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Solid Worktops And The Battle Of The Kitchen

By: William Penworthy


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Solid worktops for your kitchen, or stone worktops, are worth their weight in gold - and that's a fair bit of weight. Fortunately they don't cost their weight in gold or that would rather prohibit anyone from being able to afford to have them installed in their kitchen. Solid worktops are the choice of most professional chefs and cooks, and those who enjoy cooking and preparing meals prefer the rugged durability and firm support of a stone worktop or solid kitchen worktop.

It is important to remember that kitchen worktops experience some of the heaviest and most brutal treatment of anything else in your home. From the heavy casserole pans dumped unceremoniously on the work surface to the scalding hot pans lifted straight from the hob or the oven. There are the sharp acidic liquids such as lemon juice or vinegar that seep into any gap, and the foods which stain such as beetroot. Your kitchen knives will slice away, scratching any work surface not able to withstand the daily treatment.

From temperatures to heavy weights and from acids to blades, the kitchen worktop needs to withstand a huge ordeal. Some people have avoided having stone worktops or solid worktops because of the expense, instead opting for a much cheaper worktop, perhaps one covered in a veneer. The trouble with cheaper worktops is that they will very quickly fail to cope with the daily grind of being crashed, smashed, burnt and sliced, and will very quickly start to look faded and worn.

There are very real health risks to consider too, because if a worktop becomes scratched or torn, then food and chemicals can easily start to seep into these gaps. Even fairly microscopic cracks or tears can become home to millions of bacteria, all ready to infect your food. Cheap kitchen worktops will eventually look worn and shabby, but long before they reach this stage they will have become a health risk to you, your family and your guests.

Solid worktops and stone worktops represent not only a kitchen worktop solution which looks simply stunning, but also one which will be durable enough to withstand the rigours of your kitchen, and will continue to provide a strong, unblemished surface for many, many years. Because solid worktops don't chip or crack they are a good deal healthier, with nowhere for bacteria to hide. This means that your family are better protected, and is another reason why professional chefs and cooks generally prefer the idea of having a solid worktop rather than one which could become damaged.

Of course, a solid stone worktop weighs a very great deal, and depending upon the stone and the material used it may need to be custom made and shipped from some distance away. The cost of having a solid worktop installed may be higher than those cheaper worktops available virtually off the shelf from many kitchen manufacturers, but by the time you add in the cost of having to replace or repair your cheaper worktop, not to mention the health risks and the rather poor appearance, the solid worktops and stone worktops represent far better value for money in the long run.

For proof, have a look in many of the old mansion houses where the original stone worktops are still in place and in some cases still being used! Stone provide a work surface which can easily be cleaned, and this is increasingly important in today's world where we are ever more conscious of the risks of infection. We cannot afford to take risks with our health, or our children's health, and with a work surface that can easily become torn or damaged there will necessarily be health risks.

Many people assume that a quick wipe with a cloth will sort most problems out, but the truth is that the food stains and marks which you can see are only the tip of the iceberg. Bacteria will happily settle in the smallest pit or crack - far too small for you to see. Solid worktops and stone worktops do not represent such an inviting home to bacteria, and a quick wipe with a cloth, and of course the usual use of anti bacterial spray will very quickly see your worktop safe for use again.

But whilst many people choose solid worktops for the health benefits, many more people choose them for an altogether different reason. Solid worktops and stone worktops look beautiful, and for anyone who is having a new kitchen built or an old one redesigned, they offer a truly outstanding, timeless look.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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