Best pastry brushes – on test
We asked Great British Bake Off stars Edd Kimber, John Whaite and Frances Quinn to review kitchen kit and baking equipment. Discover their top pastry brushes and buyer's advice.
Best chef’s standard brush
Matfer natural pastry brush
This professional-standard natural brush comes with a super-strong plastic handle for easy cleaning. Edd liked this brush as it doesn’t flake or leave lines or pools of liquid in the pastry as some of the silicone brushes we tested did, and John said the floppy bristles are ideal when you’re working with a delicate egg glaze. The brush is also nice and flat and very affordable.
Available from Nisbets (£4.09).
Best all-rounder
Cherry wood natural pastry brush
This robust brush is a good all-rounder – it’s Italian-designed and ideal for making pasta, but it’s substantial enough to use for basting meat. The brush is stubby and rounded, so you won’t get the surface area of some of the flatter brushes, but we like its rustic look and attractive wooden handle.
Available from Sous Chef (£3.95).
Buyer's advice
Why buy?
Whether you want to brush whisked egg onto your pastry to give a mirror-bright shine, oil a baking tin to prevent your cake from sticking or baste a joint of meat, a pastry brush is the best way of ensuring an even coat and minimum wastage.
What should I buy?
Pastry brush bristles come in plastic, silicone or natural fibres. Silicone brush strands are less likely to fall out or splinter, plus they wash easily. However, Edd warns that they can damage delicate pastry and that liquid tends to drip off silicone rather than grip – this is where natural brushes have the edge. Whichever material you go for, you want to opt for a brush that’s flexible, soft-haired and flat.
What we looked for:
Quality bristles: Scratchy bristles will damage pastry and could splinter off as you brush, so we looked for strong, flexible bristles that could withstand being dragged across a plate with relative force.
Firmly-held bristles: We gave the bristles a tug to check whether any of them came loose.
Ease of washing: As pastry brushes use oily or stubborn ingredients, the bristles need to be easy to clean and dry.
Flexible bristles: If the brush head is too stiff, you can end up knocking air out of delicate bakes like brioche buns.
Good surface area: Wide, flat brushes are best for working quickly and efficiently.
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This review was last updated in September 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.
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