Summer is well known for swimming, fresh fruits and vegetables, and our favorite way of cooking: grilling. However, if you’re not careful with your grilled food, you could turn delicious and healthy food into dangerous time bombs.
You can grill some of the healthiest food you can eat. I think this is because you can’t grill grains and have to stick to the healthier whole cuts of meat and vegetables. And there is something about grilling that makes food taste delicious.
But while grilling has many health benefits, it also has some downsides. That black, charred part contains some of the most potent carcinogens in the world. When meat is cooked at high temperatures, amino acids react with creatine to form heterocyclic amines, which are thought to cause cancer.
The good news is that there are ways to avoid that. One of the best ways is also our favorite: pickles. Marinating the meat does not allow it to burn and create heterocyclic amines. Two other great ways to keep meat healthier are cooking it at lower temperatures for longer and eating vegetables with grilled meat. The last suggestion that often comes up, which very few do, is to microwave meat before cooking.
Here are some of my favorite grilling ideas:
A whole chicken breast bathed in orange juice and finished with a pinch of pepper
Marinated skewers made from cubed beef, mushrooms, bell peppers, onions and tomatoes
Vegetables Only – All vegetables work great on the grill and bring out the best flavors.
You can try bell peppers, onions, eggplant, zucchini, halved plum tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, potatoes (thinly sliced), corn on the cob, garlic, artichokes, squash and hot peppers, apples, firm peaches and nectarines and pineapple make great grilled desserts.
You also have to worry about cooking the meats well. While vegetables can be eaten raw, most meat must be cooked. The final internal temperature, in the very center of the meat, should be measured with a thermometer.
Cook whole cuts of beef to at least 120 (uncommon)
Cook ground beef to at least 160
Cook whole cuts of chicken to at least 160
Cook whole cuts of pork to at least 160
Cook any processed food to at least 160
Cook whole cuts of fish to at least 140 (tuna and ‘fillet’ fish can be done at 120)
Clams, muscles, shrimp, and scallops should be cooked until they turn opaque.