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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)

#231

Post by culot »

uptown wrote: post #19

I'm not sure if it was exactly the same type of brush, but a number of years ago I found a wire from a grill brush in my mouth after taking a bit at an Outback Steakhouse. The restaurant was profusely apologetic and comped our meal without our asking them. I feel very fortunate to have felt it before I swallowed in light of this, and other articles I've read, since that meal, but unfortunately there's no way to contr…

I had the same thing happen at a Burger King last year. I was lucky to find it in the first bite. After years of avoiding Burger King because of their consistent low quality food I finally said what the heck, I want a Whopper. But no. Fate is a cruel bird.

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

#232

Post by khedoros1 »

emodendroket wrote: post #229
khedoros1 wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Fair enough. My method obviously wouldn't work on a non-gas grill, and I'd end up cleaning the grate differently.

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

#233

Post by joncrane »

korethr wrote: post #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 i…

I wonder if it's more common in Canada because of colder temps making the metal more brittle. I wonder if there's a higher likelihood of incidence when the ambient temp is low.

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

#234

Post by monkeynotes »

dsfyu404ed wrote: post #221
monkeynotes wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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 bristl…

> "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.

Are you actually aware of what we are talking about? We are talking about filthy, greasy BBQ grills covered in baked on crap that is really hard to get off, some people use pressure washers. There is special equipment involved, namely special steel bristle brushes that deposit tiny bristles that need to be dealt with in a very specialized way as seen in commercial kitchens where they have stainless easy wipe down surfaces and huge sinks so that everything can be carefully cleaned after each service.

> It's the same as a knife needing to be sharp

Deep down, you know this isn't true. A knife is very well known to be sharp and is obviously a hazard. A wire brush has hidden dangers. Bristles are expected to remain attached, but unknown to many users they come off when cleaning and then even more unknown to them they get into food and can cause trauma in the body and are very hard to get removed.

> Which is enough as far as I care

Well, I am not talking about you, I can see beyond you to the numerous people who have ended up in the ER. This is the problem regardless of how much you scoff at their ignorance, apathy toward sterility, and general lethargy at the family grill on Sunday.

> the contents of the average consumer kitchen were not designed to quickly and easily cleanable

> The difference is that the frying pan in that hypothetical example requires expensive specialized equipment

Erm, isn't this the same? In your examples you are describing specialist commercial equipment, and so in mine I was also.

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

#235

Post by darkstar999 »

lostlogin wrote: post #223
AStellersSeaCow wrote: post #219

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.

OxiClean (or other clean-in-place products) should do a good job if you have a way of submerging the grill top. Brewers use this to clean fermenters and other equipment.

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

#236

Post by CodeWriter23 »

jagger27 wrote: post #158
CodeWriter23 wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I concur about the steel chainmail. I washed dishes in a New Mexican Restaurant when I was younger. The worst was the 30 quart bean pot. The starch and the beans. The chainmail made short work of it.

But focusing in on the rivets, there are two ways to look at it. The remaining fat that has undergone polymer-type conversion due to heat is seasoning, not dirt. Or if you really want to get in there, probably an ice pick.

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

#237

Post by dghughes »

kortex wrote: post #114
dghughes wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure all that flavour during BBQ is from benzene an aromatic hydrocarbon.

Not sure if that was a joke, but since it's the internet I'm obligated to take it seriously. :p That burnt gook always tastes bitter to me. The flavor of BBQ is primarily Maillard reactions of proteins and carbs reacting, aromatic phenols from herbs and spices, and polyphenols from wood smoke. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction

When you cook fat and meat such as a BBQ polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAH) form and those compounds contain several benzene ring molecules. Part of the Maillard reaction process is the creation of PAHs. It's part of the process when cooking meat but not the only thing you taste. PAHs are used as a food additive "liquid smoke" to add a smokey, sweet flavour.

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

#238

Post by delecti »

dmoy wrote: post #121
bgribble wrote: post #97

I have used a wadded-up piece of aluminum foil for this purpose for years. Works better than a bristle brush and no bristles!

Those shredded reconstituted blocks of glass that look vaguely sponge like work really well too, though you gotta rinse it down pretty aggressively afterwards and wipe with a cloth cus it gets powder all over the place.

If you mean the melamine foam blocks ("Magic Erasers"), then they're not actually glass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melamine_foam

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

#240

Post by jartelt »

AStellersSeaCow wrote: post #219

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…

Scraping with a metal spatula does a good job at getting a lot of the gunk off. Then, rubbing half an onion on the grill when hot cleans off the rest (and leaves a nice onion flavor).
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