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Keeping Kosher is a central
deed that instills holiness in a body while it enters. This matter
can have very strong effects and outcomes on your spiritual and
physical life.
Here is a short concise guide to kosher cleaning the kitchen and
utensils for the year round. (Passover contains deferent rules)
To maintain a kosher kitchen, you would also need to know some
basic Kosher
Food Information.
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Dishes
and Silverware
 It
is essential to have separate sets of dishes for dairy and meat products.
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 "Dairy" or "Meat" . Many
Judaic stores and online Judaic 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.
Tablecloths, 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 separate tablecloths,
(cloth) napkins, placemats and other similar items. While laundering may
be suitable to making it kosher (particularly if mistakes are made), it
is advisable to have a separate meat and dairy set because you may forget
before using them which type of food was eaten on them last
Refrigerator
Used refrigerator needs only to be cleaned. Care should be taken that
containers and pots
should not smear the shelves or drip on other containers.
Tables/Counters
Need only to be cleaned. All hot pots require trivet
in order to place them on the counter top. Obviously, two or three
sets of trivets are needed for hot meat, dairy, and pareve utensils.
(pareve - non-meat or dairy)
The Stove Top and Grates
Used stove tops and grates should be thoroughly cleaned
with a product similar to Easy Off. Electric burners need to become
red hot. After cleaning, the gas grates on the stove need to be placed
in the oven for 1 hour at broil to make it kosher. The area between
the burners is considered non kosher since both meat and dairy posts
are cooked on the stove.
Oven
If you have a self-cleaning oven--clean all areas not
touched by the self-cleaning process with Easy Off until clean and
then run through a 2 1/2 hour cycle. For regular or continuous clean
ovens, one must thoroughly clean all six surfaces of the oven, door,
and the racks with Easy Off or another suitable cleaner. If one cleaning
does not suffice, a second cleaning is required. After 24 hours of
non-use the oven is ready to be heated for 1 full hour at above broil.
Then one can use the oven for meat and dairy if either the meat or
milk food is double fully covered and the oven is clean. The rack
itself should not be used with direct contact of food. For. a. Broiler--See
Toaster Ovens.
Dishwasher
In a case of great need or loss of money, an enamel
coated or plastic coated used dishwasher can become kosher. First
the entire inside must be cleaned. Care must be taken to take apart
and clean the traps, strainers and revolving armatures. After waiting
24 hours of nonuse, run the dishwasher 3 times at the hottest water
temperature by raising the temperature control on your water heater
to its hottest, 2 hours prior to making it kosher. The dishwasher
then must be designated for meat or dairy. Preferably boiling water
should be poured on the racks.
Microwave Oven
Should be thoroughly cleaned and then wait 24 hours of
nonuse A cup of water should be boiled inside on high for 20 minutes
until the entire microwave has been steamed. Then move the cup to
a different spot and redo the process to get the whole ground. One
can use the microwave for meat and dairy the same as an oven. The
glass plate bottom should be Kashered by pouring boiling water upon
it and separate plastic plates should be used for milk and meat plus
a complete cover around the food.
Toaster Oven
Should be made kosher like a regular oven. Afterwards, it
can only be used for meat or dairy, but not both. The broiling rack
or toaster rack can only get kosher by making the entire rack red
hot with a propane torch. It is advisable to just replace the rack
or use another pan on top of it and not place food directly on the
original rack.
Toaster
If no really non-kosher product
was used--the toaster could become kosher. Thoroughly clean the toaster
by shaking and brushing it out. Turn toaster on for 5 minutes with
a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the slots.
The Sink
Sinks can get kosher by
first thoroughly cleaning all surfaces and the faucet with steel wool
and waiting 24 hours of nonuse Then boil up water in a kettle and
pour a direct stream of boiling hot water from a kettle on every area
of the sink. This should be done in sections about 3 inches wide.
Separate racks are still needed to use in the sink for meat and milk
after a thorough cleansing between their uses. Separate sponges for
meat, milk, and pareve are required.
Kashering
Dishes, Cutlery, Pots, and Pans general follow basic rules
The utensil must
be absolutely clean from any food substance or rust residue. This
can be accomplished with steel wool, or if necessary, a propane
torch.
If a utensil has cracks or holes that cannot be cleaned, it cannot
become kosher. For example: Knives with handles or graters. 24 hours
of nonuse is required before making it kosher.
There are two methods
of making
utensils kosher. The first method
is placing the item into a Kashering
pot of actively boiling water for about 30 seconds and afterwards
rinsing the utensil in lukewarm or cool water, when possible. This
method is used when an object absorbed non-Kosher food through a
medium of hot water.
The item is then
Kosher and Pareve. This works on the following items:
Metal cutlery 100%
metal pots and pans that were used with water, but not baking
pans, spits, BBQ racks or frying pans.
Plastic utensils ----Melmac-- --Wood without cracks ----Rubber
---Stone
The bowls and mixing blades of food processors and mixers can
be cleaned and become kosher in boiling water. Can openers can
just be cleaned thoroughly. Baking pans, BBQ racks or any other
utensil used without liquid require heating the utensil until
red hot. This method is used when absorption occurred by direct
contact with heat, ex. baking or broiling. In most cases, it is
more practical to replace these items. China, Earthenware, Teflon,
Corningware, Baked Enamel, Porcelain, frying pans, and Pyrex require
Rabbinic consultation to decide if they can become kosher.
Corelle and glass utensils not used on the fire or oven just need
to be cleaned and designated for meat or dairy. Drinking glasses
only need to be cleaned. Pots that are too large to go into boiling
water can become kosher by boiling water up in them and a hot rock
can be added when the water is boiling to assure that the rim is
also covered. Large items that cannot fit in the boiling water at
one time can be turned in order to make sure that all parts are
getting kosher.
Immersion
in a ritual pool
To instill holiness,
both new and newly kosher utensils require immersion in a Kosher Mikveh
especially made for utensils or a natural ocean, lake, or a river
when it has not rained within 3 days. Utensils made in Israel by Jews
do not require immersion. All utensils must be free of label or glue
residue. They must be completely immersed at one time in the water
of the ritual
pool.
All
metal, glass, Pyrex, china, or glazed utensils require immersion.
If some parts come in contact with food, they must be immersed. Concerning
the Blessing. E-mail
our Rabbi
for more details.
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