466758 Wed Dec 05 14:33:00 -0800 2007 11 41 Cookware 0 3182739 Does anyone have a method for removing the stubborn traces of olive oil, melted butter, chicken drippings etc. from natural bristle basting brushes? I'm tempted to try the silicon version, but the "bristles" seem so wimpy and hard to direct, and it's hard to believe that the silicon surfaces would clean up thoroughly. Wed Dec 05 14:33:00 -0800 2007 16006 dordogne 1 3182796 Since silicone isn't porous it cleans up much better than natural bristles. Of course the same properties that make it clean up so well also make it kinda crappy as a brush since it doesn't really hold the liquid that you are brushing on. I have a "normal" silicone pastry brush and it doesn't perform that well. I have a "grill" brush that has less bristles but they have balls at the end of them that are intended to help hold the liquid, and this one works pretty well. I think you have to look at the bristle brushes as a "consumable" item that simply needs to be replaced every so often Wed Dec 05 14:56:06 -0800 2007 3182739 69452 jzerocsk 1 3183271 To be honest... I go to the hardware store and by the ceap 37 cent natural brushes use them for aawhile then chuck them. We have bought a silicone one that has a flat section in the middle that has holes in it to hold what your basting with and it works quite well. Wed Dec 05 17:50:27 -0800 2007 3182739 77397 Eric in NJ 2 3183515 "We have bought a silicone one that has a flat section in the middle that has holes in it..." Like this?: http://www.oxo.com/OA_HTML/xxoxo_ibeCCtpOXOPrdDtl.jsp?a=b&item=50570 I have one, and I can heartily recommend it... Wed Dec 05 19:25:54 -0800 2007 3183271 10606 Joe Blowe 3 3185257 How clever--OXO does it again. Thanks for the link. Thu Dec 06 11:20:38 -0800 2007 3183515 16006 dordogne 1 3183316 I hated the natural bristle brushes... bristles coming out, can't be cleaned well. I LOVE THE SILICONE! I have tried a couple, and the ones with the finer bristles work quite well, IMHO. I have a big round head unit for BBQ that is supposed to work like a traditional mop, and it is great. They clean fabulously with soap and hot water. Remember: get a unit with the finest possible bristles. Wed Dec 05 18:11:05 -0800 2007 3182739 92288 woodburner 1 3183333 I think natural brushes need to be replaced like sponges do (of course less often since you dont use them daily). Whatever you are basting with gets wicked up the fibers where it can't be cleaned properly. Once I had the metal band which holds the bristles together and binds them to the handle come off. What was under there was absolutely disgusting. I have silicone and don't like them as much. I just make sure I chuck the natural brushes and get new ones. I look for them at discount stores. www.houndstoothgourmet.com Wed Dec 05 18:17:50 -0800 2007 3182739 65673 monavano 1 3183878 I've got a couple of $.50 hardware store brushes. I clean them in the dishwasher. When they wear out, which happens every couple of years, I go get another from the hardware store. If you can't clean them any other way, and the only other option is to not use them, and you have a dishwasher, the path seems clear ... Wed Dec 05 22:39:47 -0800 2007 3182739 25310 Chuckles the Clone 1 3183924 I was taught to clean my pastry/basting brushes like fine paintbrushes: dribble a few drops of dishwasher detergent on the bristles near the metal band, then trickle some warm water (a few drops) over that, and massage the detergent into the bristles toward the bristle ends. Rinse in tepid water; repeat until the brush is clean. Dry by wrapping in a paper towel and pressing on the bristles until the water is gone; then air dry. It works! Wed Dec 05 23:25:20 -0800 2007 3182739 10926 mnosyne 2 3185269 second this method. did not think anyone else massaged their brishes. When they start to look bad, jfood throws them out and buy a couple more at the hardware store for a buck-a-piece. Thu Dec 06 11:23:12 -0800 2007 3183924 11290 jfood 2 3187047 I do the same mnosyne, and precisely because of my training in keeping expensive paintbrushes in good order! But I also add a periodic boiling water dip ( yeah, I know - how Howard Hughes of me...). After the cleaning, a dump of boiling teakettle water and a final swish makes me feel like I've cleaned the brushes well. My bristle brushes last a long time, but I do succumb to the lure and buy a few fifty-centers as it makes me feel rich...and they're lot's cheaper than sable paintbrushes! Thu Dec 06 23:38:03 -0800 2007 3183924 49525 cayjohan 1 3187376 Get silicon. They're dishwasher safe. Remember: it's all about surface area. Whether the manufacturer accomplishes this with bumps on the bristles, holes, more bristles, etc. the name of the game is surface area. The more "real estate" (as the Almighty Alton Brown puts it), the better, because that means more material to hold on to the liquid. Fri Dec 07 06:33:36 -0800 2007 3182739 142652 madgreek