Is it safe to cook on soapstone?

[runandjump]

I love food that is cooked on a wood stove. Brown beans, potato soup, chili! I'm in the market for a wood stove and this is a concern. I'm looking at HS Mansfield or Equinox. And if so, what kind of material should I cook in?

Thank you!

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Last I was at Woodstock a sales person was telling a customer about cooking on soapstone- obviously it will scratch. It also my stain/ darken in spots where grease hits it. They offer a spare chunk of soapstone for sale that can be put on top as a sacrificial cook surface. That can be removed when company visits. I'm sure it's a similar story for HS.

 

[Jags]

As AP said, scratching is the problem. No steel trivets. It can be minimized by putting down a couple of layers of heavy duty aluminum foil first.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

There are several threads on this forum if you care to do a search.

We do a lot of cooking on our Fireview and have experienced no problems. However, we do use the boot warmers that Woodstock sells to sit pots and pans on. btw, those boot warmers and glove warmers they sell are fantastic for what they are designed for!

Soapstone does scratch rather easily. To get scratches out, use 0000 steel wool, which is the finest you can buy.

 

[Highbeam]

Yes you can cook on them. To be clear though the hearthstone company polishes their soapstone to a reflective finish that can NOT be repaired with steel wool. It's like trying to use steel wool on your car's hood to buff out a scratch. From the photos and user's descriptions, the woodstock company has a much coarser finish on their stone.

I have a kettle on mine that is made of soapstone and would not be afraid to set a pot of anything on the stove. Don't let the pot boil over or splatter onto the stone as it will absorb the oils and leave dark spots and also don't slide the pot on the stove which can cause scratches.

 

[wellbuilt home]

I cook on my HS equinox all the time . I use a Soap stone trivet . I have a soap stone pot but it broke on me . I had a pot of chili boil over on me.
The stone looked dark and spotted for a few weeks but now the spots are gone .
As high beam said don't use steel wool on your stove . My neighbor tried it and it looked bad .
I re polished the stone for him with a set of diamond pads (13 different grits ) with diamond dust to finish it off . If you need to re polish your stove a granite shop can send some one out to do the job . John