Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ...... XXIII Introduction ...... 1 Chapter One: Defining Kosher Keeping Kosher ...... 7 Kosher and Non-Kosher Foods ...... 8 Kosher Species / Ritual Slaughter The Three T’s: Taste, Temperature, and Time ...... 11 1. Taste ...... 11 The Majority Rules — Nullification of Forbidden Tastes 2. Temperature ...... 14 3. Time / Utensils ...... 14 How Flavors Transfer In and Out of Pots ...... 15 Used with Fire / Not Used with Fire Kashering Pots: Not All Kitchenware Is Created Equal ...... 16 A. Metal / B. Earthenware / C. Glass / D. Pyrex®/Duralex® / E. Corelle®, Corningware®, Porcelain, and Ceramics / F. Teflon® Frying Pans / G. Plastic Tevilah ...... 19 Chapter Two: Kashering Utensils Five Categories of Utensils ...... 25 1. Pots and Pans — Kli Rishon / 2. Dishes — Irui/Pouring / 3. Silverware (Cutlery) — XIII XIV Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

Kli Sheini / 4. Cups — Cool Stuff / 5. Storage Containers — Kavush and Soaking: Alternative Heat How to Kasher ...... 28 1. Pots and Pans ...... 28 A. Roasting — Fire In, Fire Out — Libun / B. Cooking — Water In, Water Out — Hagalah / C. Water In, Fire Out 2. Dishes ...... 31 3. Silverware ...... 31 4. Cups ...... 32 5. Storage Containers for Liquids ...... 32 A Step-by-Step Guide to Hagalah ...... 33 Kashering a Large Pot ...... 34 Kashering from Dairy to Meat ...... 35 Can’t Take the Heat ...... 35 Handles ...... 36 Chapter Three: Kashering a Kitchen What About the Rest of the Kitchen? ...... 43 Basic Guidelines ...... 44 What Needs to Be Kashered? ...... 45 Determining the Correct Method of Kashering ...... 45 Ovens — Fuming and Steaming Hot! ...... 46 Stovetops — Accidents Do Happen ...... 47 Stove Grates: The Great Original Self-Cleaning ...... 48 Microwaves: Inner Strength and Energetic Steam ...... 49 Sinks: It All Goes Down the Drain ...... 50 Countertops: Another Kitchen Encounter ...... 53 Tables: Ready to Serve? ...... 54 Knives: Grounded ...... 55 Blenders and Food Processors: They Are Not Coming to a Grinding Halt ...... 56 Dishwashers: You Choose ...... 56 Chapter Four: Immersing New Utensils Introduction ...... 65 New or Used Kitchen Utensils ...... 66 The Torah Source for Tevilah ...... 67 The Types of Utensils ...... 68 Table of Contents XV

1. Utensils That Require Ritual Tevilah ...... 69 Metal / Glass / Plastic / Other Material / Glazed / Teflon® Frying Pans 2. Utensils That Do Not Touch Food ...... 71 3. Who Made the Utensil ...... 71 What about These Utensils? ...... 72 Disposable Kitchen Utensils / Jars and Coffee Cans — Making Something from Nothing / Small Appliances When Tevilah Is Too Tough ...... 73 Utensils Used While the Food Is Inedible ...... 74 Chapter Five: The Immersion Process Separation / Chatzitzah ...... 81 Multiple Parts ...... 82 Handles and Wires ...... 82 Making the Plunge ...... 82 Holding the Utensil When Is the Blessing Said ...... 83 Ownership ...... 84 Borrowed Utensils ...... 84 Store Owners and Gifts ...... 85 If the Dishes Were Not Immersed ...... 85 Restaurants and Hotels ...... 86 Children and Non-Jews ...... 87 Utensil That Was Not Immersed ...... 87 Chapter Six: Chalav Akum, Gevinas Akum, and Pas Akum Beyond Kosher Ingredients ...... 93 Rabbinical Decrees ...... 93 Four Rabbinical Decrees Regarding Food Preparation Milk: Chalav Akum ...... 95 Cheese: Gevinas Akum ...... 96 Hard Cheese (Rennet‑Set Cheese) / Soft Cheese (Acid‑set Cheese) / Butter / Powdered Milk Bread: Pas Akum ...... 97 Bread: The Five Grains / Other Bread Products / Doughnuts / Understanding the Difference between Pas Akum and Bishul Akum / Who Owns the Dough? / A Rabbinical Decree Rejected? / Our Customs Today / Shabbos / Aseres Yemei Teshuvah / Defining Bread Made by a Non‑Jew / The Tur / Ingredients Are the Key! / The Average Loaf of Bread Today / Travelers XVI Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

