Gaps around the cooker: To silicone or not to silicone the stone bench?

Hey there! Welcome to the new place, and totally get why this is bugging you. Those small gaps between the hob and the countertop are super common, and honestly, they're one of those little design quirks that drive everyone nuts. You're spot on about the crumb and spill situation – it's an absolute magnet for all sorts of kitchen nasties, and cleaning under there is a nightmare nobody wants. So, about the silicone debate: you've hit on the exact core of the discussion! My take, and what most experienced folks lean towards, is to **avoid** using kitchen/bathroom silicone to permanently seal it. While it seems like a quick fix, it usually causes more headaches down the road. Gas hobs, especially, need to be lifted or pulled out sometimes for deep cleaning (trust me, you'll want to), or for any kind of service or repair. When you've got silicone holding it in, that becomes a huge pain – you're scraping out old, often grubby, silicone, potentially damaging your counter or the hob edge, and then having to re-seal it perfectly, which is harder than it looks. As for heat expansion, it's a factor, but the bigger issue with silicone here is actualy the need for appliance access. Plus, over time, regular kitchen silicone can degrade or get discolored from heat and cooking oils, making it look pretty unsightly. So while it's tempting to just caulk it, you're usually setting yourself up for more work later. Now, for the good news: there are purpose-made solutions out there that are fantastic for this! You can find really effective gap fillers designed specifically for stoves and countertops. These often come as silicone strips, usually T-shaped, that slide right into the gap. They create a seamless seal, stopping all those crumbs and liquids from falling trough, but they're also super easy to remove when you need to clean under the hob or pull it out for maintenace. You just lift it out, clean it (and the gap), and pop it back in. Some even come in stainless steel or clear designs, so they blend in really well. You can often find these at hardware stores, appliance parts suppliers, or online. Just measure your gap width (1-2mm is perfect for many of these) and length. It’s definatly a much better long-term solution than permanent silicone, giving you the best of both worlds: a clean kitchen and easy access when you need it.

Oh, that's such a relief to hear about the T-shaped strips! I honestly had no idea those even existed. It makes so much more sense than permanent silicone, expecially thinking about future cleaning or if something ever needs fixing. I was already picturing myself trying to delicately clean around a sealed edge, haha.

My only follow-up thougt is, do those T-strips tend to get greasy or stained easily from regular cooking, and are they a pain to clean themselves? Or do they just wipe down really well? Thanks again for the awesome advice!

Yeah, those T-shaped strips are definitely the way to go! I had a similar situation at my old place, and before I knew about those, I swear I spent more time trying to fish out crumbs and clean spilled coffee from under the hob than actually cooking. It was such a nightmare! The strips are brilliant becuase they realy do stop everthing from going down there, and like you said, you can just pull them out for a proper clean. Totally worth the small investment for the peace of mind.