The word infrared is associated with the word ultraviolet more often than it is with cooking. Hence, it is perfectly logical to ask – “Is infrared cooking safe for my health?”. Now while it is a scientific fact that infrared cooking involves subjecting foodstuffs to rays (belonging to the part of light spectrum below visible light), this does not automatically mean that infrared cooking is turning your favorite food into mutant or GM variants. To dispel all doubts regarding the safety, we have compiled below a simple explanation of infrared cooking along with the latest research on the subject.
How does infrared cooking work?
Put simply, infrared is another name for the invisible light which lies within the wave spectrum between the visible light and microwave. Being invisible, it manifests itself in the form of radiant heat and therefore whenever we feel heat without seeing the light, that is infrared.
Hence cooking by using infrared technology does not refer to the use of any radioactive rays which could cause damage to the DNA. It is merely the use of radiant heat in a much more effective way than in any conventional method of cooking. Infrared ovens transfer the heat from the heating element to the food being cooked directly through the air molecules. This raises the temperature of the foodstuffs to very high levels and thus cooks the food. Indeed, toasters and grills used in everyday cooking across the world make use of the same rays.
Latest research about infrared cooking
The safety concerns regarding infrared cooking mainly arise from the general misconception about the nature of energy used in this kind of cooking. Since infrared, like microwave is one form of electromagnetic energy, people sometimes confuse it with radioactive rays. It gives rise to the fear of increased risk of cancer if food prepared in infrared cooking system is consumed.
This fear is baseless. As we have seen, infrared cooking is merely cooking by using radiant heat, the kind of heat that we get from the warm wind in a sunny day. Latest scientific research has also proved that infrared cooking is completely safe. According to Gary Zeman, certified health physicist in Berkeley, California, and spokesman for the Health Physics Society, the National Research Council found no link between such fields and cancer. He further adds that infrared cooking does not make food radioactive, change its protein structure or contaminate it in any way. Neither is the nutritional value of the food decreased in any way.
Thus, infrared cooking is in reality nothing more than the use of heat in a more efficient manner to cook food faster. The process results in no loss of nutrition or modification of the food (other than the cooking itself of course!). When these are considered together, the answer to the common question – “Is Infrared cooking safe for my health ?” turns out to be an unequivocal yes.
Some of best Infrared Ovens