# cleaning and sanitizing natural bristle pastry brushes?



## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

Any sage advice for cleaning and sanitizing natural bristle / wood handle pastry brushes?

I have silicone brushes in my go-bag though I really prefer to use natural bristle brushes.   I've always had an uneasy feeling about natural bristle brushes harboring some nasty microbes or bacteria, even with a good soak in quats, so I've taken all my natural bristle brushes out of my kit completely and only use them at home.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Boil 'em.

Stick them in a pot, fill with cold water, place a dinner plate on top, and boil the sucker.  After a good minute of hard boiling, repeat with fresh cold water.  Do the same with nylon or cotton/nylon pastry bags.

I hate the natural bristle brushes.  They smell like wet pig, because that's what they are, pig bristle brushes.  Not exactly a bonus point when working in Jewish, Muslim or vegetarian kitchens.  And they shed hair.


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## sandsquid (Dec 23, 2013)

foodpump said:


> I hate the natural bristle brushes. They smell like wet pig, because that's what they are, pig bristle brushes. Not exactly a bonus point when working in Jewish, Muslim or vegetarian kitchens. And they shed hair.


Thanks.

If only I could find a synthetic alternative that performs as well as natural bristle, and doesn't melt if you stick it in a pan of hot stuff, I'd be delighted.


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## cuthculain (Jul 8, 2014)

Ive had good luck with oxo silicone pastry brushes. They are so cheap you don't even feel bad bout pitching em. Good to 600 degrees almost as good as hair. But to answer your question i use an autoclave to sanitize naturals


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