Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association Searches
May 29, 2007
Barbecue Trends
Gentlemen, start your grills **Leslie Wheeler/HPBA**
Washington Times – Washington, DC; Kansas City Star – MO; The Register-Guard – Eugene,
OR; Fort Wayne Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne, IN; MLive.com – MI
May 26, 2007
Elliott Minor
Bring The Sauce, But Your Host Runs The Grill **NBM/HPBA**
New York Times – New York, NY
May 27, 2007
Phyllis Messinger
Beef ... It's What's For Memorial Day **HPBA**
Grand Island Independent – Grand Island, NE
May 26, 2007
Robert Pore
Fire It Up; City Dwellers Can't Wait To Get Their Grill On **HPBA**
Chicago Tribune – Chicago, IL
May 26, 2007
Rebecca Little
Tools of a Griller’s Trade **HPBA**
Kentucky.com – Lexington, KY
May 27, 2007
Sharon Thompson
Grilling By The Numbers **NBM/HPBA**
Wilmington Morning Star – Wilmington, NC
May 25, 2007
Firing Up The Grill? Make It A 'Rare' Occasion **HPBA**
Los Angeles Times – CA
May 28, 2007
Anna Gosline
Fire Up The Grill! **HPBA**
Seattle Times – Seattle, WA
May 26, 2007
Donna Birch
Quest for Fire; get a Great Grill, and Don’t Get Burned With This Guide to the Best In Gas
Cookers **HPBA**
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Seattle, WA
May 26, 2007
Hearth Trends
Breathing In A Problem
TheNewsTribune.com – Tacoma, WA
May 29, 2007
Susan Gordon
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy 10th Anniversary Report Released
States News Service
May 24, 2007
Gentlemen, start your grills **Leslie Wheeler/HPBA**
Washington Times – Washington, DC; Kansas City Star – MO; The Register-Guard –
Eugene, OR; Fort Wayne Journal Gazette – Fort Wayne, IN; MLive.com – MI
May 26, 2007
Elliott Minor
ALBANY, Ga. -- For a quarter century, chefs at pricey steakhouses have been searing meat on
burners that cook with infrared energy. Now the high-temperature technology may be coming to
a backyard barbecue near you.
With the expiration of a key patent, major gas grill manufacturers, including market leader CharBroil, have scrambled to bring infrared cooking to the masses with models in the $500 to $1,000
range. Previously, such grills cost as much as $5,000.
"Infrared is really hot," said Leslie Wheeler, a spokeswoman for the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue
Association, an industry group in Arlington, Va. "They're great for searing and then either you
turn it down or move over to another burner for cooking."
The grills are still powered by propane and have traditional gas burners that heat mostly by
convection -- or hot air. But they also can cook foods with radiant heat generated by one or more
infrared burners. (Infrared falls between visible light and microwave energy on the
electromagnetic spectrum.)
Char-Broil says its advanced burners operate at 450 to 900 degrees, hotter than the 450 to 750
degrees of standard gas burners. And unlike charcoal, which can require 20 to 30 minutes to
reach its 700-degree cooking temperature, heat from the infrared burners can be adjusted
quickly.
Most leading grill makers, including Solaire, Weber and Whirlpool Corp.'s Jenn-Air, also offer
grills that use infrared.
"It's terrific," said Ms. Wheeler, who owns an infrared grill. "Grills nowadays give you many
options."
Cooks can sear steaks or hamburgers, steam vegetables and give their meats a smoky taste by
tossing a few wood chips onto the burner, said Rob Schwing, a Char-Broil vice president.
"Infrared has done to the grill business what the microwave did to the indoor kitchen," he said.
"It's presenting consumers with a whole the microwave did to the indoor kitchen," he said. "It's
presenting consumers with a whole new way of cooking."
Bill Best, founder of Thermal Electric Corp. of Columbia, S.C., developed the technology in the
1960s, primarily to give automakers a faster way to dry the paint on cars. That led to high-end
grills for professional cooks and wealthy consumers.
When his patent expired in 2000, grill companies saw a future in America's backyards.
But original infrared burners -- and some offered currently to consumers -- contained ceramic
material that was hard to clean, prone to flare-ups and fragile, Mr. Schwing said.
Char-Broil formed a strategic alliance with Mr. Best's company to develop a new generation of
burners known as the Char-Broil TEC series. The fragile ceramics have been eliminated. They
have a layer of glass to shield the burners from drippings and provide even heat distribution.
Seven years after Mr. Best's patent expired, those improvements are available at a price more
affordable to weekend grillers.
"I think it's significant," said Matt Fisher, who tested one of Char-Broil's grills. "It really brings a
whole new technology to the market for most people."
Mr. Fisher, who lives in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens, N.Y., maintains the "The
Cook's Kitchen" Web site and a blog devoted to barbecue. Mr. Fisher said gas grills are
convenient, but he still prefers wood and charcoal.
Barbecue and barbecue accessories are a $4 billion industry in the United States, with 17 million
grills shipped to retailers last year, a 15 percent increase over 2005, said the industry
association's Mr. Wheeler.
Pomona, Calif.-based Cal Spas has been selling high-end grills with infrared burners since 2003.
Nicole Lasorda, a spokeswoman for the company, said the faster and more predictable way the
burners cook allows people to spend more time relaxing and less time cooking.
"More and more people are barbecuing now and they don't necessarily want to stand in front of
the barbecue all the time," she said.
Bring The Sauce, But Your Host Runs The Grill **NBM/HPBA**
New York Times – New York, NY
May 27, 2007
Phyllis Messinger
May, in case you didn’t know, is National Barbecue Month, and Memorial Day is one of the
three most popular grilling holidays (along with the Fourth of July and Labor Day), the Hearth,
Patio & Barbecue Association says.
