Greener Grilling

A Reader Asks The Green Guide:

Dear Green Guide, I want to buy a grill and was hoping you could offer some suggestions regarding what type of grill is the safest/healthiest in regards to the grilling surface (chrome plated, stainless steel, steel, etc.), energy source (electric, natural gas, propane, wood, charcoal)? Thank you in advance for sharing your knowledge!

Sincerely,
Jane Haddad

The Green Guide Responds:

With the huge variety of grills to choose from and the various health and environmental concerns posed by grilling, the old-fashioned BBQ has become a complicated affair. Breaking it down to the healthiest/safest grilling surface and energy source as you have done is a good place to start. Once that's sorted out we can consider what to grill. Then we should be in pretty good shape.

The Grill

The best cooking surfaces distribute heat evenly and are tough enough to stand up to the test of time. The cast iron skillet may be 19th century technology, but it's still around, and for good reason: Few pans are as versatile or as durable. For one thing, the cast iron skillet is a solid piece of heavy-duty metal, which remains nontoxic at any cooking temperature. One shortcoming of cast iron, though, is that it oxidizes, or rusts, very easily, and while the rust itself is nontoxic, it can affect flavor and appearance. Bare cast iron would be particularly inappropriate for a grill that is used outdoors, but if we want a grill that has the heat retention and ruggedness of cast iron but doesn't oxidize, there are several options. Quality stainless steel and porcelain-enameled cast iron grills won't rust and outperform and outlast grill made out of chrome-plated aluminum. After prolonged exposure to heat and the elements, most chrome plating will come off, possibly in your food. And once the plating is gone, you're left with aluminum, which, unlike cast iron, is toxic when it oxidizes.

Another consideration when buying a grill is environmental health. Paying more for a grill that will last for ten years leaves a smaller eco-footprint than one that wears out in two. When it comes to grills, a sturdy, well-built piece of equipment will not only last longer, but the solid metal grill surface will cook food more evenly and with greater efficiency.

Energy Source

Grills are run by electricity, gas or some kind of solid carbon fuel, usually charcoal, wood, or a combination of the two. In terms of environmental impact from production to use, electricity wins out on the use end, but is the worst choice when production is taken into account—unless your grill is solar powered! Within the gas category there are two kinds: natural gas and propane. Both burn very efficiently, but since both are also petroleum products, they are nonrenewable resources that exact a high toll on the environment. Charcoal and wood are the worst polluters, and unless they come from well managed forests, their production contributes to deforestation.

However, charcoal and wood have a clear advantage when it comes to flavor, if smoking is a part of the cooking method. Charcoal and wood also let you control where the heat is, so you can create a cool side of the grill for slow cooking. Only very expensive gas grills allow this much flexibility. Most are usually on or off.

Obviously, there are potential drawbacks no matter what you use, but the closest thing to a best-of-both-worlds solution is probably a hybrid grill which is gas powered that can also burn a small amount of charcoal or wood for flavor. If you use charcoal, do not buy conventional charcoal briquettes, which may contain a number of unhealthy ingredients like coal dust, sodium nitrate and borax. There's also no need to use petroleum lighter fluids, which can leave an unhealthy residue on your food and are just not necessary: Proper charcoal will light on top of a small amount of burning paper. A metal charcoal lighter (called a "chimney starter") can also be bought or made. Whole Foods sells hardwood charcoal without chemical additives, but there's no information as to how the trees are grown ($3.39 for 4 1/2 lbs).

What You Cook and How You Cook It

Don't over cook meat. There is now evidence that charred meat contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which according to the National Cancer Institute can increase the risk of colon, pancreatic and breast cancer.

Don't undercook meat. Pathogens like Salmonella, e. coli and Campylobacter can survive even in browned meat. For ground beef and all cuts of pork, cook to 160 degrees F; for beef steaks and chops, 145 F; for poultry thigh and breasts, 170 F and for whole birds, 180 F. Use a thermometer!

Soy burgers and vegetables are also healthy grilling choices.

When grilling beef, chicken or pork look for organic meat free of hormones and antibiotics. Organic also means the animal was raised on a vegetarian diet. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease," is caused by cows being fed cow by-products.

Even sports arena concession stands are responding to the demand for organic meat. Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, and Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals are trying out organic hot dogs and bratwurst.

When grilling seafood, avoid sword-fish and tuna, which are more likely to carry mercury. Choose wild caught salmon and other healthy choices, see "Fish Story" .

For more information, purchase our Green Guide to Healthy Homes Grilling Guide.

Products

Solar Stoves: These aren't exactly grills, but they do show the potential of solar powered cooking.
Solar Stove $19.95
Solar powered Sun Oven $229

Hybrid Grills and Gas Smokers combine gas heat with a small amount of wood for slow cooking with lots of flavor. Two options are Brinkman's Stainless Steel All-in-One Gas and Charcoal Smoker/Grill/Fryer ($180-$279) and the Hybrid Mosaic Tile Grill ($249-1,499), kamado.com.