Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

[Tscarborough]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Neapolitan biscotti, it is about the same as low duty firebrick in density and thermal conductivity and a tad bit softer.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Thanks for the chart, Tom. These numbers explain why it's essential to remove bread from a cast iron combo-cooker to eliminate scorching the bottom of the loaf.

Any idea what the floor is made of and thermal conductivity in TxCraig's 47" (Acunto?) oven?

[Tscarborough]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

The primary issue with soapstone for a cooking surface for pizza or bread is it's high thermal conductivity, (same as using medium or heavy duty firebrick). To get an even bake, the surface in direct contact with the food should have a low thermal conductivity.

[deejayoh]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

I have soapstone in my entry. I did it for appearance reasons. I haven't had any scratching issues. It does get grease stains, but they're easy to clean up with a bit of kitty litter.

edit: I will say it cleans up a LOT better than firebrick! Can't really get that clean w/o a hot fire.

As for it being a heat sink - not sure. I built a heat break between the entry and the oven. And it's not such a big piece of stone. So I haven't really ever thought it was an issue. It never seems warm the day after I fire the oven - which you'd think it would if it was leeching heat.

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Its now been over fifteen years since virtually-undetectable levels of asbestos in talc in soapstone were deemed safe (extensive study by insurance companies) and a non-factor for students to carve figurines out of.

[vtsteve]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Soapstone often contains veins of all-natural asbestos.
Edit: Apparently it's not an issue, unless you mine your own!

I know it only matters if it's friable, but still...

[Tscarborough]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Yeah, I was bummed that I could not get together with you guys, it was a hectic show and my time was not my own.

[dakzaag]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Soap stone is soft like butter, you can carve it with a knife like it is pine. It is not like Granite at all. It is popular in fireplaces and ovens because it retains heat very well and gives it back for a long time.

Thank you TS for your very complete explanation about vaccines. I am wishing I took time to meet you last month in Vegas, you are a smart man.

[Les]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

If you're concerned about entryway stains, consider stainless steel.

John, I thought soapstone was closer to granite and easy to clean. I never used the product, just remember some threads flying around a few years back. The stainless is a great idea. I could incorporate it in my entry with no real mods required. Thanks!

[GianniFocaccia]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

I would not recommend soapstone in the entryway for several reasons. Firstly, soapstone is soft and prone to scratching from dragging pots, pans and peels into and out of the oven. Second, soapstone is porous and soaks up oil/grease and looks hideous unless wiped up immediately or is inside the oven to conveniently burn off. Since airflow across the entryway floor draws into the oven, this results in a much lower entryway temperature not sufficient to 'self-clean'. Lastly, unless a heatbreak is built in, soapstone in the entryway turns into a giant heatsoak, and robs the oven of residual heat. SCChris tested and reported this (post #121) here:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/8/sc-chriss-42-wfo-build-7035-13.html

Like Les says, there's no health risk to firebrick inside the oven. If you're concerned about entryway stains, consider stainless steel.

John

[Tscarborough]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

This is my last post on this, because it doesn't belong here, and no amount of facts is going to convince you, so it is a waste of time.

The way immunization works, it is only effective if the large majority of a given population are immunized. The flip side of that that is relevant here is that once a disease is eradicated, as those two have been, it only takes a small population of infective vectors, i.e. your kids, to allow the disease to regain a foothold.

Your ilk can alone undo the good that has been done in the last 50 or 60 years, and the reality is you do it based not on science but fear and ignorance.

[Les]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

1812,

If I had to do it over again, I would put soapstone in the entry. When you are cooking, it WILL stain the brick and firebrick is a bitch to clean. It's a fairly small piece of product and the $$$ spent would be well worth it.

[vertigopilot]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

That is some mighty powerful psuedo-science right there, Bud. You only have the luxury of NOT vaccinating because of all those who did. So do the future a favorite and immunize.

Wonderful. If immunizations are such foolproof insurance against disease for those who choose to take them, then why would any of you need to push them on MY kids too? You're already golden, aren't you?

Not wishing to suborn any further derailment of the OP's thread, I'll decline further comment on the subject here. Same goes for the fluoride trope.

[Tscarborough]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Measles:

Polio:




That is some mighty powerful psuedo-science right there, Bud. You only have the luxury of NOT vaccinating because of all those who did. So do the future a favorite and immunize.

Look! It even works in secondary sources:

[Toomulla]

Re: Oven floor, brick or soapstone?

Her kids most likely have to suck their pizza as the teeth haven rotted due to avoidance of fluoride ( alum based) in theirwTer��