How To Observe Kosher
After The Oopsie
To observe kosher at any time requires knowledge.
After something goes wrong, you'll need more.
This brief article is to provide you with a procedure
to follow after making or discovering a mistake.
It's an answer to the question, "What should I do now?".
To observe kosher is to avoid forbidden foods and
combinations of foods. A previous article
Avoiding Mistakes in Your Kosher Kitchen
deals with prevention and describes a number
of ways that a mistake can happen.
A mistake always involves one or both of the following: - Two foods that were combined improperly
(like meat and milk or kosher and non-kosher) - a utensil which contacted the wrong type of food
(like milk in a meat pot or a cheese knife with salami).
Two Principles To Remember
- Consult a competent rabbi.
- Details matter
Why are both of these important?
Here are the possible outcomes of an error:
The food either
1) is still kosher and may be eaten or
2) is no longer kosher and must be discarded or
3) is no longer kosher but may be used, though not eaten or
4) is partly kosher and some of it must be discarded
and as well
the utensil either
1) may be used immediately or
2) is not kosher but can be kashered(made kosher) or
3) is not kosher and must be discarded.
If you get the wrong answer your mistakes
can multiply and spread like a virus.
There are a large number of factors that go into the halacha (legal ruling).
That's why we keep using the word competent
to describe the rabbi you should choose.
As each event is unique, the rabbi will need to weigh all of the factors.
Now here is the information the rabbi may need.
The Details That Matter
What you consider trivial may not be.
Your rabbi may want to know: - What types of food were mixed?
- What were the quantities?
- What was the cooking or combining method?
- How hot was the food?
- What type of utensils were used? Made of what materials?
- When was the utensil last used? For what purpose?
- When did the mistake happen?
- Where did it happen?
The more of these questions that you can answer, the better.
Here's What To Do
I have kept the detail in this article to a minimum.
It is meant to answer your one question - Now what? -
after an accident.
The answer is:
- Don't use the food or utensil but
- Don't throw it out either.
- Consult a competent rabbi.
- Have detailed information available.
- Ask a separate question for each event - the answer may be different.
Click here for more rigorous information on how we observe kosher.
To kasher (make kosher) utensils see "Setting Up From Scratch"
Return to
" Design and Organize a Kosher Kitchen"
Return to Home Page
|
