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outonalimb_2007

SS question: Can you cut on soapstone?

outonalimb_2007
15 years ago

I just got back from a local SS fabricator, he seemed very knowledgeable but one of the things he told me was that you could actually cut on SS, that it was better than a butcher block to cut on and would not dull the knife. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Thanks!

Comments (11)

  • sugarbreak
    15 years ago

    I wouldn't. I had soapstone for 2 years before I moved and I didn't mind the dings and scratches that come with soapstone but I wouldn't cut on it either.

  • bayareafrancy
    15 years ago

    It may be soft, but it isn't as soft as wood. Which means that it will dull your knives! And it makes an unpleasant scratchy chingy sound if you start a round of chopping. Like nails on a blackboard! It is also slicker than wood, so food will slide on it.

    I am lazy, and don't care about scratches (I actually like them) so I *do* cut on my stone. It has certainly scratched it all up. (I think I'm the only stoner here who actually cuts on her counters on a regular basis. But I do the major chopping on a mat b/c of the noise and slip issues.)

    So, to clarify: technically, you can cut on the stone, though it will scratch the stone. The scratches aren't permanent--they can be sanded out. But no, it isn't like cutting on wood as far as your knives are concerned. It is still stone. It wrecks the edge on the knives, and they need to be sharpened constantly to stay in shape. So I think the guy who told you that is wrong wrong wrong.

    Hope that helps!
    :-)

    Francy

  • outonalimb_2007
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Yes, that helps greatly. What I really want to do is to use a piece of butcher block as the counter in my prep area, but DH, who usually has no opinions whatsoever when it comes to this stuff (bless him!) thinks that that would look too choppy and hodge-podge (it's an open-plan kitchen, right by the front door). I suppose I could use one of those thin plastic cutting sheets, but I like chopping on wood, and putting one on top of the counter raises it too high for me (I'm 5'1"). We'll figure something out (maybe break down and lower the prep area but I am hesitant to do something that permanent). Thanks very much --

  • vjrnts
    15 years ago

    It doesn't look hodgepodge at all! I had a nice butcher block counter in my old kitchen; my contractor took it out, had it planed and sanded and put it back in, bordered by my range and soapstone. It looks great.

  • dougmh
    15 years ago

    I'm doing kitchen re-do and am seriously thinking about a butcher block on one side of the range top.
    Aside from the functionality, I also think it looks great.
    I'd really like bamboo.

  • outonalimb_2007
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Wow, vjrnts, thanks for posting that -- it's exactly what I am talking about, and by the way your kitchen is beautiful! That makes alot more sense than trying to use my SS counters as my primary cutting surface.

    PS--is it possible to hijack ones own post, because I think I just did!

    Thanks again!

  • kaseki
    15 years ago

    Pure soapstone, made of pure talc with a hardness well below that of steel, should dull steel very slowly. However, most soapstone that I've seen has a lot of other minerals in it. Some of these minerals are harder than steel. Such soapstones will dull steel quickly. The time required to return a good edge to a knife will be much greater than the time required to place, wash, and remove a more appropriate cutting board.

    kas

  • sombreuil_mongrel
    15 years ago

    I was just looking up the hardness of steel, and noticed that copper is 3.5 (steel 5.5) on the mohs scale, so if a copper penny leaves a streak on my soapstone rather than a scratch, my soapstone is harder than 3.5?? So my Alberene is pretty darned hard stuff; I thought as much as I was honing it; D**n this stuff is hard!!
    Cutting on SS doesn't do the stone or the knife any favors- it's detrimental to both.
    Casey

  • vjrnts
    15 years ago

    Thanks for the kind message, outonalimb! I love my soapstone and my butcher block. I haven't regretted saving the wood.

    I'm finishing the painting (yeah, I've been "finishing" for a year now), but I really am, so I'll be putting All! New! Pictures! up soon, with all my countertop appliances and canisters and all the little things that warm up a kitchen and make it personal.

  • Jane Stadler
    4 years ago

    I think your kitchen looks beautiful.