# Is it unhealthy to eat (slightly) burnt food? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 6, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708 "2011-08-06T06:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/1 "2011-08-06T06:26:57Z")
When we have something like spaghetti, I don’t mind eating the parts that were at the bottom of the pot and have that slightly burnt sheen to them, but my wife always warns me that’s unhealthy. And if something like that turns up in the kid’s plate, my wife promptly scoops it out. And gives it to me. Likewise with pancakes that came out a little too brown. So where does this idea come from, and there anything to it? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/2 "2011-08-06T06:29:49Z")
The browned bits can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic. That said, if you like them, I wouldn’t worry too much. Studies have shown that research causes cancer in laboratory rats. ---
**Author:** ![Waterman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Waterman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waterman)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/3 "2011-08-06T06:58:56Z")
Here is one opinion regarding the issue: [http://askville.amazon.com/true-eating-blackened-burnt-food-health/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=16099004](http://askville.amazon.com/true-eating-blackened-burnt-food-health/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=16099004) ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/4 "2011-08-06T07:00:12Z")
For 99% of the history of our species, the \*only \*way that people could cook there food was by burning it. We’ve only had the capacity to boil foods for 10, 000 years or so. As such, I find it terribly hard to believe that small amounts of burned food are going to pose a major health risk to humans. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/5 "2011-08-06T07:31:18Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > For 99% of the history of our species, the \*only \*way that people could cook there food was by burning it. We’ve only had the capacity to boil foods for 10, 000 years or so. Not quite true. Birch bark and wooden vessels can be readily used for boiling food, utilizing heated stones. The oldest known birch bark and wooden containers date to the Early Mesolithic, or very close to the 10 000 year mark, but based on the extremely rare survival of such items and the high level of craftsmanship evident on some of the few found, it is highly probable people have been able to boil food for tens of thousands of years, or long before the advent of ceramic vessels (I’d say close to 100% of the history of modern Homo Sapiens). Tossing a couple of red-hot stones into a burl bowl filled with water and assorted foodstuffs is the way I prefer to make primitive dinner in the bush, as the valuable fat in dead animals is preserved for consumption this way as opposed to roasting over an open fire. It only takes a couple of minutes to cook meat-ball-sized chunks of, say, deer rump thoroughly by this method. ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/6 "2011-08-06T19:54:48Z")
Gotta love the (inevitable) burned lump of popcorn left in the microwave bag after cooking! ---
**Author:** ![I\_Know\_Nothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f04885/32.png) [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/7 "2011-08-06T20:14:20Z")
Nitrosamines in charred grilled meats are a pretty strong carcinogen. That’s probably why it tastes so good. ---
**Author:** ![Apex\_Rogers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@Apex\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apex_Rogers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/8 "2011-08-06T20:22:31Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Gotta love the (inevitable) burned lump of popcorn left in the microwave bag after cooking! So you’re the guy in the office who’s burning popcorn all the time! Stop that already, it’s stinking up the whole joint!! :mad::mad: In all seriousness, I tend to stop it before any part gets burnt. I may end up with a few extra unpopped kernels if I cut it off too early, but I find that far preferable to having any amount of burnt popcorn. That stuff is just plain nasty and I avoid it at all costs. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![isaiahrobinson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@isaiahrobinson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/isaiahrobinson)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/9 "2011-08-06T22:04:48Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > For 99% of the history of our species, the \*only \*way that people could cook there food was by burning it. We’ve only had the capacity to boil foods for 10, 000 years or so. > > As such, I find it terribly hard to believe that small amounts of burned food are going to pose a major health risk to humans. For 99% of our history the human life expectancy was only about 25-30 years, so this line of reasoning doesn’t comfort me all that much… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/10 "2011-08-06T22:08:21Z")
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#): > > Nitrosamines in charred grilled meats are a pretty strong carcinogen. That’s probably why it tastes so good. As Chronos said, burnt meats contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. If there were no nitrosamines in the meat before you charred it, there won’t be any after you char it. And I don’t think you would describe them as “a pretty strong carcinogen.” [LPI Research Newsletter and Digital Digests | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University](http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/f-w00/nitrosamine.html) > [@](#): > > Do