Chapter Seven: Bishul Akum Food Cooked by a Non-Jew: Bishul Akum ...... 111 The Decree: Its Origin Two Exceptions ...... 112 Defining Jewish Help in Cooking ...... 113 Restaurants ...... 114 Traveling Abroad The Custom Today ...... 116 Maachal Ben Drusai — Consider It Cooked! ...... 116 Non-Jewish Maids ...... 117 The Jew’s Intention ...... 119 Chapter Eight: Meat and Milk Torah Source ...... 125 Why the Torah Prohibits Meat and Milk Mixtures ...... 126 Taste Is Equal to Substance ...... 127 Ingesting Basar Bechalav in Capsule Form Cooking: The Second T — Temperature ...... 128 Cooked or Not Cooked — That Is the Question / Various Forms of Cooking Disposing of Basar Bechalav ...... 131 Is All Milk Equal? ...... 132 Chapter Nine: Additional Topics in Basar Bechalav Which Meat Is Included? ...... 137 Neveilah and Treifah / Temei’ah / Chicken Maris Ayin: What Will People Think? ...... 138 Heker / A Torah Prohibition vs. a Rabbinical Prohibition / Private vs. Public / Serving Ice Cream at a Meat Dinner Pareve ...... 142 Eggs: Why Are They Pareve? Fish with Meat or Milk...... 143 Attention! Eat and Drink Something Between Meat and Fish / Milk with Fish — Today’s Customs Cheese-Making: The Good Old-Fashioned Art ...... 145 Maamid — A Catalyst / Keivah and Ohr HaKeivah / Cheese Made by a Non‑Jew: Why Isn’t It Kosher? Table of Contents XVII

Chapter Ten: Keeping Kosher at the Table The Source ...... 153 Chicken and Milk at the Table Treif Food at the Table ...... 155 Chametz on Pesach (Bread on Passover) — An Exception Travelers, Brothers, and Friends ...... 156 A Separation between Friends? / Friends and Foes Using a Heker ...... 157 Tablecloths and Placemats ...... 159 Knives and Ne’itzah ...... 159 Cutting Bread / Cutting Bread with a Meat Knife / Steel Wool and the Custom of Ne’itzah Today Leftover Bread ...... 161 Dairy or Meaty Bread ...... 162 Chapter Eleven: Waiting Between Meat and Milk The Source ...... 167 Meal to Meal ...... 167 The Law Today / Six Hours or Part of the Sixth? / When in Doubt, No Need to Wait! Chewing or Swallowing ...... 170 The Rambam and Rashi on Waiting Six Hours / Seven Differences Meat after Cheese ...... 172 Hard Cheeses Today: Not Like the Old Times / Six Hours after Pizza? Milk after Cooked Meaty Food ...... 173 Meat Restaurants: Chezkas Besari ...... 174 The Typical Kiosk (Roadside Stand) Onions and Spicy Foods ...... 175 Meat vs. the Flavor of Meat Chapter Twelve: Using Treif Utensils Bagging Up ...... 183 If Food Was Placed on a Treif Plate ...... 185 What to Do in a Pickle What Is a Treif Plate? ...... 186 Eating from Earthenware Dishes ...... 187 Eating in a Treif Restaurant ...... 187 No Fraternizing / Appearing but Not Participating XVIII Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

