Is it doable to cook over the flame of a cooking gas stove at home. Is it dangerous? Couldn't it be even better as an open fire over coal or wood, since gas is cleaner?
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Are you talking about doing this inside?– KatieKAug 18, 2014 at 16:42
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@KatieK yes. but now I am more worried about the cleaning.– Quora FeansAug 18, 2014 at 16:47
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By "healthy" I assume you mean "will the smoke kill me". Other than that there is nothing healthy about open flame cooking of any method– TFDAug 18, 2014 at 23:14
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related : cooking.stackexchange.com/q/10588/67– JoeAug 19, 2014 at 2:41
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Hello Quora Feans, "healthy" is off topic on our site. I've heard of long term concerns of exposure to open fire due to all the exotic carbon compounds produced in combustion, but if this is what you mean, you'll have to ask your questions elsewhere, we cannot answer it. We do handle the immediate safety of cooking though (e.g. will the gas explode or leak and suffocate you), so I edited the "healthy" part out and left the rest.– rumtscho ♦Aug 19, 2014 at 7:08
6 Answers
It is similar to cooking over a propane grill. Gas grills often have stone or ceramic bricks in them to help retain heat, but it is the burning gas that provides it. Cooking over a gas stove should be similar.
That said, I wouldn't grill meat or fish directly over the flame; it may work, but the cleanup may not be worth it. If you want to char a pepper or some bread and get the 'grill' feel, that should work fine. I see chefs do it all the time on TV, and it looks easy enough and doesn't make a mess.
Any fire in a confined area with limited ventilation, that produces smoke (an unburnt solid) is a health hazard, particularly those the with lung disease or asthma.
I'm really into preparing "meze" dishes, a class of dishes in the Turkish kitchen. A lot of them are prepared charred vegetables such as aubergines and peppers. These are traditionally cooked over a charcoal grill, but in many a Turkish home, they are cooked over the open gas flame of a modern stove top. The aubergine, after being charred, is put into a vessel of cold water, the charred skin being removed to reveal the cooked flesh with a wonderful smokey taste.
On the health side, I can only give anecdotes. My grandmother has prepared these dishes over the open flame for as long as I can remember, and no doubt, a few multiples of that length of time more. Personally, I've been preparing these dishes since I was 16, with no ill effects to speak of. A small amount of smoke does arise from the burning of the skin, but the vegetables themselves don't burn. If your kitchen is properly ventilated, can it really be much worse than going out into the typically densely populated modern city?
I cook hot dogs and fire roast peppers, directly over my natural gas stove indoors. Its the best way in my opinion. No mess, no fuss, just good eatin'
Why do you think gas is "cleaner". It contains CO2, CO, and other petrochem processing leftovers
Good quality charcoal should produce the least other stuff, while producing similar CO2 and CO levels
Indoor cooking with charcoal is popular in many cultures, but any method is going to produce CO2 and CO, which need to be adequately ventilated
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Under perfectly ideal conditions, neither gas (methane, CH4) nor charcoal (pure carbon) should result in any dangerous byproducts (apart from CO2). However, this is impossible to achieve in practice. I would imagine that ideal combustion of charcoal would be more difficult to do than gas - if nothing else, it would be harder to mix the fuel with oxygen in a maximally efficient manner, and you would likely end up with lots of dangerous CO (this is a product of incomplete combustion, not present in the gas itself) and probably various carcinogenic hydrocarbons and particulates as well.– user5561Aug 20, 2014 at 4:06
If you have a concrete slab or sand box to cook on. In home or out. A pot stove is very good to cook on. You cut a hole in the pot at the bottom. Just at the top bottom of a cast pot. Cut a square 3 by3 inches or larger in md size to large pot. This is to feed your small wood or charcoal threw. Light. Get burning. Place rack on top of pot. Next a pot or skillet to cook in. You control heat by adding more sticks or charcoal or pulling some out. This forces most heat strait up. So saves wood or charcoal in cooking. This is the main way of cooking in my part of S.E.Asia. Bottle gas stoves are safe. Just remember to turn of the gas at the bottle. Here those who can afford such. Normally buy a 2 burner & stove cart Glass top to set it on. Storage on shelf below. 5lb bottle but a 20 is also used. Space is important here. A cart has wheels so is easy to be moved out of way. For living space after use. A singles pad would have a 1 burner stove. You may see some at imgur under jamesphilippnes. You need a vent hole to cook on wood or charcoal inside. Why most have a dirty kitchen outside or a T home here.
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An unvented indoor charcoal fire is a great source of carbon monoxide, which You Don't Want. Wood isn't a whole lot better. Be safe! Feb 20, 2017 at 3:07