Summer is the time when people pull out their grills and start cooking outdoors, enjoying the warm weather and getting together with friends and family. However, you may be serving hidden nasties in your wonderful burgers, veggies and other grilled foods.
Wire grill brushes constructed from metal bristles are commonly used to clean grills. Many people believe that one of the keys to grilling safely includes thoroughly scrubbing and scraping any food debris from previous grilling. While this may be true, using a wire bristle grill can leave small shavings of the bristles on the grill, leading to transfer to foods when they are cooked on the grill.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the rates of people requiring emergency abdominal surgery increase during summer months. Approximately 80,000 people are treated each year to remove foreign objects from their intestines, wire bristle brushes among those objects. In most cases, the bristles lodge themselves in intestinal walls, creating severe damage that requires immediate surgery. In some instances, wire bristles travel into other parts of the body to press on the bladder or other vital organs.
While summer grilling is a rite of summer, it is important to be careful when cleaning your grill. You can avoid wire bristles by carefully checking the grill surface for any metal bristles or shaving before placing it on the grill or putting food on it. Also, before you buy a wire grill cleaning brush, check it to make sure there are no loose bristles.
Finally, you can avoid the problem by placing a layer of aluminum foil over the grill surface before cooking your food. It may not have the same appeal as food with those characteristic grill marks, but you won’t be risking a trip to the emergency room either.
– The Alternative Daily