Take the time to understand your marinade

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Take the time to understand your marinade

JOAN CHRISSOS

Knight Ridder

Cold beer, steaks on the grill. Doesn't get much better than that.

But exactly what is that marinade you're pouring on your steaks? Do you

really know what's in that goop?

Yes, I love it. But I also love eating well.

The shelves are stocked with lush grilling sauces -- Ginger Teriyaki,

Caribbean Jerk, Honey Garlic, Mojo Criollo.

A label inspection reveals wide discrepancies in ingredients. Here, then, is

a guide through the marinade aisle:

Nutritional comparison

.. Emeril's Ginger Teriyaki: First ingredient? High fructose corn syrup.

Molasses and corn syrup, too. Hence, 4 grams of sugar for 1 tablespoon.

Original Allegro Marinade: First ingredient is soy sauce, not sugar. Hence,

0 grams of sugar. Watch the sodium: 560 mg or 23 percent of your daily

intake.

.. KC Masterpiece Caribbean Jerk: Follows the Emeril school -- high fructose

corn syrup is the first ingredient. Sugar: 5 grams.

.. Kikkoman Honey Mustard Teriyaki: Soy sauce, honey and high fructose corn

syrup are first three ingredients. A double whammy of sodium and sugar: 470

mg sodium (20 percent), 6 grams sugar.

.. Kirby Mojo Criollo: No sugar and only 220 mg of sodium. That's more like

it!

Tips for marinading

.. Use a nonreactive container (one made of glass, porcelain, clay or

stainless steel) to marinate your food. Zip-lock plastic food bags also work

well. Avoid aluminum and cast iron, which can react with acids.

.. Use a shallow container so the marinade covers as much of the food as

possible.

.. When marinating meat, fish or poultry, do it in the refrigerator, not on

the counter.

.. Do not reuse leftover marinade. During contact with raw foods, marinade

can pick up bacteria that could make you ill.