A practical and strong kitchen worktop means everything to a restaurant. After all, it is the workplace of some of the best chefs in the world; along with their army of trained sous-chefs. It is right here, where they live and practice their artistic creations with the food they prepare before it pleases consumers like us, with some of the tastes that none of us may have had before.
For a long time, in the arena of restaurant kitchen worktop applications, there was no conclusive answer to an extremely versatile yet resistant surface, until Dekton came into the world of ultracompact materials , changing the lives of at least the 50 best restaurants in the world, ensuring they can not only enjoy of practical and hygienic surfaces but also have a wide range of colours, thicknesses and finishes in a way that these can be customized according to the taste and requirements of each brand, assisting in providing these restaurants with their unique identity on each individual case .
So, what makes this surface the well-deserving and most-craved material in the kitchens of some of the top chefs in the world? Let us find out.
Dekton Domoos in a Smooth Mate finish in a bar countertop application
What is Dekton?
Dekton is the ultimate answer to kitchen worktop solutions. It is everything that a busy kitchen deserves and more. It has a greater strength, resistance and tolerance to heat and cold temperatures than any natural stone known to a human being. Dekton is highly resistant to stains, scratches and can also be use indoors and outdoors which allows some of these restaurants to achieve continuity in their designs internally as well and in external areas, including patios, balconies and terraces.
Although Dekton is prepared under strict industrial controls, out of a highly complex, technological process under extreme heat and pressure, it imbibes the essence and grace of natural stones. The makers of Dekton, the Cosentino group, is a world-renowned Spanish conglomerate that manufactures only the world’s best man-made surface for all applications and have a vast array of authorised dealers with a comprehensive distribution network all around the world.
What is the composition of Dekton?
A slab of Dekton comprises a hybrid of the trusted, used and tried materials since the age of the Roman Empire. It combines quartz, porcelain, and glass (amongst a secret formula of another 20 carefully selected minerals) that together produce not only a visually appealing surface but also an extremely hard wearing product.
The above image shows the imposing facilities of the newly launched Dekton factory by Cosentino in Spain with a production line of over 1 kilometre in length
Remarkable Features of Dekton
The list of glorifying features of Dekton could be endless and it never ceases to impress. For those of you who are unaware of just how much remarkable Dekton is, here’s what you need to know.
High Resistance to UV Rays.
Dekton’s versatility extends to outdoor applications as well as indoors. It has such high resistance to the Sun’s ultra violet rays which is barely seen in any type of stone up to now.
Normally, when you place a natural stone like marble exposed to the UV Rays, it discolours the stone by degrading not only its shade but also its texture. Composite stones such as quartz aren’t suitable outdoors either since they get badly discoloured by direct exposure to UV rays which affect quartz surfaces by ‘tanning’ the resin that composes them. This can result in a white quartz worktop becoming yellow or a red worktop becoming orange.
This is avoided easily by Dekton surfaces, which neither fades nor degrades even after years of continuous usage.
The above images shows Dekton Aura worktops for a barbeque kitchen application
Highly Resistant to scratching
Kitchens are one of those places where you accidentally scratch the surface of a worktop without really intending to. It could happen as a result of chopping vegetables or perhaps due to chopping a thicker piece of meat with a butcher’s knife. Either way, scratching is almost unavoidable when using a surface for extensive tasks such as cooking and food preparation.
Imagine the extent of damage that would occur in a restaurant kitchen application if it were a normal surface.
Dekton offers a perfect replacement for the traditionally used kitchen worktops with its impeccable resistance to scratching.
Dekton offers extreme resistance to staining.
Staining is another problem with surfaces made out of marble, limestone and other natural stones. Unless it is remedied promptly, the surface will absorb and retain the stain forever.
Once again, thanks to this new and revolutionary material made by Cosentino, Dekton is stain proof. At restaurants, spillage is bound to occur due to the fast-paced environment.
One cannot expect those hard-working chefs and sous-chefs to clean up after every spill.
