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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)

#221

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ab…

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

"to the level of a commercial operation" just means actually washing it, not just scraping the hard stuff off and calling it good. It is not labor intensive on a per item basis nor is there any special equipment involved.

>There is often, at best, tiny legalese text on the packaging about the bristles being a hazard.

Which is enough as far as I care. The physical characteristics that make the bristles do their job also makes them hazardous to ingest. It's the same as a knife needing to be sharp.

>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.

People at home don't have customers to be liable to.

>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.

The difference is that the frying pan in that hypothetical example requires expensive specialized equipment that consumers do not typically have in order be used properly.

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

#222
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.

After grilling, I always blast heat for a few minutes, carbonizing the fat, and making it easier to clean off anyhow.

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

#223

When this news first came out, I tried practically all the alternatives. My personal experiences: Wadded up aluminum foil: really does not work well. It gets loose grime off, but anything at all burnt on will take very vigorous scrubbing and possibly result in shredded foil everywhere. Also feels like a huge waste of foil. Wooden scraper: works ok, since it's not flexible doesn't get between the slats well, need to p…

I wonder if there is a non mechanical way of cleaning it and instead a chemical reaction like oven cleaner. Ideally it would be something that wasn’t seemingly related to a chemical weapon but maybe that’s what it takes.

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

#224

When this news first came out, I tried practically all the alternatives. My personal experiences: Wadded up aluminum foil: really does not work well. It gets loose grime off, but anything at all burnt on will take very vigorous scrubbing and possibly result in shredded foil everywhere. Also feels like a huge waste of foil. Wooden scraper: works ok, since it's not flexible doesn't get between the slats well, need to p…

Here's what I've always done with my grills (propane this is easier, with charcoal you need to add extra fuel):

1) After done grilling, while you setup the table etc.. and get ready to eat, turn it on the highest setting and cover the grill. Should be done for at least 5-10 minutes.

2) Next time, turn the grill on to the highest setting to warm it up. Again at least 5-10 minutes.

If there's anything at all left it'll quickly be gone with any kind of brush... very easily. or even your spatula.

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

#225

When this news first came out, I tried practically all the alternatives. My personal experiences: Wadded up aluminum foil: really does not work well. It gets loose grime off, but anything at all burnt on will take very vigorous scrubbing and possibly result in shredded foil everywhere. Also feels like a huge waste of foil. Wooden scraper: works ok, since it's not flexible doesn't get between the slats well, need to p…

I wonder if there is a non mechanical way of cleaning it and instead a chemical reaction like oven cleaner. Ideally it would be something that wasn’t seemingly related to a chemical weapon but maybe that’s what it takes.

Fire, man. Just let the fire clean it. Never saw the point of wire brushes unless you're leaving food on the grill when you're done with it.

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

#226

When this news first came out, I tried practically all the alternatives. My personal experiences: Wadded up aluminum foil: really does not work well. It gets loose grime off, but anything at all burnt on will take very vigorous scrubbing and possibly result in shredded foil everywhere. Also feels like a huge waste of foil. Wooden scraper: works ok, since it's not flexible doesn't get between the slats well, need to p…

The GrillFloss works pretty well:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PAV28E/

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

#227

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 i…

I couldn't find a wire brush when I bought my grill but was surprised to discover that the actual grill plates were "Porcelain-enameled cast-iron". I just dump them into the sink and let them soak every couple of weeks and they basically come out nearly spotless. However, I don't normally clean them except for using a plastic brush when they are cold—mostly to get rid of the big pieces. I rather like the "seasoning"…

It seems to me that porcelain-enameled grates are becoming more common, even on cheaper grills. And yeah, that style of grate cleans a lot easier than the straight metal wire grate I've seen on older grills.

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

#228
post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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....

If the op is anything like those at bbqs I go to, chasing the kids around with a disgustingly dirty paddle while they scream with terror is part of the bbq. As I read it, that post was a joke.

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

#229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

After grilling, I always blast heat for a few minutes, carbonizing the fat, and making it easier to clean off anyhow.

I use charcoal, myself.

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

#230

When this news first came out, I tried practically all the alternatives. My personal experiences: Wadded up aluminum foil: really does not work well. It gets loose grime off, but anything at all burnt on will take very vigorous scrubbing and possibly result in shredded foil everywhere. Also feels like a huge waste of foil. Wooden scraper: works ok, since it's not flexible doesn't get between the slats well, need to p…

I still use a wire brush sometimes, but it's a different type with longer stiffer bristles. There's no way one of these bristles is going to get accidentally lodged in your food. These bristles just don't fall out and if they did you would see it pretty easily. You have to use it a bit more perpendicular to the grates, but it works. http://a.co/gyIkCeK
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