Maintaining Stones
Clean whiskey stones after every use. Doing this will keep bacteria from growing on your stones and prevent residue from building up. Flavors absorbed by your stones in the freezer will be difficult to remove with a general cleaning. To remove an absorbed flavor, in many cases you’ll either need to soak or bake the stones. These processes are described in detail later.
Wash the stones with dish soap and warm water. Roll the stones back and forth in your clean hands underneath warm water from a faucet. Remove the stones from underneath the water and add a few drops of dish soap to them. Lather up the stones, then rinse the soap from the stones.
Dry the stones. Use paper towel or a clean dish towel to remove excess moisture from the stones. Wipe the stones thoroughly. Leave the stones on dry paper towel to dry for an hour or two. Sunny, dry locations, like a clean windowsill, work well for drying stones.
Return the stones to the freezer. Insert your stones into their bag. If your stones took on an unpleasant flavor or became dirty even when stored in their bag, you may need a replacement. Keep your stones in a sealable freezer baggie or airtight container for improved protection. The bag that came with your whiskey stones is intended to prevent them from accumulating frost, ice, and from taking on the flavor of other items in your freezer.
Soaking Stones to Remove Absorbed Flavors
Soak stones in water and vodka. Fill a glass halfway full of warm water and fill another quarter of it with inexpensive vodka. Add the stones to the glass. The stones should be completely submerged. Stir the contents of the glass occasionally over the course of several hours.
Dry the stones and return them to the freezer. Remove the stones from the water-vodka mixture and wipe them with paper towel or a clean dish towel. Arrange the stones on dry paper towel to air dry for about an hour or until dry. Insert the stones into their bag, put them in the freezer, and enjoy the cleaned stones.
Reapply the water-vodka mixture as necessary. In some cases, you may need to soak your stones more than once before a flavor is completely removed. If your stones absorb an unwanted flavor from your freezer again, reapply the water-vodka mixture as described.
Removing Absorbed Flavors in an Oven
Dry the clean whiskey stones completely. Remove your stones from the freezer, if necessary. Place the stones in a dry, sunny location for a day or two to completely dry the stone. This technique uses extreme heat to purge absorbed flavors from your stones. Moisture in the stones can cause them to crack or explode, potentially ruining them.
Clean your stones with your oven’s self-cleaning cycle. Place your stones inside the oven. Turn on the oven’s self-cleaning cycle. The high heat will sterilize the stones and remove any absorbed smells. When the cycle is complete and the oven has cooled, remove the whiskey stones. Most whiskey stones are made of soapstone, which can resist the high heat of your oven. If your whiskey stones are made of another kind of stone, verify they can withstand high heat before cleaning them this way.
Inspect the condition of the stones. Look over each stone one at a time. Check all sides for cracks and breaks. Any stones that have been damaged by the heat should be discarded. Rock fragments and shards from cracked or broken stone can be hazardous.
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