Likewise, it would be unfair for them to spend a great amount of cleaning up afterwards as with any commercial enterprise, the materials employed must be practical and allow the user to carry out their main tasks without much hesitation.
Dekton provides an easy-to-clean solution, where only detergent, water and a cloth is enough to remove even the toughest of stains.
It has higher tolerance to heat too.
Another major concern of a busy kitchen is the necessary use of a trivet before placing a hot pan on it.
With Dekton as a kitchen worktop, there is no reason to worry whatsoever. Putting a hot pot of marinara onto the surface neither burns nor damages the surface one bit! It is also ideal for those who wish to drag their pans and pots from a flush hob, directly on to the surfaces.
It offers greater mechanical resistance than any other man-made stone.
Mechanical resistance basically means the strength of a material. In the case of Dekton, it is nearly 5 times stronger than Granite, which is yet another product with a greater tensile strength.
This enables the user to choose a thin, light yet extremely strong surface that will resist impact and a reasonable amount of weight when required.
Dekton Domoos worktops in kitchen application for a restaurant, shown on the above image
Zero porosity.
A porous surface is a major concern to chefs working in the kitchens. Under normal usage, a surface made of marble requires a sealing at least once a year. Even when sealed, natural marble worktops can be prone to staining and/or etching due to their highly calciferous compositon.
If that were to be used in a super fast environment such as an upscale restaurant, the sealing procedure would be needed much earlier and often than that.
Dekton is the ultimate answer to this problem since it is totally non-porous and does not need a sealant at all!
No time to clean a spillage as it occurs? No problem, Dekton has got it covered.
It is a non-fading, stable and solid colour surface.
As stated earlier, Dekton is a man-made material whose colour remains stable. It does not fade for any reason and it will remain the very same colours with the passage of time. Even after repeated wear and tear, which most certainly happens inside any kitchen, its colour remains rock solid and as good as brand new!
Dekton Kitchen Worktop Favourites of 50 Best Restaurants in the world
While Dekton comes in various collections and it is suitable for all type of internal and external applications, three of these surfaces have stood out and are proudly put into use at the world’s 50 best restaurants. These stones are Entzo, Aura and Trilium.
Entzo: This surface is made from Sinterized Particle Technology that is composed of many stunning elements seen in natural marbles like Calacatta Oro, Paonazzo, and Colorado.
It is highly resistant to scratching, heating, cooling, water absorption, and ideal for kitchen worktops. Entzo maintains uniformity in its design and employs matching materials that are unique in colour, texture, and pattern.
Aura: Aura comes in two version- Standard and Book matched that can be placed in both ways, vertically or horizontally.
This stunning ultracompact stone has a white backdrop with grey veins etched all along the slabs. Aura corresponds to all of the features that Dekton is primarily known for, and does not require sealing.
Another Dekton marvel is the Aura 15, which takes inspiration from the original Calacatta and Carrara marbles from Italy. It is famed for the veining imitation seen on natural marbles, but with many refined improvements. It embodies strength and elegance in one product. Aura15 comes with a set of 8 distinct and appealing patterns.
Trilium: The fashionable New Trilium by Dekton helps in brining innovation to any working space with a supreme rustic yet luxurious design.
It is inspired by the industrialised look of oxidised steel, thus paying homage to steel that is used heavily in construction.
Dekton New Trilium comes in a rich composition of volcanic shades of grey, brown, and deep black. Its high-quality performance assures an absolute elegance and sturdiness inside the kitchen of any restaurant.
Dekton is global.
Dekton’s manufacturing Company, the Cosentino Group distributes its products to more than 80 countries while being centred in Almeria, Spain. While they control and manage the main facilities in Spain, Brazil and the United States, they also offer Dekton in the United Kingdom through My Kitchen Worktop, who are the authorised seller of all Cosentino products.
Cosentino sponsored the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2016 and 2017’ featuring the Dekton ultra compact surface.
In June 2016, for the very first time in New York, Cosentino held a presentation gala at the famous Cipriani Club on Wall Street, where Dekton was presented as the official kitchen worktop supplier. It was given a dedicated space and entitled ‘A taste of Dekton’.
