Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

The condition of my pastry brush attests that I’m not much of a cook. In fact, I didn’t have much of a pastry brush either. Until today.

I needed a pastry brush about a year ago for some kitchen task. But all I had was an unused paint brush. This will do, I thought, as I removed the cardboard packaging to reveal its bristles. It hadn’t been used for painting or varnishing, so it seemed a likely choice for my work at hand, which was basting a chicken on the grill.

I was pleased at my resourcefulness. That is, until I dipped the brush in the marinade and applied it to the chicken on the grill. I didn’t realize that the brush’s “hairs” were a plastic substance that began to curl when heat was applied. It was as if my new pastry brush were getting an instant perm. Hmmm, I thought, this is unusual, but I can make it through the meal.

I did more than that. I made it through a whole year with this permed paint brush as my pastry brush. I will admit I didn’t brush so much as dab when the need arose. I will also admit it was more time-consuming.

But today, I was shopping at Martin’s, our local grocer, when I spotted a replacement for the paint — er, pastry — brush. What the heck, I thought. Let’s splurge and buy a new brush. So I did. The truth is, it doesn’t look that much different from the type you paint with, but I’m hoping that the manufacturers know something I don’t.

Maybe it’s that natural bristles work better over an open fire.