Did You Know Cooking Meat at Lower Temperature Can Protect Your Heart?

Cooking food, especially meat, on low heat has been around for hundreds of years, perhaps since the discovery of fire. There’s evidence of the use of “low-heat cooking” in indigenous cultures, but it wasn’t scientifically studied until the 18th century.

At that time, renowned scientist Benjamin Thompson had made a startling discovery.

He reported that he’d left a piece of meat in the oven for drying until the morning, and was surprised when it was perfectly cooked and tasted much better than usual. It wasn’t until 1969 that a professor from Oxford University simulated these experiments and concluded that the cooking temperature back then didn’t exceed 70 degrees Celsius!

Engoo | Cooking meat at high temperatures actually ruins the nutritional value

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You could be wondering right now how that’s possible? How does low-heat cooking impact food such that it tastes better, and is there any other benefit too? Well, allow us to answer that.

The impact of low-heat cooking on food

Meat is cooked on heat for three reasons – to kill parasites and harmful bacteria, to add flavor, and to soften the meat. An increase or decrease in the temperature affects your cooking results (and here we don’t mean to evaluate you as a chef; your family will compliment you even if your food isn’t exactly restaurant-level!)

Research has confirmed that cooking meat quickly at very high temperatures may trigger the formation of elements that are harmful to the meat itself, and in turn, harmful to your health. For example, amines and aromatic hydrocarbons are some of the substances that develop in the meat you cook at high temperatures.

Kitchen Cookings | Meat should ideally be cooked at low temperatures to avoid the development of harmful elements in it

Now, all of these substances can be avoided if you adhere to a few instructions:

• It’s preferable to cook meat for a relatively long time on a low heat and without exposure to high temperatures or direct fire. Ideally, you should boil or steam it.
• Turn the meat during grilling constantly, so that parts of it do not char.
• If you have to eat grilled meat that’s exposed to high temperatures, get rid of the burnt and charred parts before you eat, because they contain the most harmful substances.

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In a study conducted on two groups of volunteers, one group was served meat cooked on low heat, and the other was served meat cooked over high heat. In the first group, Advanced Glycation End products (AGEs) were found, explaining the importance of the cooking method for health.

ODT | If you like only grilled meat, make sure you remove the charred bits before eating since they’re the most harmful

Wrapping It Up

In general, you should eat very small amounts of grilled meat. And you should know that your diet should include a healthy balance of veggies and fruits as well. And here’s another final tip – soak red meat in garlic and lemon before cooking to reduce its harmful health effects. Be smarter, be healthier.