This article may contain one or more independently chosen Amazon affiliate links. See full disclosure.
Pastry brushes are used primarily for brushing on or applying liquids to foods. Usually, they are used to brush egg wash or butter onto pastries or bread or to apply a glaze onto baked goods. They can be useful for any similar job. Cheap pastry brushes are not worth having because the bristles fall out so choose a higher quality natural bristle brush or silicone brush.
I have both natural bristle brushes and a silicone pastry brush. I reach for the silicone brush for most things because it works great and is easy to clean. The silicone doesn’t hold onto oils or smells and it doesn’t stain. The arrangement of the silicone strands does a great job of holding onto butter or egg wash and then letting it go where you need it to go. For most cooks, a silicone brush is probably the best option. A top choice is the set of Hotec Silicone Pastry Brushes.
While you should never buy a nylon bristle pastry brush, even natural bristle brushes made from boar’s hair cannot stand up to very high temperatures. One of the chief advantages of a modern silicone pastry brush is that you never have to worry about it melting during the type of tasks ordinarily done with a brush.
Silicone brushes are not only highly heat resistant but can handle an extremely wide range of temperature from around -104℉ to 660℉. You can put a silicone brush directly into a pan of melting butter with no problem. A bristle brush, if it makes contact with the hot pan bottom, is likely to be damaged. Below I’ll go a bit further into the different types of brushes. First, what is a pastry brush used for?
- VARIETY OF USES: Highly versatile baking tool, ideal for coating pastries and basting and sauces smoothly and effortlessly, while also used for applying egg washes, melted butter, and sugar glazes to dough, icing pastries and cakes, marinading meats and fish, sealing the edges of stuffed pasta or pierogis, and even greasing your bakeware and cookware
- HIGH QUALITY MATERIAL: Consists of composite material handle and collar, and boar hair bristles that easily retain fluids for ultimate pay off temperature resistant up to 482°F
- DURABLE CONSTRUCTION: Handle and collar are sealed, making this brush dishwasher safe, resistant to humidity and preventing bristles from falling out, while also constructed with a hole at the end for convenient storage and accessibility
- AVAILABLE IN 8 SIZES: This pastry brush is available in eight sizes with widths of 1, 1 1/8, 1 3/8, 1 1/2, 1 3/4, 2, 2 3/8, 2 3/4, as well as a rounded shape at 1/2 in diameter; Each is sold separately
- MADE IN FRANCE: Ensures high standards for durability, performance for both commercial and residential use
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
Uses For a Pastry Brush
Here are some of the things you use a pastry brush to do:
- Put egg wash, melted butter, or glaze onto pastries, bread, cakes, tarts, and cookies
- Coating a baking pan with softened butter or oil
- Apply water or other liquid to the edges of dumplings, turnovers, ravioli, etc. to seal the edges
- Brush off excess flour
- Spread pan juices onto the surface of roasts, especially chicken or turkey
- Apply marinade to meats, kabobs, etc.
- Spread butter or other mixtures onto a roast (poultry, beef, etc)
- Spread barbecue sauce onto grilled or smoked meats (see below)
- Grease a hot pan (silicone only)
Types of Pastry Brushes
There are two basic types of pastry brushes sold today. Bristle brushes and silicone brushes. Bristle brushes may be nylon or natural bristle.
Nylon or Natural Bristle
It is possible to use a high-quality nylon brush for cool or warm things, but hot butter could cause the nylon to melt. That is why it is better to go with a natural bristle brush like a boar’s hair.
You can use a natural bristle brush for basting or brushing on barbecue sauce at the grill. It’s also a good ‘duster’ to use for something like flour or sugar spills. A high-quality natural bristle paint brush will work very well as a pastry brush as well but be aware that some paint brushes are coated with chemicals like turpentine and are unsuitable for use on food.
Natural bristle brushes will usually be labeled as China bristle brushes or boar’s hair. They are made with Chinese hog’s hair. Either ‘black china’ or ‘white china’ should be fine for cooking use. Cheap natural bristle brushes will tend to shed bristles onto your food.
If you do a lot of baking, a natural bristle brush will be best brushing on wash, butter, or glaze onto baked goods while still being suitable for most other tasks.
- Quality Food Grade Materials: these oil and butter brushes are made of natural boar bristles retaining softness and pliability better than synthetics.Unlike other pastry brushes, the bristles will not break or shed in your food, more healthy.
- Multifunctional Flexibility: 2pc 1 inch brushes and 1pc 1.5inch brush can meet your different needs and avoid cross contamination of taste. The basting brush can hold a large amount of liquid and apply evenly. whether you want to gently butter baked goods or slather sauce on a roast, our brushes can help you.And also to spread oil or egg liquid for baking,bread,biscuits and barbecue.
- Comfortably Grip & Easy Hanging - The non-slip beech handle provides comfortable firm grip and designed with a hole for conveniently hanging the pastry brushes in places where they can be immediately reached.
- Durable & Heat Resistant : Temperature Resistant-104℉~660℉(-40℃~315℃).The baking basting brush with a solid wood handle is Non-Thermal conduction and brushes are water resistant for long lasting use, very durable.
- Easy to Clean & Odor Free:The pastry brushes also dry fast and no odor nor residue leaves in there! It would come out like new after simple cleaning.With proper care, the basting brush set certainly last for a long time.
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
You can use a natural bristle brush for basting or brushing on barbecue sauce at the grill (see barbecue mop below). It’s also a good ‘duster’ to use for something like flour or sugar spills.
Natural bristle brushes will usually be labeled as China bristle brushes or boar’s hair. They are made with Chinese hog’s hair. Either ‘black china’ or ‘white china’ should be fine for cooking use.
A natural bristle brush is more heat-resistant than a nylon brush, but placing the bristles in direct contact with a heat source such as a heated pan, can damage the hairs.
What is the Best Affordable Infrared Laser Thermometer to Buy?
Silicone Pastry Brush
If the idea of a natural hair brush creeps you out, then a silicone pastry brush may suit you. I like the Oxo Good Grips Pastry Brush for its ability to hold on to butter and other liquids while still spreading well. The bristles are heat resistant to 600° F. I’ve spread oil onto hot pans with no problem. If I did this with a bristle brush, the bristles would be scorched. In fact, I’ve damaged boar’s head bristles and had to trim them down.
While a silicone pastry brush does not spread or coat as easily as a natural bristle brush, in addition to withstanding very high heat, they still work very well and are much easier to clean. They also last a lot longer. Unless you do a lot of baking and plan to use a pastry brush often, opt for a silicone brush.
Barbecue Mopping Brush
While you can use a pastry brush for basting or slathering on barbecue sauce, it’s traditional to use a mopping brush for this task, especially while doing it close to heat or fire. Mopping brushes will hold large amounts of marinade or sauce to allow you to transfer more of it faster, thus minimizing contact with the high heat of a grill. They usually have extra long handles to help you avoid being burned.
While smoking, you lower the heat every time you lift the lid or open the door, so if you are mopping smoking meats while in the smoker, a small pastry brush will take up too much time. They also may not provide the best angle for transferring the basting liquid (often called a mop). For this, a mopping brush is best. The ones made of cotton string work best. A mopping brush will be more difficult to clean than a pastry brush. Soaking the head in boiling water after use is a good start.
