Marinades enhance and tenderize meat, poultry and fish.

So how long should meat be marinated?
This depends on the type of meat, quality and size.

For:

Fish steaks or fillets - 15 minutes to 1 hour
Fish have no connective tissues so marinades penetrate well.

Tender cuts of meat - 30 minutes to a few hours
Tender cuts include poultry and steaks, such as sirloin, rib-eye, T-bone, porterhouse and tenderloin.

Less tender cuts of meat - 6 hours to overnight
These cuts include top and bottom round beef steaks, chuck and arm steaks, flank steaks and skirt steaks.

Cut up meat - 4 to 8 hours
Don't marinate meat too long in a strong flavored marinade. The marinade can overpower the meat, and the meat can lose some of its original flavor.

Use the right container. . .
Us a glass baking dish for marinating long pieces of meat and a glass bowl for chunks of meat. Or you can use large resealable plastic bags. Be sure to cover and refrigerate the food while it's marinating.

Leftover marinade?
You can brush leftover marinade on the meat you're grilling as long as it cooks at least 10 minutes. The moisture from the marinade will cook off, but the flavors from it will concentrate on the surface, giving the meat a tasty glaze. Or make a dipping sauce with the leftovers - put the remaining marinade in a saucepan and bring it to a boil, cooking for 3 minutes to eliminate bacteria. Strain it before serving. DON'T try to reuse the marinade with another meat; IT'S NOT SAFE.

Oil before grilling. . .
Many marinades call for oil, but the oil tends to coat the meat and can prevent the meat from absorbing some of the marinade. Instead, limit the oil in the marinade, and oil the meat and grate just before grilling.

Getting grill marks. . .
Adding sweeteners (brown sugar, honey, molasses) and dark sauces (soy, teriyaki and Worcestershire) to marinades results in faster browning at the onset of cooking. Grill until you see hatch marks, then lower the heat and finish cooking.