Is too much not good?

[pacanis]

Can you over-marinate something?

If a recipe calls for 2 hours; Do they mean 2 hours, or would 20 hours be OK as long as it was left in the fridge? Providing your fridge was working

[CharlieD]

I would say depence on what it is. And yes you could over do it. Some time last year, I did just that with the shish kebob I was making. The meat was not very good, so I thought to marinate longer, hoping that meat would get softer. Well, meat did not get softer and it tasted terible.

[pacanis]

Thanks Charlie!
Marinating is new territory for me. I'll heed what is called for.

Edited to add:

I had wanted to have GW's marinated chicken tonight, but my afternoon got bungeed up. Then I was going to start getting it ready at 6:30, but didn't think I could hold out that long to eat by waiting two hours.
Then I thought; could I have started to marinate it when I got back from the store at 1:00PM?
Or, what if I started to marinate it at 6:30, then left it until tomorrow if I cooked something else instead?

So many decisions......

[Katie E]

Pacanis, generally, marinating more than the recommended time is okay. However, some foods may react adversely and become mushy or not taste too good.

Some foods don't like a long bath in acid marinades, others don't care. Fortunately, I've not had a bad experience marinating longer than the recipe recommends.

[suziquzie]

I don't think 2-4 hours would make a difference....
Depends on the food / marinade as others have said.
Starting GW"s at 1 my have been a little spicier, but not hurt one bit. :)

[Red's Kitchen]

Any marinade containing lemon, lime or any citrus will ruin the texture of the meat after just 30 minutes. Any other types of marinades, all day, all night or when the grill is ready!!

[jennyema]

It depends on what you are marinading and what you are marinading it in.

Beef can generally benefit from a long marination (think sauerbraten), while the texture of pork and poultry can degrade if marinated too long. Shrimp needs only 20-60 min.

[buckytom]

it really depends on the marinade and the type of meat.

as has been mentioned, acid marinades have the greatest effect.

fish will cook and toughen if given enough time in an acid marinade. beef will toughen at first, then eventually turn into the consistency of liver.

i've left stuff in marinades for days, and learned that 48 hours is about the longest you should go, as in a big hunk of meat like sauerbraten.

chicken and pork is ok overnight, and fish no more then a few hours.

[Robo410]

yes, eventually the acids in marinades will "disolve" the meat tissues or cell walls of veg.

Fish is a good case ... usually 1/2 hour at most. Chicken 2 hours. soft meats 2-4 hours (filet) harder meats, often overnight is ok (8 hours)

most veg: dress for 1/2 hour or less before grilling

[ChefJune]

Originally Posted by Katie E

Pacanis, generally, marinating more than the recommended time is okay. However, some foods may react adversely and become mushy or not taste too good.

Some foods don't like a long bath in acid marinades, others don't care. Fortunately, I've not had a bad experience marinating longer than the recipe recommends.

That usually works if you are marinating meat, but with fish, if you go over the time stated, you are going to "cook" your fish before you cook it, and no one will be able to eat it. It won't be spoiled, just nasty!

Pacanis, when I teach a class, we rarely get time to marinate as long as the recipe states. so I would have gone ahead and marinated that chicken for, say 45 minutes to an hour (rather than the 2 specified) and then gone on with the recipe. I find the results are nearly as good that way. (just for the "next time.")