Everyone loves a homecooked meal prepared in the kitchen, but, unfortunately, cooking can put unhealthy pollutants into the air. These include general particulate matter, carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, and the presence of these in the air can lead to asthma, stroke and possibly lung cancer. The good news is that there are some simple actions you can take to decrease the risk to your indoor air quality from cooking.
The Way Cooking Creates Pollutants
In general, older gas stoves put more pollutants into the air than newer electric ones. The combustion of gas leads to the creation of carbon monoxide, which is highly dangerous to humans and has no odor warning of its presence. This is not to say that all gas stoves are dangerous, but they definitely need to be ventilated correctly so that carbon monoxide does not build up.
Frying food puts more pollutants into the air than boiling or steaming because frying involves higher temperatures and the use of oils. This is especially true when you are frying fatty meats. Therefore, adequate ventilation must be used. The amount of fat in meats matters as well, and lean meats put less pollutants into the air when grilled than fatty ones.
What You Can Do
Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to make the process easier on your indoor air. To start with, cooking from the back burners, which are usually directly under the ventilation hood, can go a long way towards getting pollutants out of the house. Grilling, and especially barbequing, should be done outdoors if possible so that the high temperatures they require are sending pollutants into the open air and not your kitchen.
It goes without saying that there should be a smoke detector in your kitchen. Furthermore, having a carbon monoxide detector in the kitchen will allow you to stay safer. When carbon monoxide starts leaking from an old gas stove, you aren’t going to know it’s in the air without a detector.
If you have a hood range or an extractor fan, use it every time you cook. If your kitchen does not have either of these, then open the windows during and after your cooking to get fumes outdoors. Also, don’t overcook! Burning meat in particular is harmful to the immediate air quality.
Don’t give up on cooking! In a worst-case scenario, you may have to swap an older gas oven for a new electric one, but you can still prepare your favorite meals safely as long as you are aware of how harmful air fumes are caused and take preventative measures. When you need indoor air quality services in Charleston, SC, contact C&C Myers.