Chapter Thirteen: Meat and Milk Mixtures in the Kitchen Transferring Taste ...... 193 The Bird and the Kutach Not Salty ...... 195 The Law Today / Cracks, Spreading Evenly, The Number Sixty — Important Factors / In Conclusion: If Meat Accidentally Falls into Fresh Milk Hot News: Food COOKS Food ...... 199 The Bottom Is Stronger — Tataah Gavar ...... 199 The Hot Dog and a Pot of Milk Exceptions to the Rule of Tataah Gavar ...... 201 Balance of Power / In Summary — Be Strict Hot into Cold Liquid ...... 203 The Practical Application for the Magen Avraham Chapter Fourteen: Splatters on Pots One Drop of Milk ...... 211 Is the Pot Half Empty or Half Full? ...... 211 Determining the Food‑line and the Number Sixty / Below the Food‑line / Above the Food‑line / A Strict Custom / Extenuating Circumstances Why Kasher the Pot? ...... 215 Damage Control — The Law Is Like the Smak Kisui (A Lid) — the Hot Topping ...... 216 Chapter Fifteen: The Wrong Utensil Oops! I Used the Wrong Spoon! ...... 223 Measuring the Spoon ...... 223 Roasting ...... 224 Cooking ...... 224 From the Spoon to the Food / Within the Walls vs. Only in the Food / The Law as It Stands Today / From the Food to the Spoon A Case Study ...... 227 Oh No! I Did It Again! ...... 227 The Mechaber: One Hundred and Twenty / The Rama: Sixty / In Conclusion Chapter Sixteen: Taam Sheini Hot Fish on a Meaty Plate ...... 235 The Source Table of Contents XIX

Cooking in a Meaty Pot and Eating the Food with Milk ...... 236 Some Follow the Shach’s Custom / Pischei Teshuvah / Intention / Eino Ben Yomo / During Cooking The Practical Halachah ...... 240 Meat and Fish ...... 241 Chapter Seventeen: Dishwashing and Dishwasher Washing Dishes Together ...... 249 The Mechaber / The Rama / Meaty and Milky Dishes in Hot Water — Kosher or Not? Streaming Taste — The Laws of Irui (Pouring) ...... 252 Case One / Case Two / Summary of the Laws of Irui The Inside Scoop on Dishwashers ...... 254 Using the Same Dishwasher: The Problems / The Leniencies Chapter Eighteen: More About Spoons and Sharp Foods T for Time ...... 263 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow / A Spoiled Taste / Yesterday and Today / Be Careful How You Eat / The Custom of the Rama / Good Kitchen Habits / Hot Water Onions Are Hot Even When Cold ...... 267 Onions Cut with a Meaty Knife and Then Cooked with Milk / Halachah LeMaaseh / Just How Sharp Are They? / The Food Processor Chapter Nineteen: Taam Ke’ikar — Flavor Is Treated as the Item Itself The Three T’s: Taste, Temperature, and Time ...... 277 Taste / Temperature / Time The Non-Jewish Taste Tester ...... 279 Meisi’ach Lefi Tumo: Telling a Story / The Law as It Stands Today The Jewish Taste Tester ...... 280 Tongue Tasting ...... 281 Taste after Sixty ...... 281 Chapter Twenty: Bugs Processed Foods ...... 289 Torah Source ...... 290 Thirty-Nine Lashes — Legislative Punishment ...... 290 What You Don’t See Can Still Harm You ...... 291 When the Bug Is Chopped Up / Ein Mevatlin Issur Lechatchilah / But What If the Bugs Were Not Chopped Well? / The Taz Argues with the Rama / The Shach Agrees with the Rama XX Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

Strawberry Jam ...... 294 The Kamikaze Fly ...... 294 Chapter Twenty‑One: Checking for Bugs Is Water Kosher? ...... 301 What Can Be Done? The Torah Was Given to Man — Not to Angels ...... 302 Torah Source ...... 303 How to Be a Bug-Buster ...... 303 Sifting Flour / Matzah Meal and the Like / Dried Fruit / Leafy Vegetables / Cauliflower, Broccoli, and the Like / Conditions for Bug‑busting / Who’s Qualified and Who’s Not Canned and Frozen Vegetables ...... 305 Food That Was Not Bug-busted ...... 306 Expiration Date ...... 306 Chapter Twenty‑Two: Kashering Livers, Dry Mixtures, and Food to Honor a Guest Don’t Cry Over … Livers ...... 313 Kashering Liver ...... 313 Electric Fire Non-kosher Liver Mixed with Kosher Liver ...... 314 A Piece Which Is Fit to Be Served before Guests ...... 315 The Mishnah Chullin 96b / Raw Meat Rules for Determining Important Foods ...... 316 It’s Not So Simple ...... 317 You Know It’s There, How Can You Eat It? ...... 318 Majority Rules — How Nullification Works / The Remaining Two / The Practical Law (Halachah) A Kabbalistic Reason for One-Sixtieth ...... 321 Chapter Twenty‑Three: Ovens — Steam and Smell Baking Bread in a Meat Oven ...... 329 Reichah — Aroma ...... 330 From the Food into the Walls ...... 330 From the Walls into the Food ...... 331 Can I Make a Pizza in a Meaty Oven? ...... 331 Solids vs. Liquids ...... 332 Dirty Ovens — Double Trouble ...... 332 The Smell of a Treif Burger ...... 333 Table of Contents XXI

Microwaves ...... 334 Spice Containers ...... 334 Chapter Twenty‑Four: Mixing Up Silverware, Kli Sheini, and Davar Sheyeish Lo Matirin What Happens When Things Go Wrong? ...... 341 How Dangerous Can a Ladle Be? ...... 341 Kli Sheini ...... 342 The Source of Ladles — A Shabbos Story / The Molecular Level — Transferring Tastes / A Good Reason to Be Strict You Can’t Always Eat When You Want ...... 345 Davar Sheyeish Lo Matirin — Something That Will Eventually Become Permitted Mixed-Up Utensils ...... 346 When the Going Gets Tough Chapter Twenty‑Five: Inspecting Eggs and Taking Challah Eggs and Blood Spots ...... 353 Hard-Boiled Eggs ...... 353 Challah — Payment in Dough ...... 355 Give It or Burn It? ...... 356 How Much Dough Is Kneaded? ...... 357 The Minimum Amount of Dough to Obligate Challah Separation The Berachah and Procedure ...... 358 One for All ...... 359 Who Takes Challah? ...... 359 What About at Home? ...... 359 Appendix: The Produce of the Land of Israel Tithes ...... 367 A Tribe That Didn’t Own Any Land ...... 369 Throw Away the Money ...... 372 The Blessings ...... 372 Chadash — In All Your Dwelling Places ...... 373 Other Halachos Concerning Produce ...... 375 Case Study: A Salad ...... 375 Conclusion ...... 378 Biographies of Commentators ...... 379 Index ...... 384

Keeping Kosher eeping kosher is not particularly difficult. However, it takes a certain level of awareness of the goings-on in a kitchen. K Without knowing the laws, problems will arise. In fact, without a basic understanding of the laws, one may not even see the problems that tend to arise even in the most scrupulous of kosher-observant households. Through learning systematically and in depth, we will become aware of potential disasters. This knowledge will make us well prepared to take the necessary steps to prevent them from oc- curring. And, if something goes wrong, we will know to ask the proper questions and take responsible action. Let’s start with the basics, with the assumption that one is set- ting up an entirely new kitchen environment. So, please follow us along on this path. We hope you find this journey entertain- ing and rewarding. Just relax and enjoy your journey through the “makings of a ko- sher kitchen.” It will be an enjoyable and fun experience — and perhaps the most practical area of Torah study that you have ever undertaken. 7 8 Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

Yeshiva Keter HaTorah would like to take a moment to emphasize that the laws of keeping kosher are many and detailed. This sefer is an attempt at educating you in this important area of Jewish law (halachah) that is pertinent to every single Jew. It is meant to introduce you to the general laws and give you the ability to understand the basic issues at hand. We encourage you to use the knowl- edge presented in these chapters as a basis for presenting questions to your local rabbi or to the rabbanim of Yeshiva Keter HaTorah. For those who would like to learn about this topic in greater detail, we suggest continuing with our advanced programs.

Kosher and Non-Kosher Foods The first thing we need to discuss is what is “kosher.” This in- cludes several areas: the species, how it is killed, the preparation, whether it is mixed with other foods, and others.

KOSHER SPECIES

Livestock The Torah tells us which species are kosher and which are not.1 Examples of kosher animals, called beheimah tehorah (pure an- imals), are cattle, sheep, goats, and deer. Kosher animals must chew their cud and have split hooves; animals that do not both chew their cud and have split hooves are forbidden. Some exam- ples of non-kosher animals are pigs, horses, camels, and donkeys. Non-kosher animals are called beheimah temei’ah (impure ani- mals) or, in the vernacular, treif. The above is a partial list of kosher andtreif animals. Please consult with your rabbi regarding any type of animal that has not been list- ed, in order to determine its kosher status.

