BBQ Grill Surfaces And Health - Cast Iron, Enamel, Etc

[bk_]

Hi everyone,

It’s BBQ season and I’d like you all to weigh in on the health safety of cooking on various grilling surfaces and their contaminants for choosing the right BBQ.

There are basically three grilling surfaces: cast iron, enamel, and stainless steel.

Cast Iron
I suppose cast iron is free of chemical contaminants but it can leach iron, contributing to iron overload which Peat warns about: Are cast iron pans unsafe?

Cooking a hamburger in a cast iron pan increase iron from 2mg to 2.2mg. On a grill that should be less due to less surface area and dripping of juices. However for an acidic substance such as pasta sauce it increase from 0.69mg to 5.77mg in a pan. This means an acidic marinade on meat in a bbq can significantly increase iron contamination.

Another concern with cast iron grills is the need to “season” them to protect from rust by regularly coating then in PUFAs and oxidizing them at high temp . Thoughts?

Coated enamel grills
I see these a lot on cheap grills and view them with suspicion. What is this coating and how was it coated? Are there any mfgers that proudly proclaim their coatings to be free of contaminants or toxic chemicals like some nonstick cookware mfgers are doing?

A study by German authorities found many enamel bbq coatings to give off “unacceptable” levels of arsenic and cadmium into food. BBQ Enamelled Grills Can Release Unsafe Amounts of Heavy Metals into Food

If someone could get a hold of the actual study and/or find which manufacturers can be trusted that would be great!

Stainless steel
Last but not least there’s stainless steel. Again the quality is often a mystery to the consumer. The presence of nickel and other metals pose allergies though I don’t find this to be a problem with modern cookware.

Aluminum
Although no grill surface that I know of is made of aluminum metal, some cheaper barbecues have the case made of cast aluminum which is a better heat insulator than steel. However the question is how much aluminum if any gets vaporized by the heat in BBQ or migrates into the food? I know when I take a blowtorch to aluminum it tends to vaporize, presumably as oxide which dissipates into the air.

Please if you have any thoughts, evidence, or recommendations do share!

 

[lvysaur]

I use stainless steel for 99% of everything I cook.

The cast iron crowd are just tryhard luddites. They're good for searing heavy-duty things like a marinaded steak, but for the vast majority of applications a stainless steel pan does better (arguably better even at steak sears)

 

[mrchibbs]

I use stainless steel for 99% of everything I cook.

The cast iron crowd are just tryhard luddites. They're good for searing heavy-duty things like a marinaded steak, but for the vast majority of applications a stainless steel pan does better (arguably better even at steak sears)

I'm beginning to think more about this. I've stopped using my cast iron pans except as vessels to bake something in the oven, by layering some parchment paper on the bottom. Of course, if a cast iron pan is extremely well seasoned, I guess leaching shouldn't happen because there would be a protective layer between the iron and the food.

In a vacuum Visions cookware seems to be the safest in terms of leeching, but ironically it's not so safe in the sense that it can explode into a million tiny glass shards.

 

[SatoshiPufamoto]

Hi everyone,

It’s BBQ season and I’d like you all to weigh in on the health safety of cooking on various grilling surfaces and their contaminants for choosing the right BBQ.

There are basically three grilling surfaces: cast iron, enamel, and stainless steel.

Cast Iron
I suppose cast iron is free of chemical contaminants but it can leach iron, contributing to iron overload which Peat warns about: Are cast iron pans unsafe?

Cooking a hamburger in a cast iron pan increase iron from 2mg to 2.2mg. On a grill that should be less due to less surface area and dripping of juices. However for an acidic substance such as pasta sauce it increase from 0.69mg to 5.77mg in a pan. This means an acidic marinade on meat in a bbq can significantly increase iron contamination.

Another concern with cast iron grills is the need to “season” them to protect from rust by regularly coating then in PUFAs and oxidizing them at high temp . Thoughts?

Coated enamel grills
I see these a lot on cheap grills and view them with suspicion. What is this coating and how was it coated? Are there any mfgers that proudly proclaim their coatings to be free of contaminants or toxic chemicals like some nonstick cookware mfgers are doing?

A study by German authorities found many enamel bbq coatings to give off “unacceptable” levels of arsenic and cadmium into food. BBQ Enamelled Grills Can Release Unsafe Amounts of Heavy Metals into Food

If someone could get a hold of the actual study and/or find which manufacturers can be trusted that would be great!

Stainless steel
Last but not least there’s stainless steel. Again the quality is often a mystery to the consumer. The presence of nickel and other metals pose allergies though I don’t find this to be a problem with modern cookware.

