Smoking: is smoked food bad for you?
The variety of foods is a fundamental factor in any slimming
path, partly because it breaks the monotony of the menus and partly because it
saves from the frustration that leads to abandoning good intentions.
In practice, eating scamorza instead of ricotta or smoked
salmon instead of fresh fish can help change flavor, liven up menus and feel satisfied
at the table without overdoing it.
Among the most used foods are smoked foods , i.e. products
subjected to a smoking process that completely changes their flavor.
Such a simple action, albeit produced by specific motivations, could hide some small pitfalls. How much do we know about smoking ? Is smoked food bad or not?
Smoking
Smoking is nothing more than a very ancient preservation
technique that allows you to keep some perishable foods longer even today.
From the history of the times, cold cuts (speck, bacon and
ham), meat (sausage and wurstel), fish (salmon herring) and dairy products
(provola or scamorza) have been subjected to smoking .
The smoked foods earn a smell, a color and a distinctive
flavor that makes them unique and recognizable.
How is smoking done?
The smoking takes place through the substances present in
the smoke generated by the slow and flameless combustion of some woods of a
non-resinous nature (chestnut, beech, walnut, oak, poplar, birch and others).
The substances released by the smoke enter the food at a
superficial level and change its characteristics and prolong its conservation.
Aromas are added to the wood for smoking to give further
flavor, to enhance the characteristics of the product and to speed up smoking.
For the uninitiated, we can talk about cold smoking when the
smoke temperature remains around 20-25 degrees, semifreddo smoking when the
smoke temperature is around 25-40 degrees and hot smoking when the temperature
of the smoke remains at 50-85 degrees.
In principle, a decrease in the temperature of the smoke
drops corresponds to a reduction in the temperature of the environment (ovens
or smokehouses) and a change in timing.
Is smoked food bad for you?
Is smoked food bad for you ? It's a question that has always
echoed, especially due to the potential risks associated with smoking fumes.
The smoke from smoking salmon and other foods could also
bring with it a number of substances considered harmful, from benzo (a)
anthracene to phenolic compounds to formaldehyde.
Added to this is that very often the chemical smoking
technique follows other types of preservation techniques capable of promoting
the infiltration of smoke into the innermost layers of the product.
This is why measures (filters, humidity and temperature
parameters and more) are adopted for the smoking of meat , fish, dairy products
and cured meats, which reduce the harmfulness of the harmful substances present
in the smoke.
For example, smoking is not carried out with resinous wood
or wood subjected to coloring or other treatments that could contain harmful
substances. Red light also for damp and rotten wood.
Unfortunately, a study carried out by the European Food
Safety Authority (EFSA) has identified a series of toxic aromas used in
chemical smoking that could damage the body.
Well, according to the study, only two of the eleven
artificial flavors used for smoking can be considered harmless.
However, this does not mean that eating smoked foods from
time to time puts your health at risk: the data refer to much higher dosages
than those achieved by normal consumption.
It goes without saying that smoked salmon is not as bad as
smoked meats and any other smoked food .
Smoked foods in the diet
It is possible to consume smoked foods in your diet without
risking harm or affecting your body weight, as long as you do not overdo it
either in quantity or frequency. Yes to smoking in recipes , but in moderation.
How to smoke at home?
To industrial-type products prepared with chemical smoking,
you may prefer artisan products or foods subjected to cooking - DIY smoking .
How to do home smoking ?
eADV
Oven off
In the absence of a smoking oven, simply marinate the food
with salt and sugar and in the meantime pour a little charcoal, straw, aromatic
herbs and sugar into a pot with holes and place it on the lower level of the
oven. On the top shelf put a pan with ice and on the last shelf at the top put
another perforated pan with the marinated food and enriched with a little salt.
Smoke in the oven off for 4-5 hours and put it to cool in water, ice and salt.
Steamer basket
In this case, place some sticks for smoking and aromatic
herbs in a pot and burn them, place a steamer basket with the food to be smoked
inside and cover. Smoke for an hour. Then cool the food in water, ice and salt.
Pastry grill
The pastry rack can replace the steam pot: put the wood and
the smoking aromas ( ingredients of your choice) in the pot , light them, place
the rack with the food to be smoked on top, cover with a lid, turn on the flame
and let it go for one hour. Then let it cool in water, ice and salt.
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