1 Vayikra 11:3–8. Defining Kosher 9

Fowl The Torah offers no identifying features to distinguish the kosher birds from the non-kosher species. Instead, the Torah provides a listing of twenty-four species of birds that are not kosher, and after several of them, the words “and its species” are stated. By default, all of the other bird species are kosher. Nevertheless, the Mishnah (Chullin 59a) tells us, “The char- acteristics of birds are not stated, but the Sages have said, every bird that seizes its prey is unclean, every bird that has an extra toe, a crop, and a gizzard that can be peeled is clean.” Two examples of kosher fowl are chickens and domestic ducks. Treif fowl include swan, pheasant, and peacock.2 The wild turkey has a crop, its gizzard can be peeled, it has an “extra” toe, and its eggs have the indicators of kosher eggs; all signs indicating that turkey may be kosher. While almost all authorities now consider the turkey to be kosher, some families have maintained a tradition of refraining from eating it. This is because there is no direct tradition establishing that turkey is a kosher fowl.

Locust Many species of locusts are kosher as well. Although the con- sumption of most insects is considered to be forbidden under the laws of kashrus, the Rabbis of the Talmud identified four kosher species of locust.3

2 These particular birds for all practical purposes are considered treif since they lack tradition linking them to any of the kosher species. However, according to the Orthodox Union website, research into the identification of kosher birds is not yet complete. There are other birds which are not certified as kosher, but there is evidence that they were accepted as kosher by some Jewish communities at some point in time. Among the birds currently being researched by the Orthodox Union are species of pheasant, partridge, peacock, and guinea fowl (also known as the African chicken). In all of these instances, rabbis in Israel and America are searching for people to conclusively identify the birds which were consumed in the recent past and accepted as kosher by the Rabbinical authorities. 3 Vayikra 11:21–22, Chullin 59a. Since the identity of the species is in dispute, all locusts are considered treif. By exception, Yemenites have a tradition to identify which locusts are kosher. 10 Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

Other Creatures Additionally, creatures such as mice, rats,4 creeping insects, and flying insects are forbidden.

Fish Fish must have fins and scales to be kosher.5 Thus, all shellfish — such as lobster or clam — are strictly forbidden.

Milk and Eggs Milk and eggs of a kosher species are permitted. Milk and eggs of treif species are forbidden.

RITUAL SLAUGHTER In addition to being a kosher species, animal or fowl must be ritually slaughtered (called shechitah) in order for their meat to be considered kosher.

An animal which dies in any way other than proper ritual slaughter — such as sickness, natural death, improper slaugh- ter, or because it was killed by people or by another animal — is called a neveilah and is not kosher. Animals or fowl which have specific life-threatening internal defects or missing limbs are called treifah, which the Torah considers not kosher as well. One of the most common problems of treifah is a punctured lung. Therefore, the lungs of a slaughtered animal must be checked by an expert to ascertain that there are no punctures.

Blood The Torah forbids blood from both animals and fowl.6 Therefore, meat must be salted within three days after slaughter in order to remove all the blood that it contains.7 Liver is the one exception to the principle

4 Vayikra 11:23–29. 5 Ibid. 11:12. 6 Ibid. 7:26–27. 7 If it was not salted within three days, the blood can be removed by roasting the meat. Defining Kosher 11 that salting meat permits it to be eaten. This is because liver has a very high concentration of blood that salting will not totally remove. The only way that liver may be prepared to be eaten as kosher is by first roasting it, so that the extreme heat will draw out the blood. The Three T’s: Taste, Temperature, and Time Now that we know what kosher is, we will discuss how non-ko- sher food can affect kosher food. Throughout our discussion, we will focus on the rule of the Three T’s.

Taste, Temperature, Time Throughout this chapter and in any unfamiliar situa- tion, remember these three simple words. It will then be much easier to remember the proper halachah.

