Cooking in the outdoors is always an exciting experience that brings together friends and family under the warmth of the summer season, to enjoy some of the best wild flavors of steaks, burgers and any other grilled meal. However, this experience is short-lived once it is time to clean up. Note that cleaning your grill is non-negotiable; dirty grills are a risk of food poisoning and a short-lived functioning grill.
So can you place the grill brush in a dishwasher? The answer is yes. However, there are conditions to this. First, you will have to hand wash your grill brushes using warm water and non-citrus based soap. This is because the grill brush may harbor food remains and greases that could clog your dishwasher plumbing system.
Keep reading to know more about the conditions of placing your grill brush in a dishwasher and how to clean it. The article will also highlight items not favorable for placing in the dishwasher, what to look for in the best grill brush and other grill brush and dishwasher related questions.
Conditions for Placing your Grill Brush in a Dishwasher
With the right tools- grill brushes- cleaning your grill does not have to bore the life out of you. Grill brushes help you get rid of food residues and grease from your grill. The process of cleaning your outdoor cooking tools does not stop at a clean grill. You have to clean the grill brush.
Secondly, you can only place the grill brush in the top rack away from the dishwasher-heating element, which can melt away the plastic part of your grill brush. If you are an outdoor chef or you enjoy grilling your meals and you have been wondering the easiest and most efficient way to clean your grill brush, this article is for you.
As mentioned above, the first condition is to hand wash your grill brush to get rid of the accumulated solid food residue or grease. The best grill brushes-wire brushes have bristles that are made of stainless steel or brass for tough cleaning. Just like any other scrubbing tools, the grill brush gets soiled overtime with greasy, grimy and gunk material from scrubbing the grill grates.
If you throw the grill brush into the dishwasher directly after cleaning your grates, chances are, the food residue will build up and clog your dishwasher. As you can imagine, this is a bigger problem since it may halt the cleaning of your entire culinary. As such, you want to avoid such situations by first getting rid of these greases and food from your grill brush manually.
It is recommended to first hit the grill brush against a hard surface to get rid of the large chunks of grilling debris from the bristles. Once you are satisfied the large food chunks in the bristles are reduced, you can place the grill brush in some warm water containing non-citrus based soap and hand wash the brush. With all these done, your grill brush is ready for the dishwasher.
Make sure you place the grill brush at the top rack position in the dishwasher. This top-rack is placed away from the heating element of the dishwasher that could cause the plastic part of the brush to melt. If your grill brush has a wooden handle, the heat can also affect the wooden handle. The high heat from the dishwasher may cause the wooden handle to crack creating a breeding ground for bacteria
Therefore, if you adhere to the two conditions discussed above, it is safe to place your grill brush in the dishwasher for the final cleaning and sparkle.
Step- by-Step guide for Cleaning your Grill Brush
Cleaning your grill brush is important if you are looking to maintain the superior nature of your steel bristles and the longevity of your grill brush. Other than that, using your grill brush continuously without cleaning will lead to building up of food material and bacteria which may be left behind in the grates when scrabbing, causing food poisoning. Therefore, clean your grill brush after a thorough scrubbing.
The following is a guide on how to clean your grill brushes.
Step 1: Knock the grill brush off a hard surface to get rid of any large chunks of food debris. This makes your work easier you only remain with small and manageable food residue.
Step 2: Use another grill brush to dislodge debris caught deep within the bristles. Position the two brushes to face each other and rub the bristles of the second brush on the bristles of the initial brush. Continue rubbing until you are satisfied all food debris captured by bristles are removed.
Step 3: Place warm water in a bucket and add non-citrus based soap to the water. Swirl the water to activate the soapy bubbles then place the two brushes into the water. Leave them to soak for about a minute
Step 4: Rub the bristles of the grill brush on each other to get rid of any greasy residue sticking on the bristles. Continue rubbing until you are satisfied with the results
Step 5: Depending on the status of your grill brush,you can choose to place it in a dishwasher for further cleaning or not.
