OUkosher.org

Monday, December 21, 2009

Ask the Rabbi

Dear Rabbi:
While visiting the Summer 2009 Fancy Food Show in New York it was indeed impressive to see more OU certified companies than ever before featuring baked goods, chocolates, olive oils from all around the globe, condiments from Turkey, rice from India, tea from Australia and the list goes on. But I did not notice too many exhibits featuring OU certified cheeses, soft or hard cheeses produced in Italy, Spain, Chile… Why is that? Are there special kosher laws for cheeses? Someone told me that it was more difficult to kosher certify cheeses than chocolate chip cookies. Is that true?
Awaiting your response, with thanks.
Dear _______________:

In truth, there are some top-quality kosher cheeses from Italy and other European countries which bear the OUD symbol. However, as you noted, the number of such cheeses is quite limited – and for good reason.

Although acid-set cheeses such as cottage cheese and cream cheese are not difficult to certify — for like chocolate chip cookies these cheeses are kosher so long as their ingredients and equipment are kosher— rennet-set cheeses such as cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan, edam, feta and so forth have special requirements which must be met in order to qualify as kosher.

Kosher rennet-set cheeses need full-time, on-site rabbinic supervision, similar to kosher meat and wine. Unless a company has rabbis conveniently living nearby who are interested in spending many days at the plants without compensation for their time, the cost of kosher rennet-set cheese making is quite considerable. Aside from the travel (and often lodging) costs associated, manufacturers must be able and willing to invest in the hightened supervision requirements.

These cheeses, in order to qualify as kosher, also necessitate that the supervising rabbis personally add the rennet (or activate its automated entry) to each vat of milk. This means that the rabbi(s) must be present and very involved in the cheese making process.

The rennet used in many international (and organic) cheeses is often animal-based. Kosher cheeses cannot use animal-derived ingredients. This has resulted in the OU’s rejection of some cheeses for kosher certification.
Since “regular” (unsupervised) rennet-set cheeses are deemed non-kosher, cheese plants must often have their equipment kosherized and their brine replaced for kosher productions. These are delicate and sometimes costly processes.
Don’t give up, though. The number of international cheese companies which seek to enter the kosher market is steadily growing. All good things take time…

Rabbi Andrew Gordimer

Rabbinic Coordinator OU Kosher – Dairy Specialist

Recipe for Success: The Making of an OU Restaurant

Kosher dining definitely ain’t what it used to be. “Will it be French, prime rib or sushi tonight?” is not a question kosher diners would have ever imagined asking before the last quarter of the twentieth century. Yet, it looks like the growing attraction to the more exotic kosher fare has joined the classic craving for pastrami on rye with a side of pickles.

Despite the fact that restaurant businesses constantly face hefty competition and a high risk of failure, a growing number of kosher dining enterprises are defying the dismal statistics. Whether offering an elegant ambiance or fast-food flurry, they’re breezing the critical five-year trial period and booming way beyond it.

“Today’s OU kosher restaurants seek to provide upscale cuisine,” says Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher, “with a tasteful milieu to match.” And the kosher public is savoring each opportunity.

As the kosher consumer’s palate yearns for a more elaborate, worldlier cuisine, the OU’s impeccable supervision required increasingly more sophisticated programs. “The amount and range of ingredients used in restaurants is much broader today and the availability of kosher components is fantastic,” says Rabbi Yaakov Luban, Executive Rabbinic Coordinator. “The kosher supervising agency has to determine whether certain ingredients can be used; it is the role of the Rabbinic Field Representative (RFR) to make sure those standards are implemented.”

Meet the “Rabino” in the Kitchen

A phone call comes in to OU headquarters from a Manhattan restaurateur interested in opening up a kosher eatery. As with every applicant, Rabbi Leonard Steinberg, rabbinic coordinator in the new company department for fourteen years, informs him that the OU requires that he employ a full-time onsite kosher supervisor called a mashgiach temidi (Hebrew for a continuous RFR). The OU supplies the professional, but the owner pays for his services. “That’s usually the biggest hump to get over,” says Rabbi Steinberg. “Since a restaurant needs constant supervision, a mashgiach temidi is necessary. Aside from all the ingredients going into the myriad dishes on any given menu, what makes an OU certified restaurant 100 percent kosher is the vigilance and acuity of ‘the rabbi in the kitchen.’”

