Cooking Archives - AskTheRav

Can I melt coconut oil on Shabbos? Can I use it then for massage?

You cannot melt it on Shabbos. If it's already melted you may massage it lightly for pleasure. Otherwise, one may not give a massage on Shabbos. Sources: להמיס…

I have a question about cooking a roast in a bag in the crock-pot. I fill the pot with water and potatoes I put the meat in a bag with spices and tie it shut and put it on top of the potatoes in the water. I would like to put this up on Friday to eat Shabbos day. Is this allowed?

The food should either be half cooked before Shabbos, or there should be at least 1 piece of meat that's raw. For more information see here: Halacha2go.com #478 There…

Can I warm up a cold Challah (or other dry baked foods) on Shabbos day by putting it in an oven that is on from before Shabbos? Or directly on a Blech?

Oven that's still on - No. כך נפסק בכ"מ, ראה לדוגמא שו"ע אדה"ז רנג, טו. Oven that's off - Yes, provided it’s not scheduled to turn on through…

What can I do to warm up my makeshift Mikvah in my bathtub on Shabbos / Yom Tov?

Shabbos you may add hot water even from a kli rishon as it will not be able to cook the water. You may add hot water on yom tov…

Can I warm up a chocolate cake on Shabbos on the Blech where chocolate will melt inside the cake?

One may not place a chocolate cake in an area where the chocolate will melt. In addition to the issue of actively melting something, there are concerns of cooking.…

Is an oven with Cook-time or Stop-time Mode acceptable for Shabbos use?

There are many ovens on the market, and it is impossible in this short space to investigate and address every single model. The best we can do is provide…

Am I allowed to use a commercial warmer on Shabbos with a timer, so I can put things in before Shabbos and the timer turns off itself on Shabbos making me be able to take whatever is in there out after it turns off?

Yes. However, the food must be at least half cooked before Shabbos, see halacha2go.com #753. ראה שאלה #3506 #5506

Does cholent need to be cooked before Shabbos starts?

If it's on a Blech, it doesn't need to be cooked. But then you may not put it back on the fire on Shabbos. If it's not on a Blech,…

I often have guests on Shabbos who struggle with keeping Shabbos. Sometimes when we wash for Netilas Yadaim, one of them might turn on the hot water to wash their hands. May I turn off the hot water once they already turned it on?

Water faucet may not be turned off. The reason: turning off the faucet causes to stop the flow of additional cold water, resulting in heating up the cold water…

Can one put up cold water in an urn immediately before Shkiah on Friday, if forgot to do it earlier? What if one has many guests or a baby that would need hot water during Shabbos?

The water must be at least half-cooked before Shabbos. In the event it was only a third cooked before Shabbos it may be used on Shabbos. However, one may…

האם אפשר לשים מצה במרק (כלי שלישי) בשבת?

יש מחמירים גם בכלי שלישי. טעמים ומקורות: כ״כ להדיא ביראים סי׳ עדר. וראה גם בב״ח או״ח שיח. (ומש״כ אדה״ז שיח, יא להתיר בעירוי מכ״ש - יתכן דהיינו לולא…

May I buy Keilim from someone who cooked food in them on Shabbos B’Meizid? How about buying kosher products that were cooked in these Keilim?

The Keilim may be bought but must first be kashered. Food cooked in these Keilim are forbidden. טעמים ומקורות: ראה מג״א שיח, א. פמ״ג בא״א. תהל״ד א. ובאו״א -…

האם למנהג חב”ד אכן נמנעים מלהשתמש בשעון שבת, לדוגמא בשביל מזגן או פלטה שלוקחים הרבה חשמל וכו’. במילים אחרות, האם יש מקום למנוע לעשות זאת?

מעיקר הדין - מזגן מותר. בפלטה - מותר להשתמש בשעון שבת רק להפסיק פעולתו אבל לא אם השעון שבת מפעיל את הפלטה בשבת, וכל שכן שאסור להניח אוכל לח…

If my oven is set on a timer to keep food hot, can I open and close it on Shabbos while it’s still on?

No. When the oven door is opened, the thermostat will detect the cold air that rushes in and will activate the heating element if it is off at that…

Can I put a potato Kugel on top of a plugged in crockpot on Shabbos?

If the potato Kugel is still warm then you may, if however the potato Kugel is completely cold then you are not allowed. #4050

We estimated, based on texture and looks, that a piece of meat was cooked Kimachol Ben Drusoie and put it on the Blech. On Shabbos when we took the meat off, we realized that it was not cooked (the meat was very red), can we still eat the meat on Shabbos? We have other foods to eat as well for the meat course.

If you put it on the Blech before Shabbos, you may even put something which is not cooked Kimachol Ben Drusoie. However, so long it’s not fully cooked, you…

I saw on the website that its forbidden to use a Sous vide for Shabbos, I’ve read elsewhere that its allowed. Can you please clarify?

Full Question: I read the article regarding the usage of Sous Vide on Shabbos, I also noticed an article from the OK on this topic, among other things they…

Can one ask the cleaning lady on Shabbos to fill up the hot water samovar? And if it Is not permissible, are there any lenience’s to still use it for baby formula?

One may not ask a non-Jew to heat up water on Shabbos. However, if you have no hot water for the baby bottle or if needed for baby food,…

If someone told a cleaning lady on Shabbos morning that the Cholent Crock-Pot is too hot, she then went and turned the Crock-Pot off. When he saw what she did, he told her that is not what he meant, so she turned it back on to the lowest setting. Is this okay? Is it okay to eat from the Cholent?

If the cleaning lady made a mistake and you did not tell her anything, for example she mistakenly switched off the light and then she re-lit it, or she…

Can a sous vide be used for Shabbos? What is the correct way to do it? We are thinking about making something in place of Cholent for Shabbos day.

It may not be used on Shabbos, but is permissible for use on Yom Tov. An excellent comprehensive article about Sous Vide for Shabbos has been written by Horav…