Marination

High school (ages 12+)
Food & Cooking

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/marination

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the duration variability?Ranges from seconds to days, depending on the food and desired outcome
2. What is the related processes?Differs from brining (salt-focused) and pickling (long-term preservation)
3. What is marination and why does it make food taste better?Marination is soaking food in a flavored liquid. The liquid’s salts, sugars, spices, and aromatics move into the food, giving it deeper, more complex taste.
4. How does marination make meat softer and juicier?Acids in the liquid break down proteins, making them swell and relax. This lets the meat hold more moisture, so it stays juicy and tender.

Denaturation: The process where proteins lose their complex three-dimensional structure, often due to heat or chemical agents like acids.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis: The breakdown of proteins by enzymes, facilitated by the addition of water.
Osmosis: The movement of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane from an area of high water concentration to low water concentration.
Diffusion: The movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration.