Oh yes, the thing gets very hot, no insulation whatsoever to speak of...but it's obvious you DON"T TOUCH such an appliance when it's in operation. It's quite bulky too - frankly I would not be happy with it on the main countertop in my kitchen... I have it back in my breakfast nook which has become a de facto Butler's Pantry and contains my unsightly cheapo fridge, microwave and the Breville oven. My newly remodelled kitchen looks much better, IMHO, for the absence of the gadgetry on the countertops. The exception is my Breville toaster which is used constantly... now that IS a fine gadget, and sturdy. As far as the Breville oven goes, I use it for frozen pizza and the like. I have also baked fish etc in it but I would never attempt a cake or anything. Perhaps it would be fine, I don't know. It is handy when you need only a small oven for reheating and the like. I certainly think it is nicer than most of the toaster ovens out there - as it should be for the price :). Good luck!

We have had almost the exact same issue with our corian. The builder wouldn't even come to check it only went by the pictures we sent. Then blamed it all on something "very hot" had to do that! I can tell you now, it did not. There is also a large dip or warp over the dishwasher. When we pulled it out there is absolutely no heat barrier or insulation to protect the corian. The installer also never sealed the sink basin. Which we found out the hard way when our sink overflowed. The installer/builder takes no blame Won't even come to look or tell us what we can do. There is a ten year warranty on the corian, we've been fighting this for over two years now. The ten year warranty will be up in September of this year. What can we do???

Thanks - and I was planning the white perimeter uppers and lowers with a darker quartz counter top ( i like the darker charcoal -matte finish- on top of the white cabinets)and the light gray island cabinet with marbled quartz top. I do love a dark gray cabinet but I have a small kitchen and worried it may be too dark. We are a family of 5 with three messy kids - although they are getting older and less messy lol. Ill have to look at the stained gray - i just dont like to see the grain of wood in cabinets. This island below has the pendants I will do (I'll do 2 smaller Hicks pendants). I like the look of this island and top and the white cabinets with dark quartz in lower pic what do you think?

Soapstone is impervious to heat and staining. The soft and medium hardness varieties will indeed scratch or chip easily _but_ the hardest kinds do not. Check out companies like M. Teixeira and ask them about their hardest stones. No one should use a knife directly on stone btw - it ruins the edge, but if you have to live with countertop abusers in your household :) then an appropriate soapstone (or perhaps a honed Virginia Mist granite) is a good option. I did go with soapstone myself in my recent kitchen remodel - Black Venata, which is somewhat soft . .As a consequence my counters are acquiring a patina of light scratches and dings, most of which are visible for a week or two and then slowly fade away. There are always a few fine marks, but they are never the same ones. It’s an evolving surface, which I’ve come to really like as a factor in its own right. It feels like the kitchen has some life to it. - I appreciate that it is not static. And I love that I can set down a roasting pan direct from the oven without a worry,. As for spilled wine or tomatoes ?Phttf. No problem.