The association reports that barbecue grill shipments have grown substantially over the years —
to 17 million last year, from about 11 million in 1985. During that time, sales of gas grills have
tripled, to 9 million, though charcoal-grill sales have declined, to 5.7 million from nearly 8
million.
And that brings us to the debate over charcoal versus gas. For convenience, gas grills win
handily. They take just a few minutes to heat up — perfect if you want to come home from work
and grill a steak — though they are generally more expensive. If you can’t decide, maybe both
make sense: the association says that two-grill households accounted for much of the increase in
last year’s sales.
But back to this weekend. The association offers this advice to guests: It’s all right to bring your
own sauce, but don’t touch the grill; that’s the host’s job.
Beef ... It's What's For Memorial Day **HPBA**
Grand Island Independent – Grand Island, NE
May 26, 2007
Robert Pore
This Memorial Day weekend, beef will reign king in backyard cookouts throughout America.
Ann Marie Bosshamer, executive director of the Nebraska Beef Council, said 65 percent of
people who grill use beef.
According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, burgers and steaks are the most
commonly prepared foods on outdoor grills, with burger grilling the most popular at 87 percent,
followed by steak at 83 percent.
"Memorial Day is one of our biggest beef sales weekends of the entire year," Bosshamer said.
And many of those steaks being grilled in backyards across America come from Nebraska,
Bosshamer said.
"One in every five steaks and burgers sold in the United States comes from Nebraska," she said.
"It's great for the beef industry and great for Nebraska because beef is our largest agricultural
industry in our state."
According to the Nebraska Beef Council, the beef industry has a $12.1 billion annual impact on
the state's economy.
Nebraska was the nation's leading commercial red meat production state during April, according
to a report released Friday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
During April, Nebraska produced 517.9 million pounds of red meat. That is a decrease from
April 2006's 541 million pounds, but still well ahead of Iowa's 512 million pounds and Kansas'
500.7 million pounds.
Nationwide, commercial red meat production totaled 3.75 billion pounds in April, up 4 percent
from the 3.61 billion pounds produced in April 2006.
Cattle slaughter in Nebraska during April was 516,300 head, down from April 2006's 548,600
head. The average live weight was 1,258 pounds compared to 1,263 pounds in April 2006.
Nebraska was second in the nation in cattle slaughter behind Kansas, which killed 650,200 head,
up from its 603,600 head in April 2006.
Nationally, beef production, at 2.02 billion pounds, was 2 percent above the previous year. Cattle
slaughter totaled 2.7 million head, up 4 percent from April 2006. The average live weight was
down 5 pounds from the previous year, at 1,235 pounds.
Pork slaughter in Nebraska in April was 588,800 head, up from the 549,300 head in April 2006.
The average live weight was 271 pounds, compared to 272 pounds the previous year.
Nationwide, pork production totaled 1.71 billion pounds, up 6 percent from the previous year.
Hog kill totaled 8.47 million head, up 6 percent from April 2006. The average live weight was
down 2 pounds from the previous year, at 270 pounds.
Nationwide, January to April 2007 commercial red meat production was 15.5 billion pounds, up
2 percent from 2006. Accumulated beef production was up 2 percent from last year, veal was up
12 percent, and pork was up 2 percent from last year.
Bosshamer said the popularity of grilling is growing as more and more people are cooking at
home.
"People enjoy the variety and versatility of beef," she said.
According to the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, grilling and barbecuing popularity has
increased by 44 percent since 1992, with 81 percent of American households owning a grill.
Fire It Up; City Dwellers Can't Wait To Get Their Grill On **HPBA**
Chicago Tribune – Chicago, IL
May 26, 2007
Rebecca Little
Kevin Teborek does it on his balcony. Lizzie Abbas does it on her back deck. Matt Taplinger
even does it in zero-degree weather.
When it comes to grilling, there's little that stands between these Chicagoans and their charred
meat. Not the tight city living, not the lack of yard space and, sometimes, not even belowfreezing temperatures.
They're not alone.
Although Memorial Day kicks off the official start of grilling season, fewer people are needing
an excuse to break out their barbecue. An estimated 81 percent of U.S. households own a grill,
according to the Hearth Patio & Barbecue Association, and nearly half of those grill owners use
their grills at least twice a week during the peak season.
For city dwellers like Teborek, Abbas and Taplinger, grilling goes beyond being a great cooking
alternative. For those with tiny apartments and kitchens, it offers many a way to extend their
living space and opens up the possibility of entertaining (and feeding) large groups.
"I can throw 10 brats or burgers on at a time," said Taplinger, 30, a freelance photographer who
lives in the East Village and frequently grills on his back porch. "I couldn't do that in my
kitchen."
"An outdoor space was one of the requirements when I was looking for condos," said Abbas, 29,
a teacher who lives in Rogers Park. "I needed a place that I could grill."
Abbas said she grills at least three times a week.
For other urbanites, grilling is a great social outlet. "Everybody comes out at the same time, and
is out on their balcony doing the same thing," said Torrence Winfrey, 30, who lives in
Washington Park.
Teborek, 29, a self-professed grill fanatic who lives in an 11th-floor condo in Lakeview, says he
has frequent "grill offs" with his next door neighbor. "It's not really a competition, but we're both
always out there doing something," he said. "We haze each other and have friendly banter back
and forth across the balcony."
If that's not enough, grilling enthusiasts contend the food tastes better and the cleanup is a cinch.
