284292 Tue Apr 04 08:53:51 -0700 2006 5 31 Home Cooking 0 1519486 oh the new fads of painting sauce onto plates... so there are pastry brushes and then there are painting brushes. really what is the difference? you can get a variety of different types of bristles for painting brushes so are any of them adequate for use in the kitchen? are they cheaper? Is there a particular size that seems to work well? Link: http://tongueandcheek.ca Tue Apr 04 08:53:51 -0700 2006 0 pinstripeprincess 1 1519491 Not for painting sauce onto plates (are they really doing that?), but for just about all other kitchen brush tasks, I use the very cheap natural white bristle brushes sold in the hardware store, sometimes identified as being for shellac. They cost just pennies for the small ones and perhaps a buck or so for the larger ones. I buy a few in different sizes and throw then in the drawer - depending on what I use one for I may wash it a few times or may just discard it after one use. Tue Apr 04 09:09:38 -0700 2006 1519486 0 FlyFish 2 1519522 They are indeed really doing that...and it is really beautiful, and the best part, easily duplicatable at home. You might try it? Just use a thick glaze or sauce, so the brush strokes stay in the sauce. Tue Apr 04 11:00:20 -0700 2006 1519491 0 Aaron 3 1519539 I'll bet the painbrushes last a lot longer than specialty "food painting" brushes, too. Artists who take art classes are taught to be discriminating about brushes, so brushes at art stores are high quality without costing an arm and a leg. They also go on closeout a lot. Kitchen supply stores are banking on the fact that home cooks or even professional chefs will know a lot less about brush selection. The ones I see at fancy stores usually look pretty poorly constructed. I've been using my sister the art student's advice about sable brushes for makeup application for years, and my brushes are in a lot better shape than my friend's department store brushes. I might have to call her up for food brush advice now. And yes, I too use the 50 cent acrylic brushes for basting and glossing. One for desserts, one for marinades, and they get tossed often. Tue Apr 04 11:39:50 -0700 2006 1519522 0 nooodles 4 1519541 i figured it's cheaper to just go everywhere but a kitchen store... some of that stuff is just ridiculously priced. i guess i'm concerned about what material the bristles should be? i don't want heat to adversely affect them and possibly do something to the food. how much is cheesecloth? i desperately needed some one day but wasn't near a place that sold it so i ended up using gauze. worked amazingly well but probably unnecessary to have something so sterile? Link: http://tongueandcheek.ca Tue Apr 04 11:46:22 -0700 2006 1519539 0 pinstripeprincess 5 1519554 I find cheesecloth at restaurant supply stores (big unorganized warehouses in Chinatown in SF). It's a few dollars for several yards, which takes me some time to go through. I swear the price changes every time I go. I've also heard of people getting muslin, linen, or even cheesecloth on sale at fabric stores, in which case you'd just have to wash them thoroughly with a food safe soap. I haven't found any that's cheap enough for me to buy, though. I live a very chi chi fabric store, so they never have things like that on sale. Tue Apr 04 12:08:18 -0700 2006 1519541 0 nooodles