What's unkosher about quartz?

NO no no. You're going about this all wrong.

You need to take that sample to a good lighting shop and see if you can get bulbs that are closer to the natural spectrum, or at least that make your sample look good (Bring a mirror too because if it makes you look sickly you won't like that either.).

I blame the bulb, not the rock.

I agree with Fori. Costa Esmerelda is beautiful. Are you considering installing different lighting along with your kitchen reno? What lighting do you have now?

And I also want to know what is non-kosher about quartz. I hadn't heard that before.

Its not that quartz isn't kosher - its that if you want to re-kosher it (for Passover and other occasions), you can't. So I could use it, but it would be a hassle long term.

If it were one lighting type, I would agree. But in all types of lighting I've seen, I just don't like it. Even on my counter with sunlight streaming in...I just couldn't place my finger on what the issue was.

We are also closing off a door and window in our kitchen plans, so light will be a much bigger factor.

I'm curious...would you mind explaining why it's harder to re-kosher quartz than granite?

Quartz is a composite and includes plastic and other resin to bind it together. Granite, marble and steel can all be koshered but the resin cannot be.

That's the extent of my expertise LOL.

I saw a picture of waterfall green granite that was beautiful. (A light green color.) Of course, granite yards might make up their own names so that might not help.

Some here posted pics of their kitchen with a green soapstone that was gorgeous. That might be worth looking into, also.

Is Formica never kosher? Is butcherblock with glues in it?

Google ocean green granite and see if any of those images grab you.

Formica is questionable - some people do and some don't.
Butcherblock can be sanded down and then its fine (I think, I've never actually used it).

You know what they say, 2 Jews, 3 opinions LOL.

I have costa in my kitchen. I do get a lot of sunlight, but on gloomy days it still looks beautiful. I have great lighting and undercabinet kichler xenon lights that I love!
My costa is indestructable and doesn't stain. It is a medium tones that hides many sins. I'm very happy with it!

Here are a few pictures for you.

Do you have pictures of your slab or sample?

I am fascinated by the koshering countertops aspect, and found the link below, I don't know if it helps at all.

Also, I came across this at Caesarstone (and the countertops are manufactured in Israel),

http://www.caesarstoneus.com/assets/pdf/kosher.pdf

Becky

Here is a link that might be useful: Kashering countertops

Florantha, old rule of thumb is that your counters are never kosher. Metal can be kashered. Some schools of thought say stone can be kashered, others say that it can't because it's porous. Some schools of thought on quartz say that it can be kashered because only the actual stone dust is on the surface and it's non-porous, others say it can't because of the resins. Wood and plastic counters (Formica, Corian) cannot be kashered, at least while people are living with them, some would say under any circumstances (whole rigamrole there).

You can keep perfectly kosher with Formica countertops, but your counters are never kosher. Same with tile because of the grout.

OTOH, kashering for Passover doesn't really look at porosity so much as cracks. Otherwise, if there are cracks, anywhere, you can't kasher it for Passover. If you can pour boiling water all over it without damaging the surface, you probably can kasher it for Passover, depending on your rabbi's ruling. Some rabbis allow plastics and quartz. Others don't.

Positano, your kitchen is beautiful. I love it! Here are my pictures:

But every time I think I love it, then I look and see too much brown veining. And pink veining. And little specs of it that I just don't like. I'm afraid of putting such an expensive stone in and then not liking it. And in non-natural light, I see too much of the browns and pinks.

plllog, according to that link, I could kasher quartz. Hmm... I think I have to ask my Rabbi. I thought it was no.

I, briefly under stress one day, put a couple of slabs of Mint Green on hold. I was looking at CE, but the price was much higher than the Mint. Mint is similar to CE, but lighter and cheaper.

Then I decided that it was much too light green for me. If you can find Mint, I think you'd like it.

Have you already seen this old thread on Seafoam green granite? Someone towards the middle had commented that it looked to her like what she thought Costa Esmerelda was supposed to look like.

Chag Pesach Sameach/Happy Passover!

Here is a link that might be useful: old ('08) seafoam green granite thread

Beckysharp's link suggest that quartz (Caesarstone -- made in Israel) can be made kosher. Does anyone want to confirm that this is true or not true? Since it is non-porous it seems to my non-expert opinion like a good candidate for a kosher countertop. Many granites also have some kind of resin coating these days. Does that also rule them out?

The seafoam is really pretty but too splotchy for me I think.

My kitchen remodel is becoming such a stress. Its easy to make a pregnant woman cry but this is getting ridiculous :-(

saw50st8 - as far as I am aware, quartz is "kasherable" because it is completely non absorbant. If you are interested in using it as a countertop material, don't dismiss it. CRC's website says it is not a problem

Here is a link that might be useful: CRC link to kashering countertops

hah! i Just went to becky's link and realized I put the same link. oops...

Saw50st8, if you like the look of Caesarstone, call your rabbi quick before Shabbat and get a ruling, or at least get him thinking about it. Since it doesn't have cracks you should at least be able to kasher for Passover without having to cover them.