If the restaurant agrees to a full-time RFR, the OU conducts an initial inspection of the establishment in order to determine what equipment, dishes, cutlery, etc. need kosherizing. After the details of the contract are finalized, the owner receives a letter of certification and the OU appoints an RFR, the sole keeper of the keys to the refrigerators, freezers, ovens, cabinets, as well as every other kosher-sensitive area in the place. In every sense, he is an OU-certified restaurant’s key man.

By accepting the position as OU Kosher restaurant supervisor, the OU-trained RFR takes on one of the most demanding jobs in the kosher world. He is not only a kosher connoisseur; he’s a manager, sleuth, diplomat, teacher, scientist, inventory control expert, vegetable-checker, with a knack for foreign languages and, according to Rabbi Yermia Indich, Rabbinic Coordinator (RC) for twenty-five years, “has eyes in the back of his head.”

“The RFR has to be on top of everything,” says Rabbi Indich, “from the moment he opens the doors until he locks up at night.” In between, he turns on the ovens (Kosher law mandates that a Jew participate in the cooking of foods); checks deliveries to confirm each product has proper kosher certification; meticulously cleans and checks vegetables – making sure they are free of bugs; cracks the eggs – checking them for forbidden blood spots, all the while monitoring the kitchen crew to ensure that all is running according to strictly kosher guidelines.

“Unlike big manufacturing companies, in a food service environment, things can go wrong in the snap of a finger,” says Rabbi Steinberg. “In a factory, they use 55 gallon drums of ingredients and get deliveries far less frequently (than restaurants.) We obligate them to have only what’s in their schedule and produce according to what we’ve outlined in the contract, whereas a restaurant could receive orders throughout the day and at any time decide to put something new on the menu. It requires a lot of supervision.”

Apparently, OU-certified restaurants welcome the rigorous oversight. “We wanted a nationally recognized certification known for having a clear and solid set of rules and standards,” says Steven Traube, managing partner of two popular restaurants on Manhattan’s east side, The Prime Grill steakhouse and Solo, which offers “Mediterranean with an Asian rub.”

According to Rabbi Zvi Zinstein, RFR for five years at Mike’s Bistro on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, establishing this sense of teamwork with the kitchen crew is critical to the success of his job. “The most challenging part is helping them realize that I’m not a barrier for them,” he says. “You have a chef who has been working in a kitchen his entire life and now he’s not allowed to even turn on his stove or oven; that’s hard for him to understand. If they see that I’m going the extra mile, they’ll go the extra mile for me.”

Rabbi Zinstein, who’s been working in food service since the summer of his fourteenth year, not only goes the extra mile, he racks up plenty of reward miles every workday. He’s the first to arrive and the last to leave. In between, he cleans 25 pounds of vegetables (plus an array of herbs), keeps close track of the restaurant’s daily order inventory; he’s on top of orders that go out and deliveries that come in (consulting with the chef and bartender to make sure they have everything they need), and oversees the kitchen throughout the six-hour dinner service stretch. By 11:30 p.m., he’s locked up the refrigerators, dry goods, wine and front door and calls it another successful OU-Kosher restaurant day.

“I’m gratified that kosher diners can eat high-end food, something that wasn’t available to them before,” says Rabbi Zinstein. “At the same time, it comes with a major responsibility; the OU puts its name on the line. As the RFR, I’m the one making sure it’s kosher. I can’t let anything slip by and deem it not a big deal.”

But he never feels he’s shouldering the task alone. Thanks to the OU’s abundant at-the-ready RC’s and resources, the RFR’s find their job a lot less daunting. “If something comes in with a dubious kosher certification, I call Rabbi Indich,” says Rabbi Tzvi Margo, RFR at Eden Wok, a kosher Chinese and sushi establishment in Midtown, Manhattan. “He will tell me yes or no or ask that I fax over the label. Rabbi Indich allows me to call him at his own home if need be. The RC’s are always available.”

To ensure that the OU’s policies are operating up to par, a designated outside RFR conducts unannounced visits to the over 30 OU-certified restaurants across Manhattan. “I don’t want to give the impression that I’m there to catch anyone,” says Rabbi Issar Mordechai Fuchs, RFR. “I’m not there to police them; I try to be there for them.”

Rabbi Fuchs helps keep the RFR’s on top of their innumerable tasks, while keeping himself apprised of all the duties covered; he supplies each with a protocol list, as well as logs and checklists to fill out regularly. His schedule includes visits to an average of ten restaurants per week. “I’ve developed a good relationship with the RFR’s, as well as the restaurant owners,” he says. Save, maybe, one innocent grumble. “There’s a restaurant where they complain that the RFR is in the kitchen too much,” says Rabbi Fuchs. “I like those kinds of complaints.”

