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Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

cbc.ca

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Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#202
post #153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the cases of product being banned for safety, one of the reasons it's generally due to is the potential of swallowing it and causing harm or choking being high enough that a simple warning isn't sufficient. E.g. Buckyballs (swallow two separate groups of those and you'll be lucky to be in IC), Kinder Surprise (sucks, but somewhat understandable). The brush, while potentially dangerous, isn't probably dangerous eno…

> Kinder Surprise (sucks, but somewhat understandable) I still don't understand this, the explanation I have read is that it's due to the inner plastic being totally hidden, but the potential to swallow a Kinder Surprise whole is very low, unless your kids are _really_ large.

I was going to sardonically quip that kids in the US are really large [1]. That only works if only the US bans the candy. I looked up Kinder Surprise on Wikipedia [2] and found out that Chile also bans it. So the quip doesn't work. Completely unsubstantiated, but I cynically interpret the ban as bribery purchased by Frito-Lay and General Mills to protect their Cracker Jack product [3] and breakfast cereal products. The older I get the more I realize that many seemingly "safety"-oriented rulings and legislation that strike many citizens as a faintly picayune concern to enshrine into bureaucratic machinations and fund enforcement via taxpayers are just flat-out purchased from politicians to stifle competition.

[1] http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/report-u.s-most-obese-fatt...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinder_Surprise

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Jack

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stupidly used relatively thin/cheap tinfoil when I tried this and it flaked all over my grill after having it heat up. Just a word of caution...

Yeah, Aluminium foil is definitely not something you can go generic with.

I learned this the hard way. Cheap aluminum foil falls apart really easily at the kind of heats you would want to use for baking or grilling. It's worth it to even buy the Reynolds extra strength stuff. Worst part of grilling is if your tin foil gets holes in it, and now you've screwed up the moisture barrier.

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#204
post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My grill cleaning method has always been to put a layer of tinfoil on the grill, shiny side down. Ten minutes or so of direct heat and the grill is clean, just like a self-cleaning oven. If there's any ash left, a quick pass with a wet paper towel takes care of it.

Why not just close the lid?

I'm guessing the tinfoil keeps the heat closer to the bars? Not sure why above posters method works.

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fuck this I'm done with brushes.

I have a nylon brush that works great, it's designed to be used when the grill is cold.

I use a metal scraper (no metal bristles) with extreme heat, plus a traditional root brush where the bristles are made of plant roots (as of old crowberry, nowadays commonly rice root). Root brush doesn't tolerate as much heat as metal bristles but more than nylon.

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That used to be true, these days most newspaper inks are soy based, so its probably safe.

But metaphorically, do you want the ink of news running through your blood... Maybe!

My favorite vector for consuming the news!

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#207

I hate to add to the wire brush worry, but it's not just BBQ. So many resturants use wire brushes. The last burrito I had was a few months ago. It had piece of wire in it. I kept the wire for a few days, and thought about it. The wire was not from a brush. I think it was old copper telephone wire. It that might have fell onto the grill from the ceiling, or wall? Anyways, I haven't had a burrito since that instance. A…

Wow, I'm feeling pretty paranoid now.

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#208
I never use them. I have a heavy gauge spatula that I use to scrape the top, then hold it at a 45 degree angle to scrape in between the wires that form the rack. The bottom doesn't get clean. Nobody has ever gotten sick nor required surgery.

As a result of reading this article and thread though I will never use one and proactively warn friends and family about them.

Re: Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

#210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Blowing fire as well?

Can't imagine that would be legal. The flame liquids are either toxic and mustn't be swallowed, or they're very high strength alcohol. Also, you have a significant fire risk with blowing fire - a friend once set a pub counter ablaze...

At my daughter's school, they had that project week, too. Easily the most important experience in grade school IMO. They put the liquid inside a tube with a non-return valve. Also, all-time adult supervision, clear instructions upfront and kids did not get the tubes until they needed it. Kids were 8/9 years old. Yes, you have a significant risk and I am very glad they took it to help the kids grow up to be responsible people who can take limited risks.
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