How to Correctly Prepare Safe and Delicious Grilled Dishes
Alicja Kowalska
2026-03-22
7 min. read
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The grilling season has returned, bringing along enjoyable gatherings around the grill and delicious dishes. But how to correctly prepare safe and delicious grilled dishes? Can consuming such dishes truly be detrimental to health?
The hidden truths of grilling
In the simplest of terms, grilling is a process of heat treatment of food products on a grate or spit without added fat, hence it is often compared to baking. This culinary method is chosen by many enthusiasts who emphasize not only the flavor values of grilled dishes but also their nutritional value. Indeed, due to the loss of fat (5–20% depending on the product), grilled foods have less calories than raw materials. However, it is also worth noting that they lose not only fat but also vitamins (around 20%) and mineral ingredients (25–50%). Grilled foods also contain higher amounts of cholesterol than, for example, boiled ones. Grilled dishes are characterized by strong denaturation of proteins and contain substances resulting from the Maillard reaction, which give them a characteristic flavor and aroma. Unfortunately, the grilling process may also lead to the formation of dangerous chemical compounds that have a negative impact on human health. These include, among others, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), and acrylamide.
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