The Grills - Good or Bad?
The science of eating is a complicated thing, even if you're going by the simplest recipe.So, understandably, science is pretty waffley when it comes to answering questions like "Is Wine Good for You?" or "Is Chocolate Good for You?" But how about one of the most ancient cooking methods out there? What does science have to say about grilling?
The science of eating is a complicated thing, even if you're going by the simplest recipe.So, understandably, science is pretty waffley when it comes to answering questions like "Is Wine Good for You?" or "Is Chocolate Good for You?" But how about one of the most ancient cooking methods out there? What does science have to say about grilling?
All That Char
On the most basic level, the smoky flavor and the char that you get from a well-grilled steak is not particularly good for you. When fat from the cooking meat drips down on the hot coals, the smoke that forms contains stuff called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). And the charred exterior of the meat (or inside, if you like things extremely well-done) is chock full of something called heterocyclic amines (HCA).
Both of these have been linked in studies, like one conducted by the National Cancer Institute in 1999, to higher rates of colorectal cancers, and both chemicals have been added to the DOH's official list of carcinogens (PAH all the way back in 1981, HCA in 2005). In 2009, another study found that people who preferred their steaks "very well done" were 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer than those who liked them bloody (or didn't eat steak at all), and both compounds have been found to cause tumors in mice (and might cause even more tumors in humans, since mice process the chemicals differently).
Not great news. But hey, this is science! So there are, of course, a bunch of caveats. First off, no one has determined in what quantity these chemicals become carcinogenic, and as with most things, eating in moderation isn't all that bad for you. More specifically, you can cut way, way down on the HCA action by not charring your meat (or just cutting off the charred parts) and cut the PAH by avoiding flareups, which happen when the drippings hit the heat source. Some studies recommend microwaving your meat for 30 to 90 seconds before you pop it on the grill to make it less drippy, but since that seems somehow abhorrent to the whole idea of grilling, you can also just throw some tin foil under the meat to catch the juice, or use a two-zone cooking system on a charcoal grill to make sure you're grilling over indirect heat.
On the most basic level, the smoky flavor and the char that you get from a well-grilled steak is not particularly good for you. When fat from the cooking meat drips down on the hot coals, the smoke that forms contains stuff called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). And the charred exterior of the meat (or inside, if you like things extremely well-done) is chock full of something called heterocyclic amines (HCA).
Both of these have been linked in studies, like one conducted by the National Cancer Institute in 1999, to higher rates of colorectal cancers, and both chemicals have been added to the DOH's official list of carcinogens (PAH all the way back in 1981, HCA in 2005). In 2009, another study found that people who preferred their steaks "very well done" were 60 percent more likely to get pancreatic cancer than those who liked them bloody (or didn't eat steak at all), and both compounds have been found to cause tumors in mice (and might cause even more tumors in humans, since mice process the chemicals differently).
Not great news. But hey, this is science! So there are, of course, a bunch of caveats. First off, no one has determined in what quantity these chemicals become carcinogenic, and as with most things, eating in moderation isn't all that bad for you. More specifically, you can cut way, way down on the HCA action by not charring your meat (or just cutting off the charred parts) and cut the PAH by avoiding flareups, which happen when the drippings hit the heat source. Some studies recommend microwaving your meat for 30 to 90 seconds before you pop it on the grill to make it less drippy, but since that seems somehow abhorrent to the whole idea of grilling, you can also just throw some tin foil under the meat to catch the juice, or use a two-zone cooking system on a charcoal grill to make sure you're grilling over indirect heat.
Amazingly, science has found that another way to cut way down on these carcinogens found in grilled meat is to douse your meat in delicious things--i.e., to marinate it. It's as if study after study found that cigarettes weren't actually bad for you, as long as they were menthols!
Marinating meat in either an Indian garlic-turmeric marinade or a Hawaiian teriyaki marina, even for just an hour before cooking, significantly reduced how many bad chemicals were created. In that instance the marinade's magic powers to the moisture it added, which prevented charring and makes the surface of the meat less sticky for PAH-filled smoke.
This means that methods like boiling, baking, and slow-cooking (including barbecue, as long as you don't include a grilling stage in your 'cue regimen) are relatively carcinogen-free, compared to grilling and frying. But keep in mind: these compounds are just one factor in the whole complicated web of how what your eating impacts your health. As with anything, the best way to go is moderation--though if you're a die-hard char addict, it might be wise to adapt your palate to the pleasures of the medium-rare.Marinating meat in either an Indian garlic-turmeric marinade or a Hawaiian teriyaki marina, even for just an hour before cooking, significantly reduced how many bad chemicals were created. In that instance the marinade's magic powers to the moisture it added, which prevented charring and makes the surface of the meat less sticky for PAH-filled smoke.
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