KOSHER BASICS A GUIDE FOR THE KOSHER HOME EMPLOYEE

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KOSHER BASICSA GUIDE FOR THE KOSHER HOME
EMPLOYEE

• Presented by Star-K Certification

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Well over one million Jewish consumers keep a
kosher home--observing Jewish dietary laws that
have been passed down over thousands of years.
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Keeping kosher is an important part of the daily
life of a Jew. Understanding the kosher basics
will help you assure your observant employers or
clients that their kosher practices will continue.
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Kosher means fit and proper. It does not mean
food blessed by a rabbi. Although kosher rules
might seem very complicated at first, putting
them into practice is like anything else that
takes getting used to----such as learning to
drive a car.
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THE BIG THREEFoods can be grouped into three
broad categories

• Always acceptable as kosher. Includes raw fruits
  vegetables that have not been further processed.

• Kosher supervised. These foods may be kosher when
  produced under the authority of a rabbi or kosher
  certification agency to ensure ingredients food
  processing procedures meet kosher dietary
  requirements.

• Never kosher. The Bible prohibits certain foods
  for Jews, including shellfish, fish without both
  fins scales, pork.

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In kosher products, all of the component
ingredients are certified kosher, including any
processing aids that contact the food. The
production equipment must be kosher, too.
Processed foods must be prepared under rabbinical
supervision. To help the kosher consumer identify
kosher foods, many certification agencies have
put their trademarked symbols on their supervised
products. These symbols include
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THE BIG FOURAll kosher foods can be grouped into
four further categories, as well.

• MEAT Meat, fowl, and their byproducts (e.g.
  soup, bones, or gravy) are referred to as
  fleishig or basar. Kosher fowl and meat (from
  animals that chew their cud and have split
  hooves), must come from a kosher species, and be
  slaughtered by specially trained ritual
  slaughterers. Cows, sheep, goats, and chicken are
  in this category.

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DAIRY This includes all foods derived from or
containing milk, such as milk, butter, yogurt,
and cheese. Even milk derivatives, such as casein
and whey, are considered dairy when used in
kosher foods. These foods are referred to as
milchig or chalav. All dairy products require
reliable kosher supervision.
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FISH Kosher fish must have fins and easily
removable scales.
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PAREVE These neutral foods contain neither meat
nor dairy, or their derivatives. They must also
not have been prepared or processed with meat or
dairy equipment. These include fresh fruits and
vegetables, grains, pasta, soft drinks, fish and
eggs.
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Speaking of eggs, eggs must be checked for blood
spots, prior to cooking them, by breaking them
one at a time, into a glass. According to kosher
laws, an egg containing a blood spot may not be
eaten. Only boiled eggs are allowed to be eaten
without checking for blood spots.
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Certain fruits, vegetables and grains must also
be checked for the presence of small insects and
larvae which would render them non-kosher. These
include Strawberries, raspberries, lettuce,
cabbage, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, dill,
and parsley. In addition, Israeli produce is
subject to special kosher rules.
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More on the subject of pareve

• Pareve foods can generally be served with either
  meat or dairy meals.
• If a pareve food is cooked in a meat pot, it
  should only be served on meat dishes with meat
  serving utensils cutlery.
• If a pareve food is cooked in a dairy pot, it
  should only be served on dairy dishes with dairy
  serving utensils and cutlery.
• If you cut a sharp spicy pareve food (e.g.,
  onions, garlic, lemons, and pickles) with a meat
  knife, it is considered as having a meat status
  and may not be used with dairy foods, and vice
  versa when it comes to cutting one of these
  pareve foods with a dairy knife.

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OTHER KOSHER RULES

• Dairy meat cannot be served together during the
  same meal.
• There is a waiting period (between 1-6 hours,
  according to custom) after eating meat before
  eating dairy, and after eating hard cheese before
  eating meat.

• Even though fish is pareve may be eaten at both
  meat dairy meals, at a meat meal it must be
  prepared and served with separate utensils.
• Fish may be eaten either before or after meat.

