli powder, salt, ginger, garlic, and curry paste along with herbs like chives, basil and parsley.

 

Are there any disadvantages to marinating?

Everything has its pros and cons. Even though making a marinade is easy and fun, there are things to be kept in mind.

·         Timing is everything. You can’t let your kampong chicken sit all weekend in the marinade. If you marinate it for too long, all you’ll get is some hard, dry and perfectly inedible chicken.

·         You must find the right balance between oil, salt, and acid. If you fail to do that, your chicken can become drier than the famous Sahara desert.

·         Last but not least, you need to have good quality chicken. Thankfully, there are many suppliers in Singapore that offer fresh chicken delivery.

Wrapping up

Marinating is a superb way to add some flavour to your chicken as well as reduce the risk of contracting any diseases. It’s also incredibly fun and easy. However, if you’re running out of time, you can order pre-marinated chicken products from Kee Song, a reputed chicken supplier in Singapore.

 

FAQs

1.      Is grilled or smoked meat really bad for your health?

Well, science says it is. So, therefore, it’s better to marinate it first.

2.      How long to marinate meat?

For perfect flavour penetration, you should marinate meat for approx 5-6 hours.

3.      Is it really necessary to marinate meat?

For most meats, yes. It not only makes the meat tenderer but also imparts an amazing flavour.