Habla-ing Español, Taking the Heat and Dodging Curve Balls

With Manhattan’s constant influx of immigrants filling food-service positions, the RFR’s have had to ensure that the kitchen crew knows exactly what is expected of them in a strictly kosher environment. They’ve peppered the workplace walls with signs in appropriate native tongues, stating: No outside food or beverage permitted in the kitchen; All deliveries must be checked by rabbi; Do not turn equipment on; and All vegetables must be checked by rabbi.

“I’ve learned to deal with people of different nationalities,” says Rabbi Margo. “I speak a form of ‘Chinglish.’” He’s also learned to apply his vegetable-checking skills to Chinese cabbage (ten heads per day) and nori seaweed. In his four years at Eden Wok, he has developed a discerning Chinese-food palate “Lately I’ve been running around the kitchen trying to figure out what to eat,” he says. “I’ve tried them all.” (Sesame chicken remains his favorite.)
Just as employees are expected to keep up with the rigors of maintaining a kosher kitchen, the RFR’s quickly learn to adjust to the difficulties that come with working in a continuous cooking environment, especially in the summer, when the kitchen temperature can exceed 100 degrees. “At the height of the morning, nine or ten fires are burning simultaneously,” says Rabbi Margo. “It can feel like a sweat bath!”

Despite the hot summers and the long hours, Rabbi Margo takes pride in his work and never underestimates its importance. “Kosher customers are relying on me,” he says. “They are putting their (religious) observance in my hands. Employees ask me why I spend so much time looking at broccoli. (Truth is), they see that this person who appears a little different from them is taking so much care in doing his best for the customers.”

Since every step of every day’s food preparation demands a flawless “live performance,” the pressure behind the scenes runs high from opening to closing. “In a catering facility or hospital, you know what to expect,” says Rabbi Zinstein. “You know exactly how many guests are coming and how much vegetables you need to wash. In a restaurant, you never know how many people will be walking in each day. There are always curve balls – a change in the menu that day or the chef wants a certain product that needs to be checked out. It’s a lot more intense.”

The surprises are not always food-related. While interviewing Steven Katchen, manager of Mendy’s Kosher Delicatessen, a popular high-end deli with five locations across Midtown Manhattan, his chef interrupted our conversation with some urgent news. Mr. Katchen promptly informed me that he had to go. “I have a refrigerator to fix.”

“The most challenging part of the job is maintaining one’s cool,” says Rabbi Schreier. “It happens that, due to extenuating circumstances, an RFR can’t come in to work. We keep a list of potential RFR backups, (just in case). It’s a 24/6 job.”

Some restaurateurs welcome the drama. “There’s always disasters that have to be dealt with,” says Mr. Traube. “A hood broke down; our main drain is clogged. It’s the nature of the restaurant business; that’s what keeps it exciting.”

Others view the constant contact with the public as a character-building experience. “It’s my favorite part (of the job),” says Bracha Silverstein, owner and operator of Dougie’s in Brooklyn, NY. “I get to meet a lot of people. Because they (also) come with a lot of expectations, it can get challenging. One has to swallow one’s pride.” She makes sure not to take it to heart. “You can’t take care of all of their problems in a dinner.”

Nonetheless, many are discovering that going out to a first-rate kosher restaurant certainly couldn’t hurt. According to Rabbi Steinberg, OU Kosher upscale eateries are here to stay. “They’ve proven to have longevity,” he says. “They are great places to take clients and wine and dine them.” He attributes these triumphs to the winning working relationship these establishments and the OU consistently enjoy. “Communication is our strong point,” he stresses. “They realize that we are partners. We want their businesses to succeed and we want kashrut to succeed.”

Jose Meirelles, owner of Le Marais, an acclaimed Midtown Manhattan kosher steakhouse and Clubhouse Café, a Portuguese wine bar (across the street), concurs. “The OU explains the kosher issues in a straightforward way that (even) a layperson can understand,” he says. A graduate of the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan, Meirelles says he managed to overcome what he calls his “biggest (kosher) hurdle,” – preparing traditional French dishes without butter. “So, we make our sauces without the extra fat,” he says, “which (in the end) turns out to be more healthful.”

Die-hard deli lovers don’t fret! Pastrami on rye still satisfies. The OU Kosher restaurant “menu” and its devoted service have simply (and scrumptiously) expanded. Go enjoy!

