Grilled Foods–Examining The Risks

Grilling has been a popular method of cooking for thousands of years. Grilled foods retain a lot of flavor and cooking them doesn’t require added fats. Vegetables cook quickly on the grill with little loss of moisture or vitamins. In short, grilling is a truly healthful cooking method – with one potentially major caveat.

 

Caveman Cooking

Involving direct exposure of food to the source of heat, grilling or broiling is the modern and controlled version of man's oldest culinary technique – namely, roasting over an open fire. The intense flavor of grilled food results from the numerous chemical reactions that take place when a food surface is subjected to very high temperatures. Grilling – whether by gas flame, electric element, or charcoal – demands temperatures four to six times higher than can be reached in an oven; an electric broiler heats to about 2,000°F (1,090°C) and a gas flame to about 3,000°F (1,650°C), compared with a maximum of 500°F (260°C) for domestic ovens. Unfortunately, the high heat that causes the appealing caramelization of browning has a less desirable aspect: the outside of the food may become unpalatably charred before the inside is cooked through. grilling is best reserved, therefore, for quick-cooking foods, such as fish and the thinner cuts of meat and poultry. It is an excellent method of preparing such vegetables as eggplant, zucchini, peppers, and mushrooms; apples, peaches, and other fruits are also delicious when grilled. Pre-grill preparation requires little more than a light brushing with oil to prevent food from sticking to the grill or drying out, followed by a dusting of herbs.

The downside of grilling

At grilling temperatures, the surface fat on meat quickly burns away, releasing acrid fumes and creating a risk of fire. There's a further hazard to grilling. Cancer-causing substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons form when the fat from meat drips onto hot coals and are deposited onto the food through smoke. You can minimize exposure to the fumes by partly baking or parboiling the food, then finishing it off with a few minutes on the grill to achieve a crusty exterior and succulent interior. Choose lean cuts, and trim all visible fat from meat. Whether you're using an oven broiler or an outdoor grill, place a broiling pan to catch melted fat under a spatterproof metal shield.

Heating meat, poultry, and fish to a high temperature also creates substances called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which have been linked to cancer in animals. HCAs can also form in foods – specially red meat – that are fried or broiled. This may be one reason that frequent consumption of red meat has been linked, at least in some studies, with an increased risk for certain cancers, such as colon cancer.

Other potentially toxic compounds are generated by chemical reactions that take place when foods are cooked at high temperatures. Carcinogenic nitrosamines, for example, form when foods that contain nitrite as a preservative are heated.

There's no direct evidence that substances causing cancer in animals necessarily cause the disease in humans, but there is enough epidemiological evidence to suggest that foods cooked at a high temperature should be consumed in moderation.

Combine protective foods and nutrients as a precaution

The risks of eating grilled foods can be modulated by combining them with certain protective nutrients. Vitamins C and E, for example, block the chemical reaction that generates nitrosamines. As antioxidants, these vitamins, as well as beta carotene, can neutralize some carcinogens. Wheat bran binds with nitrite and makes it unavailable for nitrosamine formation. So, you can balance your grilled breakfast bacon with a glass of vitamin C-rich citrus juice and fortified whole-grain cereal or a bran muffin for vitamin E.

Substances found in vegetables and fruits bind directly to carcinogens, such as the polycyclic hydrocarbons, and prevent them from reacting with DNA. Bioflavonoids, the pigments in many fruits and vegetables, appear to block many carcinogens. Fiber may bind with or dilute carcinogens and speed their elimination from the digestive tract. When you barbecue, serve lots of leafy greens and whole grains along with the meat or fish to ensure a healthy mixture of fiber and vitamins. Make a vegetarian barbecue; add low-fat cheese to satisfy a desire for protein. Grilled fruits end a meal with a colorful cocktail of vitamins, fiber, and flavor.

A warning about marinades

Marinades can add exotic flavors. A small amount of honey or other sugar in the marinade will hasten the caramelization process because simple sugars brown at lower temperatures than proteins and starchy foods do. But don't make the mistake of assuming that a marinated meat is cooked just because the outside is browned. And despite the instructions in many recipes to marinate for hours, there's nothing to be gained from prolonged marination. The marinade cannot penetrate past the surface of the meat, no matter how long the meat is soaked. In addition, the acid of the marinade will eventually tenderize the surface of the meat by denaturing the surface proteins. When left too long in the marinade, your meat will come off the grill with a flavorful but mushy outer layer that contrasts unpleasantly with the inner texture.

Caution

Even if there are lots of hungry guests waiting for burgers from the barbeque, don't take them off the grill until they're thoroughly cooked. Ground beef could have come in contact with E. coli 0157 bacteria, which is present in the intestines of cattle, and may infect the meat during processing. Potentially harmful bacteria are killed when the meat is adequately cooked, but can survive in meat that is rare. Always cook hamburgers until the juice runs clear and be sure not to place cooked hamburgers back on the same platter that held raw meat.