New American Chemical Society Video Features Tips on Grilling and Barbecuing

Newswise — With the Fourth of July weekend rapidly approaching, what better time to watch a new American Chemical Society (ACS) video on the dos and don’ts of cooking your favorite foods on the barbecue grill?

The Chemistry of Barbecue shows in brilliant high-definition detail how to cook steaks to give them the most flavor and how to prepare outdoor meals as healthfully as possible. The video, released today, showcases a lecture on the topic by Shirley O. Corriher, an award-winning author whose latest book is BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking, and Sara J. Risch, Ph.D., noted food chemist and founder and principal in the consulting firm, Science by Design.

The video, available here: http://www.bytesizescience.com/index.cfm/2010/6/15/Chemistry-of-Barbeque was produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs and features grilling tips like these:

• Don’t over-cook meat. Excessive browning or charring forms potential carcinogens (cancer-causing substances). • Pre-boil those ribs. It removes fat and reduces flaming, which will burn the meat.• Aroma compounds rising off charcoal and wood chips enhance the flavor of grilled foods. • Marinating meat before grilling may reduce burning and formation of potential carcinogens.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.