Another plus: On hot days in apartments without air conditioning, the cooking heat stays
outdoors.
As for the time-honored question of gas or charcoal, some apartment-dwellers have that decision
made for them based on condo and rental rules. If they had their druthers, though, most of those
who spoke to RedEye chose charcoal for the taste, with a few opting for the convenience of gas.
Everyone agrees that there's something about Chicago's tempestuous weather that makes them
savor opportunities to grill.
"As soon as it gets warm, we're out there," Teborek said. "I think we have more appreciation for
it because it's definitely seasonal."
"It's a fun way to cook and enjoy the weather simultaneously," Taplinger said. "There's
something about the whole process: starting a fire, drinking a beer. It's relaxing."
And although he's done his share of "extreme grilling," most recently braving zero-degree
temperatures during the Super Bowl, Taplinger admits it's definitely a better experience when the
weather is nice: "I was willing to stand out there when it was zero degrees, but the whole
experience is obviously better and more enjoyable in the summer."
--PROS OF COOKING WITH CHARCOAL
- Charcoal grills cook hotter.
- You can burn wood in a charcoal grill, which gives you more flavor.
- Charcoal gives you the primal thrill of lighting and playing with fire.
PROS OF COOKING WITH GAS, PROPANE
- Push-button lighting
- Constant and consistent heat with the twist of a knob.
- Longer grill times
Tools of a Griller’s Trade **HPBA**
Kentucky.com – Lexington, KY
May 27, 2007
Sharon Thompson
Serious grillers are ready with a collection of gadgets and tools that make cooking on the patio or
deck easy and entertaining. We asked readers to tell us about grilling tools they can't grill
without, and here's what they said:
"The tools I cannot live without when it comes to grilling are my wife's (Amy) questions," said
Brandon Eason of Lexington. "Examples include: 'What are you going to cook?' 'When will it be
ready?' 'Will it taste good?' And of course my favorite question, 'Are you sure you are doing that
right?'
"Without her helpful guidance, I am sure we would starve, or at least not enjoy our food quite as
much."
Eason said he grills dinner two to three times a week. "I cook almost everything: steak, chicken,
pork and fish. My favorite tool is a grilling basket that works great for corn and vegetables."
Kevin Waters of Lexington said he couldn't grill without his pizza stone.
"What a wonderful way to enjoy pizza just like the pros. Using the grill makes a wonderfully
crisp crust and ooey-gooey melted cheese. It's also a great way to get the family involved. It's a
super non-traditional night of grilling out. We enjoy it year-round -- we don't believe in a short
grilling season," he said.
"I tried the grill after watching a Food Network show on pizza and different cooking methods,
primarily brick oven. I thought I might be able to replicate the heat of a brick oven by using my
grill. It worked beautifully," Waters said.
Lori Shelburne of Lexington said she likes using cedar grilling planks to enhance the flavor of
grilled foods.
"I used to have to go to Williams-Sonoma to get them, but now Kroger carries them during
grilling season in the barbecue aisle," she said.
"I love the planks because they are simple to use and give meats and fish a delicate and aromatic
smoky flavor."
Here's how Shelburne uses them: Soak the plank in tap water for an hour or so, dab dry with
paper towel, spray the smoother side with cooking spray, and place meat on top of the sprayed
side. Set on grill, lower cover and cook over medium to medium-low heat. (You don't want to
cook so high that the planks catch fire). The planks will become charred on the bottom and
around the edges and will smolder. The steam and aromatic cedar smoke permeate the food and
give it a wonderful flavor.
A cast-iron griddle is an essential tool for Foster Ockerman Jr. of Lexington.
"A little bigger than a sheet of paper, it is flat on one side and has ridges on the other side. It's
reversible depending on whether you want to sautŽ or grill. It's essential for adding grilled
vegetables to the dinner (asparagus, onions, squash, slices of potato) and better to my mind than
a basket," he said.
We asked professional barbecuer and cookbook author Steven Raichlen what tool he couldn't
live without. His reply: "a set of long-handled, spring-loaded tongs."
"They're good for moving charcoal around, lifting the grate, oiling the grill grate (with a folded
paper towel dipped in oil and drawn across the bars of the grate), turning and moving the food,
and unlike a barbecue fork, they won't poke holes in the meat.
"I happen to make such a set of tongs (mine also has a flashlight built into the arm, so you can
see what you're grilling at night), but any spring-loaded, long-handled tong will do," said
Raichlen, who is host of Barbecue University on PBS.
Tips on starting the fire and how to clean the grill could make a difference in whether the food is
delicious. A helpful resource for what's new, what works and how to grill is available from the
Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association at www.hpba.org/nbm or the National Barbecue
Association, www.nbbqa.org.
If you haven't fired up the grill yet, what are you waiting for? Memorial Day weekend marks the
beginning of grilling season.
Grilling By The Numbers **NBM/HPBA**
Wilmington Morning Star – Wilmington, NC
May 25, 2007
May is National Barbecue Month, evidence that the sound of steak hissing on a grill and the
aroma of A-1 sauce are as much a rite of spring as robins and tulips. And while we here on the
coast grill year-round, it's still hard not to feel the official turn (or flip) of the season this
weekend, when our primal instinct compels us to go outside and cook something over a fire.
Here, some stats to go with the sizzle:
17 million: Grills shipped in the United States in 2006, a 15 percent increase over the previous
year
81: Percent of all U.S. households who own a grill
50: Percent of grill owners who cook out at least twice a week during the peak grilling season
13: Percent of grillers who consider themselves pros
$7,000: Price of the heavy stainless-steel aristocrats of grilling that come with infrared heaters
and more knobs and dials than the flight deck of a 747
500 million: Barbecue gatherings held each year in the U.S.
