Omelet > wrote:

> Question: What is brine but a very salty marinade? :-)
> Is all that extra salt really necessary?

Yes it is necessary to some extent. Look up "osmotic pressure."
If the solution does not have a high enough salt content it
won't push through the cell walls to really get into the meat.
Too low a salt content and it's just marinade. Some marinades
use acids to break down cell structure somewhat. A true brine
uses osmosis.

> I have to keep to a low sodium diet.

Brining may not be for you.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.