How to Marinate Meat Safely in the Fridge

A good marinade can turn a cheap cut into a great dinner. But marinating means raw meat sitting in liquid, so a few food safety habits matter. This guide covers where to marinate, what to do with leftover marinade, how to avoid cross-contamination and how to cook marinated meat, using advice from Australian food safety agencies.

Always marinate in the fridge

This is the big one. The NSW Food Authority's key food safety tips say to "defrost and marinate foods in the fridge, especially meats" (NSW Food Authority, Key tips). Safe Food Production Queensland gives the same advice: "When marinating food, keep it covered and in the fridge" (Safe Food Queensland, What is cross-contamination).

Why does it matter so much? The NSW Food Authority explains that "Raw poultry and meat may contain harmful bacteria including salmonella, listeria, campylobacter and E. coli that can cause food poisoning." Its advice is simple: "Refrigerate raw meat and poultry promptly. Don't leave it on the bench top at room temperature" (NSW Food Authority, Poultry and red meat safe handling).

Check your fridge, too. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) advises: "Keep perishable food refrigerated at 5 °C or colder" (FSANZ, Food safety basics).

Cover it and keep it low

Where the meat sits in the fridge matters as much as the marinade. The NSW Food Authority says to "Store raw meat and chicken at the bottom of the fridge so it can't drip onto other foods." The Victorian Better Health Channel adds: "Store raw meats and poultry separately from cooked items, and below other food so that raw juices do not contaminate other food" (Better Health Channel, Food safety outdoors).

A covered container does the rest. FSANZ advises: "Store food in containers to avoid contact between raw and ready-to-eat foods." Choose one big enough for the meat and the liquid, so nothing spills when you turn it.

Leftover marinade: boil it or bin it

The NSW Food Authority's advice is to "heat to boiling all marinades containing raw meat juices before serving." Safe Food Queensland puts it this way: "Marinade used on meat, poultry or seafood shouldn't be used on cooked foods unless it has been cooked first."

So you have two safe options for marinade that has touched raw meat:

• Bring it to the boil in a saucepan before you pour it over cooked food or serve it as a sauce.
• Throw it out. Don't brush it onto cooked meat, pour it over salad or save it for another day.

Our tip: if you'd like extra sauce for the table, set some marinade aside before the raw meat goes in, or mix a separate batch, so it never touches raw meat.

Stop cross-contamination while you prep

These habits keep raw meat juices where they belong:

• Wash your hands. The NSW Food Authority says: "Wash your hands in hot soapy water and dry thoroughly before preparing food and after touching raw meat and chicken."
• Use separate boards and knives. FSANZ recommends you "Use one cutting board and knife to prepare raw meats and another set for foods that will not be cooked before being eaten (e.g. salad ingredients)." Safe Food Queensland adds: "Plastic or glass boards should be used for cutting raw meats, avoid wood."
• Clean up straight away. The NSW Food Authority advises: "Thoroughly clean all utensils, equipment and surfaces after preparing raw meat and poultry before contact with other foods."
• Swap plates for cooked meat. FSANZ says: "Don't put cooked meat on a plate that had raw meat on it."

Cook marinated meat right through

The Food Safety Information Council (FSIC) explains that while whole cuts can usually be cooked to taste, "Meats that are mechanically tenderized, marinated and moisture enhanced are an exception as bacteria can be introduced into the meat during the processing and they should be treated as stuffed, rolled or minced meats."

Its advice: "Always cook chicken, rolled and stuffed meats, tenderized, marinated and moisture enhanced meats, sausages and minced meat, such as hamburger patties and sausages, so that in the centre of the thickest part the temperature reaches 75°C" (Food Safety Information Council, Food safety at home).

How long can you marinate?

Your recipe is the best guide to how long a marinade needs for flavour. We couldn't find an Australian food safety agency that sets marinating times, so we haven't given any here. What does apply is the normal limit for keeping raw meat in the fridge. The NSW Food Authority says to "Freeze raw meat and chicken if it will not be used within 2 days." For mince, Better Health advises: "Store raw minced meat in the coldest part of the fridge and use within 3 days" (Better Health Channel, Meat and poultry). Check the label too. Our guide to use-by vs best-before dates explains the difference.

Starting with frozen meat? FSANZ says: "Do not thaw frozen food at room temperature - thaw it in the fridge or use a microwave." Our guide to freezing and thawing has more on thawing safely.

Where a container fits in

A sealed glass container is a tidy way to marinate in the fridge. The Vuumex Glass Vacuum Food Container Set is designed for "leftovers, meal prep, pantry storage, marinating and more". It includes four borosilicate glass containers in 470ml, 800ml, 1.4L and 2.7L sizes, plus a rechargeable vacuum pump (a spare rechargeable pump is also available). The glass bases are dishwasher safe, and the lids have a date dial, which is simply a reminder of when you put food in.

A container doesn't change any of the food safety rules above. Marinate in the fridge, on the bottom shelf, and cook the meat properly. Our guide to vacuum sealing at home explains what removing air can and can't do, and you'll find more tips on our Info & Tips page.

Quick recap

• Always marinate in the fridge, never on the bench, with the fridge at 5 °C or colder.
• Cover the container and keep it on the bottom shelf, below ready-to-eat food.
• Boil marinade that has touched raw meat before serving it, or throw it out.
• Use separate boards, knives and plates for raw and cooked meat, and wash your hands.
• Cook marinated meat to 75°C in the centre of the thickest part.
• Stick to raw meat storage limits and use-by dates.

More food storage guides

Our guides to meal prep for beginners, how long leftovers last in the fridge and how to store vegetables in the fridge pick up from here.

Sources: NSW Food Authority, Key tips and Poultry and red meat safe handling; Safe Food Production Queensland, What is cross-contamination; Food Standards Australia New Zealand, Food safety basics; Food Safety Information Council, Food safety at home; Victorian Department of Health, Better Health Channel, Food safety outdoors and Meat and poultry. This guide is general information only.