Aluminum
Although no grill surface that I know of is made of aluminum metal, some cheaper barbecues have the case made of cast aluminum which is a better heat insulator than steel. However the question is how much aluminum if any gets vaporized by the heat in BBQ or migrates into the food? I know when I take a blowtorch to aluminum it tends to vaporize, presumably as oxide which dissipates into the air.

Please if you have any thoughts, evidence, or recommendations do share!

Give the options you’ve laid out, it sounds like SS would be the best way to go?

 

[bk_]

Give the options you’ve laid out, it sounds like SS would be the best way to go?

Yes, it would appear so.

 

[Ras]

This stainless steel griddle has served me well.

 

[orangebear]

I use stainless steel for 99% of everything I cook.

The cast iron crowd are just tryhard luddites. They're good for searing heavy-duty things like a marinaded steak, but for the vast majority of applications a stainless steel pan does better (arguably better even at steak sears)

Making tortillas or pancakes is a pain on stainless steal and is so much better on cast iron or carbon steel. I know a lot of RP followers shun corn and wheat, but I'm sure there are RP friendly dishes that are also very hard not to burn on stainless steel. I used to be a minimalist and only use one pan, one knife, etc. but I now use a variety of cookware because I've learned that sometimes you need the right tool for the job unless you want to ruin half the ingredients and throw them out.

That said, I did find this thread by searching tips on seasoning cast iron because generally PUFAs are recommended for that, and I wonder if that's a major concern or not.

 

[Dolomite]

Making tortillas or pancakes is a pain on stainless steal and is so much better on cast iron or carbon steel. I know a lot of RP followers shun corn and wheat, but I'm sure there are RP friendly dishes that are also very hard not to burn on stainless steel. I used to be a minimalist and only use one pan, one knife, etc. but I now use a variety of cookware because I've learned that sometimes you need the right tool for the job unless you want to ruin half the ingredients and throw them out.

That said, I did find this thread by searching tips on seasoning cast iron because generally PUFAs are recommended for that, and I wonder if that's a major concern or not.

I think coconut oil would work. My mother probably used bacon grease for her cast iron.

 

[orangebear]

I think coconut oil would work. My mother probably used bacon grease for her cast iron.

I just bought a carbon steel comal and the care info pamphlet specifically said it doesn't recommend avocado, olive, or coconut oil. lol. Bacon grease might be good seasoning because of how PUFAs polymerize. I've read something along those lines on non-RP websites while researching this topic. What I do know is that my cast iron griddle is OK with avocado oil seasoning for making pancakes, but it doesn't handle the temperatures needed for making tortillas well. That's why I bought the carbon steel comal, but now I'm wondering if my seasoning with the avocado oil was the problem rather than the griddle itself. It is a rather cheap griddle though so it's still possible that it's simply not high quality. I'm not sure.

 

[bk_]

I just bought a carbon steel comal and the care info pamphlet specifically said it doesn't recommend avocado, olive, or coconut oil. lol. Bacon grease might be good seasoning because of how PUFAs polymerize. I've read something along those lines on non-RP websites while researching this topic. What I do know is that my cast iron griddle is OK with avocado oil seasoning for making pancakes, but it doesn't handle the temperatures needed for making tortillas well. That's why I bought the carbon steel comal, but now I'm wondering if my seasoning with the avocado oil was the problem rather than the griddle itself. It is a rather cheap griddle though so it's still possible that it's simply not high quality. I'm not sure.

There is a chemical reaction that occurs between iron and PUFA, much like lipofuscin which Peat has written and discussed.

The reason manufacturers say not to use more saturated oils (e.g. avocado, olive, coconut) on cast iron cookware is to allow it to be "seasoned". This creates a coating that is resistant to corrosion and sticking. However, I believe "seasoning" cookware is only required initially or on occasion. Once seasoned, you can resume cooking with coconut oil.

I regularly use my cast iron cookware with coconut oil for years and don't bother to re-season them.

 

[orangebear]

There is a chemical reaction that occurs between iron and PUFA, much like lipofuscin which Peat has written and discussed.

The reason manufacturers say not to use more saturated oils (e.g. avocado, olive, coconut) on cast iron cookware is to allow it to be "seasoned". This creates a coating that is resistant to corrosion and sticking. However, I believe "seasoning" cookware is only required initially or on occasion. Once seasoned, you can resume cooking with coconut oil.

I regularly use my cast iron cookware with coconut oil for years and don't bother to re-season them.

