Nobody wants to cook on a grungy grill. Consumer Reports put grill brushes to the test.
First, CR testers roasted sticky chicken breasts on stainless and cast-iron grates.
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Although CR said a hot grate cleans up the best, the brushes were tested on cold, warm and hot grates using a systematic method of 50 strokes.
They found some brushes didn’t perform well. The Char-Broil Cool-Clean Brush has a nylon head designed for “cool to the touch” grates.
Testers said it did a poor job of cleaning on cool and warm surfaces.
The Char-Griller Wood Grill Scraper is a wooden paddle that becomes notched as you scrape it along hot grates. Testers said it didn’t do a very good job on any of the surfaces or between the ribs.
Some did a better job on the grimy grates. The Nexgrill Grill Brush has a replaceable stainless steel head that did a very good job on hot grates. The long handle keeps your hand away from the heat, but wear a glove if you put pressure on the knob.
CR staffers were impressed by the performance of the Earthstone Grill Stone. It’s made of recycled materials and did an impressive job of removing the cooked-on chicken on cold, warm, and hot surfaces.
But it left a lot of residue on the grates and inside the firebox that must be cleaned thoroughly before cooking.
If you’re tackling a really gross grill, CR found the Earthstone Grill Stone is the tool to have.