File this under “stuff I didn’t know I needed to worry about”! I was interviewed this week by NPR to get our reaction to a new study that found several cases of people accidentally ingesting the wire bristles from their grill brush. The study says that there were 6 cases of accidental ingestion in one Rhode Island hospital alone between May 2009 and November 2010. Patients complained of pain while swallowing and/or abdominal pain in each case. So far, they are not sure how widespread the problem is, but prevention is as easy as wiping down the grill with a wet cloth after using your brush. I know I will be wiping down the grill after each brushing from now on. Here is a video explanation, read the entire story on NPR here:
Second article I’ve read on this and, you’re right, the solution is simply to wipe the grill after brushing. My son owned a steak house for ten years and cooked all the meat on a charcoal grill in the restaurant. He taught me to always wipe the grates after brushing. My grates are cast iron so I normally spray with oil, brush and wipe with a white shop towel or a left over dish towel.
By the way, love Grilling Companion! 🙂