How To Barbecue: Just Don't Burn Anything

On average, people barbecue about 13 times during the warm season. One third roughly every week, another third about every fortnight. Not only are the roasted aromas, the crust and the juicy food convincing, there is also something archaic about cooking over a fire. It is a social act and has always encouraged communication. But two compounds classified as carcinogenic and mutagenic sometimes come up: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs).