Revisiting soapstone placed on Stove

[MAD MARK]

After some thinking about cooking on newly painted stove, I've come up with a few options.

1. Dont
2. Use trivet with nubs cut off
3. Use pan directly on top
4. Use soapstone on top then pan on that

I've tried 1 and got hungry.
I've tried 2 and worked alright.
I haven't tried 3 yet.
I've tried 4 and worked alright too.

With option 4 the soapstone is placed directly on top of steel stove. This has given me a weird smell. Not sure if soapstone off gassing or maybe just getting too hot (650°F) at times.

I have searched for past history here and see that @firefighterjake has done the same. I have seen others did so with spacers.

I took off the soapstone (550°F) from top of stove and brought inside my house to living room. 5 hours later it finally hit 100°F all the while giving off a nice radiant heat.

With it running on top and at those temperatures, am I only looking at premature failure of the soapstone (ie cracking splitting)? I could not find evidence of it actually harming the stovetop being in direct contact.


I will upload a picture of the soapstone at a later time as I am at work right now pondering...

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Since we already have soapstone on top our stove.. I find cooking right on it is just to hot for most things. We use a cast iron trivet under cast iron cookware, for anything that needs slow simmering etc.. (which, honestly is what we do most of the time.. stews, soups, roasts, etc..)

 

[MAD MARK]

I haven't had much experience using either of the methods above except neither.

Ihaven't read any of the other soapstone user manuals to see if those break ins are different. I was just worried maybe the stone needs to be slow cured.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

As a stove material, it does in fact need a couple small "break in fires" every season to dry it out, but I suspect the stone a stove is made from, is heated differently, and way higher, then a piece just laying on top a steel or cast iron stove...

 

[MAD MARK]

Here my setup with it.