Marinades, which lend a wonderful tenderness and flavor to meat, don’t have to be expensive or time-consuming to make, an article in the September issue of Family Circle magazine points out. Even a favorite bottled salad dressing makes a good marinade, and yogurt works as a natural tenderizer.

In general, rice vinegar and sesame oil will give a dish an Asian flavor, while yogurt and spices lend an Indian touch. Go easy on the vinegar unless you want a taste similar to sauerbraten. Be equally judicious with lemon juice; its high acid content can turn the meat a whitish color.

Pierce the meat gently in several places with a fork before marinating. The general rule is that the longer you marinate, the stronger the flavor. But don’t marinate meat for more than 24 hours or it will get mushy.

Drain the meat and pat it dry before cooking.

Marinate meat in a nonreactive container such as a glass dish.

If you want to baste the meat with the marinade while it’s cooking, reserve some when you first make it, before using it on the raw meat. Don’t use leftover marinade as a sauce unless you first bring it to a rolling boil for at least 5 minutes.

Try the following tasty marinade:

For a wine-flavored marinade for steak, combine 1/2 cup dry red wine, 1 small chopped onion, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 clove of minced garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.

Marinate meat for at least 6 hours before cooking.