Food - Drink
Why Worcestershire Sauce Makes A Great Steak Marinade
By LAUREN ROTHMAN
Marinating is a technique used to imbue foods with flavor and tenderize them, and is helpful when preparing tougher cuts of meat, such as inexpensive steaks. A marinade will add flavor to your steak and help it retain its moisture better when exposed to high heat, and Worcestershire sauce is one of the best marinades around.
Worcestershire sauce traces its roots to 1830s England, and was inspired by an Indian sauce sampled by a former governor of Bengal. Lea & Perrins, inventor of Worcestershire sauce, lists white vinegar, molasses, sugar, onions, garlic, anchovies, tamarind extract, and chili pepper extract as primary ingredients.
The vinegar in Worcestershire sauce tenderizes the steak, the sugar and molasses add sweetness and a glossy sheen, and onion, garlic, tamarind, and anchovy pack a wallop of umami flavor. The sauce can be added to any recipe, or simply marinate steaks in nothing but Worcestershire for 30 minutes to 2 hours before it hits the grill or pan.