Search results for: ""Bishul akum""

Bishul Akum: Prestigious Cooked Foods
Do not eat bishul akum (foods cooked by non-Jews under these conditions):
  • Prestigious, which a king or president of a country might serve at a state meal. (Foods that would not be served at a wedding are certainly not subject to bishul akum.)
  • Foods cooked in a regular stove/oven.
  • Foods that are only eaten cooked, such as:
    • Asparagus;
    • Eggs;
    • Some types of fish (not those eaten raw); and
    • Meat.
Foods that are sometimes or usually eaten raw are not subject to bishul akum, but they must be edible raw, without any further preparation.
Examples
  • All fruits.
  • Many vegetables.
Note For a food to be considered edible raw, more than 10\% of the population near where you are must eat that food raw. Even if that food is eaten raw by most of the people in another country, you may only consider the people in your own locale.
Example Even though Japanese eat a lot of fish raw, only Jews living in Japan may consider raw fish free of bishul akum restrictions.
Note Ceviche, cold smoked salmon (lox), and foods that have been marinated or soaked in brine, vinegar, or other liquids are not considered to have been cooked and are permitted to be eaten even if wholly prepared by non-Jews, but not if the foods are cooked.
 
For a Jew to eat prestigious, “only-eaten-cooked” foods cooked by non-Jews, a Jew must do some part of the cooking—such as lighting a flame or participating in the cooking.
Note Bishul akum laws do not apply to foods cooked in a microwave oven or induction coil cooker.
Bishul Akum: Prestigious Cooked Food
Do not eat bishul akum (foods cooked by non-Jews under these conditions):
  • Prestigious, which a king or president of a country might serve at a state meal. (Foods that would not be served at a wedding are certainly not subject to bishul akum.)
  • Foods cooked in a regular stove/oven.
  • Foods that are only eaten cooked, such as:
    • Asparagus;
    • Eggs;
    • Some types of fish (not those eaten raw); and
    • Meat.
Foods that are sometimes or usually eaten raw are not subject to bishul akum, but they may be edible raw, without any further preparation.
Note Bishul akum laws do not apply to foods cooked in a microwave oven or induction coil cooker.
Examples
  • All fruits.
  • Many vegetables.
Note For a food to be considered edible raw, more than 10\% of the population near where you are must eat that food raw. Even if that food is eaten raw by most of the people in another country, you may only consider the people in your own locale.
Example Even though Japanese eat a lot of fish raw, only Jews living in Japan may consider raw fish free of bishul akum restrictions.
Note Ceviche, cold smoked salmon (lox), and foods that have been marinated or soaked in brine, vinegar, or other liquids are not considered to have been cooked and are permitted to be eaten even if wholly prepared by non-Jews, but not if the foods are cooked.
 
For a Jew to eat prestigious, “only-eaten-cooked” foods cooked by non-Jews, a Jew must do some part of the cooking—such as lighting a flame or participating in the cooking.
When Hechsher NOT Needed
Processed Food without Hechsher: Is It Kosher?
 
