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I am cooking a pressed apple terrine (a derived version of this one from Raymond Blanc) where I need a weight to put on the apples during cooking. Problem is, the only weight fitting I have that fits the terrine is my whetstone. I wanted to know if the heat could damage it, or if it could be hazardous for my dessert ?

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    Hi. Just had a look at the recipe and it doesn't mention using a weight on the apples. It says to cover the terrine with foil.
    – Billy Kerr
    Nov 23, 2021 at 13:09
  • Your whetstone has metal on it from grinding down your knives, even if it doesn't damage your stone I wouldn't want that going on my food.
    – GdD
    Nov 23, 2021 at 15:28
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    @GdD you could wrap it in parchment as I suggest in my answer, or in foil. That would keep metal fragments off the food - it's not like the metal would evaporate.
    – Chris H
    Nov 24, 2021 at 11:43
  • @BillyKerr yes it is right, but the recipe I used was just derived from this one with extra steps (notably adding a weight to ensure the homogeneity of the final product, as well as preventing the apples to retract)
    – BlueTacZac
    Nov 25, 2021 at 12:58

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It's probably not a good idea.

If you know your whetstone is natural (Wikipedia) then it should be all right with a food-safe material in between (like baking parchment). Water-stones may well crack unless very well dried, so put the stone in a cold oven and turn on to about 80°C for a couple of hours, then allow to cool before using as a weight.

Most modern whetstones are resin-bonded ceramic and the resin probably can't handle that much heat without problems. The heat could damage the stone, release unpleasant smells from the resin into the food, or even release toxins.

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    Or you could do what many people do, buy a couple of bricks from the home center and cover them with foil, works a treat.
    – Steve Chambers
    Nov 23, 2021 at 13:23
  • @SteveChambers you could. I've got some in fact, but would choose to use a pair of dishes instead (I have too much kitchen stuff)
    – Chris H
    Nov 23, 2021 at 13:29
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    @ChrisH thanks, I had no idea how whetstone where made pior to your answer. I ended up using another smaller mold fild with rice and chickpeas as weight.
    – BlueTacZac
    Nov 25, 2021 at 13:07

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