Tips For Safely Grilling Foods

Despite the increasingly strong link between barbecued foods and cancer, you can minimize your risk by taking a few precautions. Mark Knize, a scientist with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories in California, has been studying the carcinogenic chemicals called HAAs in food and makes the following recommendations:

Microwave the meat for a minute or two before grilling or frying. Some of the HAAs will leach into the juices that accumulate and should be discarded.

Cook at a lower heat by keeping the meat away from the direct heat source.

Cook for as little time as possible, until the juices run clear.

Choose hamburger over steak. HAA levels are much higher, almost five times higher, in steak than in ground meat.

Marinate chicken if you’re going to barbecue it. Researchers have found that marinating lowers the amount of HAAs produced in grilling.

Choose fish. While harmful chemicals can be created by grilling or frying fish, the levels are relatively low compared with beef and chicken.