Advantages:

Soapstone gives a good even heat for cake griddles.

Disadvantages:

Unless it is of excellent quality and is well cared for, it is likely to be too absorbent to be sanitary.

General care:

Soapstone should be cleaned occasionally with soap and water, and thoroughly dried. The pores should always be kept well filled with oil.

Tin Advantages:

1. The utensils are light.

2. They are comparatively inexpensive.

3. They are attractive in appearance when new.

4. They are good conductors of heat; this allows food cooked in them to become evenly heated.

5. The best grades of tinware are not corroded by water.

Disadvantages:

1. Tin does not endure intense heat, which makes it unsuitable for frying and makes drying it by setting it on the stove a bad practice.

2. Scratches expose the steel and make rust possible. Therefore, metal spoons and scrapers should not be used on tin.

3. Tin utensils are in general not good for cooking acid foods because even the best tin is likely to be acted on by hot acid.

General care:

1. Wash tinware in hot suds made with neutral soap.

2. Use scouring powders if necessary to remove food that has been burned on.

3. Do not scour tin to restore its brightness because the tarnish acts as a protective coat and makes the utensil wear longer.

Special care:

Boil tin utensils for two or three minutes in a solution of washing-soda made in the proportion of 6 quarts of cold water to 1 pound of washing-soda.