What is the harm of cooking fumes?
Kitchen fumes contain more than 300 harmful substances such as aldehydes, benzopyrene, and dinitrophenol. The carcinogens inhaled from cooking a meal are more than 100 times that of fresh outdoor air!
Research has shown that among non-smoking women, the longer the exposure to cooking fumes, the higher the risk of lung cancer.
Getting rid of bad habits and staying away from the harm of cooking fumes
1. Repeatedly heating cooking oil
Cooking oil should not be repeatedly heated, as this can easily generate harmful substances such as benzopyrene.
Similarly, continuing to cook another dish in the same oil pan after frying one dish may release carcinogens. Moreover, food residues heated at high temperatures can also release harmful substances.
2. Improper timing of turning on and off the fume hood
Some people turn on the fume hood after cooking to save electricity. By then, the pungent smell of cooking fumes has already spread indoors and is inhaled into the lungs, posing a health risk.
On the other hand, immediately turning off the fume hood after cooking a dish is also incorrect. This can cause the remaining cooking fumes to be unable to be quickly removed, leading to indoor pollution.
Measures to prevent and control cooking fumes
(1) Change the habit of cooking with high heat.
Do not overheat the oil, and the oil temperature should not exceed 200℃ (smoking oil pan is the limit). This not only reduces the "cooking fume syndrome" but also effectively preserves the vitamins in the dishes.
(2) Avoid using repeatedly fried oil.
Some housewives reuse the oil used for frying fish or ribs in order to save some oil, unaware that it contains many carcinogens.
Repeatedly heated cooking oil, such as oil used multiple times for frying food, not only contains carcinogens itself but also produces more carcinogens in the cooking fumes, posing a greater risk.
(3) Ensure good ventilation in the kitchen.
The kitchen should always be well-ventilated naturally and should also be equipped with a high-performance fume hood.
During cooking, the fume hood should be kept on and turned off 10 minutes after finishing cooking.
(4) Use cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, and stir-frying as much as possible. This can reduce the amount of cooking oil used and minimize the damage to the nutritional components of the food.