Right. I know you can cook with whatever oil you want, but it's specifically the seasoning coming off with each use when making tortillas that I was having a problem with using my griddle, and that's specifically the issue I wanted to solve.

 

[ScottyVP]

Le Creuset cast iron is enamelled on both sides so the seasoning isn’t needed in the same way as a ‘raw’ cast iron pan would be, I use butter in Le Creuset but have to use flax on my cast iron.

 

[lvysaur]

Making tortillas or pancakes is a pain on stainless steal and is so much better on cast iron or carbon steel. I know a lot of RP followers shun corn and wheat, but I'm sure there are RP friendly dishes that are also very hard not to burn on stainless steel. I used to be a minimalist and only use one pan, one knife, etc. but I now use a variety of cookware because I've learned that sometimes you need the right tool for the job unless you want to ruin half the ingredients and throw them out.

That said, I did find this thread by searching tips on seasoning cast iron because generally PUFAs are recommended for that, and I wonder if that's a major concern or not.

Never made tortillas, but pancakes are very easy to make on stainless steel. I've never had an issue with things burning on them either. I'm not sure why people are having these problems. Stainless steel is great for eggs too

The only use I can think of for cast iron is when you want tons of heat - it does better at searing wet marinaded things like skirt steak

 

[orangebear]

Never made tortillas, but pancakes are very easy to make on stainless steel. I've never had an issue with things burning on them either. I'm not sure why people are having these problems. Stainless steel is great for eggs too

The only use I can think of for cast iron is when you want tons of heat - it does better at searing wet marinaded things like skirt steak

It's a little more subtle than simply tons of heat. Cast iron transfers its heat a bit more slowly and evenly, even if it is a lot of heat. That's what makes it so much easier for pancakes, tortillas, etc. There's a bigger window between searing/browning and burning than with stainless steel, especially at higher temperatures. For masa harina tortillas, the temperature ranges from 425ºF for home cooking to 700ºF in traditional Mexican cooking on clay comals.

 

[orangebear]

Oh one other thing is that the apartment I currently live in has an old electric stovetop (the ones with the exposed coils rather than the glass surface), and it makes regulating the temperature and spreading it evenly on any cookware more of a pain than on a gas stove. I'm hoping to get a gas stove at the next place I move to when the times comes.

 

[lvysaur]

Oh one other thing is that the apartment I currently live in has an old electric stovetop (the ones with the exposed coils rather than the glass surface), and it makes regulating the temperature and spreading it evenly on any cookware more of a pain than on a gas stove. I'm hoping to get a gas stove at the next place I move to when the times comes.

I have a gas stove, so maybe your stove is the real problem? I know people "prefer" cast iron stuff for pancakes (dosas are also made this way) but I've never had a problem with stainless steel, it was extremely easy

 

[AlaskaJono]

I am a big fan of outdoor cooking, BBQ, etc., and my experience owning at least 6 different BBQ units in the last 20 years confirmed that a well seasoned cast iron BBQ grill, not the flat plate, is non stick and fabulous to cook on. Also, I like the flat plate for cooking onions or fish, and again, it needs to be well seasoned. I like cast iron, and have some Le Creuset and fake ones too, which all work well. I don't actually own a BBQ at the moment, but have used a friend's one with a thin stainless steel flat grill, and find it less excellent in cooking. Oh well.

The propane or LPG gas fired BBQs with the volcanic rocks below the grill are awesome, as it does spread the heat well, but does absorb some fat sometimes from lambchops, which then make a fire. Part of the fun..... . I prefer the units with a side burner for cooking big pots of stock, or pan fry fish, etc. . Also I like to have the option of slow cooking a bigger roast if the space inside is big enough when the lid is shut , so if the burners are multiple, and one can adjust micro flames, then that is a great flexible option as well. Bon Appetit.

 

[Logan-]

A high quality enamel coated cast iron is a healthy cookware.

 

[SatoshiPufamoto]

Never made tortillas, but pancakes are very easy to make on stainless steel. I've never had an issue with things burning on them either. I'm not sure why people are having these problems. Stainless steel is great for eggs too

The only use I can think of for cast iron is when you want tons of heat - it does better at searing wet marinaded things like skirt steak

And even that is probably marginally better. SS is the best all around cooking material hands down.

 

[sunny]

Oh one other thing is that the apartment I currently live in has an old electric stovetop (the ones with the exposed coils rather than the glass surface), and it makes regulating the temperature and spreading it evenly on any cookware more of a pain than on a gas stove. I'm hoping to get a gas stove at the next place I move to when the times comes.

You could use a heat diffuser.
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