After work, Aunt Liu carefully selected some fresh garlic at the vegetable market and prepared to go home to cook a meal of garlic prawns for her family.
However, on the way home, she heard a lot of talk from passers-by that garlic "boiling pot" can produce toxic substances and may even cause cancer.
This made Aunt Liu suspicious, for so many years, she has been used to using garlic pot to cook, is there really an unknown danger?
Aunt Liu was shocked by this idea, so is garlic "boiling pot" poisonous? Does it really cause cancer? The doctor will reveal the truth for you!
1. When stir-frying, garlic is used to "boil the pot", is it really toxic and carcinogenic?
Before discussing whether garlic is poisonous or carcinogenic, let's talk about the boiling pot.
This cooking method is especially common in Sichuan cuisine, and many people like to fry garlic, chili peppers and other seasonings in high oil temperature when cooking Sichuan cuisine, which is called boiling pot.
After boiling the pot, the flavor of garlic and other spices will be fully stimulated, and the stir-fried dishes will be more flavorful. Of course, high-temperature boiling pot does have certain adverse effects on the human body, but it is a bit far-fetched to say that garlic causes cancer after boiling the pot.
Speaking of the source of the rumor that garlic is poisonous and carcinogenic, it actually comes from a TV show.
The guests in the show said that using garlic to "boil the pot" will produce a carcinogen called acrylamide, which is really not wrong, but from this, it is concluded that using garlic in the pot when stir-frying is carcinogenic, which is somewhat windy and rainy.
I once heard a professional introduction in a CCTV radio program that although acrylamide has a definite carcinogenic effect on experimental subjects, it has little impact on the human body.
In addition, there is not much acrylamide that can be produced when using garlic to boil the pot, under normal circumstances, only 0.2 micrograms of acrylamide may be produced in one gram of garlic, and this content is far less carcinogenic to the human body.
If eating garlic really causes cancer because of acrylamide, it is likely to be strangled to death before it is poisoned.
Moreover, many foods will produce a certain amount of acrylamide in high-temperature cooking, and if you put aside the dosage to talk about the harm, then foods containing carbohydrates and protein should not be eaten.
Because carbohydrates and proteins are cooked for a long time in temperatures over 120 degrees, acrylamide is produced.
2. How to use garlic when stir-frying?
Garlic has long been known as a "natural antibiotic", not only for the sake of food, but also for health.
To get the most out of garlic and reduce potential health risks, choose fresh, plump garlic instead of garlic that has sprouted, shriveled or is starting to rot.
Not only do they have fewer active ingredients, but they may even have produced many harmful substances.
Fresh garlic contains more allicin and other bioactive components than garlic that has been stored for a long time, which can release a purer garlic aroma when "boiling".
There are also many varieties of garlic, among which the single-headed purple-skinned garlic has the strongest flavor, while the white-skinned garlic is relatively mild.
When it comes to "boiling pans", the control of the oil temperature is crucial.
Too high an oil temperature will cause the garlic to fry and char quickly, which will not only affect the flavor, but also produce unnecessary harmful substances due to the high oil temperature.
Under normal circumstances, when the oil is slightly smoking, it means that the oil temperature is already five or six percent hot, which is the best time to put garlic.
When the color of the garlic changes to golden yellow and the garlic fragrance is emanated, you can proceed to the next step.
3. Is the nutritional value of garlic high?
Many people are accustomed to putting some garlic in their cooking, especially when it is used in the "boiling pot", almost all of them have its influence.
This is because garlic is very rich in nutrients, it is rich in protein, carbohydrates, crude fiber, a variety of vitamins, and sulfides with special biological activities.
Therefore, during the cooking process, garlic can enhance the aroma of the dish very well. When heated, the flavor is even stronger, and it can effectively remove the fishy smell of meat and other ingredients, making the dish more flavorful.
This is also the reason why garlic is used as the main seasoning when it comes to "boiling pots".
In addition to making dishes more delicious, scientific studies have confirmed that garlic has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and other effects, such as allicin is one of the most important active ingredients in garlic.
It can have a certain inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria and viruses, so garlic can play a certain degree of preventive role in the prevention of infectious diseases.
In addition, garlic can also reduce blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar levels, which helps prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that garlic has a pungent taste and a warm nature, and has the effects of qi stagnation, warming the stomach and strengthening the spleen, detoxifying and killing insects.
In folklore, garlic is often used as a home remedy for colds, coughs, stomach aches, and other ailments.
Nowadays, modern medical research has also shown that some of the active ingredients in garlic do have antiviral, immune-enhancing and other effects, which is consistent with the traditional understanding of traditional Chinese medicine.
Of course, if you suffer from related diseases, it is obviously unrealistic to eat garlic alone to treat the disease. Garlic only has an auxiliary effect, but it does not cure these diseases.
epilogue
Now we can clearly know that the use of garlic in the stir-fry does not produce toxic substances, let alone cause cancer. While garlic does produce trace amounts of acrylamide during high-temperature cooking, the levels are extremely low enough to pose a threat to human health.
As a common seasoning, garlic is not only flavorful, but also rich in nutritional value. It contains active ingredients such as allicin that have many benefits for human health, but it is necessary to pay attention to the control of oil temperature during the cooking process to avoid frying banana garlic at too high temperature, which destroys the beneficial components in garlic.