61: Percent of people who feel no obligation to invite their neighbors when hosting a barbecue
61: Percent who believe only the host or hostess should work the grill at a barbecue party
- Dan Howley, Albany Times Union. Statistics sources: Hearth Patio & Barbecue Association,
Opinion Research Corp. survey
Best Bets: Gas Grills
You don't have to hand over a lot of bills to get a good grill.
That's the finding from Consumer Reports, which tested and rated 30 liquid propane grills,
commonly known as gas grills, for its June issue.
The magazine picked the $450 Blue Ember by Fiesta (FG50069-U401) and $300 Char-Broil
Commercial Series grill (463268007) as its best buys, offering best performance for price.
The Weber Genesis (E-320) and Vermont Castings Signature Series' (VCS3507P), both priced at
$700, were rated the best overall among mid-size grills. (The Genesis E-320 was recently
recalled because of a fire hazard with a gas hose. Weber will replace and install the hoses.)
Testers grilled more than 160 pounds of beef, chicken and fish on large, mid-size, small and
portable grills as part of the ratings process.
-- Associated Press
Firing Up The Grill? Make It A 'Rare' Occasion **HPBA**
Los Angeles Times – CA
May 28, 2007
Anna Gosline
BARBECUE definitely gives apple pie a run for its money in the competition for all-American
food. More than 17 million barbecues were sold in 2006, according to the Hearth, Patio &
Barbecue Assn. And 81% of Americans own a barbecue, more than half grill year-round, and
47% barbecue at least twice weekly in the summer months.
The truth is, pretty much anything tastes better hot off the grill. It's something about the flames,
the smoke, the tongs, the-meat-on-metal sizzle that no broil or fry pan can reproduce. Even a tofu
dog almost comes alive with a set of grill marks.
Nothing that good can be good for us, of course. And yes, the natural chemicals that give
barbecued foods their trademark crusty-brown smokiness are toxic and carcinogenic.
Researchers have linked consumption of flame-grilled meat to all sorts of ailments: breast,
prostate and colon cancer; diabetes; glaucoma; heart disease; and Alzheimer's disease.
Fumes from burning fat drippings, along with smoke from wood and charcoal, add another layer
of carcinogenicity (as well as deliciousness) to grilled foods.
And let's not forget the foods themselves. A diet high in red meat — a favorite of U.S. backyard
cooks — is a known cancer risk factor.
But you don't have to convert to a raw food diet yet. Barbecue chemicals may be potent toxins in
petri dishes and mice, but the evidence that they do the same in humans, at the doses we're
exposed to, is weaker.
Most studies find a significant increase in cancer risk only for people who eat several portions of
well- or very well-done meat a week. And even then, the risk is often small. For example, a 2005
study in Cancer Research found a 21% increase in the risk of developing colon cancer precursors
for people eating as much as 18 ounces of well-done red meat per day. The bottom line: A twiceweekly date with a medium-rare steak is unlikely to give you cancer any time soon.
What's more, in addition to reducing portion size and frequency of grilling or developing a taste
for steak tartare, there are many simple changes you can make to your grilling techniques to
drastically reduce the toxicity of your barbecue with little adulteration of taste (see sidebar).
Which is good, because you won't find many takers in the "give up steak for summer" campaign.
The best-known toxic barbecue chemicals are heterocyclic amines, or HCAs, which form under
high heat conditions — such as grilling — from amino acids, sugars and a muscle meat chemical
called creatine. Almost any meat cooked above 300 degrees Fahrenheit, when it begins to brown,
will have HCAs, but as a general rule, the levels increase sharply with higher cooking
temperatures and longer cooking times.
For example a steak cooked until just rare — about 15 minutes or so — has just 2.5 nanograms
of one common HCA per gram of food. Wait until that steak is black and crispy — about 40
minutes — and that value rises more than tenfold to 30 nanograms per gram.
Chicken breasts are even worse. A nicely blackened grilled breast, cooked for about 40 minutes,
has 480 nanograms of the same cancerous HCA per gram of meat. Compared with other highheat cooking methods such as pan-frying or oven broiling, grilling almost always leads to the
biggest, baddest HCA numbers.
In laboratory tests, high doses of HCAs have proved to be potent carcinogens and tumor
promoters. So, too, have tests on another class of cooking-related meaty carcinogens, PAHs, or
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Whereas HCAs are generated by any high-heat cooking
method, PAHs are specifically formed from the close relationship of food, fire and smoke in
grilling and Southern barbecue.
PAHs are technically the incomplete combustion products of fuel and are best known as
components in air pollution and cigarette smoke. However, the World Health Organization
estimates that 80% to 90% of our exposure to PAHs comes through food. Smoke clouds from
charcoal grills and those fat drip flare-ups are packed with PAHs. And, again, the longer the
cooking or smoking time, the greater the coating of carcinogens.
The extra whammy of PAHs, in addition to HCAs, is probably why a high intake of grilled, welldone meats is worse than that of broiled or fried meat. One 1999 study led by cancer and cooking
expert Rashmi Sinha, a senior investigator at the National Cancer Institute, found that for every
2.5 ounces of grilled meat consumed per week, colon cancer risk rises 26%. For frying, it was
only 10%.
Still, the overall evidence of the malignant effects of PAHs and HCAs on people has been less
than overwhelming.
