Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

[AngryVanMan]

Canadian surgeons urge people to throw out bristle BBQ brushes

Anyone ever heard of this before? I had no idea the metal bristle brushes were such a large problem! Just saw this posted today on Reddit and thought I'd share it here with this audience probably doing more outdoor cooking than most.

 

[Odyssey]

Weird! Just today when I was buying Reflectix and magnets, I tossed a new bbq brush in my cart because the old one was worn out and missing over half its wire bristles. The new one has stiff nylon bristles that are longer.

Something new to be afraid of?

 

[Gary68]

hey canadians,chew your food
hey canadians,stay far away from fish

 

[AngryVanMan]

Quite literally a big pain in the neck, eh? :dodgy:

 

[highdesertranger]

this has been going around for a couple of months. even though the article says today. I don't know about you all but my grills are clean. I have been using wire brushes for 40 years and have never had anybody get a piece of wire in the food. highdesertranger

 

[AngryVanMan]

One or two cases a week in one Canadian city raised my eyebrows, having never heard of this before. The rest of it being hard as heck (or impossible) to remove those little metal wires was another knock. I do know the balled up foil works wonders on grille grates, I'll stick to that from now on, and burning off the excess gunk after each use ( costs a bit more in propane). I have a metal brush for our grille but I never really use it that much.

I certainly wouldn't want a tiny sliver of metal wire stuck in my dang throat or worse; having a piece of metal jammed in my finger from a wire brush or shavings is bad enough!

 

[poncho62]

A little extra iron in your diet never hurt anyone........lol

Seriously, people are a little too paranoid these days about every little thing.

 

[907KHAM687]

Hrmm. Maybe. I bought a stubby handled brush for five dollars a while back. I love this cheap chinese junk as much as any other red blooded american but I don't think I should be eating tiny stainless steel spears. Brass brush or carbon steel, my guts bend brass and rust steel dull, but my cheap brush is loosing stainless steel bristles faster than I loose hairs. I don't even like stainless steel knives. And I don't like bleeding out of my insides.

Hank

 

[TrainChaser]

I tend to blow off a lot of these fear-mongering warnings, but I'm okay with this one.

I have a plastic hairbrush from China that fell apart. 

My veterinarian said it best regarding cheap pet food versus decent pet food:  "Pay for it up front, or pay me to fix it down the line --  if it isn't too late.  Make your choice as to which will be the cheapest."  

Some things don't matter, some things do.  It's nice to be able to tell the difference.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

When I first had to man the grill many years ago I started out with the aluminum foil held by tongs just because I didn't have a brush and I had a dirty grill and meat to cook.  I bought the metal brushes a couple of times but never used them because it was easier to find the foil in the kitchen next to the tongs I'd already be using for the meat. Every time I did find those blankety-blank brushes it was usually with the tenderest part of my finger when reaching in for something else somewhere in the garage. (I swear those things could walk and hide somewhere on purpose to get me! )  If stuff is really gunked on then I'd quickly rub a paper towel with olive oil over it and let it set for a couple minutes before using the aluminum foil. Rinse, repeat.

Of course all my grilling was with charcoal as I prefer the nice blackened carcinogen flavor. So, for those who grill with gas do the crumbly old bits from cleaning the grill cook off like with charcoal? I mean...Now we're cooking with gas! Wherever that came from.

TrainChaser, I like the way your vet thinks. For many things it's better to pay for the best quality you can afford up front because it will save money in the end.

 

[GotSmart]

Grill brush?  :huh:  

I would run the spatula along the bars, and scrape it clean.  Start the fire and added smoke for flavoring.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Grill brush?  :huh: 

LOL. I found one in the garage in some old junk last year and I don't know how many weeks it was before I remembered what it was for.

You must be a whole lot neater chef than me because a spatula would not reach all the gooies (sp) that would be left when I'm done.

 

[TrainChaser]

Newbie: "Now we're cooking with gas! Wherever that came from."

That old saying originated in 1939. It's even older than me!

 

[Happy Camper]

I just close the lid and let it the grill get super hot, then I spray the grill with a plastic water bottle set to as hard of a stream as I can get. Everything just falls off the grill at that point...

 

[GCAdventurer]

The issue with the bristles falling off has to do with the influx of cheap Chinese crap! You get what you pay for when you buy your grill brush from the dollar store. Buy good quality (still might be made in China these days) and you won't have this issue. I have always used the bristle brushes, grew up that way and continue to do so. Now saying all of that, I am cautious when using one and inspect the grills after each cleaning. I also have used those pumice stones but they wear so quickly and the grills still need a good wipe down after anyway. The best way to keep a grill clean is to always clean it right after cooking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NomadBob]

Saw this else wheres.
Sorry.  Can't support the fighting of Darwinism; the dumb need to die off for the greater good as (per to-be Prez hillary would say)
But that said.  I use a SS brush on my cast iron hibachi.  *every* time.  I also go over it with a paper towel afterwards.
I 'cook' the grill.  I inspect the grill before putting food on (usually a alum foiled potato first)

You can't fix stupid other then breed it out.