Special Features Is Your Oven Kosher? What Every Kosher Cook Must Know This is the seventh (and final, sort of) installment of an article by Rabbi Yaakov Luban, senior Rabbinic coordinator, OU Kashrut Div., that appeared in Daf HaKashrus, in '96. In answer to many inquiries - yes, we will make the entire article available in one piece. And also in response to several comments, we will tryto review the whole topic and include different acceptable opinions. All this, IY"H and B"N to come. Probably not until after Pesach. By now, the reader has surely noticed that there are numerous differences of opinion among the poskim about many of the issues discussed in this article. I've tried to share with you the mainstream views of rabbinic authorities, but I encourage you to review specific questions with your local rabbi. It should also be obvious that from a halachic perspective, it is advantageous to design a kosher kitchen with two separate ovens for dairy and meat use. Nonetheless, this option is not always practicalfor financial or logistical reasons, and therefore the issues raised in this article must be addressed. Initially, changing our oven procedures may require a bit of care and concentration. In time, however, using the proper kashrut safeguards will become second nature, as are the rest of our kosher kitchen habits. The effort is well worth it. In Brief A. To use an oven for dairy and meat: 1. Designate the oven for dairy or meat. 2. A designated item can be cooked in any manner. 3. A non-designated item can be baked without a cover if it is dry, and there is no edible residue of the designated category on the oven surface. It is preferable to change the rack or cover the surface under the pan with aluminum foil. 4. A non-designated item which is moist can be cooked in the oven if it is covered. It is preferable to change the rack or cover the surface under the pan with aluminum foil. In a conventional oven, one cover is adequate, while in a microwave oven , a double wrap is preferable. Alternatively, the oven can be kashered. (Seebelow). B. Pareve food in a meat or dairy oven: 1. Pareve food is unaffected by the cooking process in any of the following situations: a) the pareve food is dry and there is no edible meat or dairy residue in the oven, or b) the food is covered, or c) the oven is clean of meat and dairy residue and has not been used for meat or dairy products containing liquid for atleast 24 hours. 2. Pareve food is affected by the cooking process if: a) the pareve food contains liquid, and the food is cooked uncovered in an oven that was used for meat or dairy products containing liquid within the last 24 hours, or b) the pareve food is not covered and there is dairy or meat residue on the oven surface. 3. Pareve food that is affected may be eaten before or after the opposite food category that affected it, but not together with the opposite food category. C. To use a non-kosher oven without kashering: Double wrap the food item. D. To kasher a conventional oven between dairy and meat use: 1. Clean the oven surface thoroughly with an oven cleaner. 2. Allow a 24-hour downtime before kashering a non-kosher oven. After meat or dairy use the oven can be kashered immediately. 3. Turn the oven on to the highest setting for one hour. E. To kasher a microwave oven: 1. Clean the oven thoroughly. 2. Allow a 24-hour downtime before kashering a non-kosher oven. After meat or dairy use the oven can be kashered immediately. 3. Place a bowl of water in the oven. 4. Operate at the highest setting for ten minutes. 5. Refill the bowl, move to another location and again operate the oven for ten minutes in order to kasher the area where the bowl previously rested. 6. If there is a glass plate on the oven surface, it is preferable to cover or replace the plate. The original version of this article first appeared in the Winter 5756/1995 edition of Jewish Action Magazine. ABOUT THE JEWISH CALENDAR 30 days hath September... Do you know how many days in April and how many in October? Do you use the poem or your knuckles? Or do you just remember? How many days in Iyar? Do you know that? As well as the secular calendar? If not - why not? The months in our calendar alternate with 30 and 29 days. Of course, in order to apply this first rule, you have to know the months of the Jewish calendar, and in order. A Jew should be able to recite the Jewish months in order with as much ease as he can recite January, February. Anyway, Tishrei (30), Cheshvan (29*), Kislev(30*), Tevet (29), Shvat (30), Adar (29*), Nissan (30) Iyar (29), Sivan (30), Tammuz (29), Av (30), Elul (29). Easy, except for the asterisks. Look for another box. This one is complicated. Be warned. With months alternating between 30 and 29 days, the year ends up with 354 days (or 384 with an extra Adar). This is too little. The year has to be a bit larger, on average. Adding a day (to Cheshvan) every so often should take care of the difference, but there are other factors that complicatematters. The extra is accomplished by adding to Cheshvan and taking one day from Kislev (never both in the same year). It basically works like this. There are rules for the fixing of the day of Rosh haShana. When the number of days between one R.H. and the next is 354 or 384 days, everything is fine. Sometimes there areonly 353 or 383 days. Then Kislev loses day 30. Sometimes there are 355 or 385 days from RH to RH. Then Cheshvan gets a 30th day. [The Va-yak-al/P'kudei Homepage] |