To Help Whet Your Appetite:
The above mentioned restaurant owners’ and RFR’s’ favorite dishes:

Steven Traube: managing partner of The Prime Grill and Solo – Porcinni Mushroom Soup.
Steven Katchen: manager of Mendy’s Delicatessen – A tie between Skirt Steak and Burger Deluxe, medium rare
Bracha Silverstein: owner and operator of Dougie’s, Brooklyn – Steak Caesar Salad
Rabbi Zvi Zinstein: RFR at Mike’s Bistro – Gnocchi, fried potato dumpling
Rabbi Tzvi Margo: RFR at Eden Wok – Sesame Chicken
Jose Meirelles: owner of Le Marais and Clubhouse Café – Le Marais’ Prime Rib for Two and Clubhouse Café’s burgers

How Sweet it Is! Jams and Jellies Reflect Their Own Kosher Issues

People have enjoyed the sweet taste of processed fruit for ages. Jams and jellies were originally produced many centuries ago in Middle Eastern countries where sugar cane grew naturally. The returning crusaders introduced these products to Europe and they became quite popular by the late Middle Ages. When the Spanish arrived in the West Indies in the 16th century, they preserved the fruit using domestic sugar cane. It is interesting to note that the word jelly can be traced to the French word “gelée” which means “to congeal.” Some claim that marmalade was created in 1561 by the physician to Mary, Queen of Scots. He mixed orange and crushed sugar and this product was able to contain her seasickness.
Throughout the years, marmalade has been a king’s delicacy. Many different types were served to royal families. Louis XIV had magnificent feasts which concluded with marmalade and jellies served on silver dishes. Some of the fruit was grown in his own garden.
The early settlers in the United States preserved fruits with honey, molasses or maple sugar. Pectin was extracted from apple parings in order to thicken jellies. In 1897, Jerome Smucker first pressed apple cider at a mill in Orrville, OH. (The corporate office of Smucker is still located here.) Subsequently, Mr. Smucker started producing apple butter. Paul Welch received the first grape jam patent for the puréeing of grapes in 1917. The product was named grapelade and the entire production was purchased by the United States Army and went to the troops during World War I. This product was made in large quantities because the soldiers enjoyed it so much.
In 1940 the Food and Drug Administration established the Standards of Identity to define jam, jelly, preserves and fruit butter. The FDA decided that jelly is compiled of fruit, whether concentrated or unconcentrated and it lacks pieces of fruit. Jam is made from crushed or chopped fruit; it does not contain chunks of fruit. Preserves consist of large or whole pieces of fruit; the fruit is suspended in the syrup base. Preserves are not as smooth as jam or jelly. These items usually contain sugar, pectin, corn starch and lemon juice.
Marmalade is another type of preserved fruit. This is a soft jelly, usually citrus based, which contains the peel of the fruit or its flesh. The sweetness of the jelly is offset by the bitterness of the peel. Fruit butter is fruit purée or pulp containing sugar, lemon juice and spices. It is cooked slowly in order to obtain a smooth consistency, but does not contain any butter. Fruit spread is a reduced calorie product that has fruit juice concentrate and low calorie sweeteners replacing some or all of the sugar.
There are a number of issues pertaining to the kosher status of these products. Grape juice can be an important ingredient for preserved fruit. Grape juice is a kosher sensitive item and it requires special rabbinic certification. Therefore, if grape juice is used one must be careful about its kosher status. Flavors are also of concern. Since flavors can be created from many different sources, then proper certification is a must. Another ingredient which must be monitored is the defoamer. Since it is a fatty acid product, it therefore requires proper certification. In addition, processed fruit that are Kosher for Passover may not contain any corn syrup. There is a tradition not to consume any legume products on Passover and thus corn syrup may not be utilized during the holiday.
Presently, the most popular products are grape jelly and strawberry jam. Other favorites include grape jam, red raspberry jam, orange marmalade, apple jelly, apricot jam, peach jam and blackberry jam. These products account for approximately 80 percent of United States product. Another 28 flavors include the remaining 20 percent.
Research has shown that children prefer jelly while adults usually consume preserves. It has also indicated that the average child will eat 1,500 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by high school graduation.
Jams and jellies are quick energy foods. They contain half the calories of butter or mayonnaise. An added bonus is that they lack fat. OU certified companies include J.M. Smucker Co., as noted above, of Orrville, OH; Roseland Manufacturing, whose brand name is Polaner, of Roseland, NJ; Clearbrook Farms of Sharonville, OH; Hero of Latham, NY; Clements Foods of Oklahoma City; Amazing Fruit Products Ltd. of Toronto; Meduri Farms, Inc. of Dallas; and SkylarHaley LP of Alamo, CA.

