Live data from Hacker News

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

cbc.ca

271–280 of 324 posts

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

#271
having worked in a commercial kitchen with a grill station, believe it or not the easiest thing to do with dirty grates was to throw them in the dishwasher or soak them overnight with the soda fountain tips in a mild solution of bleach. our grates were mild steel and cast iron.

We would start our grills at 5-6 AM for breakfast sausage and ham, which did a great job of re-seasoning the grates if youre curious. day shift would take over from there with the station menu from our chefs. Generally we were careful to avoid sticky marinades or mops for the grill to keep things tidy and sane. Ribs were cooked in the oven, then transferred/finalized on the grill station. When this got too cumbersome we leased a commercial smoker for a few years.

speaking from experience though, the sanest way to keep those grates from getting insane was to wipe them down as you go with an oily onion or oily rag in some tongs. Avoid teriyaki or yogurt marinades like the plague and never leave the station "wet." get to things before they set, especially proteins.

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

#272
I use a chain scrubber to excellent effect - the same that I use for my cast iron. I find it does a better job than the bristle brush, though it does tend to get my hands a little messier.

https://www.amazon.com/Ringer-Original-Stainless-Cleaner-Pat... (This is a direct link)

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

#273
post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Ah no not those, I mean literally chunks of ground up bottle glass that just vaguely look like sponges. They're not at all actually sponge like in absorbance property.

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

#274
post #139

Serious question: how do I clean my grill instead?

I was worried about this as well and found a nice product called CharGon that I've been using since last May, no bristles and it makes short work of cleaning the grill: https://www.amazon.com/CharGon-PATENTED-PERFORMANCE-CLEANING... I am not affiliated with the company at all, just like the product and know it's safe

^^^^^^^^^ THIS.

I tried them all, it's so simple and works great. It's reasonable cost / build quality as well. I think it's ~$20.00 on Amazon and it's not flimsy and the wood is quality with decent heft. The leather tie it came with failed quickly, but the tool itself will last forever. I've had mine for over a year and a half now. I'm not affiliated in any way other than wishing I would have thought of it years ago.

I won't eat anything off anyone's grill who uses any wire brushes anymore, there's no reason to risk it.

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

#275
post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

It’s likely not ideal but I rather breathe and possibly consume trace amounts of burned paper than burned sponge. EDIT: ... and immediately after writing this I googled “paper towel carcinogens” and ruined my day.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

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

#276

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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!

If you won't comment civilly and substantively like the guidelines ask we'll ban the account.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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

#277
post #269

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, it's my opinion, but I feel like the /s trend/adaptation has ruined a lot of the jokes for me by being overly explicit and not leaving any ambiguity...where is the fun in that :P

I think on HN the need for clarity is seen as more important than having fun, because misunderstandings can do more damage than fun can create pleasure. This unfortunately limits the number of meta-levels (or ambiguity) you can use in jokes or sarcasm. But I guess it's worth the tradeoff. And actually with a bit of effort you can often have both.

HN quote of the year IMHO: "I think on HN the need for clarity is seen as more important than having fun..."

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

#278

Serious question: how do I clean my grill instead?

Steel wool works pretty well.

Two reasons not to... You'll end up with particles sticking to residue on the grates - steel wool breaks apart a lot. And because steel wool rusts. Combined with stainless steel you're not doing yourself any favors. If you've ever scrubbed a white wall on a tire with steel wool you'd never use it on a cooking surface like a grate. Maybe cleaning a pan you can wash out, but. I don't know many people who wash grill grates with any level of frequency.

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

#280
post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Ah no not those, I mean literally chunks of ground up bottle glass that just vaguely look like sponges. They're not at all actually sponge like in absorbance property.

Hm, then I'm not familiar with what you're describing.
Post reply on HN