1. Taste The “kosher status” of a food is determined by its taste. The halachic term for this is taam ke’ikar — the flavor of the issur (forbidden item) is treated as the item itself. Therefore, if a kosher food was cooked together with a non-kosher one, and it absorbed non-kosher flavor to the degree that it can be tasted in the kosher food, the once-ko- sher food becomes non-kosher and is now forbidden to eat. The most common way that kosher food absorbs non-kosher flavor is through the medium of heat — when these two foods were cooked, roasted, or fried together. We will see in later chap- ters that other mediums, for example pickling (kavush) or salting (melichah) two foods together, also transfer flavor between them.

The absorption of non-kosher flavor into kosher food is an extremely relevant issue in the field of kashrus, from the kitchen at home to the food manufacturing plants worldwide. Non-kosher flavor absorbed by kosher pots, or by milk or meat splattering onto kosher pots, are among the most fre- quently asked questions to the rabbi of a Jewish community. 12 Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

THE MAJORITY RULES — NULLIFICATION OF FORBIDDEN TASTES The Torah provides us with specific guidelines regarding “nullifica- tion,” which may allow the food to be consumed despite it having been mixed with non-kosher food either through taste or substance. Non- kosher food can become mixed with kosher food in several different ways, and each type of mixture has a unique set of laws providing for the nullification of the forbidden food under certain circumstances. There are four general categories of mixtures:

1. A dry non-kosher piece or pieces of food, mixed with dry kosher pieces In such a case, a majority of kosher pieces is required to nullify the non-kosher piece (bitul b’rov).8 For example, if a non-kosher piece of meat is mixed with two kosher pieces of meat, the non-kosher piece is nullified by the majority of kosher pieces and the mixture is permitted. This type of nullification applies if both types of meat are from a like animal; in this case, a cow. However, if the non-kosher meat is from a different type of animal than the kosher meat, for example, a pig, then according to Rabbinical law we do not invalidate the non-kosher meat by a simple majority of kosher meat. In such a case, the Rabbis decreed that sixty pieces of kosher meat are need- ed to nullify the pig meat. (The details, qualifications, and exceptions to the rules of dry mixtures will be discussed in subsequent chapters.) 2. A non-kosher liquid mixed with a kosher liquid In such a case, a majority of kosher liquid is required to nullify the non-kosher liquid, providing the non-kosher liquid has the same flavor as the kosher liquid. For exam- ple, if the forbidden liquid is gravy from a piece of neveilah,

8 Shemos 23:2. We learn this out from the fact that the majority of judges is needed for a guilty verdict. This shows us that the court’s ruling is in line with the decision of the majority of judges. Here too, we follow the majority of the food. If the majority is kosher, the entire food is deemed kosher. Defining Kosher 13

then a simple majority of gravy from kosher meat inval- idates the non-kosher gravy. However, if the non-kosher gravy has a different flavor than the kosher gravy does, then sixty times its amount is needed to invalidate it. 3. A kosher piece of meat (or any solid) that absorbed a non-kosher flavor If the non-kosher flavor is different than the flavor of the meat, it is forbidden to eat under Torah law, unless this fla- vor is nullified by the meat being sixty times as large as the amount of non-kosher flavor that it absorbed. Even if the non-kosher liquid has the same flavor as the kosher meat, the Sages prohibited eating this meat if it is less than sixty times as large as the meat, as well. 4. A non-kosher piece of meat cooked in a kosher liquid If a piece of meat — for example, a piece of non-kosher chicken — is boiled together with kosher food, sixty times the size of the non-kosher food is necessary to nullify the flavor imbued by the non-kosher piece. Furthermore, even if the non-kosher piece is removed, the rest of the mixture remains forbidden to eat because the flavor left behind was never invalidated.

Explanation: In the event that the flavor of the treif food is noticeable in a mixture (min b’she’eino mino), we apply the concept of taam ke’ikar — as explained above — to determine when it is nulli- fied and permitted, and when it is not.

• When different types of food (min b’she’eino mino) are cooked together, we cannot apply the nullification process unless there is a ratio of sixty to one of kosher to treif. Therefore, biblically prohibited foods, such as a mixture of milk and meat, 9 or a mixture that contains a Torah prohi-

9 Avodah Zarah 69a. One olive-size (27cc, about the size of a common matchbox in Israel) of milk with sixty olive-sizes of meat, or pork the size of an olive combined with sixty olive-sizes of permitted food is nullified and therefore permitted. 14 Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

bition, such as pig and meat, are forbidden unless there is sixty times kosher against the forbidden food. • However, if there is sixty times kosher against the for- bidden food, its flavor will become diluted, and thus nul- lified. For example, milk, which is “forbidden” in respect to meat, is negated by sixty times as much meat. This is the ratio at which the taste is deemed to no longer be noticeable. Although there are certainly circumstances when taste is negated in less than sixty times kosher against the forbidden food, the nearly universal custom is to be strict rather than relying on a taste test.

