Summer is in full swing meaning we will be hearing plenty of media reminders to use plenty of sunscreen and drink plenty of fluids from now through Labor Day.
But you may have also noticed a new concern added to the list of potential hot-weather hazards: grill brush dangers.
Concerns about grill brush safety are legitimate. In one 15-month period alone, a Providence, RI hospital treated a half-dozen people who swallowed metal bristles that were traced back to substandard BBQ grill brushes. And the problem is not limited to New England. Consumer Reports recently cited a nationwide study that determined – between 2002 – 2014 – about 1,700 Americans were forced to visit a local emergency ward after inadvertently ingesting bristles from wire grill brushes. Twenty-eight percent of those patients required hospital stays because of the severity of their internal injuries.
In most cases, wire grill brush injuries have been limited to mouth and throat lesions; however, in some extreme cases, people suffered serious and painful stomach and intestinal wounds due to metal bristles being swallowed with food and lodged internally.
If you are a restaurant owner or chef, you should know BBQ brush dangers are not limited to backyard gourmets. Any restaurant professional using a wire grill brush could be unintentionally putting their customers – and even their businesses – at risk.
Why? As regular readers of this blog already know, inexpensive wire brushes may seem like a bargain at first, but, in most cases, they are produced quickly and cheaply – usually overseas where grill safety is a secondary concern.
Relying on cheap brushes to clean your grills – especially in fast-paced environments where your staff is trying to keep up with hungry clients lining up to savor some tasty summertime barbeque – is a recipe for disaster.
Cheap wire grill brushes are notorious for leaving your steel grates encrusted with the sort of “linear metallic foreign bodies” that end up in food and medical studies, causing gastric distress and emergency room visits.
Don’t put your customers at risk.
Whether you are restaurant owner (or a backyard BBQ whiz), it’s important to practice good grill safety.
Make sure you clean your grates thoroughly and often. Home users can get away with relying on a pumice stone (or even balled up aluminum foil in a pinch), but both approaches are temporary solutions at best. Instead, throw away any cheap metal brushes lying around your kitchen and replace them with high-quality grill brushes — ones that are not warped or worn out. Equally important, make sure your cooking grates are cleaned frequently – especially if you are operating a high-traffic kitchen.
Concerns about potential metal brush injuries are immediately eliminated when you make the Texas Brush part of your kitchen tool line-up. Its unique, angle-head design is ideal for charbroiler clean-up. Each Texas brush is built to last, handcrafted in the U.S. with thick, hardwood handles (available in 2´ or 4´ length) and industrial-strength, steal bristles that remain fastened to the brush – and out the food. When the heads do show signs of wear, they can be easily replaced.
Because your customer’s safety is of the upmost importance, ensure BBQ safety by using the Texas Brush.
Whatever your needs, Texas Brush has the right fit for you.
