Hmm, kid+blowtorch=interesting combo. You must trust yours a whole lot more than I trust mine...

Good for you (and your kids) itsallaboutthefood.

Kids will generally reach our level of expectation. They'll succeed and become proficient at tasks when we expect them to succeed.

I know plenty of farm kids that were taught to drive, use a gun and manage dairy herds by the time they were 9 or 10.

I love to set my dishes right from the oven on my SS counters - it's more than just a pretty face. :)

Doc

Wow- now if he invents a cure for cancer on the soapstone - even better.
I didn't realize the soapstone is so forgiving! Thanks for the teachable moment!

(If you haven't heard about the super kid - Jack Andraka - who developed a new inexpensive screening test for pancreatic and ovarian cancer - look him up - His parents rule for the 2 teens - don't burn the house down!)

I love my Julia soapstone. I can't ever imagine choosing anything else, and am so glad I discovered this forum or I would probably have never even considered it. The absolute best for me is that I can place hot dishes on it straight from the oven.

What a great idea!! My kids would go nuts for that!

Not to worry...there was plenty of adult supervision.

That pic is priceless!!!! That would sell me on soapstone for sure (next kitchen--LOL!) . :)

Tell us more - what is the end result? Recipe?

Split a banana.
Sprinkle with white sugar.
Use a small blow torch to caramelize the sugar (as you would when making creme brulee)
scoop banana out and eat with ice cream or whipped cream

My DIY DH made our blow torch with a camping propane canister and hardware torch.

There is a discussion on chowhound about where to get a culinary blowtorch...the hardware store versions are cheaper and stronger than the ones advertized for kitchen use.

Here is a link that might be useful: chowhound blowtorch advice

This post was edited by itsallaboutthefood on Tue, Apr 2, 13 at 15:35

Ewww food on the counter, aren't you afraid of germs jumping onto your banana ? Oh right blow torch killed em. KIDDING, I-am-kidding.

Love it. Sounds yummy too.

How cool! Think of the stories your kids can tell...
Love the soapstone. Whats the variety, name etc? How long have you had it? Do you baby it other than the blow torch?
I just spoke to M Teixeira today about their Anastasia.

My soapstone is Barroca from M. Teixeira. It is one of the softer varieties and we do have knicks and scratches. We installed it 2 years ago and I've oiled it maybe 4 times.

I don't baby it, but I do put a towel down when I open a wine bottle and I make sure to only use my mortar and pestle on the butcherblock counter on the other side of my kitchen (never on the soapstone...it would be folly to bash a stone pestle into stone mortar on a soapstone counter, no matter how hard the soapstone is).

I do love it and I love the patina it is developing. It is developing faster on the counter around the stove which is nice and black and doesn't need oiling. The best part is not worrying about putting hot things on it or that anything will stain it. When we cook paella on the firepit outside, we bring it right inside and set it on the soapstone when it's done.

a2gemni - I finally googled Jack Andraka and get your comment now! Cool kid...and hope for all of us who have relatives who had pancreatic cancer.

Hopefully they are old enough to know not to try this on your kitchen table or the neighbors' counter tops. Um... do I hear sirens?

I love this. I agree with Doc above all the way. I've raise my 2 younger children on a working farm. They were always monitored and taught safety! Learning happens one way or the other.