Hey All –
Can anyone help me with some recommendations. What *stone/material* would be good for kitchen use if I do alot of chopping.
I don’t use the food processors, etc or have the chicken *cut* by the local butcher. ALOT of choping in my chopping board. I love the warmth that a nice stone/marble countertop gives to the kitchen overall. Concrete countertops are different but a bit too COLD for my taste.
Thanks in advance for the feedback & advice !
Replies
Any "stone material" will reak havoc with a sharp edge! Not curable with just a couple of strokes on the steel.......let's talk about rehoning.
If you are going to chop...the chopping block surface must be softer than the steel of the knives. This leaves out any Stone.
I still like quarter-sawn hard maple.......my kitchen work island sports one 1-1/2" thick x 36"x72".......better than plastic.....softer than stone......warmer than granite, cheaper too!
Fine Cooking has the scoop on chopping surfaces...jump over to that forum for some additional input.
...............Iron Helix
Maple butcher block for warmth
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My kitchen is very small . 10x15 area so I can't really spare the space for a nice chopping block/prep table.
I don't now nor was I intending to chop directly ontop of the countertop. I'll always be chopping on my chopping board - 18" x 4" end grain chopping board.
Leave any food prep of chopping to the chopping board. That way you can have whatever you want for a countertop. Much as we like wood, it's unsanitary. Chopping boards should be an unporous material. Restaurant supply houses or catalogues have them.
Alan.......sorry I misinterpreted the intent of your post!
I again refer to some articles in the past issues of Fine Cooking as well as Cooks Illustrated that studied the various cutting surfaces for sanitation. Can't pull the issues out of my hat though!
The maple fared better than the plastic boards for cleanliness, so down with another urban legend concerning wooden cutting boards.
All cutting surfaces require maintenance and cleansing. And just as important is to allow then to be thoroughly dry before storing in a dark cabinet.
Bacteria do not flourish without moisture.......think beef jerky, or dried fruit, or wasa bread.
As far as countertop surface for it's looks and feel..........it's a personal choice, that is moderated by the design motif and color scheme of the particular kitchen.
I've seen some beautiful kitchens in stone....and a few dogs.
Beauty is often only in the eye of the beholder!
.............Iron Helix
Honed granite with some butcher block material along side.
Never use marble for a kitchen counter.
It stains real bad!!!
Warmth would be soapstone but some claim it stains.
I was at my daughters wedding a month or so ago and my new son in laws' parents built an absolutly beautiful house and used soap stone for the counters.
I asked about staining and they said they had no problem with that but that it scratches easily yet you can sand out the scratches.
Be well
andy
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
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Keep in mind that while certain colors/types of stone may have a warm look, they are cold--very cold--to the touch, which is much more noticeable in a cold house during the cold months. If you're a hands-on cook, you may find the temperature of the stone to be unpleasant. If you make a lot of pastry, you may love it.
In addition to natural stone, there is also the manufactured stones such as Silestone, which offer a lot of color flexibility.
But back to your question: as long as you're using a cutting board, the counter material is just a matter of personal preference.
If you do a search on "countertop" on the Cooks Talk forum, you'll get lots of good information on materials from a cook's perspective.
Leigh