Charred truth: Roasting foods like potato, and sweet potato on charcoal is healthy

Just like everything that seems good, necessarily isn’t, now there are reports that tandoor food is unhealthy as consuming the charcoal bits can be injurious. That’s why the latest kitchen tandoors comes with a new coal which is smokeless and of course, expensive. “There may be studies but nothing is proven or substantial enough,” says celebrity chef Saransh Goila who also runs a restaurant called Goila Butter Chicken. “It is an age-old technique and one which cooks food perfectly. It’s fine to use charcoal to cook food — it’s just that it shouldn’t come in direct contact with food. Also anything in excess is always harmful. So don’t overdo it. I’m a fan of everything tandoori and that’s not changing anytime soon,” he adds.

Nutritionist Dr. Nupur Krishnan, Bio-Logics Nutrition Clinic says charcoal cooking technique can be beneficial and harmful depending on the food. “Roasting foods like potato, and sweet potato on charcoal is healthy as the glycemic index doesn’t increase. If you use charcoal to grill meats- it’s not good as the fat from meat drips on the hot coals, forming smoke that contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Also, the charred, blackened areas are sources of carcinogenic chemicals. Having said that, nothing is proved till now,” she concludes.