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Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

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Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#151

I switched to using a wooden scraper a couple years ago, when I first read this report. Works great! https://www.amazon.com/Great-Scrape-Woody-Paddle-Natural/dp/...

I have that scraper, and found that it really doesn't do a very good job. A balled up piece of aluminum foil works better than the wooden scrapers, in my experience. Unfortunately, the best results come from the bristle brushes.

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You must be a lawyer. Dude, can we keep the laws simple? I mean, I wish I could sue manufacturers of jeans (hate seeing someone’s crack when they bend), I hate toothpicks (super useful but sometimes I hurt my gums), I hate carpets (sometimes the static electricity creates a spark that hurts my hand when I attempt to open a metal door), and I hate brooms (they never quite get all the dust gathered). I also would like…

None of the inconveniences you mentioned will end with you in a surgical OR having them removed from your digestive tract or worse (unless you are in the habit of swallowing toothpicks).

I am a snowflake: you should have seen me after I got killed in Fortnite. Could barely breath!

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#153
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you mixed up the order of step 2. The piece of fat should be at the end to lubricate the cooking service. Wetting it again after would be counter productive. Also I don’t recommend a regular sponge for the water cleansing step due to the materials involved not necessarily be heat safe. Soaked paper towels work great.

I would not use paper towels on the same basis you choose not to use a sponge.

[deleted]

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#154
It's infuriating that articles about a problem like this don't spend just one single sentence on possible alternatives, even though the surgeons are begging.

Fire the editor.

Alternatives I've seen in this thread are a ball of wadded up aluminum foil, a wooden scraper, abrasive pads, and stiff plastic bristles (EDIT: and an onion). This proves once again that the HN comments section is often better than the article itself.

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#155
post #51

Why do you clean a grill? Let the carbon build up. It's seasoning and food doesn't stick to it. Just preheat the grill to burn off any remains from the prior use. If there's really heavy buildup, use a straight edge scraper like a paint scraper or heavy spatula. Cleaning a grill down to shiny bare metal is a sure way to have all your food stick to it every time.

I don't know about you, but after grilling I usually have hanging chunks of fat on the grill. Not exactly appetizing if that's been around for months.

I think that part of the disparity is in frequency of use: if you cook on a daily (restaurant) or even weekly (enthusiast) schedule, you won't have problems. If you only grill on major holidays, you won't be able to just use it without cleaning.

Also, a grooved scraper with the right spacing for your grate does a great job of removing large chunks. You don't need to polish it to bare metal, just remove that excess. Scrape after grilling while it's hot, wait a week, wipe with a paper towel dipped in olive oil when it warms up, and it works well enough for me.

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#157

I switched to using a wooden scraper a couple years ago, when I first read this report. Works great! https://www.amazon.com/Great-Scrape-Woody-Paddle-Natural/dp/...

I've had a similarly good experience with our wooden scraper – here in the PNW, Costco usually sells them in the summer.

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#158

Steel wool is safer, no doubt, but this shouldn't really be anything more than a freak occurrence if you clean a grill properly. The wire brush is just the first step to remove the coarse stuff. Soap, water, and some kind of fine abrasive pad or scrubbing cleaner should remove these barbs. I guess at some restaurants, they're more concerned about speed and don't take the care...

Pretty sure steel wool will have the same issue as the steel brush.

From personal experience as a dishwasher, old steel wool tends to lose little pieces as it gets more and more brittle. Pieces would get caught in the rivets where the pan handle attaches. I was yelled at more than once because of that—but how else do you clean a pan?

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#159

I went to buy a BBQ brush last year and all they had were metal bristle brushes. I was surprised given all the bad publicity about this. Needless to say, I didn't buy a brush that day. Any recommendations for a good non-metal brush?

Weber and other companies make stone and nylon scrubbers, Home Depot sells them. You can find wood / bamboo ones online too.

I've tried the stone scrubbers, they work at least as well as a metal bristled brush, but they leave stone crumbs stuck all over the grill and require additional work to clean them off. Not a huge deal, but could be a dealbreaker for some.

Re: Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016)

#160

Serious question: how do I clean my grill instead?

I've always used aluminum foil. Just wad it up and scrub

I do this on occasions but worry about aluminium contamination on food bearing surfaces. For me it's not a regular thing but if I were bbq-ing regularly then I'd want to research it properly.

Eg https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/165315-overview

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