Some studies do find that a general preference for, or high daily consumption of, well-done or
very well-done red meat (black on the outside, gray in the middle) is a risk factor in prostate,
stomach, breast and colorectal cancer. For example, a 2002 study of 1,658 men and women from
North Carolina found that those who ate 2 ounces of well- or very well-done meat a day had a
70% increase in colon cancer risk. Similarly, a 1998 study of nearly 42,000 women from Iowa
found that those who preferred to eat their steak, hamburgers and bacon very well-done were
4.62 times more likely to get breast cancer than women who liked their red meats rare or medium
done.
But other studies find no connection between cooking methods, meat doneness and cancer risk.
A 1999 study of nearly 33,000 women in the Nurses' Health Study in Massachusetts found no
increase in breast cancer risk related to meat cooking habits. A study of 800 New Zealand men
found barely any connection between meat doneness preferences and prostate cancer.
"The existing literature is quite inconsistent, but I think it is reasonable to say that if there were
large risks due to the cooking methods, we would have seen them by now," says Dr. Walter
Willett, Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of
Public Health.
Roger Clemens, a spokesman for the Institute of Food Technologists and professor of molecular
pharmacology and toxicology at USC, says he is similarly unconvinced. "All foods contain a
variety of naturally occurring toxins. The dose in which we consume them is so small that they
don't really have an impact on our health," he says.
But Dr. Zei Wheng, director of the Vanderbilt University epidemiology center, who has been
studying the link between meat doneness and breast cancer for the last decade, doesn't agree. He
believes that the risks are hard to detect in human studies because of nuances of genetics.
For example, Wheng's analysis of the 42,000 women from the Iowa Women's Health Study
found that women who carry one version of a gene for a particular metabolizing enzyme showed
no increase in breast cancer risk no matter how charred they liked their red meat. (The gene
causes the enzyme, which is involved in activation of HCAs, to convert the compounds more
slowly.)
But women with a hankering for blackened burgers and who had a different, "fast" copy of the
enzyme had eight times the breast cancer risk of those who liked their meat rare.
Mariana Stern, assistant professor of preventive medicine at USC, also believes genetic
variations are clouding results. She is sifting through 20 metabolism genes and 30 DNA repair
genes to understand the link between meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk. "There may
be people that can eat grilled meat everyday and nothing will happen to them," she says. But
with so many genes involved, she says, everyone needs to watch their grilled meat intake.
If the evidence seems smoky for PAHs and HCAs, it's even more confusing for a class of toxic
cooking chemicals that are making waves in the nutrition world. Called advanced glycation end
products, or AGEs, they are flavorful chemicals generated when all foods are cooked, processed
and browned under high heat.
Foods high in fat and with a high degree of processing seem to be the worst AGE risks: Hot
dogs, butter and Parmesan cheese are as bad as it gets.
AGEs are powerful oxidants. Animal and human studies have shown that they can damage cells
and trigger widespread inflammation throughout the body. They are implicated in many chronic
diseases of aging: Accumulation of AGEs in the brain is linked to Alzheimer's disease,
accumulation in the eyes to glaucoma, buildup in arteries to premature stiffening, buildup in the
blood to insulin resistance and diabetes.
Scientists are even more divided as to how concerned we should be about these compounds in
our diets than they are about HCAs or PAHs.
For one thing, AGEs, unlike HCAs or PAHs, form spontaneously in our bodies, says professor
Paul Thornalley at the University of Warwick in England. For another, if we eat them, they have
a tough time surviving digestion, only weakly move into the bloodstream and are mostly filtered
out by the kidneys in healthy people. So, he says, although AGEs are harmful, it's unclear
whether eating them causes damage.
But Dr. Helen Vlassara at Mount Sinai Medical School in New York is so convinced of their
potential harm she wants the AGE content of food marked on food labels, right beside calories
and trans fats.
Just last month, Vlassara published two studies: One found that the amount of AGEs we
consume leads to higher levels of the chemicals in the bloodstream of both old and young
participants and increases signs of cellular stress and inflammation. The second found that
cutting the lifetime levels of dietary AGEs by half led to a longer lifespan in mice.
Vlassara believes that everyone should cut their consumption by reducing intake of processed
foods and using low-temperature, moist cooking methods such as stewing.
"Everybody likes the taste of grilled and baked foods," she says. "The idea here is not to deny the
facts and continue eating ourselves to death but to think a little bit more critically about what we
put in our mouths."
Jeffrey Steingarten, food writer for Vogue magazine, thinks very critically about what he puts in
his mouth and has yet to find sufficient evidence to steer clear of a perfectly done steak —
which, in his estimation, is somewhere between rare and medium rare.
For those who choose to grill their steaks to the blackened point of well-done shoe leather, his
tongue-in-cheek opinion is simple: "If you eat a steak like that, you don't deserve to live."
But Steingarten settles on a point that most researchers of food-based diseases would agree on,
despite the plethora of conflicting evidence. If we are to eat really well and grill to the best of our
all-American potential, we probably can't eat meat that often — from a health and a budgetary
and a gastronomic perspective. The meat he deems worth eating doesn't come cheap.
"If you only eat the finest meat in every category, you probably won't be able to afford to eat it
every week," he says. "I don't eat beef that costs less than $30 a pound. If you follow my rules,
you will probably end up eating a lot more rice and salad."
Healthier ways to barbecue
If you simply must eat barbecue several times a week, here are a few tips from food science
experts on ways to reduce the hazard ratio.
• Use a gas grill. Gas grills tend to cook food at a lower temperature than their charcoal
counterparts, generally meaning fewer heterocyclic amines (HCAs). And because the gas
combusts more completely (there's less smoke), fewer polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
are likely to accumulate on your food. Yes, you lose that authentic char taste, but it's better than
precooking in the microwave, as the National Cancer Institute suggests.
