Infrared grills are an innovation in the grilling world. They look complex at a glance but their principle of operation is simple: instead of a burner or flame, there’s a plate that is heated at high temperatures. This plate then radiates the heat which cooks your food.
Radiation. This is what makes infrared grills stand out.
Interesting word, isn’t it?
This is exactly why some folks ask “are infrared grills safe?”.
They think that this is the same type of radiation that is around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. In reality, it’s not.
There’s bad radiation, like this one, and there’s good radiation.
I’d like to end this confusion once and for all. That’s why I wrote this article. Below I’ll explain:
- Why all radiation isn’t harmful
- What radiation exactly is
- Why are infrared grills safe
Is Infrared Cooking Bad for Your Health?
The mentioned question arises due to the fact that heat is transferred from the heating element to the food through radiation.
The other grills that are considered “safe” use conduction and convection as the primary method of heat transfer.
These grills, however, have a lot of downsides such as energy loss and uneven cooking. Infrared grills were created to address these challenges.
When the convectional currents rise from the heat source, a lot of heat energy is lost to the environment.
The heat is mainly concentrated near the source. Only the part of the food that is close to the heat source gets cooked.
How Does Infrared Cooking Work?
The infrared element gets heated up and radiates the heat which then cooks your meals.
It also minimizes heat loss as it does not rely on convectional currents to cook meals.
Infrared radiation is just fancy talk for heat.
Safety
Contrary to popular belief, this type of grill does not use or introduce radioactive rays.
The IR element within the grill functions primarily to radiate heat for cooking and nothing more.
It does not produce harmful radioactive rays when heated. You will be cooking just as you would on other grills only that the heat will be evenly distributed rather than being concentrated in a certain area.
The other issue that some people tend to associate with infrared grills is that they interfere with the internal structure of the food.
This assumption stems from the “fact” that people think that these grills use radioactive rays to cook.
As I have already explained earlier that grills that use infrared technology do not create radioactive rays to cook.
They will also not interfere with the DNA or protein composition and this will keep both you and your dishes healthy and safe.
Cancer
Can Infrared Give You Cancer?
This is another negative thing that has been said about infrared grills.
Those who think that these grills use radioactive rays to cook meals assume that such rays make foods radioactive enough to cause cancer.
This is not true at all since the infrared element does not produce radioactive rays. There is no chance of the food getting cooked turning radioactive.
You are, therefore, not at risk of cancer and your health and well-being won’t be compromised when cooking on an infrared grill.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite: grills with infrared technology prevent you from cancer better than other types of grills.
The chances of burning your food are higher with the other grills as the heat is not properly regulated and distributed within the grill.
Burnt food has been linked to cancer and since you are more likely to burn your food when cooking with a charcoal or gas grill, I can comfortably say that infrared grills are very safe and healthy.
Infrared Grills Are Safer Than Charcoal and Gas Grills
Many people have been wondering, “Are infrared grills safe?” and the answer to this is an emphatic yes.
Assumptions that these grills use radioactive rays to cook are off the mark and quite misleading.
Simply put, these grills have come up with an innovative way to cook with minimal energy loss and if you are looking for something like this, then get it.
No more hot and cold spots and the food cooks faster.
The food will also be tastier and juicier as the heat generated will not break the food’s moisture barrier.
For further information, read this article to learn what other advantages these innovative grills have over traditional gas ones.
Do you know any other advantages of infrared grills? I want to see your answers in the comment section below.
These grills produce more smoke than a normal grill. Can’t the smoker cause cancer?
Depends on who you ask as there is no definitive answer. While most people agree that smoke (and grilling in general) causes cancer (at least up to a point), there are some who aren’t completely sure. I have grilled and smoked for many years (I also know many people who have been doing this for even longer) and have never had any health issues, including cancer.