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SEPARATE BUT EQUAL

• The kosher home has at least 2 sets of dishes,
  silverware, pots, pans, and utensilsone for
  meat, one for dairy.
• They are kept in separate cabinets drawers,
  marked meat and dairy.
• There is often a color scheme in the kosher
  kitchene.g., red for meat, blue for dairyto
  more easily tell all the meat dairy items apart.

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Since meat dairy must be kept separate
throughout the kosher kitchen, this also applies
to the sink, tables, countertops, refrigerators
and freezers, the stove top, the oven and
broiler, portable electric broilers, small
appliances, and dishwashers. Many kosher homes
also have some separate pareve dishes,
silverware, pots, pans, and utensils.
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THE KITCHEN SINK IN THE KOSHER HOME

• The ideal situation in the kosher home is to have
  2 separate sinksone for meat, one for
  dairysince these dishes utensils cannot be
  washed together.
• If there is only one sink in which both meat
  dairy dishes are washed, the inside of the sink
  is considered treif (non-kosher). Therefore, one
  set of dishes should be washed at a time, using
  separate dish pans atop slightly elevated meat
  dairy racks.
• The sink should be scrubbed clean between washing
  each set of dishes.
• NO FOOD OR DISHES SHOULD BE PUT DIRECTLY INTO A
  SINK THAT IS USED TO WASH BOTH MEAT DAIRY
  DISHES.

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Additional kitchen rules

• Dishes utensils must be dried using separate
  racks or dishtowels.
• Separate meat dairy sponges, scouring pads
  (which require certification if they contain
  soap), and draining boards must be used.
• Sponges scouring pads used to clean a single
  sink must not be used on the dishes, silverware,
  pots, pans utensils.

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The Kosher Table

• A table can be used at different times for meat
  and dairy if different meat and dairy tablecloths
  or placemats are used.

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The Kosher Countertop

• Different countertops or work areas are used for
  meat and dairy. Separate coverings must be used,
  if one area must be used for both.

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Refrigerators and Freezers

• Both meat and dairy foods may be kept in
  refrigerators and freezers, but care should be
  taken to keep them in separate areas to avoid
  spillage.
• It is a good idea to mark the food put in the
  freezer to avoid meat-dairy mix-ups when it is
  defrosted.

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The Stove Top

• Burners can be used for both meat and dairy,
  however, it is wise to avoid cooking meat and
  dairy foods at the same time since splattering
  can occur and hot steam can escape from one food
  to the other causing serious kashrus problems.

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The Oven and Broiler

• Meat dairy foods are never baked or broiled in
  the same oven or broiler at the same time.
• The kosher oven is designated for main
  usageeither meat or dairyand the non-designated
  food is covered, when cooked/heated in it.
• Separate meat dairy potholders are used to
  remove the food from inside the oven.
• Fish meat also cannot be prepared at the same
  time in the oven or in pots.

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Toaster Ovens

• Toaster ovens must be used for either meat or
  dairy, exclusively.

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Microwaves

• The kosher microwave is designated for either
  meat or dairy and the non-designated type is
  double-wrapped before it is cooked/heated in the
  microwave.

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Deep Fryers

• The same deep fryer cannot be used for both fish
  and meat.

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Small Appliances

• Small appliances are designated for either meat,
  dairy, or pareve food preparation.

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The Kosher Dishwasher

• Dishwashers must be used for either washing meat
  or dairy dishes and utensils, exclusively.

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WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT A
UTENSIL, APPLIANCE, OR FOOD THAT MIGHT HAVE
BECOME TREIF (NON-KOSHER)?

• DO NOT PUT IT BACK IN THE CUPBOARD IF IT IS A
  DISH OR UTENSIL.
• DO NOT USE IT FURTHER IF IT IS AN APPLIANCE.
• DO NOT SERVE IT IF IT IS A FOOD.
• MOST IMPORTANTLY, DONT BE AFRAID TO TELL YOUR
  KOSHER EMPLOYERS OR CLIENTS ABOUT A KOSHER
  MIX-UPTHEY WILL PROBABLY THANK YOU FOR BRINGING
  IT TO THEIR ATTENTION!