• Don't overcook. Almost all of the studies on meat cooking methods and cancer risk find that
rare or medium-rare red meats are relatively safe. If you don't like your cow still mooing, try
baking your steak or burger in a low-temperature oven and transferring it to the grill for a few
moments to get a good crust.
• Trim the fat. Fat dripping down on hot coals and heated surfaces burns and floats back up in a
lovely cloud of PAHs. Moving up the rack a few notches also will cut down on PAH
accumulation.
• Processed meats = bad. Hot dogs have some of the highest levels of AGEs per serving. Many
also contain nitrates, which have been shown in large studies of eating habits to increase cancer
risk.
• Have an enormous salad, a giant bowl of blueberries and a glass of red wine with your
barbecued steak. The antioxidants found in fresh fruits and vegetables and in wine might not
totally counter damage from consuming AGEs and other carcinogens but they could help — plus
they might help you cut down on meat portion size.
• Marinate, even for a minute. Studies have found that marinating can reduce the levels of HCAs
by up to 90%. Researchers suspect this has to do with keeping the meat moist. If your marinade
is acidic — made with vinegar or lemon juice, say — it will also help ward off excessive AGE
formation. Acid tenderizes meat too. Bonus.
• Flip, flip, flip. Like marinating, constantly flipping grilled foods cuts down on HCAs. One
study found that flipping a burger once a minute can cut down HCAs by 90%. Perfect your skills
and soon you can do for burgers what Tom Cruise did for cocktails
Fire Up The Grill! **HPBA**
Seattle Times – Seattle, WA
May 26, 2007
Donna Birch
Need proof that summer is on its way? Take a look at the fleet of outdoor grills lining aisles at
home-improvement centers and other stores.
May through September is the biggest time of year for grilling, according to the Hearth, Patio
and Barbecue Association (www.hpba.org), with Americans breaking out their barbecues to cook
everything from burgers and hot dogs to vegetables and even pizza. Last year alone, the industry
shipped 17 million grills.
This year's trends and hot products include:
• Grills with multiple burners. Having more burners means cooks can prepare more of the meal
in one place. So instead of cooks having to trek to the kitchen to prepare a pot of baked beans
while the tri-tip roasts on the grill, both items can be prepared in one spot.
• Increased accessories. We're not just talking tongs and meat thermometers. Modern grills can
be accessorized with a rotisserie for a whole chicken or a pizza griller. There's also an assortment
of grillware that helps keep food hot longer.
• More cooking options. Some grill makers are offering infrared cooking, which they say drives
moisture back into the food rather than drying it out. Pellets made from hardwoods with flavors
like hickory and mesquite offer an alternative fuel source. There's also the sleek flattop cooking
surface from Evo. No need to worry about shrimp falling into the flames with the flattop.
• More powerful, sturdier portable grills. More people are looking for compact grills for camping
trips and tailgate parties but they don't want to sacrifice cooking power. Travel grills are also a
popular option for those with limited space.
• Convenience features. See-through propane containers and gauge meters make it easier to
know whether there's enough fuel left to power the grill for your cooking needs, so cooks don't
have to stop in the midst of cooking to make a trip for more propane.
• More colors. Blue, red, brown and various shades of green are appearing on grills so you can
coordinate your grill with the color of your house — or a favorite apron.
Another trend that has contributed to the grill's evolution: the emergence of outdoor kitchens.
Upscale homeowners are creating outdoor rooms where they can cook and entertain. The result?
Lavish islands that are built around the grill with tricked out features such as a built-in highdefinition flat-panel TV, a refrigerator, fireplace and ample storage.
Quest for Fire; get a Great Grill, and Don’t Get Burned With This Guide to the Best In
Gas Cookers **HPBA**
Seattle Post-Intelligencer – Seattle, WA
May 26, 2007
Low prices and year-round grilling have spawned record grill sales as patios and decks morph
into outdoor living space. But rising costs for raw materials such as stainless steel could mean
higher prices this year.
First things first
Choose the right grill by matching size and features to your budget.
Basic ($100 to $250)
Best if you want a small or midsize grill with fewer frills. On a small grill, the cooking surface
fits about 15 burgers (31/2 to 4 inches in diameter) at a time; a midsize grill fits about 24 burgers.
Features include a painted cart and cast-aluminum firebox and hood, and thin porcelain-steel
grates. As prices increase, many have a side burner and stainless-steel trim. But most lack
premium-coated cast-iron grates, longer-warranty burners, a rotisserie and a smoker tray. The
cart often will have only two wheels and limited shelf space.
Midprice ($250 to $500)
Best if you want the benefit of some added features but prefer not to spend too much. You'll find
that midsize grills have more features and, on large grills, a cooking surface that can handle 30 or
more hamburgers at a time.
Features include burners backed by longer warranties, premium grates, an electronic igniter, a
recessed-side burner, a grease tray, a rotisserie burner or a smoker tray, more stainless steel and,
often, double doors on the cart. But few models have all-stainless-steel construction.
High-end ($500 to $1,000-plus)
Best if you want a midsize or large grill that's loaded with features. The cooking surface fits 24
burgers at a time on a midsize grill, 30 or more on a large grill. Features include those on
midprice models plus mostly or all-stainless construction, lifetime burner warranties, more
burners producing greater heat, a fully rolling cart and extra storage.
Grills costing $1,000 or more often come with sturdier carts, a stainless toe kick to keep wheels
out of sight and heavy grates made of stainless steel or porcelain-coated, heavy-cast iron. But
paying more than $500 doesn't ensure better performance.
