In Biology 101 I remember learning that when two solutions with different concentrations are separated by a semi-permeable membrane, water moves to the side with the high concentration until the solutions are pf equal concentration.
And yet…if you “brine a chicken” (soak it in salt water) for several days before roasting it, it turns out much juicier. As if water had entered the chicken.
If the concentration of salt in the brine is higher than the cells of the chicken meat, why does liquid go into the chicken? If the concentration of salt in the brine is lower than the cells of the chicken meat…why put salt in the water at all?
My theory is that brining the chicken does two things. One, it improves the flavor by drawing out the water and concentrating the flavors within the cell. Two, it makes the meat retain juices better during the cooking process. As the water is drawn out of the cell the concentration of solutes rises until the protein within the cell denatures, allowing it to bond with water.
So the end result is that you start with less water in the meat than if you hadn’t brined it, but when you’re done you’ve retained a much larger percentage of the water you stated with.