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Examples of the types of mistakes that can occur
in a kosher kitchen

• If you stir a pot of chicken soup with a dairy or
  pareve spoon.
• If you cut a piece of cheese with a meat or
  pareve knife.
• If a drop of milk spills into a pot of hot dogs
  cooking on the stove.
• If you topped a hamburger with cheese.
• If you heated up a piece of chicken in a dairy
  toaster oven.

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If a mistake is made, your employer/client will
need to consult a rabbi as soon as possible about
what action must be taken on the pots, baking
pans, and utensils, for advice about clearing up
the issue.

• Put the questionable items aside, remember the
  circumstances details of the mistake
• What type(s) of food, utensils, dishes or pots
  were involved?
• How was the food prepared?
• What was the approximate temperature of the food
  utensils involved?
• When was the utensil in question last used prior
  to the mix-up?
• What was the amount of food involved?

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REMEMBER Although the ingredients may be
entirely kosher, if they are cooked in the wrong
type of pots or appliances, or stirred with the
wrong type of utensils, they lose their kosher
status. Similarly, if they are cooked in
non-kosher pots pans or in a non-kosher oven,
or produced on machinery previously used for
non-kosher food, the food loses its kosher status.
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Kosher cooking must be initiated by your kosher
employer/client. He or she must ignite the flame
or turn on the electricity used to cook or heat
up food you are preparing, whether it is through
boiling, baking, frying, deep frying, or
roasting. Microwaving is not included in this
kosher law.
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SPECIAL DAYS ON THE JEWISH CALENDAR

• THE SABBATH (a.k.a. Shabbos or Shabbat)
• The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday
  night lasts until one hour after sundown on
  Saturday night.
• All Sabbath cooking must be done before Sabbath
  candle lighting time.
• These candles, over which prayers are said,
  should be left to burn out themselves.
• A festive meal is served on the Sabbath on a
  specially set table, as on Jewish holidays.

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PASSOVER

• An 8-day Spring holiday commemorating the Exodus
  of the Jewish people from slavery in ancient
  Egypt to freedom nationhood, that has unique
  kosher laws.
• Certain grain products their derivatives may
  not be eaten on Passover, although they are
  kosher year round.
• Many communities do not eat legumes or their
  derivatives on Passover.

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This means no bread or bread products, pizza,
pasta, cereal, etc. are eaten or brought into the
kosher house during the 8 days of Passover.

• Actually, once the kosher kitchen has changed
  over to a Kosher for Passover status (sometimes
  days before the Passover holiday), one should not
  bring in or eat non-Kosher for Passover food in
  the house until the kitchen has been changed back
  to a non-Passover status after the holiday.

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ADDITIONAL KOSHER FOR PASSOVER RULES

• The equipment with which Kosher for Passover
  foods are prepared must also be Kosher for
  Passover, to be considered acceptable for eating
  on Passover.
• All processed packaged foods must bear a
  reputable kosher symbol, as well as the letter
  P following the symbol, or the words, Kosher
  for Passover.

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THE KOSHER KITCHEN UNDERGOES AN EXTREME
(CLEANING KOSHERING) MAKEOVER TO PREPARE IT
FOR KOSHER FOR PASSOVER STATUS.

• All dishes utensils used year round are stored
  away.
• Only special Passover dishes, silverware,
  cookware, which were stored away throughout the
  rest of the year, are used each year during the
  holiday. They are stored in cabinets that were
  emptied cleaned for Passover.

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IN CONCLUSION, REMEMBER THESE RULES

• If you are asked to shop for your
  employer/client, buy only in stores he or she
  chooses, and only those products, brands, and
  kosher certifications he or she prefers. Do not
  make changes without asking!
• Keep the kitchen set up the way your
  employer/client has set it up.
• Keep the kitchen utensils organized the way your
  employer/client has them organized.
• Kosher cooking must be initiated by your kosher
  employer/client. He or she must ignite the
  flame/turn on the electricity used to cook or
  heat up food you are preparing, whether it is
  through boiling, broiling, baking, frying, deep
  frying, or roasting. Microwaving is not included
  in this kosher law.
• When you clean up after the meal, keep in mind
  meat and dairy separation.
• If you are unclear about any of the kosher rules,
  ask your employer/client to explain them to you.
• Dont be afraid to let your employer/client know
  if there has been a kosher mix-up.