Features that count
These add convenience and style:
Electronic igniter - Grills with this feature tend to ignite more easily than those with a pushbutton or rotary-type starter.
Fuel gauge - This device approximates how much propane remains in the tank.
Long-warranty burners - These burners are covered for 10 years or longer; some makers back
theirs with a lifetime warranty.
Rotisserie burner - This accessory is a separate burner at the rear of the grill used to cook whole
chickens and turkeys or large roasts. You might need to buy the electric motor and spit
separately.
Side burner - This element lets you prepare side dishes or keep food warm while using the full
grilling area for other food. On some models, the burner converts to a griddle.
Stainless-steel or coated, cast-iron grates - These premium, heavy-duty cooking surfaces tend to
sear better and maintain consistent grilling temperatures better than porcelain-coated steel
versions. Wide grates hold food more solidly and also stop it from falling through to the burners.
How to choose
Keep these tips in mind:
Don't be wowed by Btu - Brands tout the British thermal units per hour rating (Btu/hr). But that
figure indicates how much gas is used, not grill temperature, so a higher number doesn't
guarantee faster heating or improved searing. Indeed, the Brinkmann Pro and other high-Btu
models are not top performers.
Test its metal - Look for 300-series stainless. It's a higher grade than the 400-series, and as our
tests to simulate weather exposure demonstrated, it should fight corrosion better. To identify
grills made of lower grades, which are usually magnetic, take a magnet when shopping. Note that
many grills mix stainless types.
Case the cart - Give the grill a gentle bump from several angles to see if it tips. The more stable
the grill, the safer it is. Inspect the cart, firebox and shelves for sharp edges and corners. Be sure
the curve of a handle doesn't place your fingers or knuckles too close to the lid - you could get
burned when cooking. (Note that metal handles can get hotter than wooden or plastic ones.) Also
look for a sliding drawer for the fuel tank, which facilitates using and changing the tank.
Consider flare-ups - Some flaring is normal with fatty foods. But the greater the distance
between the grates and where the grease lands, the fewer sustained flare-ups. The BBQ
Grillware, Char-Broil Designer Series, Coleman, Ducane Affinity 4200, Frigidaire, and Viking
flared up more than others. Look for a removable grease tray or pan, which you can clean to
prevent buildup.
Rate the grates - Grills with heavier stainless-steel or porcelain-coated, cast-iron grates do a
much better job searing than thinner steel ones.
Quick picks
(high performance and value)
Best for most
(all midsize)
Blue Ember (Fiesta), $450 (Consumer Reports Best Buy)
Char-Broil, $300 (Consumer Reports Best Buy)
Kenmore (Sears), $400
The high-performing Blue Ember's generous shelf space, side burner, built-in smoker box and
rotisserie burner are noteworthy features.
Consider the Char-Broil for its abundant shelf space, side burner and lifetime burner warranty.
The Kenmore is a fine cooker and has a rotisserie burner.
If you cook for a crowd
Kenmore (Sears), $800
Very good performance and lots of cooking space make this large grill a solid choice. It has five
main burners with a 10-year warranty, a rotisserie burner, a side burner and plenty of shelf space.
Traveling companion
Weber Q, $180
Portable grills provide a convenient way to cook when you're tailgating or camping. The Weber
Q offers more cooking space and much better grilling than other models.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Consumer Reports - consumerreports.org. All kinds of information from Consumer Reports. This
site also has additional tips on "How to Choose" when buying a grill (to reach it directly, visit
goto.seattlepi.com/r748).
The Hearth, Patio & Barcecue Association - hpba.org. Information about the industry and tips for
grilling. New consumer guide with advice on buying a grill, party planning and recipes may be
downloaded at: hpba.org/nbm.
Blue Ember - fiestagasgrills.com. Site for Fiesta products.
Weber - weber.com. Site of Weber-Stephen Products Co.
Char-Broil - charbroil.com. For an explanation of infrared heat, click on the new Tec series for
an explanation of infrared heat.
Kenmore - sears.com Search "Lawn & Garden" for "gas grills."
Elizabeth Karmel - girlsatthegrill.com. Tips from this cookbook author on grill shopping and
grilling basics. Click on "grilling 101" for basic information.
Steven Raichlen - barbecuebible.com. "Barbecue University" TV Host and cookbook author
advises how to buy a grill and more.
Barbecue Queens - bbqqueens.com. Tips and recipes from Karen Adler and Judith Fertig.
Breathing In a Problem
TheNewsTribune.com – Tacoma, WA
May 29, 2007
Susan Gordon
When federal officials announced a new limit on soot under the Clean Air Act eight months ago,
attention focused on Tacoma’s South End, where a permanent air quality monitor had recorded a
history of pollution.
But now the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which regulates Tacoma-area polluters, has
concluded that the city’s dirty winter air isn’t exclusive to a single neighborhood, or even
confined to Tacoma.
“We’re thinking more broadly now,” said Dave Kircher, the agency’s manager of air resources.
Under federal law, the state Department of Ecology, in cooperation with regional air agencies,
has until Dec. 18 to identify Washington communities unlikely to meet the new standard.
Besides the Tacoma area, Yakima and Vancouver, Wash., are likely to fall short, said Kim
Schmanke, an Ecology Department spokeswoman.
If federal officials designate Tacoma as a “non- attainment area,” the Clean Air Agency could
have until 2011 to put together a plan to improve air quality. The deadline for compliance with
the federal Environmental Protection Agency regulation is 2015.
Last fall, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency officials set up four temporary air-quality monitoring
stations in the South End, East Side, South Tacoma and Lakewood. They operated for six
months, until March 1.
