"maxine in ri" > wrote in message
...
> Things have been hectic here, and as I was running out to watch the
> last swim meet of the season, put the salmon loaf in the oven, and
> set the timer for 30 minutes. Told the tube potato to turn off the
> oven when the timer went off.
>
> Came back 2 hours later to find the timer sitting at 30 minutes and
> the oven still on. I forgot to set it, and the tube potato didn't
> think to check it.
>
> It's now 1" thick, with about a 1/3" layer of very brown crisyp
> outside, and the inside third is amazingly still tasty and moist.
>
> Exchange student won't eat it because it's full of carcinogens
> now<?>, but DH liked it, and so do I.
>
> Is it bad for us?
>

I'd eat it... It's been two years since biochemistry, so this is all a
little fuzzy, but charred parts have some sort of hydrocarbon ring
structure, and if you have a certain enzyme or lack a certain enzyme--can't
remember--the break down products from the hydrobcarbon ring can be
carncinogenic, but I think you have to consume massive, massive, massive
amounts of them.

Anyone with better chemistry memory, feel free to correct me on this...