Food Photography Challenge - Week 19 | "Capture, Click, Compete!" | Grilled

Is it useful to grill meat on the grill and what are the alternatives?

Roasting meat over an open fire is the oldest way of cooking. Our ancestors perfected this technique and used it in other cases: they discovered, for example, the "cooking" of fruit wrapped in leaves and buried in hot ashes.

In essence, this method has not changed to this day, only from time to time it falls into oblivion in some parts of the world. And if grilling food products is fashionable today, it is due to the improvement of that ancient principle of our grandfathers with the help of modern technology. There is hardly a person (vegetarians excluded) who can resist the temptation of the alluring aroma wafting from the barbecue in the nature of the mountain or in the yard of the house. However, there are hardly many who have thought about how useful the delicious pleasure of grilled meat is. As they say, there is no such thing as complete happiness, and despite its advantages, the grill also carries not negligible risks of dangerous diseases.

First and foremost is the choice of grill. Many are supporters of charcoal grills, as they give a specific aroma to baked goods. A must for these appliances are height-adjustable grills and draft hoods that prevent splashes of fat and juices from creating harmful smoke. When using horizontal grids, the food can be protected with aluminum foil. Beech coal is best suited for grilling.

In order to avoid fat and juices burning, it is advisable to shake the pre-marinated meats as much as possible. Again, aluminum foil or special pads can be used to keep fat out of the fire. Despite its serious advantage as a final result of grilled meat, charcoal grills are not a good option in apartments due to the serious amount of smoke produced, which would certainly annoy your neighbors for several reasons.

For gas and electric grills, they can be accepted as an alternative to charcoal grills, as they are more suitable for domestic use. In addition, the harmful effect of contact between meat fat and hot coals is avoided here.

There is a theory that eating well-grilled meat too often dramatically increases the likelihood of developing a neoplastic disease. The reason for this is that during the preparation of the meat, some of the fat contained in it melts and falls on the heated charcoal. As a result of this contact, a carcinogenic substance (e.g. benzopyrin) is produced, which later, entering the composition of the smoke, smokes and even penetrates the meat, which is being roasted at that moment. Further, when consuming this meat, the carcinogen enters the body and thus significantly increases the risk of developing cancer. It is important to note that harmful substances occur only in meat.

Roasting fruits or vegetables on well-heated coals not only adds to the pleasure of eating, but is also extremely healthy - on the one hand, it is low-calorie, and on the other hand, food that is completely harmless to the body. The danger to people's health also lies in what is used to make the fire. Gasoline, alcohol, or other similar flammable liquids, which would also penetrate the meat, should not be used to light the grill. For the same reason, in no case should one resort to using paper, old wood or pine cones as fuel (a common occurrence among people who burn grills in the forest), the smoke of which contains substances harmful to health.

Care must also be taken when handling the grill. In Spain, for example, 4,000 people are injured in this process every year. Children should not approach the grill without adult supervision. The grill must be stable, when placing it, care must be taken that it is stable, as well as in a place where it could not cause a fire. Burning fat should not be extinguished with water, it is best to cover it with something. It is recommended that the embers be extinguished with sand and thrown away only when they have completely cooled down. If minor burns do occur, the wound should be doused with cold water as soon as possible. But for no more than ten minutes, because otherwise there is a danger of supercooling. One should not always follow grandmother's advice - to treat the wound with butter, oil or flour. These remedies will not reduce the suffering, but they can cause infection.

Whether grilling or grilling on charcoal, an electric grill with infrared rays or a grill built into the oven of the stove, the most modern so-called contact grill or a simple grill pan, in all in these cases we mean the processing of raw food products by the effect of thermal radiation in hot dry air. In this way, a crust is formed on the surface of meat, fish, poultry and other food products, which preserves the available mineral and aromatic substances.

From a health point of view, processing food products (meat, fish or poultry) on the grill without the addition of fat and any spices is completely harmless. Usually, the raw material contains very little fat, which is drained off during grilling. The natural taste of the meat overflows with the aroma of the thin, slightly darkened cover. The radiated heat penetrates the meat from the outside in and gradually turns it into easily digestible food. The opposite of radiant heat in grilling is contact heat, which occurs when frying in fat or braising in liquid. And so grilling food products is a natural form of meat preparation and the finished product is an ideal, harmless food suitable for those suffering from stomach, bile and liver diseases. Moreover, such food is relatively low in calories and helps to acquire or maintain a slim figure.

The fat that drains from the raw material, or the oil that we sometimes brush with, should not fall into the embers or onto the grill. We have to take care of this, because unpleasant smelling vapors can be formed, and small flames ("tongues") can also appear, which would have an adverse effect on the quality of the dish. Fatty pieces of meat should be baked over a special dish for draining or over foil prepared for the purpose. In this way, the collected fat can be added to the served sauces in a very limited amount to preserve the advantage of the low-calorie dish. Intense radiation of heat is important when grilling. The temperature near the raw material should be around 170 degrees. The rule of thumb here is that the thinner the food product, the closer it should be placed to the heat source. The larger a food product is, the greater the distance between it and the heat source should be. The surface of the food product should never turn dark brown. Every effort should be made to roast the internal parts of the processed food product as well.

The possibilities for combining salads are almost unlimited. By adding the salad toppings, we can implement a number of other options. Today, the electric grill, represented by a variety of designs, is part of the standard furniture of every modern household.

Of course, the greatest pleasure comes from grilling in nature. Regardless of whether we prepare the dish for ourselves, for a small circle of invited friends or for a large group of people, an atmosphere of relaxation and joy is always created. Even the simplest grilled dishes, prepared in nature, carry the aroma of the exotic.

If you also want to show off your cooking skills, visit this link and participate https://steemit.com/hive-109690/@theentertainer/food-photography-challenge-week-19-or-capture-click-compete
Organized by @theentertainer
Sponsored by @visionaerfund
Result will be announced by @visionaer3003