This is the third pastry brush I'm using to brush simple syrup in my cakes and the hairs on the brush come off and stick to the cake. is there a pastry brush you own that doesn't shed its hair? I am willing to pay big bucks for a good one instead of these ones I get at the grocery store. This last one was from Sur La Table too. I'm taking it back. Please share your tips if you have something else you use to brush syrup into cakes with if you don't use a brush also. Thanks a bunch!!!!!!!!
Suggestion from Rose Levy Berenbaum in The Cake Bible was to use a syringe. I think it works great, good control and even coverage.
I have that problem too when I'm greasing my pans (I use the pastry brush & the cake release stuff from Wilton). I've been looking at that silicone one - so you're saying it works pretty well? Even on the cake? It doesn't spread crumbs all over? Maybe I should get it...
I just bought 2 silicone brushes from Walmart, I think they were $2 each. One is for me, one for hubby's BBQ. So far, they are great! They wash great in the dishwasher. I've never like the regular brushes, I always felt like they didn't get clean, plus the bristles falling out thing.
I also use a silicone brush. However I did notice that the silicone bristles don't absorb as much liquid as the regular brushes. I have heard that Wilton just come out with one where the silicone bristles are shaped as to hold your liquid, but I still need to check it out.
After 1 month of brush hairs we bought the silicone one and love it.
Maybe I didn't buy the correct brush. Bought a silicone pasty brush and the brisles are just to flimsy. I don't like it at all. Maybe I just need to look around and find a different one. Just didn't seem like it put the cake release on the pans well enough.
I purchased mine at Walmart also. Haven't actually tried getting it to absorb the liquid. I just generally pour a little at a time and use the silicone brush to smear it around. I use it for everything BBQ and all. Just wipe with a paper towel and stick in the dishwasher. Comes out clean.
I put mine in a spray bottle. I set it on mist instead of stream. I seem to get a very controlled, uniform coverage. Thats just my opinion.
My pastry brushes did the same thing...so I stopped using them completely. I was afraid I would overlook a stray bristle someday and a client would find it in their cake.
I noticed the bakeries use a plastic squeeze bottle to douse their cake with simple syrup and I have been using them ever since---and getting more compliments on the flavor of the cakes too!
I make my syrups ahead of time. Pour them into the bottles ( you know, like the plastics bottles for chocolate) and put them in the fridge and they are ready when I need them.
So much better than the pastry brushes.
Silicone does not absorb liquid. If it did, cakes would stick to silicone pans.
A brush works two ways, by the medium coating the bristles, and by the bristles adhering together because of the liquid, holding the liquid in place. Silicone does not allow anything to adhere to it, therefore a pastry chef has to depend on there being enough silicone bristles for the liquid to catch in between them. Unfortunately, this is not the case with most silicone pastry brushes.
On the other hand, one-piece silicone spatulas and pastry brushes slowly are becoming a requirement in commercial kitchens throughout the US, as they do not promote growth of bacteria or mold.
Theresa 
I use the silicone pastry brush.
Hi Butterflyjuju,
Never heard of this one. Are you saying that the bristles are silicone???? And where did you pruchase yours?
silicone brushes can be bought all over now. try a search online. i dont know how well they work...i still have regular brushes.
Linens and things has some silicone brushes if you can't find them at your local walmart. I haven't bought one yet but did see one there about 2 days ago.
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