Which is healthier grilling or broiling

Sylvie Tremblay holds a Master of Science in molecular and cellular biology, and has years of experience as a cancer researcher and geneticist. Lindsay Boyers. Lindsay Boyers is a holistic nutritionist with a Bachelor's degree in food and nutrition and a certificate in holistic nutrition consulting. She has a background in functional nutrition and is currently studying for her RD exam.

In addition to contributing to Livestrong. Video of the Day. Tip Baking and grilling are both dry cooking methods that you can use to cook healthy food. Benefits of Baking Food. The Downsides of Frying. Similar to grilling, broiling is a method of cooking that exposes food to direct radiant heat. Unlike baking and roasting, which employ indirect hot air to thoroughly cook food throughout, broiling uses high heat from a direct flame to quickly cook food surfaces.

Sturdy metal pans, or a simple rimmed sheet pan, are optimal when cooking with a broiler. Gas grilling is a healthy way to cook because the fuel burns cleanly without any volatile organic compounds to contaminate your food.

You should do a simple grill cleaning after every use. It is best to do this after you are done cooking. When the grate cools down and is still pretty warm take your grill brush and clean any food particles that are stuck on the grate.

Coat them with vegetable oil or spray to keep foods from sticking. Heat grill or broiler pan for minutes before adding food so that food will be seared instead of steamed or baked. Use tongs to turn solid pieces of meat. This will keep the juices inside. All pieces of food may not cook at the same rate. To avoid overcooking, remove the cooked pieces as they finish and keep them warm while remaining foods cook.

Use a dry spice rub for flavor; add any sticky sauces just before serving or pass the sauce around the table. When grilling or broiling, using sauces on foods during cooking will char burn the food. Benefits of Grilling Most people think that grilled vegetable kabobs or burgers are foods to be enjoyed only in the warm summer months, but grilling can be done any time of year.

You can enjoy the following benefits of grilling year round: In summer it keeps your kitchen cool! Grilling can be a healthy way to cook because fats fall away from the cooked foods. You can reduce energy costs by cooking outside on the grill. Baking is a great way to minimize the loss of nutrients that occurs during cooking. Similarly, certain vitamins and minerals appear to degrade to a slightly less extent during baking compared with other cooking methods 3.

Moreover, neither broiling or baking require you to add oil during cooking, reducing the total fat content of your meal. Not adding fat to foods before cooking also helps reduce the formation of aldehydes.

These toxic substances, which form when oil is heated at high temperatures, may increase the risk of cancer and other diseases 4. However, while broiling limits the formation of aldehydes, it may give rise to potentially carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs.

PAHs form when fat from foods touch a hot surface. Therefore, promptly removing meat drippings, cutting excess fat from meats before broiling, and avoiding oil-based marinades are good ways to limit PAH development 5. Trim the fat from meat, limit oil-based marinades, and remove drippings to keep harmful PAHs from developing.

Both baking and broiling use dry heat to cook foods, which means they work best with naturally moist foods. Baking allows the interior of an otherwise liquid or semi-liquid food to solidify while the exterior slowly browns.

Baking is also great for cooking one-pot meals, including casseroles, quiches, pot pie, enchiladas, lasagna, and stuffed vegetables. Broiling is a convenient alternative to grilling on a barbecue. It cooks foods quickly and can be used to char and caramelize them, providing a distinct flavor and texture.

Broiling works best on:. Broiling certain foods may create a significant amount of smoke. To prevent this, trim excess fat from meats beforehand.