A marinade adds flavour, but acid, salt or spices do not make raw meat safe to eat. Keep marinating food refrigerated and decide before starting whether you also need a clean portion for serving. That simple separation prevents raw juices from reaching the finished dish.
Step by step
Set aside the serving portion first
Mix the marinade in a clean bowl. If some will become a dressing or finishing sauce, transfer that portion to a separate clean container before any raw meat enters. Refrigerate perishable reserved sauce.
Use a suitable covered container
Place raw meat and its marinade in a food-safe nonreactive container or leakproof food bag. Set it on a tray to contain leaks and keep it below ready-to-eat food in the fridge.
Marinate in the refrigerator
Keep the fridge at 4°C (40°F) or below and follow the recipe and food’s storage limits. Turn the food with clean utensils if needed. Do not extend the safe storage period just because the food is in marinade.
Separate raw and cooked handling
Lift the meat out for cooking and discard unwanted used marinade. Use a clean plate and utensils for cooked food. If used marinade must become a sauce, bring it to a full boil before serving; the untouched reserved portion is simpler to manage.
Basting and acidic marinades
A brush used on raw meat can contaminate a clean sauce bowl. Keep raw-stage and serving utensils separate. Long exposure to an acidic marinade can make the surface unpleasantly soft or firm without tenderising the whole cut. Cook the meat to its appropriate safe endpoint; marination does not replace that check.
