Burning or grilling are two of the healthiest ways to prepare food. Burning means cooking without oil, which means no additional calories and fat it contains. On the other hand, the burn process contains a different risk if not done properly.
Burning indeed make fish more tasty than fried or steamed. But the grilled fish that have not fully matured can contain bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
In addition, when the fish is burned at high temperature, muscle protein that reacts to heat to form heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that can cause DNA mutations that eventually even lead to cancer. The fat that drips falling into charcoal and burned, will cause smoke. Smoke from burning itself contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that if then steaming up and stored in grilled fish and meat, also can increase the risk of cancer.
Although virtually no population studies that find a causal connection clear between HCA and PAH exposure in meat and fish grilled to the emergence of cancer cells in humans, but it does not hurt to take precaution. The following steps are expected to be a guide to the processing of grilled fish to be more healthy.
Things that need to be prepared prior to grilling fish, among others:
- If you do it in the kitchen, make sure the already cleaned in order to avoid food materials exposed to germs.
- Wash hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds, especially before and after processing the raw fish.
- Separate fish from other foods that may be burned such as fruits and vegetables. Keep the fish in the refrigerator to maintain durability.
- Season the fish before it is burned. The study found that the fish were seasoned first, eg with vinegar, lemon juice, turmeric, onion, garlic, olive oil and spices or can reduce HCA content by 99 percent.
- Fish processing in the microwave beforehand for at least two minutes also can reduce HCA content.
- Better to use a gas-fired grill cleaner fuel than conventional charcoal or briquettes.
- Prepare the fish in pieces smaller so that it does not take much longer to burn.
The combustion process also need to be considered, namely:
- Preheat the grill at least 15 minutes or up to 25 minutes to get the right temperature.
- Brush the grill with oil to prevent the material being burned is not attached.
- Grilled fish may appear crisp on the outside, but the inside is still raw. How the most precise measurement can use a food thermometer inserted into the thickest flesh side. The fish generally can be called mature if parts of it at least reaches a temperature of 62 degrees C
- Reduce the coals so the fish can be burned much longer with lower temperatures.
- Turn the fish carefully more often to prevent the formation of HCAs.
- Use different equipment for handling raw fish with vegetables to avoid cross contamination.
Try to do these steps when you finish grilling fish.
- Rest the grilled fish that has been cooked on a plate open for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- When waiting to eat at the table, grilled fish cap with the hood of food to avoid contamination by flies carriers of the bacteria.
- Be sure to wash all the grilling utensils with soap and warm water before reuse to prevent contamination of other foods.
- Save the fish that have not been burned in the refrigerator, especially if it has not been processed in 1-2 days.
While eating grilled fish, remove charred parts. Also add the vegetables to the menu, because the vegetables were burned does not form HCAs. With grilled fish processing more precisely, the expected content of nutrients in fish can stay awake and avoid the risk of poor combustion.
One important tips for those who want to cook or bake meat, poultry, meat does not need to wash with water. Wash raw poultry meat with water only will cause meat contaminated with germs that can cause food poisoning.

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