In Judaism, eating is a religious ritual. Certain blessings are recited and various foods are forbidden. Different kinds of food must be separated as well.

By keeping kosher, you are not only following the Torah, leading a Jewish lifestyle, identifying yourself with the Jewish People, but you are also carrying the Jewish legacy to another generation. Every moment in the kitchen is a divine one - don't miss the opportunity to bring your kitchen to a higher level!

With some time, patience, and the will to make it happen, you can transform your kitchen into a kosher kitchen. 

Here's How:

1.      Oven: Put oven through full self-cleaning cycle. For regular or continuous clean ovens, one must thoroughly clean all six surfaces of the oven, door, and the racks with Easy Off or another suitable cleaner. If one cleaning does not suffice, a second cleaning is required. After 24 hours of non-use the oven is ready to be heated for 1 full hour at above broil. Then one can use the oven for meat and dairy if either the meat or milk food is double fully covered and the oven is clean. The rack itself should not be used with direct contact of food.

2.      Stove Top: Dissemble parts. Thoroughly clean surface and parts with steel wool (or non-scratch pads as needed) soap and water. Reassemble. Ignite fire to high for a few minutes.

3.      Microwave: Clean thoroughly. Put an exclusively parve pyrex glass with 8 ounces of water inside. Turn microwave on high to boil water for 5 minutes. The glass plate bottom should be Kashered by pouring boiling water upon it

4.      Metal Sink: Boil water, and immediately pour onto every inch of the sink.  Follow with cold water.  Porcelain sinks can not be made kosher. 

5.      Nonporous Counter: Boil water, and immediately pour onto every inch of the counter. Consult rabbi if counter is made of porous material (laminate, concrete, ceramic).

6.      Refrigerator: Thoroughly clean with soap and water.

7.      Metal pots and pans: Clean thoroughly. Wait 24 hours. Immerse each piece into a vat of boiling water for 15 seconds. Each part being immersed must be completely surrounded by water. Remove with tongs, and rinse in tap (cold) water. 

8.      Frying and baking pots and pans: Glow with blow torch or in a self-cleaning oven (on full cycle). Given the difficulty of kashering these pieces, replacement with new pieces is recommended.  Teflon pans cannot be kashered.

9.      Silverware (made of one piece of metal): Clean thoroughly. Wait 24 hours. Drop each piece, one at a time, into a vat of boiling water. Remove with tongs, and rinse in tap (cold) water.  Plastic and wood utensils cannot be made kosher. 

10.      Dishes:

o        Valuable porcelain dishes which have not been used for one year may be kashered, with a rabbi's permission, by dipping in boiling water 3 times.

o        Glassware used for cold, or for tea and coffee, may be kashered by soaking in room temperature water for 72 hours, changing the water every 24 hours.  Sephardic minhag on this states merely washing is sufficient in a kashered sink. (We follow Sephardic minhag).

o        Pyrex, because of its ability to withstand heat, is a porous glass (this is what keeps it from breaking).  Therefore, once Pyrex is used for dairy or meat, its status becomes whatever was cooked in it.  It cannot be kashered and its status cannot be changed.  If a mistake is made with Pyrex, it must be given away.  Pyrex used before a kosher kitchen is established is not usable once the kitchen is made kosher and must be given away.

 

Enjoy your new kosher kitchen!!