Appreciation post: the squeeze bottle of oil on the grill station, not the brush
I work the line at a spot in Portland and for 6 months I was brushing oil on the flat top before every sear. Watched the guy who trained me do it, never asked why. Last Tuesday our brush went missing mid rush and I grabbed a squeeze bottle instead. Way faster, way less oil, and the sear came out cleaner because the surface stayed even. The brush was soaking up half the oil and leaving dry patches I never noticed. Now I keep two bottles, one canola one clarified butter. Am I late to this or does everyone already know? What else am I doing the hard way just because that's how I was taught?
Six months of brushing oil like you're painting a fence and the answer was sitting in a squeeze bottle the whole time. That is a beautiful tragedy. Here is the part that gets me though, the brush guys always swear the bristles give you "control" and then you watch them lay down a quarter cup of oil on a two egg sear. Next thing you know someone will tell you the grill brick is overrated. Keep asking dumb questions on the line, that is how you stop doing things the hard way.