The last thing anyone wants to find in their food is a tiny piece of metal. Unfortunately, that's the exact hazard behind a recall affecting about 1.7 million Cuisinart grill brushes.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the metal wire bristles on the brushes can detach, cling to the grill grates, and end up in food, where they pose a risk of being swallowed. The agency has received at least 54 reports of bristles detaching, including three incidents in which consumers swallowed a bristle and required medical treatment to remove it from their throat or digestive tract.
The news dropped Thursday, just two days before the Fourth of July, making the timing almost painfully on the nose. Independence Day is already America’s biggest grilling holiday, and this year comes with extra heat as the country marks its 250th birthday.
With 87% of Americans planning to celebrate and nearly half heading to a cookout, the grills will be working overtime this weekend. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council estimates Americans eat about 150 million hot dogs on July 4 alone. Add in the burgers, steaks, chicken and everything else hitting the grates, and it's easy to see why this isn't just another routine recall.
If you've got a Cuisinart grill brush sitting in the garage, here's what to check:
- It says “Cuisinart” on the handle
- The recalled models include CCB-100, CCB-4125, CCB-5014, CCB-6450, CCB-8012, CCB-4114, CCB-W2 and CSBS-777
- Some were also sold inside Cuisinart grill tool sets, including the Premium Grill 10 Piece Set, 13 Piece Wooden Handle Grill Tool Set, 14 Piece Deluxe Stainless Steel Grill Set and 20 Piece Deluxe Grill Set
See yours is on the list? The CPSC says to stop using it immediately. Conair is offering either a full refund or a Cuisinart.com credit worth 20% more than the cash refund after consumers discard the brush.
For those feeling a little déjà vu, you're not wrong. Weber recalled about 3.2 million wire grill brushes in February, and Nexgrill followed with another 10.2 million in March, both over the same bristle hazard. That brings the total to more than 15 million wire grill brushes recalled since February.
If that makes you want to retire the wire brush altogether, fair. Culinary experts who spoke with NBC Select pointed to bristle-free scrapers, steam-cleaning brushes and other wire-free tools as safer ways to clean grill grates.
