Scrub Daddy's Grill Brush Was Put to the Test—And the Results Are In
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Recently, my husband and I had a heart-to-heart conversation about the most neglected part of our relationship... I'm talking about our grill. You see, last year we didn't touch it at all. And with the weather finally getting nice, we both decided to commit ourselves to using it more often. After all, why bother having a grill if we aren't going to use it?
That got me to thinking: Why don't I like to grill? I love to cook. I love grilled food. So what's the problem? I realized: it's the cleanup. You see, I'm kind of lazy when it comes to cleaning. If I can't throw it in the dishwasher, I really don't want to deal with it. And if you know anything about cleaning grill grates, you know it requires a lot more time and effort.
So what's a grilling gal to do? Head to the internet to find a solution, of course. And that's where I stumbled upon the increasingly popular Scrub Daddy BBQ Daddy Grill Brush from the Shark Tank famous family of products. I figured with so many rave reviews, it was worth a shot. And spoiler alert: After testing it out, this grilling season is comin' in hot!
Scrub Daddy BBQ Daddy Grill Brush
walmart.com
$29.98
What is the Scrub Daddy grill brush?
It might help if I explain what's so different about the Scrub Daddy grill brush. Standard grill brushes are typically made of little metal wires or bristles and rely on their durability to scrape off all those nasty bits of leftover food. However, the BBQ Daddy actually relies on a steel mesh sponge head and power of steam to clean. That's right! Much like cleaning a microwave, steam can be incredibly effective.
Here's how it works: First, you preheat your grill to about 300 degrees. (I used a separate thermometer because I don't actually have a gauge on my little electric Weber.) While that's heating up, you submerge the scrubber head in cold water for about five minutes for it to saturate completely. The instructions note the colder the better for a firmer sponge texture, so I actually put mine in a bowl of ice water.
Then working in sections, you brush the grates like you would with any other brush. The steam will start to generate upon contact. The instructions on the package note that protective gloves and eyewear are recommended for safety, but I didn't feel it was necessary once I started using the product. (Though if you need a pair of grill gloves, I love mine.)
If you've got a really messy case of stuck-on bits, the other side has a stainless steel scraper to help strip them away and the steam should handle the rest. There's also a knob on the handle that lets you rotate the position of the head, so you have more leverage to get in all the nooks and crannies. A retractable hook is included to lift the grill grates which also doubles as a hook to hang it. Oh, and it has a handy bottle opener at the bottom if you want to sip a cold one afterwards.
How well does the Scrub Daddy grill brush work?
First, I'd like to thank my husband for making an absolute mess on the grill purely by accident just as I needed to test the brush. He made some grilled fish and the skin on almost every single piece stuck to the grates. (Ew. Remind me to buy him a grill basket!) Anyway, the grates were a charred, disgusting horror show but at least that makes for a perfect testing ground.
And well, I'll just say it: Wow. It took me about three minutes to clean the grill, maybe five if you include the moments where I had to stop and take pictures. I didn't even use the scraper side. The nasty blackened bits just melted right off with the ArmorTec steel mesh doing all the work. I didn't press hard either. There were only a few spots that I had to go over twice so I could get the sides clean. But it worked like a charm.
Here's where it got even better: In the case of my old metal brush, I never knew how to clean it. Those bristles hurt so how on earth could they be easily cleaned? But with the BBQ Daddy, the head just slides right off and all you have to do is run it under warm water or pop in the top rack of the dishwasher and ring dry. I was so happy with the results that I immediately started planning all the other grilling recipes to try out this summer.
Should I buy the Scrub Daddy grill brush?
If you're a lazy griller like me (or should I say lazy cleaner?), you should consider getting the BBQ Daddy. There are a few things I will note: First, I've only been using the product for a few weeks now so I don't know just how long the scrubber head will last. It's easy to buy refills, but of course, I can't say for certain how cost effective it will be in the long run.
Second, I can't say for certain how long you might need to clean your grill. The manufacturing instructions note that for the best results, you should re-saturate often and work in sections. My grill is small and I don't typically use sticky things like barbecue sauce, so results may vary.
Overall, if you hate the whole cleaning part of grilling or need to get someone a grilling gift, it's worth giving this product a spin... or should I say, scrub?
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