If a processed food does not have supervision/hashgacha, here are some issues to consider:
  • Ingredients;
  • Utensils/processing equipment;
  • Bishul akum/“prestigious” foods that require Jewish involvement in the cooking;
  • Heating system (recirculated steam?);
  • Heter for milk without being supervised - which conditions and countries can be relied on;
  • Non-food ingredients (lubricants, preservatives, emulsifiers...);
  • Reliability of the producer;
  • Is the non-kosher ingredient batel/nullified?
    • ownership (Is the food's producer or owner Jewish?)
    • intended consumer (Is the food being produced specifically for Jews, or is it for the public and Jews are some of the customers)?
    • Was the non-kosher substance added intentionally?
    • Does the non-kosher substance have flavor?
    • Was the non-kosher substance added for flavor?
A hechsher/kosher supervision is not needed on:
  • Beer made in the US (and sometimes in other countries).
  • Nuts (dry roasted) without additives.
  • Olives--assumed to be kosher unless mixed with ingredients that may be non-kosher, such as:
    • Vinegar (sometimes made from grapes).
    • Non-kosher chemical preservatives (in commercially sold olives).
    Note In open markets in which olives are sold in bulk, you may eat olives after checking the ingredients.
  • Olive oil (extra virgin).
  • Pure fruit juice NOT made from concentrate (such as orange or pineapple juice) does not normally require a hechsher (except for grape juice, which always requires a hechsher!).
    Note Juices from concentrate might have kashrut problems due to the vats in which they are cooked or pasteurized. If you can verify how the juice was processed and that there are no kashrut problems, you may use the juice without a hechsher. There may also be problems with juice made from fruit or vegetables which were grown in Eretz Yisrael, due to orla, shmitta, teruma and maaser.
  • Scotch whiskey--even where it might have been aged in sherry casks.
    Reason Any sherry would be nullified as less than 1/6th. 
    Note Other types of whiskey may not be kosher because:
    • Glycerine may have been added;
    • The whiskey may have been owned by a Jew during Passover in a previous year; or
    • Milk, or alcohol derived from milk, might have been added.
  • Sugar (confectioner's) needs kosher supervision only for Passover. Regular sugar never needs kosher supervision (currently).
  • Unprocessed foods such as
    • Raw fruits and vegetables (but might need to be checked for insects), and
    • Water, but some unfiltered tap water might have tiny creatures in it which make the water non-kosher.
Note Several websites list additional foods that do not need supervision to be trusted as kosher.
 
Jewish Festivals: Asking Non-Jew To Turn on a Stove or Oven
You may directly ask a non-Jew to turn on a stove or oven for you.
NOTE Be careful about bishul akum problems if a non-Jew will then be cooking food for Jews on that stove or oven.
Shalom Bayit: Non-Observant Parents and In-Laws

Ba'alei teshuva often have problems with issues of kashrut in their parents' homes. Pots, dishes, and utensils might not be kosher or toveled. Consult a rabbi. Questions of bishul akum (cooking that was done by a non-Jew) might apply to non-shomer Shabbat parents, but the custom is to be lenient.

If the parent's kitchen is known to be non-kosher, food must be prepared with care (see How To Use a Non-Kosher Kitchen). If the parents do not lie to their children, they may be trusted as to the source of food and its kosher status.

Since we may not eat from dishes or utensils that have not been toveled (immersed in a mikva), you may  want to consider toveling your parents' dishes or utensils, or using disposable goods. In such cases, it is OK to use china that has not been toveled.

Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Microwave Ovens
As with conventional ovens, these factors determine kosher/non-kosher status for a microwave oven:
  • Was it clean?
  • Did the interior surfaces get hot (120° F--49° C--or more)?
  • Was it used in the previous 24 hours?
Note Microwave ovens do not have the problems of bishul akum that conventional ovens have.
Spicy/Charif Soaking: Long Enough To Be Cooked: Food and Utensil
Food soaked in brine, vinegar, or any spicy liquid for long enough to be cooked if heated on a burner or in an oven will absorb or transfer gender or non-kosher status from/to any utensil used with it.
Situation Neutral/pareve food in brine, such as spicy pickles or spicy olives, sits in a container for long enough to become cooked.
Status
  • If the container is dairy, the food will become dairy.
  • If the container is meat, the food will become meat.
Note You may not eat this formerly pareve food with food of the opposite gender.

Situation A pickle with spicy/charif pickle juice is placed into a dairy utensil/container (even if unused) for long enough to become cooked.
Status The pickle will become dairy and may not be eaten with meat.
Note This example does not apply to any type of glass container.
Note Food soaked in brine by a non-Jew does not become subject to bishul akum.
NoteEven if the utensil had not been used for more than 24 hours, a spicy/charif food will “revive” the gendered or non-kosher taste in the utensil. The utensil will then make the food gendered or non-kosher. Consult a rabbi for possible exceptions.