There's lots of educational articles on this site about various countertop options.

https://usenaturalstone.org/granite-vs-engineered-quartz-countertop/

I do granite whenever I can it is the perfect counter material IMO. Quartz and Corian are both fake and lots of resins don’t stand up to hot pots I have no idea why they are the choice. Real is always better

This choice is strictly about aesthetics. You can go in circles forever about durability. For example, granite has so many varieties that go from bullet-proof never needs sealing never stains never chips to other granites that are more high maintenance. Quartz can chip, have resin pools, and cannot be exposed to heat, but doesn’t need sealing. So take durability off the table in this decision. It’s about appearance. Do you want the regularity of pattern and color of Quartz, or do you want the unpredictable variations of color and pattern of granite? Choose from that viewpoint.

P.S. the “sanitary” comment is incorrect and something made up by the solid surface industry to steer people from natural stone.

"P.S. the “sanitary” comment is incorrect and something made up by the solid surface industry to steer people from natural stone."

Shannon_WI:

Please send me the architectural specifications for hospital surgical room wall cladding in stone. Let me save you some time; they don't exist. I'm no doctor, but Corian and other solid surfaces are specified for this application regularly, probably because mold, mildew, and even the AIDS virus cannot live on solid surface and are easily sanitized.

"probably because mold, mildew, and even the AIDS virus cannot live on solid surface and are easily sanitized."

Joseph Corlett, LLC:

I have been on this forum for more than 10 years, and you have also been there all that time (previously as Trebruchet) with this same fear-mongering about natural stone. Most offensive is your frequent mention over these years of the AIDS virus in connection with people's choice of kitchen counters. As if people living with AIDS and HIV, or with family members with AIDS and HIV, are leaving their bodily fluids on kitchen counters for others to get infected. I know you'll say "I was talking about hospital surgical rooms", but this post and this forum are not about hospital surgical rooms, they are about home kitchens, and fear-mongering writing uses that kind of reference to make people afraid.

Dr. O. Peter Snyder of the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management did a study of countertops contaminated by a variety of substances. After washing and rinsing, the granite tops provided the greatest reduction in bacteria counts of all the countertop materials tested. Unfortunately, your favorite Corian was not included in the study, though Cambria Quartz is.

Since you have been talking like this about stone counters for at least 10 years, it is likely you aren't changing your mind any time soon. Perhaps others however will be interested in reading about the study's findings. I've linked a summary, which is easy to read, and also linked the actual study which is a more technical read.

Summary of e. Coli Cleanibility Study by Hospitality Institute of Technology

The actual e. coli Cleanabiility Study by Hospitality Institute of Technology

Shannon_WI:

It was you, not me, as the written record here demonstrates, that brought up the subject of sanitation. Granite is a fine countertop and sanitary enough. I've never "fear-mongered" here, however, I have presented the facts. Corian and other solid surfaces are specified by architects in the most demanding sanitary conditions. Natural stone is not. That is fact, not fear.

@Joseph Corlett LLC - It does seem that you have a strong affinity for Corian. I've had Corian for 25 years - Do I want it again - absolutely NOT - Not because it hasn't performed well, but because it's fake. It's the same reason I'm not getting quartz either. Add to that that I have never been a granite fan - just don't like the mostly busy look. Horrors, this time I'm getting marble.. Sometimes it's aesthetics, not performance.

I think the quartz vs granite depends on the aesthetic you’re going for. The gray fake marble quartz seems to be everywhere, so Ive personally got sick of it but to each their own. There isn’t a clear cut winner since there are differences within each category itself.

As far as “real vs fake” argument, who cares? Seriously, ceramic tile is fake, mortar is fake, paint is fake, polyurethane is fake, every piece of plastic in your house is fake. Who cares if your counter is fake if you like it.

"It was you, not me, as the written record here demonstrates, that brought up the subject of sanitation."

No, my initial comment was in response to a comment by another poster, since edited, that said that Quartz is more sanitary than granite. It is not. You responded with the hyperbole "Please send me the architectural specifications for hospital surgical room wall cladding in stone", along with adding to your decade's worth of inappropriate AIDS mentions with respect to home kitchen counters.

I am the person who said “I find it is slightly more sanitary with zero absorption .” And that remark has not been edited. Granite can potentially absorb if not property fabricated and sealed. Ask me how I know. The OP asked for views, and I gave mine. Yes, I have granite in my home. I have Corian as well. And two secondary kitchens with good old Wilsonart. But in my primary kitchen I now have quartz. I prep raw pet food three times a day, and even though I disinfect agressively, I personally am more comfortable prepping raw meat on quartz or Corian or any solid surface. YMMV, as they say, and thanks for the links. I don’t think anyone here is fear-mongering, and yes, Joe is blunt but he has saved many a butt here over the years.