Cooking meat is important for killing bacteria and making it easier to eat. However, on their website, Rodale Wellness discusses cooking methods you should avoid. These techniques range from mostly benign practices, to those that may potentially cause cancer.
Depending on which technique you choose, over-cooking meat can significantly damage proteins. Certain processes may even create compounds that cause cancer.
Rodale Wellness lists nine ways to cook meat, starting with the least harmful to the most dangerous.
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Simmering
Simmering does damage proteins, but it can prevent the oxidizing of fats. Simmer
for short periods of time.
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Sous Vide
This creates meat that can melt in your mouth. However, the technique involves using
plastic bags that can leach BPA into your food. Rodale Wellness suggests using a glass jar instead.
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Lightly grilling
This is considered the best way to grill meat as it keeps the creation of toxins to a
minimum. Lightly brown the meat on the outside while keeping the inside medium-rare to rare.
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Slow Cooking
Slow cooking involves making stews in crock pots. The meat cooks for several hours.
The result is soft and tasty meat, but the process creates glutamate and can overcook the food.
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Broiling
Broiling meat denatures protein, creates glutamate, and oxidizes fats. Consider it to be a
a cooking method for occasional use.
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Barbecuing
Although barbecuing in itself is safe for cooking, the problem lies with the liquid fat.
When fats drip onto heated coals they create HCAs and PAHs, which are cancer causing compounds.
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Blackened Grilling
Charring your meat is a dangerous way to cook. Not only does it oxidize fats and
denature proteins, the black char on the outside of the meat can cause cancer.
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Deep Frying
Deep frying destroys proteins and creates a layer of glycated sugars on your meat.
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Microwaving
Creates electromagnetic fields and destroys protein.
Want to learn more about these cooking methods? Read the full article here: “9 Cooking Methods That Make Your Food Toxic.”
