WHO calls to stop using rice cookers? Can rice cookers cause cancer? CCTV experiment tells you the answer
Early in the morning, in Xiaojiu's "Love each other as a family" group, I received this message: "The World Health Organization appeals: Stop using rice cookers, or liver cancer's catalyst".
Immediately afterwards, the seven aunts and eight aunts began to discuss.
"Is this fake news?"
"The article says that Teflon is used in non-stick pans, which can cause cancer."
"A couple were both diagnosed with liver cancer. It was the coating that fell off, but they were still reluctant to change it, so it was a tragedy."
Rice cooker is a very common daily necessities in every household. Is this rice cooker really harmful?
1. Will the coating of the rice cooker cause cancer?
In our daily life, we use rice cookers almost every day, but how did the coating of the rice cooker become a cancer "catalyst"?
At present, the most common rice cooker on the market is the rice cooker with an aluminum liner. This material is heated evenly and transfers heat quickly, so it is the first choice for the inner liner of a rice cooker. In recent years, with the development of science and technology, new types of inner tank materials have also appeared, such as stainless steel inner tanks, ceramic inner tanks, etc., have also entered the market.
It is worth noting that aluminum is easy to precipitate when heated and acidic, so there is generally a coating on the surface of the aluminum liner for protection. This coating is a perfluorinated polymer such as polytetrafluoroethylene, which is the "Teflon" commonly used in non-stick pans.
"Teflon" is relatively stable in nature, has strong acid and alkali resistance, is non-toxic, and is not easy to decompose. Therefore, when it is used normally and the coating does not fall off, it will not cause harm to the human body.
When the temperature is too high, is Teflon harmful to the human body?
CCTV's former "Life Tips" column invited a research team from Beijing University of Chemical Technology to conduct a "Teflon" experiment. The researchers extracted a small amount of Teflon and heated it at high temperature, and found that Teflon The dragon begins to decompose at 300 degrees, and the higher the temperature, the more toxic the decomposition products will be.
However, ordinary households use rice cookers to cook, and generally do not reach 200 degrees , and the decomposition problem of Teflon cannot be touched at all.
In fact, why there is an article saying that Teflon is carcinogenic may refer to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). In the last century, it was one of the chemical raw materials for making Teflon.
In 2018, an American documentary "The Devil You Know and I Know" exposed a factory that used PFOA. After inspection, it was found that PFOA was also detected in the body of some employees, and the local water source was also polluted. Later, an in-depth investigation found that the substance had Toxic and carcinogenic.
Currently, the substance has been banned as a raw material for Teflon manufacturing. In other words, the rice cookers currently available on the market do not contain this carcinogen.
If the coating is damaged, do you want to continue eating?
When the rice cooker is used for a long time, it is prone to wear and tear, and the coating may be scratched or peeled off. When the scratch gap is larger, the metal aluminum is more likely to precipitate, which may pose a health hazard. Therefore, when the inner tank coating has a certain degree of Damaged, it is still not recommended to continue to use.
Second, the more expensive the coating, the better?
If you want the rice cooker to be more durable, whether the inner tank coating surface is firm is the key. Most products on the market are sprayed with two layers, one wear-resistant layer and one Teflon non-stick layer.
High-end products often use three to four layers of coating to make the coating stronger and help heat evenly.
Ceramic coatings, which have attracted more attention in recent years, are also harder than Flon, and can withstand high temperatures up to 450 degrees Celsius. However, the disadvantages are also obvious, and the non-stick properties will attenuate with the frequency of use.
There is also a PFA coating, which is more resistant to salt water corrosion than Teflon, and costs more.
In general: the difficulty of coating peeling is: ceramic coating > PFA coating > Teflon coating , no matter it is expensive or cheap, as long as it is purchased through regular channels, it is guaranteed. Which one to choose depends on individual requirements.
3. Safe use of rice cookers, pay attention to 3 points
What habits should you pay attention to if you want to prolong the use time of the rice cooker? Zhang Zhaoming, deputy chief engineer of the Household Electrical Appliances Testing Center of China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute, suggested:
Before use, read the product manual carefully to understand the precautions and various functions of the product, and ensure the cleanliness of the inner pot of the rice cooker and the electric heating plate.
During use, it is best to avoid using metal rice spoons that are prone to scratches , so as to avoid damage to the coating. Dry cooking is strictly prohibited. Do not place food in the rice cooker for a long time, especially food with strong acidity and alkalinity, which is easy to corrode the inner tank.
After use, the inner tank should be cleaned in time, wipe it with a soft cloth , avoid friction with steel balls, and shorten the service life of the coating. Under normal circumstances, the liner needs to be replaced after 3-5 years of use.
Extension: Is it worth buying a hypoglycemic rice cooker?
"Sugar-lowering rice cooker", as a special existence in the rice cooker, has attracted enough attention. Merchants claim that this kind of rice cooker can lower blood sugar through "black technology", so you don't have to worry about blood sugar rising or getting fat.
The sugar-reducing rice cooker claims to change this bowl of rice from "full sugar/standard sugar" to "less sugar" or even "half sugar". It sounds complicated, but most of it is through physical means, during the cooking process of rice, the rice soup is filtered out in advance.
Can the hypoglycemic rice cooker really reduce sugar?
In order to verify whether the rice cooker can "desugar" rice, experts from the Beijing Institute of Nutrient Sources conducted an experiment. The experiment selected 12 subjects and divided them into two groups. One group ate ordinary rice and the other group ate desugared rice. , the experts conducted serum blood sugar monitoring at multiple points before and after the meal of the subjects. However, it was found that the rice steamed from the two rice cookers did not cause a difference in blood sugar results.
In addition, the rice soup is filtered, which means that the nutrition of the rice will also be lost, and the taste will also deteriorate.
Moreover, merchants will keep reminding the sugar reduction rice cooker to reduce the amount of sugar by half in the product introduction, which is suitable for people who lose weight and the elderly, and encourage them to eat boldly and eat with confidence. On the contrary, it is easy to affect the audience, especially diabetics who increase the amount of rice, and even have a fluke mentality , Take less medicine and no medicine.
In short, regular and qualified rice cookers are not carcinogenic. If the coating falls off obviously, just replace it in time. As for the so-called hypoglycemic rice cooker, it is better to cook rice with coarse grains, which is more nutritious and healthier.
References:
[1] "Electric rice cooker is a "harmful pot", is the inner pot poisonous or a cancer catalyst? CCTV experiment tells the answer". Zhong Ming talks about science. 2022-08-07
[2] "Can the rice cooker still be used after the coating is damaged? ".CCTV Life Circle.2021-02-02
[3] "Don't use the rice cooker if this happens! Pay attention to those who hold the spoon at home". Health Times. 2022-04-07
Reproduction is prohibited without the author's permission