Vacuum osmosis is becoming increasingly popular in modern kitchens.
This technique was highlighted during the 11th edition of MasterChef Italia, where, in Episode 17, the aspiring chefs demonstrated their skills under the guidance of Chef Terry Giacomello, using our Mistral Besser Vacuum machines. To many, the term “vacuum osmosis” may sound like advanced chemistry, but it is simply a form of deep, accelerated marinating.
A Dive into the Origins of Marinating
Marinating is a thousand-year-old technique, originally adopted to preserve food. It began with the simple immersion of food in salty seawater. Over the centuries, various ingredients and methods have been incorporated to enrich the flavour, texture and shelf life of foods.
In ancient Greece, honey was a key component of marinating, while the Egyptians preferred vinegar and spices. The Middle Ages saw the rise of dry marinades, with food covered in salt for dehydration, but only recently has marinating reached new levels of complexity, thanks to the introduction of ingredients such as wine, vinegar, lemon, spices, aromatic herbs and oils.
At the heart of marinating is the process of osmosis, through which molecules from the marinating solution (marinade) permeate the cell membranes of the food, transforming its structure and flavour. This technique has become increasingly sophisticated with the evolution of culinary knowledge and applied technologies.
Marinating Today
Today, two different types of marinating are in use: dry marinating and liquid marinating.
Dry marinades are normally used for fish fillets that will be eaten naturally or possibly smoked to further extend preservation while giving that characteristic flavour we all know; salmon is a perfect example.
The use of dry marinating generally extends to only a few other foods, such as duck or particularly prized cuts of other red meats.
Liquid marinades, on the other hand, are the most widespread and are excellent for meats of all kinds; they offer endless combinations revolving around three main elements:
- A fatty component: oil, lard, butter, margarine or fat, etc.
- An aromatic component: spices, aromatic herbs, garlic, aromatic roots, etc.
- An acidic component: wine, citrus juice, yogurt, beer, etc.
The combinations vary for each type of food and depend on the effect to be obtained, whether it is a concentration of aromas, cold cooking, a change in texture and colour modifications, etc.
The vacuum osmosis process
A common feature of all marinating techniques is the need to wait a long time to obtain an effective result, normally from 12 to 24 hours. Time is essential to allow aromas, colours and flavours to transfer into the product through the osmotic effect. This apparently unavoidable wait forces long waiting times in circumstances that today would often not even be possible: osmosis in fact occurs with greater difficulty at low temperatures, and keeping a piece of meat at temperatures above 5°C for several hours is dangerous and should be avoided for hygiene and health reasons.
There is an alternative to a long or very long wait, which can completely improve the osmosis process, delivering better results in a very short time (with a much smaller quantity of marinating liquid required).
The technique that makes it possible to obtain perfect osmosis in a short time is vacuum packing.
By placing the food to be marinated inside a cooking or preservation bag (depending on how the marinated product will later be used), it is possible to drastically reduce the infusion times required, even by more than half, and use a reduced amount of marinade equal to 1/5 of that used in the traditional procedure, thus also obtaining economic savings in the use of raw materials.
With the use of special programs (vacuum cycles) designed to accelerate and maximize osmosis, specifically developed by Besser Vacuum for the machines in the Professional line, marinating times can be reduced even more significantly, with results after one hour of treatment comparable to those obtained with 12-hour marinades.