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Oh, the visual I got when I read "I'm tired of bristly drawers..."!!!!

I use silicone brushs and they work like a champ and don't leave the bristles behind on the food plus they're an easy clean-up

Excellent! I have 3 (one relatively large one, that I use mostly for barbecue outside - Le Creuset; and two medium ones that I use for everything else - I think they're KitchenAid, but I don't remember now, need to take a look later. The handles are stainless steel, and the bristles are red. They are the perfect size for me, which is why I end up using them so much), and I absolutely love them! No more bristly nightmares in my food or in my drawers, easy cleanup and as procraftinate pointed out, no more waste as the silicone bristles are non-absorbent. Go for it!

I have a couple from Crate and Barrel, love them, haven't used the old kind since.

They are great for basting, brushing, coating, and very easy to clean--also dishwasher safe and come out dry! I definitely recommend.

haha. The bristly drawers was clever. You got our attention.
My mom stuck one in my stocking a few years ago. And I love it. Have since bought 2 more of different sizes I use one to spread oil in a hot cast-iron skillet and there's never been an issue. My husband uses the bigger one for grilling and if he hasn't melted it, you're good to go.
Now, they're all saying they don't hold much sauce and I was actually more surprised by the amount they DO hold. And then release.
Mine are totally off-brand with plastic handles. And they just pop into the dishwasher and come out perfectly clean.

I like them, but they're definitely a uni-tasker. You can only use them for thick sauces with firm meat. Whereas synthetic paint brushes from Home Depot hold thinner juices and can be used for pastry.

Love mine. Use them for everything. Looking for a long handled one for the grill.

And, bonus... So, so easy to clean (just drop 'em in the dishwasher). Always seems like the "regular" ones are never really clean. Ick.

I've used mine to brush phyllo with melted butter. Silicone performs very well on this delicate task.

@kerry - there's a silicone pastry brush at the link I gave above.

Seriously tho,I was wondering the same thing.I don't really like the paint brushes either.Guess I'm gonna go get me some silicone now !

I love the silicone ones. As you said, the others start to shed, and they don't clean up very well.

There are a lot of variations, and they're getting weirder. I saw some with flat bristles with holes in them. I'm guessing those are supposed to hold more sauce, but I can't say if it works or not.

Most of them have thicker tapered round bristles (for lack of thinking of the correct word) but I've also found some with very fine soft bristles that are perfect for delicate tasks. Some of them have bristles that are a little stiffer than usual that would stand up to a thicker, heavier sauce.

They aren't horribly expensive, so I'd suggest looking for a variety of them so you can choose which one suits a particular job.

You can put them in the dishwasher, which is nice, but if you need to use the same brush again in a different sauce, they rinse clean without much trouble.

@ Brooke, you must have a lighter hand than I do, hey, I'm a mechanic that bakes.
@Kerry, I'm with you.

Count me among those who use silicone brushes on phyllo, puff pastry and other delicate items to no ill effect.

Sounds like it might be a matter of different types of brushes. I've seen some that have shorter, heavier, stiffer bristles that I don't think I'd use for delicate work, mine all have longer, finer, floppier bristles that don't have any negative affect whatsoever.

I agree that you should look around and see the different designs that are available.

Thanks everyone. It looks like I'll be asking for a variety of lengths and bristles. It sounds like they clean up great, which was one of my concerns with the natural bristles.
For those of you who were amused by my bristly drawers, thank you. You made me smile as I realized once again I played the role of the straight man and you guys hit it out of the park; )

@mongoose, FYI, silicone and plastic are completely different beasts. Plastic is made primarily from oil, whereas silicone is a compound made of silicon, carbon, and some other basic elements. Its inert, non-reactive, and heat-stable qualities are what make it useful in medical devices, computers, etc. (for the record, silicon is the second most common element on earth after carbon; it is everywhere).

As long as the cooking products you buy are really made from silicone, you should have no worries.

Just checked the markings on my brush, brand is Sili; pure silicone brush with a funky stainless steel handle. I picked it up in Kitchen Kapers about a year ago.It's really nice not to have my kids pulling bristle hairs off pastries as they're about to bite in! If I remember it wasn't cheap, over 10 dollars,
but, this is a great tool to have in your kitchen.

@mongoose, your best protection, if that's your concern, is to go with a brand name rather than relying on what a stuck-on label has to say. With a name brand, there's still an off-chance they they got ripped off by a supplier and something went amiss in quality control, but if they do a recall, at least you're not squinting at nameless brushes and trying to figure out if this is the meridian-blue medium bristle brush distributed by Gotcha Enterprises and sold at MegaStore. If somebody like OXO did a recall, at least you wouldn't be throwing everything out in fear that you had one hiding in your pantry. And if OXO did a recall, you'd have no trouble getting a replacement, either.