For The Grill or For The Table, There’s No Better Way To Butter Corn!
Written: Mar 21 '05
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Pros: Easy to use, inexpensive, great for the grill, durable, cute too!
Cons: Not machine washable, you get a few loose bristles every now and then.
The Bottom Line: You can’t call yourself a “grill guru” unless you own one of these!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Ekco Fillable Corn Brush 1158024 |
I always loved the taste of corn on the cob when it was roasted on the grill, you get a really nice rich flavor from it and even though a few kernels do get burned it’s a small price to pay for all the ones that turn out so yummy. I learned a nice trick from a chef that lived a few blocks away, peel back the husk ad pour in some garlic butter then pull the husk back into place and toss on the grill for a few minutes. While this had a nice flavor, it wasn’t as good as the stuff that went directly on the grill. One of the biggest problems I had was getting the butter on to the cob; I tried putting it on bread then smearing it on the cob but all that did was give me a piece of “butter sogged” bread and flames that went over my head. When someone bought me one of these a few years ago I sort of laughed, it looked a little like a pineapple but she swore that it was “the greatest thing since sliced bread” so I reluctantly gave it a try. After some initial awkward moments of squeezing it too hard and ending up with butter everywhere but on the cob, I got the hang of using it and never go grill side without one of these if I am making corn on the cob.
Ekco Fillable Corn Brush
Hey, it might look funny but don’t knock it until you try it! Since the first one I’ve gone through about ten of these; some have been left out in the sun, others were left too close to the grill and melted. Whatever the reason for their demise it wasn’t the fault of the designers or Ekco. You can find these for two to three dollars in the housewares section of most major retail stores right about the time they start putting out the beach toys, suntan lotion and plastic plates. With the way most stores are juggling things these days, that’s usually around mid February – hey, if they start putting out Halloween stuff in July and they get away with it then they’ll start putting out summer stuff when people are still shoveling snow. In any event, these are inexpensive things that will make grilling a whole lot easier if you are someone that loves to make corn on the cob on the grill. Whatever you do, do not heat or melt the butter in this [learned that lesson the hard way]. You will end up superheating the plastic from the microwave and the butter and you will end up with a nasty albeit hysterical corn cob print on your hand.
It’s pretty simple to use; just take melted butter [or whatever you use on corn] and pour it into the container, screw the lid back on tightly then apply to the cobs as needed. It might take you a little practice to get the ‘squeeze’ just right, the first time I used it I gave it the double fisted “squeeze of death” and it resembled turning the water on in the shower at full force. I’d suggest using about four ounce of butter in this since you want there to be some room for air and when the butter starts to cool off. Since there is a corn cob design on the body of the bottle it is easy to grab a hold of even if you are covered head to toe in butter, this means there’s less of a chance of dropping it of having it slip out of your hands when you are using it. The bristles are long and securely attached to the lid but every once in a while you will get a few rogue ones that fall out or start to come loose. This brings up to the proper way to clean this …
You will really want to avoid putting this in the dishwasher because, first off, it doesn’t say that it is dishwasher safe. Unless Ekco finally changed the type of plastic they are using or redesigned them, all the ones I have purchased have lacked those two words on the bottom. Second, you won’t know if the inside is really clean if you put it in the dishwasher. I mean, it might look clean but are you going to stick your finger in there and give it the “slime test”? I solved my corn brush dilemma by picking up a baby bottle brush and using that to clean the inside. It never hurts to check the bristles either, check to see if any are loose or if there are any bent ones that need plucking. Allow this to air dry and store the lid with the bristles up so they don’t get damaged. I tossed one of these in the drawer and when I went to get it, it was jammed all the way in the back and was hopelessly ruined.
The Bottom Line
To me this is a great invention! Almost as cool as those little things you push into the sides of the ears of corn to hold on to it while you are eating it. For two or three bucks you get a great little basting brush that dispenses a nice amount of butter. I did try this out with barbeque sauce once but it was a little too thick to get though the holes. I use either straight butter or a butter and garlic mix; some f the pieces of garlic get stuck in the holes but a quick jiggle and they are knocked loose. A small price to pay for grilled corn! If you are a barbeque junkie or just live with someone who is obsessed with the grill, this is an awesome thing to add to his or her arsenal of “grill goods”. They are a little hard to find in the winter months [unless you live on the west coast that is] so when those summer sales roll around, be sure to stock up on these!
As always, thanks for the read!
~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~
© 2005 Freak369
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Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): =see review=
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