At this event, they also greeted the gastronomically known community consisting of over 700 chefs, restaurateurs, food industry professionals, and media personnel with a traditionally made ice cream that was exclusively prepared over the ultra-compact Dekton worktop.
On the same day, Cosentino inaugurated its Manhattan exhibition space, Cosentino City where this international food community was invited over for a brunch.
Continuing the saga, on April 5, 2017; Cosentino launched their World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2017 international event in Melbourne, Australia at the historic Royal Exhibition Building where they presented Silestone and Dekton as the official worktop sponsor.
Finding Dekton in the United Kingdom
My Kitchen Worktop in London, UK is the authorised distributor of Dekton kitchen worktops for commercial and residential applications. They also offer many finishing that pairs well with these kitchen worktops, Smooth Matte, Textured, Dekton Grip and Xgloss which comprises a highly polished surface finish.
It is made commercially available in different formats serving various applications in 8mm, 12mm, 20mm and also 30mm thickness.
Who uses Dekton?
Some of the most respected and reputable restaurants in the world use Dekton in their kitchens, these include The French Laundry in California, Restaurant André in Singapore, DriverXo in Madrid and Dani Garcia in Marbella.
Here are the full results for the top 50 Restaurants in the World for 2017:
- 1. Eleven Madison Park, New York, US
- 2. Osteria Francescana, Modena, Italy
- 3. El Celler de Can Roca, Girona, Spain
- 4. Mirazur, Menton, France
- 5. Central, Lima, Peru
- 6. Asador Etxebarri, Axpe, Spain
- 7. Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand
- 8. Maido, Lima, Peru
- 9. Mugaritz Errenteria, Spain
- 10. Steirereck Vienna, Austria
- 11. Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pocantico Hills, US
- 12. L’Arpege, Paris, France
- 13. Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee, Paris, France
- 14. Restaurant Andre, Singapore
- 15. Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy
- 16. D.O.M., Sao Paulo, Brazil
- 17. Le Bernardin, New York City, US
- 18. Narisawa, Tokyo, Japan
- 19. Geranium, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 20. Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico
- 21. Alinea, Chicago, US
- 22. Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
- 23. White Rabbit, Moscow, Russia
- 24. Amber, Hong Kong
- 25. Tickets, Barcelona, Spain
- 26. The Clove Club, London, UK
- 27. The Ledbury, London, UK
- 28. Nahm, Bangkok, Thailand
- 29. Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
- 30. Arzak, San Sebastian, Spain
- 31. Alleno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen, Paris, France*
- 32. Attica, Melbourne, Australia
- 33. Astrid y Gaston, Lima, Peru
- 34. De Librije, Zwolle, Netherlands
- 35. Septime, Paris, France
- 36. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London, UK
- 37. Saison, San Francisco, US
- 38. Azurmendi, Larrabetzu, Spain
- 39. Relae, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 40. Cosme, New York City, US*
- 41. Ultraviolet by Paul Pairet, Shanghai, China
- 42. Borago, Santiago, Chile
- 43. Reale, Castel Di Sangro, Italy*
- 44. Brae, Birregurra, Australia*
- 45.Den, Tokyo, Japan*
- 46. L’Astrance, Paris, France
- 47. Vendome, Cologne, Germany
- 48. Restaurant Tim Raue, Berlin, Germany
- 49. Tegui, Buenos Aires, Argentina*
- 50. Hof Van Cleve, Kruishoutem, Belgium
Dekton is a proud creation of Cosentino and it aims to become a worldwide leader in the world of architecture and design that caters to the needs of home owners, constructors, renovators, designers and chefs. This excellent product, although being industrial in terms of its production, remains entirely environment-friendly and completely recyclable at the same time.
Special instructions for the buyer:
Dekton is a fairly new product that might not be carried by unauthorised distributors in your region. This material comes with a special set of instructions for proper fabrication and installation that requires the latest tooling and training systems from an experienced supplier of these type of materials, such as My Kitchen Worktop.
Published by Jesus Alberto Mouzo on September 11, 2017
