Q: I’ve heard that beef cooked on the grill may cause cancer. What about grilled fish and vegetables?
A: When muscle meats, including beef and chicken, are cooked at high temperatures to a burned or charred state, they can form various carcinogens. Among these are a class of compounds called heterocyclic amines, which form on the surface of meat. You should cut away burned or charred pieces.
Even better: Avoid some heterocyclic amines by wrapping meat in foil when grilling. Cook thoroughly, but don’t burn it. Microwave hamburger and other meats for a few minutes, and pour off the juices before wrapping in foil and grilling to help reduce precursors of the carcinogens.
Fish can form these compounds, too. Charred or burned vegetables don’t produce heterocyclic amines but can contain other carcinogens when blackened.
