How to Kosher Your Kitchen

Kashering your kitchen is a necessary step for anyone wishing to follow kashrut, the body of Jewish law that explains which foods are acceptable and how to prepare them. The most important part of kashering a kitchen is keeping storage and preparation items for meat and dairy products separate.^[1] If you clean and kasher your kitchen methodically from large appliances and surfaces to small utensils and cookware, you can save yourself time and live according to Jewish tradition.

EditSteps

EditPreparing to Kasher

1. Purchase disposable plates and utensils for use while you kasher the kitchen. Because plastic and paper do not require kashering (the process of making kosher), use these while you separate and clean your kitchen.^[2] Use paper plates and plastic silverware for meat and dairy products once before discarding.
   
2. Separate meat and dairy dish sets fully. Use and label separate storage spaces, like cabinets and fridge areas, for meat and dairy items. You will also need to use separate cookware, utensils, salt and pepper shakers, bread trays, draining racks, dish towels, and tablecloths for meat and dairy items, as these items also cannot be prepared together or eaten at the same meal.^[3]
   
   • It is common to use color-coding to distinguish between the meat and dairy items. For example, buy a blue set of cookware for meat and a red set for dairy.
   • If you cannot buy entirely new sets, use a kosher paint pen to specify which food category that utensil should be used for.
   • Cabinets or pantries do not require kashering, as it is assumed that kosher food will be stored securely inside kosher containers. However, feel free to deep clean the cabinets to hold to the true spirit of kashrut.
3. Store dairy products in the fridge door and meat products on shelves. If you need to keep both meat and dairy on the shelves, place them on separate shelves with a layer of foil underneath to prevent leakage onto lower levels. If leakage occurs, discard the contaminated food item below and place a new layer of foil underneath your items.^[4]
   
4. Set aside utensils and cookware for now. You will want to kasher your kitchen from top to bottom, working inward from big to little items. This is to avoid storing kashered items in un-kashered locations in the kitchen.
   
5. Buy kosher-certified food only after your kitchen is kashered. There are strict limitations on what counts as kosher. Luckily, there are several organizations that have begun labeling certified items. Look for OU (Orthodox Union), OK, Star-K certification labels. Some communities have their own certification labels, so research your local kosher practices.^[5] Throw out questionable items and food that you know is non-kosher.
   
   • Kosher meat must come from animals that chew the cud and have split hooves. Predatory fowl cannot be eaten, slaughter must be precise and painless for the animal, blood must be removed from meat, and dairy must come only from kosher animals.^[6]

EditCleaning Your Surfaces and Appliances

1. Use different tables and countertops for meat and dairy. If the same surface must be used for both, use different coverings such as tablecloths and placemats for each type. Do not place meat and dairy foods on the same table at the same time. Wash cloth coverings in hot water between uses.^[7]
   
2. Set up a divider in your sink. Optimally, there would be two sinks, one for each food type. If you only have one, set up a kashered divider in the middle of your sink so that no food or water splashes onto the other side or use two bins inside the sink.^[8] If cross-contamination occurs, pour boiling water over the whole sink and wait 24 hours before use.
   
3. Disassemble and clean all appliances. Break down stovetops, fridge interiors, and small appliances into their parts. Clean every part with a strong kosher cleaner, such as the ones made by Aviglatt, including the interiors of the oven and microwave.^[9] Reassemble your appliances.
   
4. Turn on stove burners. Leave coil burners on until they glow red, and boil detachable gas stove grates in water to kasher them.^[10] Your main stovetop can be used for meat while a portable burner can be used for dairy. If you cannot use separate stoves, dedicate burners to each food type, and do not prepare meat and dairy foods at the same time.
   
   • If you must prepare meat and dairy at the same time on the stovetop, keep lids firmly on pots and pans, and only open one at a time to prevent the mixing of steam and liquid byproducts.
5. Buy a portable toaster oven. Meat and dairy foods can never be cooked in the oven at the same time, even in separate bakeware, so dedicating a separate appliance to one food type can save time. To kasher the oven for exclusive meat use, run the oven at 450 degrees for several hours. To protect the broiler during food preparation, cover the bottom of your bakeware with foil.
   
   • Self-cleaning ovens are able to kasher themselves between the cooking of meat and dairy if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Wait 24 hours after you have run the self-cleaning cycle before using the oven for the other food type.
6. Purchase attachments for blenders, mixers, and food processors for each food type. While it is not necessary to use a different motor between pareve (containing no meat or dairy), meat, and dairy foods, you will need to clean all external surfaces of the motor between uses.
   
7. Steam the microwave. Heat a bowl of water on high in a kashered vessel for about 10 minutes. This will need to be done between uses for meat and dairy items. You can also place your container of food inside another locked container before microwaving to avoid kashering the microwave between each use.^[11]
   
8. Use the dishwasher only for pareve foods. Wash all meat and dairy items by hand instead of running them through the dishwasher as cross-contamination will occur if meat and dairy cookware are washed together.
   

EditKashering Utensils and Cookware

1. Divide your utensils and cookware into kasherable and non-kasherable. All items purchased from or used by a non-Jew (Gentile) require kashering. Metal and glass can be kashered, but porcelain or earthenware cannot because those substances absorb food particles permanently.^[12] Utensils made of plastic do not require koshering unless they were used or sold by a Gentile. Wood, paper, bone, unglazed earthenware, or any materials that will be damaged by prolonged exposure to boiling water cannot be fully kashered.^[13] Throw out non-kasherable items.
   
   • If your item is made from two or more materials, follow the rules for the dominant material. For example, if your spoon is primarily metal with a wooden joint, purify it in a mikvah with a blessing. If a cutting board is primarily wood but has a metal detail, immerse it without a blessing.^[14]
   • Consult a rabbi for the rules on blessing your kitchen during the kashering process as it varies widely between traditions.
2. Clean kasherable items thoroughly. You will need to use kosher-certified sponges, soaps, and scouring pads to remove all food, rust, and grime from utensils. If you choose to use paint to distinguish between meat and dairy sets, this does not need to be removed prior to kashering. However, glue left behind by stickers must be removed, which can be done using orange or eucalyptus oil.
   
3. Locate or make a mikvah. A mikvah is a special pool that is connected to a natural source of rainwater and is used for many immersion (tovel) rituals.^[15] If you do not have regular access to a mikvah, you may make one at home by boiling water in a pot, discarding the water, and using the pot as a mikvah.
   
4. Immerse utensils in the mikvah. Place clean utensils into the mikvah one at a time, and leave them for at least 15 seconds.^[16] Rinse kashered utensils in cold water after removal from the mikvah.
   
   • Allow water to return to a boil before removing the first item and adding another.
   • If a utensil is too large to fit in your mikvah, you may kasher it one side at a time by flipping it with tongs after the full immersion time has elapsed.
5. Kasher pots and pans in the mikvah in the same way as utensils. If a pot is too large to immerse, you can use a larger vessel (be sure to boil water in it first) or locate a natural body of standing water to immerse it in instead.
   
6. Wash fabric items such as aprons, oven mitts, napkins, and tablecloths in the washing machine. Use the “hot” setting and make sure that no food particles remain on any cloth surface. Wash fabric items between each use or between preparing meat and dairy items.^[17]
   

EditTips

• Cleaning your kitchen items thoroughly before immersion or torching is key.
• Consult a rabbi for guidance. You can request an appointment with a rabbi to come to your home to evaluate your kitchen and assist in making changes.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Buy Kosher Food
• Keep Kosher
• Kosher Meat
• Prepare for Passover

EditSources and Citations

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