It’s worth pointing out that the federal standard is based on a three-year average, not just six
months. And Tacoma’s summer air quality is ordinarily pretty good, Kircher said.
But if last winter’s outcome held true for three years, the average concentrations of soot recorded
at five sites would exceed the new federal limits, officials said. The worst results came from one
of two permanent monitors – the one on South L Street, located behind the South End
Neighborhood Center and near Birney Elementary School.
“We have a much better sense of the geographic area than we did before,” Kircher said last week
when he presented the outcome to members of the South End Neighborhood Council. “Even
though South L might be the highest site, it’s not unique.”
Experts don’t know the boundaries of the air pollution problem. And while they suspect that
wood-burning stoves contribute to it, they don’t know to what extent.
“We obviously want to know more about the winter months,” Kircher said. “It’s important to
look at everything that contributes to the concentrations and not jump to conclusions.”
Leaders of the South End council, who initially criticized Clean Air Agency officials for making
hasty judgments about the pollution sources, said they are pleased with the agency’s commitment
to solutions.
“We want clean air,” said Fred Brookshier, vice chairman. “We want to make sure it’s done
right.”
EPA SET NEW STANDARD
In September 2006, the federal Environmental Protection Agency cut by nearly half the allowed
daily concentration of fine particles that irritate lungs, harm hearts and cause early death.
The change applies to particles 2.5 micrometers across, about one-thirtieth the size of a human
hair. The specks are so small that they bypass barriers in the nose and bury themselves deep in
the lungs.
Children are particularly vulnerable to this type of pollution because they typically breathe in 50
percent more air than adults, health officials say. Particulate pollution triggers asthma, a
significant problem in Washington, where the rate of childhood asthma is 8.7 percent, compared
to 5.9 percent nationwide.
Testing this past winter in and around Tacoma confirmed previous evidence that particulate
pollution soars when temperature inversions trap pollution near the ground. The worst pollution
was recorded after the December windstorm, which knocked out electrical power for several
days and forced many people to find alternative sources of heat.
Experts at the Clean Air Agency and the state Department of Ecology also believe there’s
correlation between peak periods of pollution and wood-burning stoves. The latest results
support that, and while the Ecology Department last year began collecting soot samples from the
South L site, analysis has not begun.
“There’s a unique fingerprint from wood smoke. There’s a unique fingerprint from diesel soot.
Diesel, for example, emits elemental carbon, so we can tell depending on the time of day what
are the sources,” Kircher said.
The first round of source testing might start this summer when a University of Washington
expert will attempt to tease out traces of cellulose that could be tied to burning wood, said
Katherine Himes, a Clean Air Agency pollution expert.
Ecology Department officials collect air filters from the South L Street site every six days. They
began gathering them last year, but experts need three years of evidence to comprehensively
model the origin of the soot, said Sarah Rees, air program manager for the state Department of
Ecology.
WOOD STOVES A LIKELY SUSPECT
In the meantime, Clean Air Agency officials plan to assemble an inventory of likely pollution
sources, including everything from industrial polluters and oceangoing freighters to diesel trucks
on Interstate 5. As part of its data gathering, the agency also plans to poll residents about winter
heating practices, particularly involving wood burning.
Wood-burning stoves, especially older, uncertified models, each can emit hundreds of pounds of
soot every year, far more than cleaner-burning pellet stoves and oil and gas furnaces.
South End Neighborhood Council members told Kircher and other Clean Air Agency officials
they want the agency to crack down on burn-ban violators as well as assist low-income residents
who want to upgrade to cleaner-burning fuels. “People who burn wood tend to burn garbage in
stoves,” complained board member Esther Day.
“Every source has to be looked at. Fort Lewis, McChord,” said board member Tony Caldwell.
“If we come to find out wood stoves are the main source, let’s do something about it.”
Over the past year, the Clean Air Agency has spent more than $1.25 million to reduce particulate
pollution from wood stoves, outdoor burning and diesel engines. Most of the money was devoted
to retrofits of school and transit bus fleets, said Himes, of the Clean Air Agency.
The agency’s next budget is expected to include money to reduce problems associated with wood
smoke and fine particles, Himes said.
The state Ecology Department could provide additional funding to help people swap oldfashioned wood stoves for heaters that pollute much less, she said.
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy 10th Anniversary Report Released
States News Service
May 24, 2007
The following information was released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
The U.S.- Canadian Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy marks its 10th anniversary this
month with its annual report, which presents progress toward the goal of virtually eliminating
persistent toxic substances such as mercury, PCBs and dioxin from discharging into the Great
Lakes environment. In 1997, EPA and Environment Canada established 17 source- and
emissions-reduction goals for the United States and Canada.
Over the past 10 years, both governments -- with the help of state, provincial, tribal and local
governments and stakeholders from industry, academia, environmental and community groups -have worked together to reduce the use and release of targeted toxic substances. To date, 12 of
the 17 goals have been met, and the rest are well advanced.
The report discusses the significant voluntary projects of the strategy, such as the burn barrel
outreach campaign and the wood stove exchange campaign, some of which have been adopted
nationally on both sides of the border. The report also presents trends of these substances in gull
eggs and fish as well as open water, air and sediment. Overall, significant environmental
improvements have been realized for legacy pollutants in the Great Lakes. Looking forward, new
challenges are presented by emerging substances of concern, such as flame retardants.
The U.S. - Canadian Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy 10th anniversary annual report is
available at binational.net/bns/2006. For more information about the strategy, please contact Ted
Smith, U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office, 312-353-6571 or smith.edwin@epa.gov