Getting the Best Grill Brush
I want to say that every backyard cook knows the importance of having the proper implement for scrubbing the grill when the grilling is finished, but that, unfortunately, is not the case. As hard as it is to accept, there are some grillers out there who are satisfied to let the fire burn out (or turn it off in the case of propane), shut the top of the barbecue and go ahead with the next cookout without giving any thought to the grime and pieces of charred food that will remain, and get incorporated in what gets cooked next. This is not only unattractive, but also runs the danger that some nasty microorganisms may have taken the opportunity to get a foothold in the leftover mess. The best and the safest practice is to scrub the grill after each use, and the way to do that is by application of a grill brush.
Choosing the proper grill brush can be a challenge, because grill brushes come in many shapes and sizes and are made of many different materials. I will attempt here to give some useful pointers on how to choose the best brush for your outdoor barbecue.
There are the commercial brushes which function on electricity and generate steam which I imagine might be deemed the Cadillac of grill brushes, but having one of these would be a bit excessive for most people who are only grilling for their own family and friends. No one wants to go overboard with a costly tool that will necessitate a lot more time and attention than the occasional backyard chef will want to invest, but for the perfectionaist, this is something to consider.
The best solution for most outdoor cooks is the manual grill brush, but these come with widely varying features, some of which are clearly more advantageous than others. Years ago the only grill brush that was widely available was the short-handled block type of brush with the bristles inserted in a block of wood or metal on one side and a scraper on the other. The bristles themselves were made of some metal, usually steel. A major negative of this type of grill brush was that to accomplish the required scrubbing, it was essential to expose one's hand to the flames. The bristles were very rigid with the consequence that there was practically no penetration into the indentations of the grill, consequently leaving a lot of partly grilled food.
Perhaps the biggest negative of the outmoded brush was that occasionally some bristles would come out and get attached to food on the next cookout. There were many accounts from hospital emergency rooms treating people who got these bristles stuck in their throats.
The contemporary grill brush incorporates features which overcome most of the drawbacks of the old-fashioned type of grill brush. If scouring the grill is done while it is still hot, the necessity for the old scraper is done away with. On the newer brushes the handle is elongated so that the hands are not endangered by the hot grill. The bristles are in a T-shaped head which permits better coverage, and the bristles are made of brass which allows for more penetration into the gaps on the grill surface. Finally, the bristles are intertwined into the twisted metal head which causes it to be almost impossible for any bristles to become separated and to present the risk of being swallowed.
The bristles on some of the newer grill brushes are stainless steel, but those made of brass are superior, as the flexibility of these brass bristles allows for much better cleaning because they are able to get down into the crevices that the inflexible steel bristles cannot get at. A caveat about the brass bristles is that if too mjuch pressure is used when scrubbing the grill it is possible to permanently deform the bristles, thus rendering the device unusable. There is actually no need to apply this excessive force, however. A moderate amount of force is all that is required to get the best results, so when used properly the brass grill brush will be good for producing a clean grill for many repeated scrubbings.
To summarize, when choosing a cleaning tool for your grill, you should insist on these features:
€ Brass bristles
€ T-Head
€ Long handle
I want to say that every backyard cook knows the importance of having the proper implement for scrubbing the grill when the grilling is finished, but that, unfortunately, is not the case. As hard as it is to accept, there are some grillers out there who are satisfied to let the fire burn out (or turn it off in the case of propane), shut the top of the barbecue and go ahead with the next cookout without giving any thought to the grime and pieces of charred food that will remain, and get incorporated in what gets cooked next. This is not only unattractive, but also runs the danger that some nasty microorganisms may have taken the opportunity to get a foothold in the leftover mess. The best and the safest practice is to scrub the grill after each use, and the way to do that is by application of a grill brush.
Choosing the proper grill brush can be a challenge, because grill brushes come in many shapes and sizes and are made of many different materials. I will attempt here to give some useful pointers on how to choose the best brush for your outdoor barbecue.
There are the commercial brushes which function on electricity and generate steam which I imagine might be deemed the Cadillac of grill brushes, but having one of these would be a bit excessive for most people who are only grilling for their own family and friends. No one wants to go overboard with a costly tool that will necessitate a lot more time and attention than the occasional backyard chef will want to invest, but for the perfectionaist, this is something to consider.
The best solution for most outdoor cooks is the manual grill brush, but these come with widely varying features, some of which are clearly more advantageous than others. Years ago the only grill brush that was widely available was the short-handled block type of brush with the bristles inserted in a block of wood or metal on one side and a scraper on the other. The bristles themselves were made of some metal, usually steel. A major negative of this type of grill brush was that to accomplish the required scrubbing, it was essential to expose one's hand to the flames. The bristles were very rigid with the consequence that there was practically no penetration into the indentations of the grill, consequently leaving a lot of partly grilled food.
Perhaps the biggest negative of the outmoded brush was that occasionally some bristles would come out and get attached to food on the next cookout. There were many accounts from hospital emergency rooms treating people who got these bristles stuck in their throats.
The contemporary grill brush incorporates features which overcome most of the drawbacks of the old-fashioned type of grill brush. If scouring the grill is done while it is still hot, the necessity for the old scraper is done away with. On the newer brushes the handle is elongated so that the hands are not endangered by the hot grill. The bristles are in a T-shaped head which permits better coverage, and the bristles are made of brass which allows for more penetration into the gaps on the grill surface. Finally, the bristles are intertwined into the twisted metal head which causes it to be almost impossible for any bristles to become separated and to present the risk of being swallowed.
The bristles on some of the newer grill brushes are stainless steel, but those made of brass are superior, as the flexibility of these brass bristles allows for much better cleaning because they are able to get down into the crevices that the inflexible steel bristles cannot get at. A caveat about the brass bristles is that if too mjuch pressure is used when scrubbing the grill it is possible to permanently deform the bristles, thus rendering the device unusable. There is actually no need to apply this excessive force, however. A moderate amount of force is all that is required to get the best results, so when used properly the brass grill brush will be good for producing a clean grill for many repeated scrubbings.
To summarize, when choosing a cleaning tool for your grill, you should insist on these features:
€ Brass bristles
€ T-Head
€ Long handle
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