these types of exposure to nitrosamines cause human cancer? An enormous amount of indirect evidence indicates that nitrosamines are human carcinogens. For instance, tobacco-specific nitrosamines are one of the major groups of chemical carcinogens in tobacco products, and no doubt remains about the causal link between tobacco use and cancer. But it is difficult to evaluate the risk of cancer from daily exposure of 1 microgram from foods and beverages. The same difficulty applies to the risk assessment of the exposure to minute amounts of aflatoxin, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heterocyclic amines in a variety of foods and beverages. Unfortunately, our current level of science is unable to answer these questions satisfactorily, but future scientific advances will undoubtedly provide better solutions. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/11 "2011-08-08T13:20:30Z")
Besides burnt meat containing carcinogens (which was known for some decades) new research found [acrylamides](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrylamide) in burnt or deep brown fried non-meats like french fries, chips and similar. > [@wikipedia](#): > > In February 2009, Health Canada announced that they were assessing whether acrylamide, which occurs naturally during the cooking of French fries, potato chips, and other processed foods, is a hazard to human health and whether any regulatory action needs to be taken. They are currently collecting information on the properties and prevalence of acrylamide in order to make their assessment.[4] In December 2009, after a positive reception from the food industry, Health Canada invited comment from the public on this proposal.[5] > > The European Chemical Agency added acrylamide to the list of substances of very high concern in March 2010.[6] Many companies changed their production processes to produce less acryl, and health recommendations were indeed to try and reduce eating overly browned starchy food. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/12 "2011-08-09T02:31:44Z")
> [@Apex\_Rogers](#): > > So you’re the guy in the office who’s burning popcorn all the time! Stop that already, it’s stinking up the whole joint!! :mad::mad: > > In all seriousness, I tend to stop it before any part gets burnt. I may end up with a few extra unpopped kernels if I cut it off too early, but I find that far preferable to having any amount of burnt popcorn. That stuff is just plain nasty and I avoid it at all costs. 😛 Burnt popcorn and cilantro are the two biggest culinary arguments out there. I used to hate both, and over time and exposure (mainly from my wife, who loves them both) now like them both. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/13 "2011-08-09T02:35:07Z")
Wasn’t there a fad a few years back for Cajun style “blackened” fish & maybe other dishes? I wonder if that was super unhealthy. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/14 "2011-08-09T03:07:52Z")
Have you looked at Cajun food? Blackened fish is as healthy as it gets. On his show Justin Wilson made mayonaise-style potato salad out of **leftover French fries!** ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/15 "2011-08-09T03:15:57Z")
Nope, never seen it at all. I just had the impression “blackened” meant burnt to all get-out. ---
**Author:** ![code\_grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@code\_grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/code_grey)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/16 "2011-08-09T06:21:33Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Studies have shown that research causes cancer in laboratory rats. +1000 ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/17 "2011-08-09T10:29:27Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Nope, never seen it at all. I just had the impression “blackened” meant burnt to all get-out. It is, but the sodium will get you before the PAH’s will. That said, it’s pretty yummy. ---
**Author:** ![CheeseDonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@CheeseDonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheeseDonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/18 "2011-08-09T10:34:29Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The browned bits can contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are carcinogenic. > > That said, if you like them, I wouldn’t worry too much. Studies have shown that research causes cancer in laboratory rats. I have a question that is a little off topic, but… How do you know, like, everything? It’s impressive. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/19 "2011-08-09T10:39:17Z")
Blackened fish is not burnt. It is a cajun cooking method and uses blackened seasoning, which consists of hot spices. An iron skillet is best, so you get that good iron. It does use a lot of butter, though. ---
**Author:** ![typoink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@typoink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typoink)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708/20 "2011-08-09T23:53:05Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > Blackened fish is not burnt. It is a cajun cooking method and uses blackened seasoning, which consists of hot spices. An iron skillet is best, so you get that good iron. It does use a lot of butter, though. Well, it’s a bit of both in my experience. You’re using a hot pan to sear the spice coating over the fish. The meat shouldn’t be overcooked, but it’s definitely charred a little on the surface. And now I want some. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unhealthy-to-eat-slightly-burnt-food/591708.md?page=2)