The World Health Organization calls for stopping the use of rice cookers. Will the inner liner cause cancer? CCTV experiment tells you the truth
For families where rice is the staple food, rice cookers can be said to be an electrical appliance with a high usage rate. Almost every family has them and uses them every day.
However, there were rumors before that: the World Health Organization called for stopping the use of rice cookers, and rice cookers may cause cancer. As soon as this news came out, many people began to worry that rice cookers were not safe enough.
1. Can rice cookers cause cancer?
It is said that electric rice cookers may induce liver cancer, which is mainly related to the Teflon-coated liner. Is this true?
First of all, let's understand what are the inner pots of the rice cooker. Because aluminum is heated more evenly and heat transfers quickly, the most common inner pot of an electric rice cooker is an aluminum inner pot. In addition, there are inner tank materials such as stainless steel and ceramics.
The aluminum liner cannot be in contact with food, and a layer of coating will be coated on the surface for protection. Therefore, the inner liner of a general rice cooker is generally made of aluminum liner + coating.
The coating is generally made of perfluorinated polymers such as polytetrafluoroethylene, that is, Teflon.
Such substances are generally very stable in nature, non-toxic, and have strong acid and alkali resistance, and are not easily decomposed. Therefore, as long as the coating does not fall off, the rice cooker is still very safe, and there is no need to worry about carcinogenicity.
A CCTV program "Life Tips" once conducted an experiment on Teflon, and found that Teflon will not start to decompose until it is heated to about 300 degrees , and the temperature of our rice cooker usually does not exceed 300 degrees. It does not reach the temperature at which Teflon decomposes, so there is no need to worry about the rice cooker causing cancer.
2. Can the coating of the liner peel off and continue to be used?
If the coating of the inner tank of the rice cooker peels off, exposing a silver-white area, it is not recommended to continue to use it. It is best to stop using it immediately and replace it with a new rice cooker.
After the coating of the aluminum inner pot of the rice cooker falls off, the risk of food coming into contact with the aluminum inner pot will increase. After a long time of use, the human body’s aluminum intake will exceed the standard. It is not recommended to continue to use it.
Even the rice cooker with a stainless steel liner usually uses a coating to prevent adhesion. After the coating of this kind of rice cooker falls off, it will cause uneven heating of the food, so it is not recommended to continue to use it.
Third, the safe use of rice cookers, pay attention to a few points
If you want to use the rice cooker more safely and prolong the service life of the rice cooker, you must pay attention to the following points!
1. Before use
Before using the rice cooker, you must read the instructions carefully to understand how to use the rice cooker, and ensure that the rice cooker itself is clean to avoid affecting normal consumption.
2. In use
When using an electric rice cooker, dry cooking is strictly prohibited, so as not to produce harmful substances and endanger human health. In addition, the rice spoon should not be made of metal, so as not to damage the coating, and usually do not use the rice cooker to cook food with strong acidity and alkalinity.
3. After use
After the rice cooker is used, it should be cleaned in time, but avoid using hard objects such as steel wool balls for cleaning. It is best to use a soft cloth to clean, so as not to damage the coating and affect the service life of the rice cooker.
If you use the rice cooker normally, you don’t have to worry about carcinogenicity. After all, the inner coating of the rice cooker is very stable, and it will decompose only when it reaches about 300 degrees. Generally, the cooking temperature does not reach 300 degrees.
However, it is recommended to use the rice cooker safely. Once the coating is found to be peeling off, it is best to replace it as soon as possible.
References:
[1] "Can using rice cooker cause cancer? If this happens, throw it away...". New Evening News. 2021-12-29
[2] "Scary! Can regular use of rice cookers cause cancer? If this happens, throw it away quickly...". Popular Science China. 2021-12-22
[3] "Don't use the rice cooker if this happens! Pay attention to those who are in charge of cooking at home." Health Times. 2022-04-07
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