2. Temperature The second issue to keep in mind is the temperature. In order for taste to be transferred by heat, it must be a temperature which is too hot to touch, from which a person will instinctively pull back his hand. This is called yad soledes bo. How hot is this? The minimal temperature to affect a transfer of taste is at least 43°C (109.4°F).10 3. Time / Utensils Time plays an important role in kashrus. When the Jews con- quered Midyan, they were commanded to kasher all kitchenware that absorbed non-kosher tastes. This was done either through passing the item through fire or purging it in boiling water, as will be explained later. It applied to all types of kitchenware that had been used within the previous twenty-four hours. If a non-kosher pot, for example, sat empty for twenty-four hours, the flavors that were absorbed by the walls of the pot spoil to a small degree. Since the taste is spoiled, if this pot was accidently used to cook food, such a spoiled flavor will not render kosher food forbid- den. The twenty-four-hour rule applies to all types of kitchenware.11

10 Igros Moshe, Orach Chaim 4:74. 11 Unless they are later mixed with a type of food that will refresh the flavor, for Defining Kosher 15

Eino Ben Yomo Here is where time comes in. When we say that the pot’s absorbed flavors will prohibit food now being cooked, this is only if the kosher food is cooked within twenty-four hours of the cooking of the prohibited food. However, if the kosher food is cooked after twenty-four hours from the time of cooking of the prohibited food, the kosher food is permitted. Why is this so? The halachah explains that the flavor loses its freshness and becomes “spoiled,” or stale, twenty-four hours after it enters a pot or other utensil. And, the rule is that spoiled flavor does not render kosher food prohibited. A pot that is left for twenty-four hours is called eino ben yomo — literally, “not of the same day,” meaning that the flavor was not absorbed within the previous twenty-four hours. How Flavors Transfer In and Out of Pots The Torah states the following guidelines forkashering :

Elazar the Cohen said to soldiers who came to the battle, “This is the Torah Decree that Hashem com- manded Moshe. Only the gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead — anything that is used with fire — you must pass through fire and it will be purified (tahor), however, it must be purified with the sprinkling wa- ter, but anything (of these materials) that is not used with fire you must pass through water.12

USED WITH FIRE The termused with fire denotes something that was used with heat, either for broiling or cooking. During these processes, the tastes of the treif foods are absorbed into the walls of the pot in

example, food that is very spicy. We will learn more about this in a later chapter. 12 Bamidbar 31:21–23. 16 Keeping Kosher in the Kitchen

which it was cooked or heated up, and are subsequently released into the next food that is cooked in this pot. Therefore, the utensil must be kashered. There are two methods of kashering.

1. Libun — heating up the utensil with direct fire, for exam- ple, with a blowtorch 2. Hagalah — putting the utensil in boiling water

NOT USED WITH FIRE Any vessel that is not used with heat, rather, it is exclusively for cold foods, does not require kashering by libun or hagalah and washing it is sufficient. However, there is an exception to this rule. If the vessel was used for kavush or salting, it must be kashered. This is because kavush and salting are able to transfer flavors even without heat. Kashering Pots: Not All Kitchenware Is Created Equal Kashering means “getting rid of” the flavor of non-kosher foods from pots, ovens, or other utensils. Different types of kitchen- ware have different rules depending on what material they are made from:

A. METAL The Torah tells us that metal can bekashered . The Torah lists six types of metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, and lead.13 However, all other metals such as aluminum are included and can be kashered as well because it is possible to completely purge all non-kosher flavor from metals though the proper kashering process.

B. EARTHENWARE If the utensil is made of earthenware (cheres), such as clay or pottery, it cannot be kashered through boiling in hot water (hagalah). The reason for this is because the flavor comes out a little at a time, and some flavor is left behind.14 Therefore,

13 Bamidbar 31:22. 14 Pesachim 30b.