Step 6: If you place it in the dishwasher for further cleaning, place it on the top rack position away from the heating element of the dishwasher
Step 7: In case you do not have a dishwasher you can rinse the grill brushes with cool water and hung them to dry.
Once all these are done, your grilling brush is ready for the next scrabbling experience.
What to Consider When Choosing a Grill Brush
Material
Grill brushes are made of three materials; depending on your needs you can choose from the following:
- Stainless Steel– This is the most recommend and most sought of type of grilling brush. The stainless steel bristles clean your grates effectively removing even the toughest build-up of grease. As such, if you are looking for the best grill cleaning results, the stainless grill brush will come in handy.
- Brass- brass bristles are second after the steel ones. They equally clean effectively but not as good as the steel bristles. However, if you do not want to worry about bristles falling off, then this brass made brush will be useful. The only negative thing is that the brass bristles rust with time
- Wooden – this may come as a surprise but yes, there are wooden bristles which clean just like the brass and steel grill bristles. However, their longevity is lower as well as their efficiency
Long Handles
Cleaning your grills and grates can sometimes prove to be a difficult experience. This is especially because the best time to clean your grill is when it is hot. Therefore, a grill brush with a long handle is what you need to protect you from being burnt. Besides, it is comfortable when using since you do not have to put on elbow-length gloves.
Integrated Scraper
Even with the stainless steel grill brush, it is normal to have some greasy remains trapped deep within the grates and grills making it hard to get rid of them. That is why you need a scrapper. A scrapper is a rugged tool that is arched to get through the bars of the grates and clean the toughest food residue and grease.
Some grill brushes come with an integrated scraper while others do not. However, it is cheaper to purchase those that have a scrapper than having to purchase the scraper separately.
Select the grill brush according to your Grates.
While else normal grills and grates made of stainless steel or metal can be cleaned using any grill brush. Porcelain-coated grates or ceramic grills will require a specific type of grill brush like the brass grill brush for delicate surfaces. This is because stainless steel bristles can cause permanent markings on the non-stick surface and therefore damaging its functionality
Storage
It is recommended that you purchase a grill brush with a hole on the handle for hanging after use. You can also choose any other type of brush as long as it provides for storage capacity.
Related Questions
Can you place a Cast-iron Skillet in a dishwasher?
No, you should never place your cast iron skillet in a dishwasher. To start, the dishwasher will get rid of the non-sticking element of the cast iron skillet, therefore, defeating its use in the first place. Also, the dishwasher will cause the cast iron skillet to rust.
Therefore, the best way to clean your cast iron skillet is to wash it with hot water while rubbing it with a soapy soft sponge to get rid of the food remains. You can then rinse it properly and dry it up with a towel to avoid rusting and keep it well seasoned
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Is it okay to put grill grates in the dishwasher?
Yes placing grates and grills in the dishwasher can be resourceful when you want to get rid of those smokey layers of fat or seared bits of meat and vegetables. However, just like the grill brush, it is not a good idea to place grates directly in the dishwasher. This is because large food remains may cause clogging on the plumbing system of the dishwasher.
Also, you have to be sure the grates are sizeable enough to fit in the dishwasher. In case the grates are tall, you can take off the top basket of the dishwasher to allow the grates to fit. Most dishwashers are designed with a removable top basket.
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How can I clean grates in a dishwasher?
Now that you know you can place your grates in a dishwasher, it is only fair that you understand the whole procedure.
First, turn on the grills at very high temperatures for bout 15 minutes. This is done to burn off as much edible debris as possible.
When it has cooled off but it is still hot, use warm water and non-citrus based soap to rub the grates using a grill brush to get rid of the greasy remains.
Once you are satisfied with the state of the grates, place them in the dishwasher for sanitization and to get rid of any other stubborn stains.
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