Surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes (2016) • Hacker News Board

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

#31

Post by mtreis86 » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:41 PM UTC

gumby wrote: post #22

mr-roboto wrote: post #7

So what are some alternatives?

Seriously you can clean them the same way you clean any other greasy cooking utensil. Those green plastic scrubbers (like scotch guard) work fine. I have a small bbq and I just take the grills off and put them in the dishwasher! That has a non-stick coating so I wouldn’t want to use a wire brush anyway. The large bbq just gets a hand wash.

Just don't use a scotchbrite on a hot grill.

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

#32

Post by gregmac » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:42 PM UTC

mr-roboto wrote: post #7

So what are some alternatives?

I have been using a wooden one for the last year. It's about 18" x 5" x 1/2", has a oar-like handle carved in one end, and a taper in the other. I think it's made of cedar. It starts to get groves from the grill as you use it, but even without those it is effective, you just have to angle it to get stuff off the sides of each rung/wire (whatever those are called). Compared to a bristled brush it usually only takes one pass.

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

#33

Post by tonypace » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:44 PM UTC

lr4444lr wrote: post #27

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...

But people use them to remove firey fat while grilling. I've done that. Obviously, bad idea.

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

#34

Post by KozmoNau7 » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:44 PM UTC

grandpoobah wrote: post #26

pcunite wrote: post #9

These products need to be pulled from stores. Use a copper sponge with soap and water. Cleans the grill up great.

Yeah soap isn't really an option if you have a real barbeque with a well seasoned cast iron grill.

The whole "don't use soap on cast iron" thing is completely overblown, and comes from the old days of strong lye soap.

It's perfectly ok to use modern soap on cast iron. If that washes off the seasoning, it didn't deserve to be on there anyway.

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

#35

Post by morsch » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:45 PM UTC

gumby wrote: post #22

mr-roboto wrote: post #7

So what are some alternatives?

Seriously you can clean them the same way you clean any other greasy cooking utensil. Those green plastic scrubbers (like scotch guard) work fine. I have a small bbq and I just take the grills off and put them in the dishwasher! That has a non-stick coating so I wouldn’t want to use a wire brush anyway. The large bbq just gets a hand wash.

What kind of nonstick coating survives the high temperatures present in a grill?

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

#36

Post by lr4444lr » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:46 PM UTC

grandpoobah wrote: post #26

pcunite wrote: post #9

These products need to be pulled from stores. Use a copper sponge with soap and water. Cleans the grill up great.

Yeah soap isn't really an option if you have a real barbeque with a well seasoned cast iron grill.

I've read that's a common myth, that a little soapy water for a few minutes is going to do nothing to a polymerized fat coating that was seared into the pitted surface of cast iron under high heat, but even if you were concerned about it, a brief re-seasoning afterward would be more than enough to restore any stripping.

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

#37

Post by markatkinson » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:47 PM UTC

mr-roboto wrote: post #7

So what are some alternatives?

Half a potato, or half a lemon. That is what we usually use.

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

#38

Post by matwood » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:48 PM UTC

mr-roboto wrote: post #7

So what are some alternatives?

1/2 an onion, potato, or lemon works. You can also take some tinfoil and wrap it around the end of your grill tongs to scrape the grates.

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

#39

Post by jlebrech » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:48 PM UTC

mr-roboto wrote: post #7

So what are some alternatives?

clearly the alternative is a startup for self cleaning grills.

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

#40

Post by HankB99 » Thu, Mar 29, 2018, 12:52 PM UTC

morsch wrote: post #35

gumby wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously you can clean them the same way you clean any other greasy cooking utensil. Those green plastic scrubbers (like scotch guard) work fine. I have a small bbq and I just take the grills off and put them in the dishwasher! That has a non-stick coating so I wouldn’t want to use a wire brush anyway. The large bbq just gets a hand wash.

What kind of nonstick coating survives the high temperatures present in a grill?

Probably a ceramic coating.