Live data from Hacker News

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

cbc.ca

201–210 of 324 posts

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

#201

The caption to one of the photos is priceless: > Kevin Gallant, of Summerside, P.E.I., had part of his small intestine removed after he swallowed a bristle from a barbecue brush. He still uses a bristle brush, but inspects the barbecue thoroughly after using it. He still uses a bristle brush.

Well the surgeon never offered to come over clean his grill all day with a damp rag and some soapy water.

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

#202

The caption to one of the photos is priceless: > Kevin Gallant, of Summerside, P.E.I., had part of his small intestine removed after he swallowed a bristle from a barbecue brush. He still uses a bristle brush, but inspects the barbecue thoroughly after using it. He still uses a bristle brush.

"I too like to live dangerously" hahaha! XD

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

#203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, well, good thing we have OpenBazaar so that people like you won't be able to keep me from exercising my freedom to use a real manly brush to do a real manly job. I'm sure that really offends you, but I'm no snowflake. I can make my own bristle material decisions for my self and on behalf of everyone I cook for./s

You ruined it with /s

Actually he saved it.

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

#204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd say products that are only safe if used properly are unsafe products. Being safe is a perfectly good strategy for an individual, but it's asking for trouble on a societal level.

Is there a trade-off between safety and usefulness? Chainsaws, C compilers, C-4 ... Certain industries would be crippled without these tools. Safety training helps.

There's a big difference between a tool only sold to people in a specific industry, and not generally available, and a tool available at retail outlets which is meant to be used by the general public. (And with one thing you mentioned, C compilers, the tool itself isn't dangerous, but the artifacts you can create using the tool can be dangerous. This is why aerospace software, for example, has a lot of procedure around it.)

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

#205

How is it that the manufacturers haven't had a class action put their way? I mean, they are knowingly making a product that fails in regular usage in a way that is almost impossible to prevent or detect completely. I'd suggest these types of scrapers be legislated against since they are incapable of being used safely in reasonable intended usage.

The stainless counters, sinks, appliances, etc. in a typical restaurant kitchen spent plenty of time being wire brushes when they were fabricated and approximately none of the bristles shed during that process ever made it into anyone's food because those surfaces were cleaned of debris before being used. Wire brushes and stainless steel scrub pads are incredibly common in food-service. Steel scrapers are commonly us…

> consumer will not be fired if they habitually fail to clean things properly

You summed it up right there. Consumers cannot be reasonably expected to clean to the level of a commercial operation.

The thing is with these brushes, they are sold right alongside other scrapers and brushes as if they can be used with exactly the same level of casual concern. There is often, at best, tiny legalese text on the packaging about the bristles being a hazard. There is no commercial kitchen staff training about the dangers of these tiny pieces of wire getting into food. People at home do not have huge liability to customers eating at their house and expect the burden of safety to be on the producer of the products they are using.

I am not necessarily saying ban these things, but they should come with clear and obvious warnings and realistic operating instructions that if followed would result in no chance of harm. That's on the manufacturer surely.

What if I made a skillet that secreted tiny amounts of arsenic that unless scrubbed thoroughly with bleach and then run through an ultra-high temp dishwasher after every use would eventually poison you? This might be fine for a kitchen crew who is educated about the proper usage, but the average home user would just wash it with dish-soap.

I'm all for keeping legislation light, but when there is a known persistent problem that manufacturers ignore and don't self regulate, it's time to step in and apply a mechanism to ensure reasonable responsibility.

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

#206
I am mildly surprised this is a problem. I've used a wire brush to clean the grill for as long as I've grilled and had no issues. But then, I've always combined using a wire brush with pre- and post-cooking heating the grill at full power to burn off accumulated stuff. The wire brush is far more effective at scrubbing things off when the crud is beginning to ash, as opposed to the partially-caramelized state it was in when the food first came off.

Edit: I will additionally add that I also scrub the grill plates on occasion, because as mentioned in other comments, the accumulated crud makes food more likely to stick and can also impart a bad taste.

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

#207
post #134

Serious question: how do I clean my grill instead?

You heat up the grill real hot and then you use it normally. Heat kills most of the nasty stuff. Real men dont clean grills, or so I hear.

Ok, so I do wipe it with an onion or some wood piece after heating it up. Would never dream of using a metal bristle brush...

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

#209

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if he was making the opposite point. That enforcing safety at a society level is not productive.

I don't think so. Its a common argument that generally available products should be safe by default, not safe because of training. The reply is a bit of a straw man, there's obviously nuances to that stance. In this case, expecting _everyone_ to know exactly how a wire brush is unsafe is not realistic. If there weren't alternatives, well, there wouldn't be much to do. But in this case, there's plenty of safe alternat…

Ah yeah, re-read it and realize I misunderstood.

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

#210

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/...

The best thing about these wooden scrapers is that they also make a great paddle to beat your unruly children with.

Or you could raise them without the threat of violence using positive reinforcement. I hope you aren't seriously beating kids....
Post reply on HN