Vacuum Marination and Brining with the MX2 Infuser
The MX2 Infuser rapidly marinates and brines products using the MARINATE tool. This process uses controlled expansion of the cellular structure of the food, holding time, and repeated pulsing to force flavorful liquids inward. The H2O Smart algorithm and humidity sensors automatically sense the boiling point of liquids under vacuum. When the algorithm is triggered, the food is held under zero atmosphere and then the process repeats.
Marination and Brining
To marinate or brine foods, it is ideal to begin with a flavorful liquid. This may require using a liquid infusion cycle to first make the marinade or brine. If you were to add the brine ingredients to the food container and try to accomplish infusion of the liquid and marination of the food at the same time, your first couple of cycles would be wasted on infusing the liquid itself and not the food product. Furthermore, because the marination feature does not use the Plus Time for agitation, the resulting liquid would be less flavorful. We recommend using a food pan with a lid, or a flat bottomed bag that takes advantage of the shape and size of the MX2 Infuser chamber size for this technique.
Ingredient Types..
Product to Marinate or Brine
Fish, Porous Foods, Thinly Cut or Fatty Foods – Require fewer pulses and less hold time
Thick Cut or Lean Foods – Require multiple pulses and longer hold times
Large Foods and Roasts – Require twice as many cycles as other foods
MX2 Infuser MARINATE control settings
Pulse – Composed of Air Out, Hold Time, and Air Return. 4 pulses is a good starting point. This is based on the density of the food and fat content of the food being marinated or brined. More pulses are necessary for larger, leaner, and dense foods.
Air Out – Removes air and atmospheric pressure from the vacuum chamber. When the humidity sensors are triggered by boiling liquid, the unit begins holding time.
Hold Time – 60 seconds of holding time may be used as a starting point. This will allow the flavorful liquid to flow into the expanded cellular structure of the food.
Air Return – After each pulse the air returns to 95% and forces the liquid into the solid at 14.9 pounds of pressure per square inch.
