Kashrus Archives - AskTheRav

I would like to Kasher my Fleishig oven to Milchigs, make some Milchig food and then Kasher it back to Fleishigs. I was wondering how I would go about that? My oven has a clean button.

An oven may be Kashered by turning on the self clean for a full cycle. When Kashering from Milchig to Fleishig one may Kasher even by leaving the oven…

Is it permitted to drink plain coffee (or tea with a hechsher) at a Starbucks and the like?

For coffee in general, see halacha2go.com #66: Does a coffee shop need a Hechsher? See also attachment p. 53, for an excellent review of the issues in Hebrew. As for…

I have an electric stove with a glass top, not an induction stovetop. Up until this point it has been used only for Fleishig. Can I use it for Milchig outrightly as we generally do with gas stoves or is this different? And how?

Electric burners with a glass stovetop are different than gas burners in that the glass will also need to be Kashered. Due to the extremely technical and halachic difficulties,…

Do I have to ensure that the pretzels that are used by a kosher store in their pretzel breaded chicken cutlets are Pas Yisroel?

Yes, as pretzels are subject to the laws of Pas Yisroel. See here. Sources: חידושי חת"ס יו"ד קיב, יב. דרכי תשובה קיב, מט. ערוך השולחן קיב, לא. וראה אצלינו…

תפוחי אדמה שהתבשלו בסיר בשרי שאינו בן יומו – ונתערב בו חמאה. מה הדין?

מותר לאוכלו. מקורות: ראה רמ"א סימן צ"ה סעיף ב וראה ט"ז סוסק"ד. ואם מותר לבשלו לכתחילה ע"ד לאכול עם המין השני, שקו״ט בכ״מ. וראה חכמת אדם כלל מ"ח…

Are the Chanterelle Mushrooms kosher? How are they to be checked for bugs?

Chanterelle Mushrooms are kosher. I am not familiar with a specific method to check these mushrooms for worms (which is very common in this type of mushrooms). It is…

I’m a psychotherapist. Can I meet and conduct sessions with (non- Jewish) clients in a non-kosher restaurant, like a local McDonald’s.

You should not meet at a non kosher restaurant. בשו״ת אג״מ או״ח ב, מ כתב לאיסורא משום מראית עין וחשדא. וראה שם או״ח ד, פב. (ולהעיר שמה שהתיר במקום…

Do we have to wait 6 hours for meat after eating Feta cheese?

Yes. https://asktherav.com/5441-6-hours-cheeses/ Reasoning: Feta is an aged hard rennet set cheese cured is in brine between two to six months, however it doesn’t have a very hard texture, and…

Is it necessary to wait 6 hours after eating regular hard cheese like mozzarella, Munster, cheddar cheese, before eating fleishig? As a general rule, Is Parmesan considered aged cheese nowadays hence rendering it a ‘6 hour cheese’?

Mozzarella and Munster cheeses - are soft cheeses and they are aged on average for 30 days. There is no need to wait six hours after eating them. Note that…

I put a dry tightly closed plastic container with Pareve food inside of a dry non-Kosher microwave without double wrapping it, for one min of heat. What is the status of the food? What is status of the container?

The food is Kosher. Even the container is permissible if we can assume more than 24 hours passed since the microwave was used for non-Kosher. If in doubt, you…

Is it OK to not use place mats or a tablecloth for Milchig or Fleishig, on a glass table?

Any time a hot food item or a hot pot that is wet on the bottom (or if the table is wet) is placed on the table, it potentially…

Sharing hot water urn with Non-Jews

Full Question: I share an office with some non-Jews. We have in our office a hot water dispenser; you put your cup underneath the faucet and you press a…

Is it true that quinoa is (currently) infested with worms that are microscopic?

There are different brands of quinoa and different standards in terms of quality. Quinoa in general is not known to be an infested grain. However, this depends on season,…

I received prenatal vitamins from the hospital that do not have a Hechsher. Can I use them?

You would first have have to see if there is a Kosher version of the ones the hospital gave you. If none are available -which is unlikely - and…

Is Coca-Cola without a Hechsher acceptable? What about with a Hechsher? I’ve noticed that in 770 they don’t serve Coca-Cola, and only sell the one from Israel, is that for a specific reason?

Coca cola is certified by the OU, and a OU symbol is required. Rav Landau from Bnei Brak has a separate line of production with his Hechsher. As far…

I noticed that Sweet and Low has cream of Tartar. Is there a problem of using it since cream of Tartar is derived somehow from wine?

There is a way for it to be considered kosher according to the Shulchan Aruch (see Yoreh Deah 123:16). The reason is that the wine crystals become so deteriorated…

A corelle Fleishig plate was found in the Milchig sink after being used for hot Milchig pizza. What should be done with the plate?

The plate should be thrown out, since corelle cannot be Kashered. In desperate situations, where one’s financial situation is tight, and throwing it out is a significant loss, there…

Is the OU without Pas Yisroel enough for Twizzlers? It is made with wheat flour.

The flour in Twizzlers isn’t a primary ingredient. Although they are cooked using ingredients that cannot be eaten raw, there is no issue of Bishul Akum for the reasons enumerated…

If I paint glass with oil based paint pens is there a Kashrus concern in baking them in a kosher oven?

If it's toxic (I.e. inedible) or if it is double wrapped, there is no concern. #5570

There is a new way of checking for bugs that I heard about it, using the thrip cloth. According to Lubavitcher Rabbanim, is that an acceptable way to check for bugs and can replace checking every leaf of herbs etc?

Asktherav.com strongly encourages the use of the thrip cloth or shmate method but recommends doing sample checking the regular way too. ראה מש״כ ח״א בקובץ עץ חיים באבוב…