Summer has arrived! You’re eager to start grilling, and you consider getting a new brush to clean the grill and replace the old brush. That is a wise decision as a dirty grill can impact the flavor of your burger patties. The question we ask is how to choose a grill cleaning brush.
A clean grill free of food residue is important to your health and your grilling enjoyment. Cleaning a grill can be time-consuming, but it is a necessary step in ensuring your burger patties are safe to eat and that the grill will not have any flare-ups. However, not all grill cleaning brushes are created equal. Before you consider buying a new cleaning brush, there are some factors to consider.
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Types of Grill Cleaning Brushes
For example, do you prefer a cleaning brush with no bristles or do you prefer a brass wire brush? Nylon brush or stone brush? Circle brush or coiled steel brush? Read on to find some tips on choosing the right grill cleaning brush for keeping your grill free of stubborn stains and leftover gunk!
The first thing to consider on how to choose a grill cleaning brush is whether or not the bristles on the brush come off too easily. If the errant bristle comes loose or breaks, it can fall onto the hot grill and then stick to your burger patties. Choking on or swallowing and accidentally ingesting a piece of embedded stray bristle can be dangerous and cause fatal injuries to the mouth, throat, gut, intestines, and pancreas. Thus, when you consider buying a new cleaning brush you might want to avoid ones with weak bristles.
A coiled steel brush doesn’t use bristles at all, for example, and might prove to be a safer option. If you still want to buy a bristle brush to dislodge food remnants, consider finding one with sturdy construction and rust-resistant properties, such as ones with bristles made from firm stainless steel instead of thick horsehair.
Sharp bristle brushes have also been known to damage grill grates, therefore if you buy a bristle brush, you should consider buying one that is soft enough and will not risk leaving a scratch on the surface when you deep clean the food particles off the greasy grill.
What Kind of Grill Do You Have?
Secondly, you should consider the kind of grill you have. If your grill is made of porcelain, you should buy multipurpose brushes that are more delicate and gentle on the grill. Another thing to consider is the length of the handle of the brush—the longer the handle is, the least likely it is that you would get your hands burned if you need to clean while the grill is hot.
Next, you should consider whether or not the brush can double as a scraper and a scrubber. Brushes with scraper or scrubber functionality would be preferable if you have especially tough caked-on debris to remove or if you are cleaning those tricky hard to reach corners.
Third, before buying a brush you should consider whether the brush of your choice would last a long time and withstand wear and tear. Usually, by the end of the grilling season, you have to throw out worn cleaning brushes. However, if you buy a brush that specifically allows you to just replace the brush head instead of the entire thing, you can save a few sweet bucks.
If you want an even more environmentally friendly way to get more bang for your buck, consider buying cleaning brushes that are made of 95% or more recycled materials. Nylon brushes are typically made with recycled materials, but you have to be careful with nylon because they will melt at very high temperatures. If you do use a nylon brush, use it after the grill has cooled down.
To recap, before you buy a new cleaning brush for your grill, you should consider whether the brushes you are looking at could pose a serious health hazard with loose bristles, and then you should also consider their practicality and durability. Having a spotlessly clean grill is a must and because of that, the brush you are considering should never be of low, poor quality material. Happy grilling!
Below is a Pinterest-friendly photo . . . so you can pin it to your Burger Board!