Francoise, some schools of thought love Caesarstone because it's non-porous and can be kashered. Others insist that it can't. It really depends on which school of thought you adhere to. It's not like in my grandmother's childhood when the jar from the chicken fat, which had been put away scupulously clean the year before, still smelled like chicken when it was brought out for Passover. At this point it's more about ritual than anything tangible. Decades ago there was a ruling against the less breakable kind of modern glass dishes because there was something "plastic" in the formula, rather than pure silica glass. They weren't porous, but they couldn't be kashered. Other rabbis allow that some plastics can be kashered. The whole point is to develop community standards so that all of your guests feel comfortable. That's why we let the rabbis duke it out.

Postiano,
I love your kitchen, it has always been my inspiration!
~boxer

We had Verde Andeer (aka Verde Ander) in our last kitchen and really liked it. Seafoam is also a pretty lighter green.

Here is a link that might be useful: Verde Andeer

I really like Verde Andeer! Do you have a picture of your kitchen?

Awww... saw50st8... you're in a kitchen reno, you're pregnant AND you're preparing for the holiday? Hugs to you. Really. Big hugs to you.

I second what Plllog said, too.

And, just wanted share my own experience with granite samples, which may help to allay concerns about the granite your selected. We needed a black granite -- something low-key and not too busy that would enhance but not compete with the kitchen's focal point (backsplash). We had a very limited budget and could only select from the least expensive category. The only one was 'black pearl' and it was my least favorite of all I had seen. The sample I was looking at had too much brown and green for my taste. I preferred a different one in the next higher category that had pure black, grey, white colors and a little sparkle. I agreed to the black pearl because it fit our budget and ultimately I figured it was 'good enough'. But,I agonized over it. A-G-O-N-I-Z-E-D over it. Perhaps it was all of the other decisions that I had to make, but I got over it and I was so pleased with myself for that. Then, months later when it was time to go pick out the slab, I couldn't believe it. The slabs looked like the more expensive granite that I liked and not at all like the sample. Unbelievable.

So, if you haven't seen the exact slab you'll be purchasing with non-natural light on it, see if that's an option.

... then go sit down and put your feet up! :)

saw50st8: Just saw this post and had to laugh. DW is thrilled at the notion that our new granite counter can be kashered for passover. We've been covering formica with special plexi counter-covers for years.

plllog / saw50st8: the advice to contact a Rabbi is excellent. The debate about which surfaces can or can not be kashered has been going on for a while, and varies as fabrication technologies change. (Star-K, for example, says that composites can not be kashered.)

(Who knew how many MOT's there are at GW!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Star-K on countertops

I am confused. Granite has some of the hardest stones in nature.

There are granite composites, which have made granite less expensive in the marketplace.

Are you saying they're no longer using solid granite?
Cracks? Huh? I'd call my fabricator and b!tch!

Signed,
Rock Solid Confused

Cracks mostly applies to wood, but can also apply to stone tiles or seams, etc., and anything that could conceivably harbor a crumb or spec of flour or mold. That's why you can't kasher your KitchenAid mixer for Passover among other annoying things.

If you're not making Passover, don't worry about it. It's about ritual purity not daily function.

Even Orthodox Union doesn't opine on kashering plastics for Passover, and refer you to your rabbi. About quartz, they say: If a synthetic material is a minority component of a substance (like Silestone), many rabbis believe that one may kasher it, even if one does not normally kasher artificial materials for a number of reasons. I.e., if your rabbi doesn't allow for kashering Corian for Passover, he might be fine with the Caesarstone.

Chag Sameach, everybody!

We were looking for a light/medium green granite and found that there was a lot of difference in the costa esmerelda that different suppliers had. Some was more blue, and some was more green. Some suppliers called the greener slabs "Verde esmerelda" We also liked the typhoon green, tropical green, and verde tunas granite. If you can, check around and look at different slabs. You might find some that has the right colors you are looking for.

Have you seen the Mint Green I referenced earlier? It's lighter than CE.

We are not Jewish, but our best friends are. For many years we have been invited to their home for Passover. A few years ago my friend got so sick (cancer but she's doing very well now) she couldn't do the sedar. I decided to do it for her and was very careful-- Bought new baking pans, plates. But never once did I consider my countertop!!! Yikes.

Just hope God will forgive me for that

Asked my Rabbi about quartz and he said its a no go. I wasn't quite sold on it, so that's ok.

I think we are sticking with CE. At least, until 5 minutes from now when I change my mind :-) I'm matching up flooring and backsplash to it and I think I'll love it installed. The piece that was sitting on my desk had the most veining in it. I sat with some other samples and I still really like it.

Sigh. Why can't I make decisions, stick with them and say "That's it!"?

i just had CE installed after stumbling across a beautiful slab with a bluish tone. I checked out some other stone yards and their CE slabs were so different, some much more gray, some a darker green. So you might want to look around to find a slab that's right for you.

Best of luck with the kitchen and try not to worry about it. Easier said than done, I know.

cathbk, do you have any pictures of your install?

What's keeping me going is so far I love all the install pictures.

wow. I have learned a lot. I had no idea how much thought went into preparing for the feasts and festivals. Wow. Fascinating. Never saw that coming on a GW forum.