Can I put a steamer directly on my soapstone?

[Cross Cut Saw]

We just bought a steamer for the top of our soapstone (Woodstock PH), do I need to have a trivet under it or can I put it directly on the stone?

I have the cook top, it's just not on...

 

[tbuff]

I put mine directly on top of the stove and make sure I keep water in it at all times. When I used a trivet, it seemed to steam very little. Not sure about putting on stone.

 

[Slow1]

I've put both the cast iron dragon 'steamer' and an open pot of water directly on the stone top of my stove. The one thing I will caution you on is that if you are at all concerned about scratches be very careful when placing or moving it as the stone is REALLY soft and will scratch easily. I make a point to put things on vertically and lift straight up when removing. I have buffed scratches out with fine steel wool so it isn't the end of the world to scratch the stone either...

Now if you want to get the most water into the air I suggest a large open pot (the wider the better) - for most boil open the stone and place on center cooktop, but be prepared to add water on a regular basis if you are running fairly hot.

 

[Highbeam]

Yes you can. Be warned that it may leave a mark though. No problem if you always have the steamer on it. Soapstone, especially the non-polished woodstock stone, is pretty forgiving. I put a stone steamer on my stove for a few years and filled it while it was on the stove to prevent damage from moving it around. Worked great, fill it on the stove from another container.

Be sure that there is no grit between the steamer and the stove.

Note that the steamer is just for looks. It will not significantly effect the humidity in your home. This has been proven by many folks including me with instrumentation.

 

[Cross Cut Saw]

Note that the steamer is just for looks. It will not significantly effect the humidity in your home. This has been proven by many folks including me with instrumentation.

After having the thing on there for a little while tonight it was going through water but didn't seem to be doing much good. I think we need to get an actual humidifier, our wood floors are drying out...

 

[Highbeam]

My feet are on wood floors right now that have shrunk to the point that I can see about a 1/32" crack betwween each board. Regular 2.5" or so oak. We like low humidity for mold reduction and dust mite reduction but there is a point where it can be too dry. Also, the doors all shrink up in the winter.

If you want to raise the humidity in your home a humidifier is the only way. I would guess that using outside air for the stove helps more than a steamer.