Rabbi David Gorelik joined the Orthodox Union as an OU Kosher rabbinic coordinator in 1995. Born in Holyoke, MA, he pursued his post-high school studies at Yeshiva University, where he received his B.A. degree as well as his rabbinic ordination and a Masters degree from its Bernard Revel Graduate School specializing in Medieval Jewish History. Rabbi Gorelik also spent time studying at the renowned Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel.

Prior to joining the OU, he served on the rabbinic staff at the Park East Synagogue in New York City, and as rabbi in Richmond, VA from 1991-1995.

Married and father of three children, Rabbi Gorelik resides in Passaic, NJ where he assists the communal board with kashrut administration. At OU Kosher, Rabbi Gorelik is rabbinic coordinator for General Mills, as well as companies producing cereals, jams and jellies, dried fruits and nuts, and snacks. He also administers the OU’s yoshon flour program.

Par-Way Tryson—Preventing Kosher Food from Sticking for Four Decades

Ever cook or bake something only to have it not emerge from the pan in one piece? Imagine this same issue as it confronts a restaurant or commercial bakery, cooking or baking on a large scale. In Los Angeles in 1948, H. Wayne Hanson, the founder of Par-Way Tryson, had just this problem in mind when he invented an oil-based release coating for cooking surfaces. He owned a bakery and was looking for something to substitute for mineral oil, the release agent commonly used at the time. He had a friend who was performing experiments mixing different oils in order to create a blend that could be put on airplane wings to stop ice from forming on them. This gave Mr. Hanson the idea of mixing different oils for baking purposes. His original cake pan oil was a blend of soybean oil, mineral oil, and lecithin, a highly refined soybean oil product. The cake pan oil proved to work so well that eventually Mr. Hanson left the baking business and decided to devote himself to making oil-based products.
Around 1963, Vegalene, Par-Way’s signature product, was developed. Again, Mr. Hanson was looking for a substitute for something commonly used at the time, in this case butter and shortening for frying foods, such as eggs, in pans. If you have ever been in a hotel or restaurant kitchen you have probably seen the orange, red, and white aerosol spray cans which, as one writer put it, “are to professional chefs and bakers what Pam is to housewives—timesavers in a can.”
Kosher supervision has played a significant role in the history of the company. Vegalene was OU certified within a few years of its appearance on the market. One of Par-Way’s early marketing representatives, Marvin Chazin, successfully sought to expand the company’s business by selling the product to hospitals in the Los Angeles area. When he approached a hospital with a kosher kitchen he was asked if the product was kosher. Par-Way immediately pursued kosher supervision, and the multi-decade partnership between the OU and Par-Way was born.
Further products invented by Par-Way were a “trough grease” to line the sides of dough troughs or bins, produced using a thickening process similar to the one used to make margarine, and a cake grease for cake pans, containing wheat starch and also produced with the same process. Henceforth bakers would not need to apply oil to a pan and then dust with flour in separate steps.
Vegalene’s bottle evolved over the years. It was originally poured from a simple glass bottle. Later it was sold in a soft, squeezable bottle, and then a bottle with a trigger-sprayer. In the early 70’s, Par-Way began to sell it in the now-familiar aerosol can. Perhaps just after whipped cream, it was one of the first food products to be combined with aerosol technology. The company eventually held patents on many of the oil products themselves and also on different sprayers and related processes and equipment. At one time, the company also had a division called Spray Dynamics, now an independent company, which manufactured equipment to apply oil to surfaces and foods.
Although the company was founded in Los Angeles, its main plant, producing its aerosol products, is now in St. Clair, Missouri. It still maintains a secondary plant in Los Angeles, producing oil-based products in drums and pails.
Par-Way products have endless, sometimes surprising, applications. The products are used for anything that needs to pop out in one piece from a pan or mold, such as candy, and Vegalene was even once used to de-mold windshields for fighter jets!
According to Gary Sherman, Plant Manager for the City of Commerce Plant in California, “Our decision to go OU required us to focus on higher quality ingredients, which helped make ours a superior product. Our company is convinced that being OU Kosher and pareve has always been a benefit in increased sales and will continue to be an important part of our marketing.”
Par-Way Tryson has remained a relatively small company, perhaps best described as a family business, but it can forthrightly state that it invented all its products, which have had a transformative impact on many sectors of the food-processing industry.
Par-Way Tryson Company, the makers of Vegalene, is located at 107 Bolte Lane, St. Clair, MO 63077, 636-629-4545 or 800-844-4554. Visit us at http://www.parway.com and http://www.vegalene.com.
Rabbi Menachem Adler is Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Par-Way Tryson.

