Summer barbecues and outdoor grilling has always been a surefire way to bring friends, relatives and family in one place for some quality bonding time. Amid the sweet smell of marinated meat being cooked - be it over low fire or extreme heat - people gather around, lightly converse while waiting for the food to be prepared. After which, everyone sits down to share a wonderful meal and, in the process, create warm and tender memories.

It is good to know that aside from inspiring happy thoughts, grilling is now recognized by many as one that offers other equally important benefits. The financial and health advantages it carries truly make grilling a practical cooking method.

Grilling directly and indirectly helps save money. With the rising costs in electricity and gas, grilling - especially outdoor grilling - does not contribute much to raising the temperature within the house, thereby cutting electric bills. It also noteworthy to mention that cooking time using a grill is comparatively shorter than cooking food using indoor equipment such as a stove or an oven. This is explained by the fact that the metal composition of the grill also conducts heat, which helps considerably cut cooking time.

On the other hand, the most well-known benefit of grilling is that it is believed to be the healthiest way to cook meat. As many health buffs continue to attest, grilling pork and beef reduces a considerable amount of fat. The natural flavor and tenderness of the food are also retained, and does not destroy the food's inherent nutrients.

Such is why many individuals who have made the decision to start eating healthy almost always choose to grill their food. Patients who have problems with their blood pressure and blood sugar levels are also consistently advised by physicians to grill their food.

Still, a number of people have shown concern over the downside of grilling food. One of the considered disadvantages of grilling is the presence of soot particles produced by charcoal and burning wood. Aside from functioning as air pollutants, these particles, when inhaled, can worsen existing lung problems. Many cities and countries have actually responded to this by passing legislation declaring the use of charcoals as serious health hazards.

The biggest attack against grilling, however, is the formation of carcinogenic compounds that may cause cancer - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

Experts have explained that PAHs are produced when fat from meat being grilled drips on the charcoal. The PAHs then rises along with the smoke and is absorbed by the meat being cooked.In addition, charred food also has PAHs. Meanwhile, HCAs are formed when meat is cooked under relatively hotter temperature for a longer period of time.

Such concerns are easily appeased by those who are pro-grilling by promoting the use of natural charcoals, which are now readily available in the US market.

Grilling, one of the great past-times of the modern world, truly possesses practical advantages as well as disadvantages. Like any other method of cooking, it has benefits and risks. In the end, it is still an individual's lifestyle and personal sense of moderation that will spell the difference on whether grilling is good or bad.