Now that I have beenbaking and making pastry for more than twenty years, I’ve finally found the perfect tool for applying melted butter, olive oil and egg whites to various types of doughs—the silicone pastry brush. I love this brush because it iseasy to clean and because the super thin silicone bristles move fluidly and efficiently when applying the butter, olive oil, or egg whites to pastry, pizza dough, bread dough, and pie crusts. I’ve used the traditional natural bristle pastry brushes over the years, but I don’t like them. They are difficult to clean and need to be air dried thoroughly before being stashed back into storage. And, if someone in the family uses a natural bristle pastry brush for applying thick sticky barbecue sauce, the brush becomes a mess and the cleaning process gets even worse. I’ve tried other silicone pastry brushes from other manufacturers. Admittedly, those cleaned up a bit better than the natural bristle brushes, but overall I found the bristles on other silicone brushes to be too thick and stiff to be effective when applying an egg wash. The bristles simply couldn't distribute the liquids evenly. So, I love my little pastry brush.It's a fine example of how one simple tool can make life so much more pleasant in the kitchen! Do you have a favorite pastry brush?