Brining - Definition and Overview

In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which a food is soaked in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking.

It is erroneously believed (especially by many professional cooks), that brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells via osmosis. Indeed the exact opposite happens – the higher water concentration in the cells diffuse to the lower water concentration in the brine. As water diffuses out of the cell, the concentration of sodium increases, and this higher concentration denatures the proteins inside the cell. The proteins coagulate forming a matrix which traps the water molecules. This prevents dehydration while cooking.

In many foods the additional salt is also desirable as a preservative. Note that kosher meats are salted during the process of koshering so they should not be brined.

External links

• Brining Science (http://www.cbbqa.com/articles/Salt/SaltBrining.html)