Yihao Classroom
Baking food in a home oven at too high a temperature can produce carcinogens.
Home kitchens are becoming increasingly "Westernized," with many people adding ovens to bake meat, pastries, and exotic dishes that are quite different from traditional Chinese cuisine. But with the popularity of oven-baked foods, how many people are concerned about the related health issues? A reporter consulted experts: Oven-baked food can be healthy, but it can also contain large amounts of carcinogens; the key is how you use it.
Oven cooking destroys vitamins, but has little impact on the nutrition of meat.
Most families have ovens and microwave ovens, two imported cooking appliances. Which one better preserves the nutrients in food? According to nutrition experts, ovens are slightly inferior.
"In terms of nutrient retention, microwave ovens are definitely better, which is related to their heating principle." Han Lei, director of the nutrition department at Qingdao Medical University Affiliated Hospital, said that microwave ovens generate heat by making food molecules move rapidly internally, so nutrients are not easily lost. Ovens are different; they heat food from the outside to the inside, destroying some nutrients.
Although ovens lose to microwave ovens, Director Han said that as long as ovens are used correctly, they are still much better than charcoal-grilled food! While ovens destroy some water-soluble vitamins when baking vegetables, the impact is minimal when baking meat.
This is good news for those who love grilled meat.
Baking food above 200℃ easily produces large amounts of carcinogens.
Oven-baked meat is healthier than charcoal-grilled meat, which might excite those who can't live without beer and grilled meat in the summer. However, there are conditions for healthy oven-baked meat—when setting the temperature, it's best not to exceed 200℃!
Director Han Lei told the reporter that when the oven temperature is set below 200℃, as long as it's not burnt, the resulting food retains most of its nutrients except for some vitamins, and no toxins are produced. Once the oven temperature exceeds 200℃, the food is likely to produce various carcinogens such as heterocyclic amines and benzo[a]pyrene, especially when grilled to a crispy state!
The reason oven-baked meat can be healthier than charcoal-grilled meat is that the oven temperature can be accurately controlled, but charcoal grilling temperature is not so easy to control.
Many Western oven-baked dishes require high temperatures of 200℃.
Is it difficult to bake food at temperatures not exceeding 200℃? Are there many foods that require temperatures above 200℃ during baking? The reporter looked through several popular food blogs and found that quite a few foods require baking temperatures above 200℃—
Cream puffs, bacon shrimp rolls: 200℃ for 12-15 minutes; Pizza: 200℃ for 20-25 minutes; Grilled squid: 200℃ for 10 minutes, then brush with sauce and bake for another 5 minutes; Char siu: 200℃ for 25-30 minutes, brush with sauce, and continue baking for 30 minutes; Lamb chops: 200℃ for about 40 minutes; Cheese chicken pasta, meat floss, hairtail: 220℃ for about 15 minutes…
Desserts, meat, seafood, etc., may require high temperatures above 200℃, and some require long baking times!
Tips: Meat can be baked at a lower temperature for a longer time; try to avoid high-temperature desserts.
Many foods require high temperatures above 200℃ for baking, which easily produces carcinogens. What should we do? Is it okay to bake at temperatures below 200℃?
Regarding this issue, the reporter specifically interviewed Li Weiguo, the pastry chef at the Qingdao Shangri-La Hotel. He said that for meat, by lowering the baking temperature and extending the baking time, delicious food can still be produced. Although the texture and taste may be slightly different from those baked at high temperatures, the impact is minimal. However, this method does not work for pastries—pastries have more precise requirements for baking temperature. Even a slight deviation can greatly change the taste and color of the pastries, so it's best to choose pastries baked at temperatures below 200℃.
Latest developments
WeChat Public Number
Shandong Yihao Food Co., Ltd
Telephone:86-531-86933666
Fax:86-531-86937666
Mailbox:yihaoyouzhi@163.com
Website:www.yihaoyouzhi.com
Address: Daqiao Economic Development Zone, Tianqiao District, Jinan City (Yihao Food Industrial Park)