Pesach Faqs

You say that quartz countertops can be kashered with irui kli rishon (pouring boiling water on the surface). I was told that if I put a hot pot on the counter the heat will ruin my counter, so won't I damage the counter by pouring boiling water on it?

We asked Mr. Rick Glickman, of Dream Kitchens, about this and he said that thermal shock (sudden dramatic change in temperature) can cause a quartz countertop to have fissures or even melt the epoxy. That would happen if someone put a hot skillet right onto the counter or poked it with a hot poker. However, boiling water [which, obviously loses its "boil" pretty quickly even though it's just off the fire] and even steam will not have that effect and its perfectly safe to kasher with them. He further added that quartz countertops are 93-98% quartz which is the 4th hardest substance on Earth and surely wouldn't be affected by heat, and the only concern is the resin that makes up the final few percentages of the counter and which is more sensitive to heat