For safety's sake, discard used marinade

Dear Lynne,

Is marinade reusable, and if so, for how long? My standard base is just wine and soy sauce. I use it for most meats and fish.

–David from Madison

Dear David, 

Reusing marinade isn't a good idea because it contains meat, poultry or seafood juices. Over time nasty microorganisms can develop. Start with a fresh marinade each time you cook. And always marinate in the refrigerator. I don’t want you learning the hard way that potentially harmful organisms thrive between 40º to 140ºF. Here is one of my favorite soy-wine marinades.

-Lynne

Simplest Teriyaki Sauce

Yields 3/4 cup, for marinating 1 pound meat, fish, poultry or vegetables, and doubles easily

The teriyaki sauce holds for 2 weeks in the fridge, but once you’ve used it, discard it for safety’s sake. Find sake in liquor shops and mirin in Asian groceries.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup mirin (sweetened sake for cooking)

• 1/4 cup sake

• 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

Blend all ingredients in a saucepan. Boil 1 minute and cool. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.