Jewish
Cuisine - How to Keep a Kosher Kitchen
Note: The following comes
from a Conservative perspective. For practical halachic advice on how to
kasher your kitchen (instructions may vary depending on the contents of
your kitchen, such as the sink and dishwasher) — and there are often
multiple opinions on the correct procedure — consult a halachic
authority such as your rabbi.
To maintain a kosher house, you must allow only reliably-supervised
kosher food into your house. But, beyond that, your entire kitchen and
eating areas must also be kosher. Here are some guidelines:
Dishes and silverware
It is essential to have seperate sets of dishes for dairy products and
meat. It is best to have two distinct colors, patterns or styles so that
you will not be confused when you look at a plate or a fork as to
whether it is for dairy or meat.
Cabinets, drawers, and trays
To help avoid confusion, it is best to designate separate cabinets for
the dairy equipment and meat equipment. If you have cabinets on two
sides of the kitchen, you may want to put the meat on one side and the
dairy one on the other to avoid confusion. When you first organize your
kosher kitchen, it is wise to label the cabinets on the outside as
"Dairy [Chalav]" and "Meat [Basar]." You can use masking tape or colored
file dots that you can get from a stationary store (red and blue are
popular to be used, red for meat, blue for dairy). Many Judaica stores
and online Judaica shops also sell various styles of labels for meat and
dairy. You will also find these labels come in handy if you have guests
and they want to put the dishes away or take them out. If you have a
housekeeper, labeling helps make sure no mistakes are made.
Tableclothes, napkins, and placemats
As with the kitchen, the dining room/eating area maintains the
separation of meat and dairy foods by using separate utensils. This
includes seperate tablecloths, (cloth) napkins, placemats and other
similiar items.
While laundering may be suitable to kasher them (particularly if
mistakes are made), it is advisable to have a seperate meat and dairy
set because you may forget before using them which type of food was
eaten on them last.
Refrigerators
When placing food in the refrigerator, care should be taken to avoid
contact between open packages of meat and dairy products.
Ovens
One should not use the oven for dairy and meat at the same time. Between
using the oven for dairy and meat, the oven should be cleaned (wiped up)
if spillage has occured. Electronic self-cleaning ovens can be kashered
simply by cleaning up spills and running the self-cleaning cycle,
however, oven manufacturers generally recommend that the self-cleaning
cycle not be used more than once or twice a year due to the extremely
high heat that the self-cleaning cycle generates.
Using Stovetops
Spills on the stovetops should be cleaned, particularly in between using
the stove for meat and dairy foods. This is especially true if you tend
to rest pot lids on the stovetop when cooking. There is no need to
designate seperate meat and dairy burners. It is best to avoid cooking
meat and dairy foods on the same stovetop at the same time to avoid
spillage. If you must do so, extra care should be taken to ensure that
no spillage or transfer or liquid or heat occurs and to ensure that your
pots are covered tightly.
Using Microwaves
It is best not to use a microwave oven for cooking meat and dairy foods
at the same time because microwave covers usually have holes in them
that allow fumes to escape.
Porcelain sinks
Because the sink itself is made of material that is not kasherable, sink
racks (that fit on the bottom of the sink and keep the dishes from
touching the bottom) or a tub (which can be used for soaking the dishes)
are put into the sink. Separate racks or tubs must be used for dairy and
meat.
Metal Sinks
Metal sinks may be kashered by pouring boiling water in them. The water
must be boiling before you pour the water in and remain boiling as it
comes into contact with the metal lining of the sink. There should be a
separation (such as racks or tubs) between meat and dairy dishes.
Dishwasher
There is a difference of opinion as to how to use dishwashers:
1. Most Orthodox authorities hold that you can not use the same
dishwasher for meat and dairy utensils, even if they are washed at
different times.
2. Some liberal authorities hold that one may use the same dishwasher
(provided its interior is stainless steel) for meat and dairy utensils
provided that they are washed at different times and an empty full
cycle, only with dishwashing soap, (using the hottest water that your
dishwasher provides) must be run in between meat and dairy. Some hold
that the dishwasher must be left unused for 24 hours before running this
cycle.
3. Some authorities require that the (stainless steel) dishwasher be
given a thorough cleaning (including the strainer) and that separate
racks must be used between meat and dairy cycles. This is the opinion of
Rav Moshe Feinstein zt"l.
4. Meat and dairy utensils can never be washed in the same dishwasher at
the same time.
Source: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, adapted from their
interactive CD "Kosher - Sanctifying the Ordinary"
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