Denomega’s Omega-360TM – A Complete Omega-3 for the Kosher Consumer

Fredrikstadt, Norway-based Denomega Nutritional Oils is a leading pioneer of premium taste and odor free Omega-3 ingredients and tailor-made solutions. Denomega focuses exclusively on premium Omega-3 and launched the first ever taste and odor-free Omega-3 ingredients for functional foods.
The demand for Omega-3 enriched products continues to grow in the marketplace and Denomega continues to grow ahead of the market. The company has doubled its sales in the functional food segment since last year and has around 20 percent market share in the Omega-3 market for functional foods.
Creating Omega-360TM is not a skill that is learned overnight. Denomega has been a pioneer in the refining of marine-based oils since 1912. With nearly a century of experience, Denomega now facilitates easier application of Omega-360TM into many foods, supplements and beverages.
Omega-360TM may be called the world’s only “extra virgin marine oil” because it so pure, fresh and natural. Omega-360TM contains the natural broad spectrum Omega-3 profile to provide the full health benefits of Omega-3. Omega-360TM is not made from concentrates, nor has it been artificially, chemically or genetically modified. The goal for all production is to keep the processing to an absolute minimum, because Denomega has a strong belief that this will ultimately benefit the consumers’ health.
Omega-360TM is therefore a perfect Omega-3 product for the kosher home. The OU certification and symbol on our products let the market and consumer know that we are dedicated to the kosher standard. The extra credibility the OU symbol offers for Omega-360TM products has enhanced our reputation in the marketplace and we are proud to have our products certified by the OU. We will continue ensuring that our Omega-360TM product line maintains the highest quality and food safety standard and the OU symbol further strengthens this claim,” says Dr. Elin Kubberød, Marketing Manager of Denomega.
Rabbi Chaim Goldberg is Orthodox Union rabbinic coordinator for Denomega Nutritional Oils.

For Fish and Fjords, Norway Can’t Be Beat

It is natural for most Americans to associate Norway with clean, pristine waters. Many Norwegians themselves take pride in how well the country controls pollution and preserves its fjords and glaciers. Ferry service connecting two sides of the same major highway is considered a normal form of transportation (though I was captivated by the views along the way!).
For the OU, Norway’s beauty extends past the shorelines, though sometimes not that far! Norway is the home of many fish and fish oil suppliers, and this past March, I got the chance to break in my new digital camera on the sights of Norway, accompanied by the head of the Jewish community in Oslo, Rabbi Joav Melchior.
My flight into the country on Icelandair from New York to Oslo (with a stopover in Reykjavik) made clear the strong relationship between Iceland and Norway. Having been to Iceland a few years back, for me a certain similarity between the two was immediately striking. While many people note the closeness in sound between the languages, the political systems and even the history shared by the two from the time of the Vikings, my first observation of both was the tremendous physical shape the vast majority of the population apparently enjoys. I even asked Rabbi Melchior if there is any obesity in his country at all! Apparently, the abundance of water sports, forests through which to hike and play, and the easy access to quality fresh fish are just what the doctor ordered!
Spending a night on an airplane flying to Europe might not be the best way to prepare for a day’s work, but when you have a limited amount of time on the ground, every second counts. With Rabbi Melchior behind the wheel, it seemed like our first stops (Denomega’s pilot plants in Fredrikstadt and Sarpsborg) were right next door!
The next day, we flew out to Kristiansund (not to be confused with Kristiansand, though if you accidentally confuse the two, the difference between the cities is a mere 900 km) where Norway exhibits some of its most panoramic views. Here we dropped by GC Rieber, one of Norway’s finest refineries of fish oils.
Following our visit, we were treated to a two-and-a-half hour drive to Alesund through what has to be one of the longest Kodak moments anywhere. From snow-crested mountains in the background to Rockwell-esque fishing villages in the foreground, whatever I was able to catch between naps was quite the treat! Here in Alesund, we were introduced to one of the finest fish oil extraction facilities to be found anywhere in Fjordlaks, as well as the most state-of-the-art refinery at Denomega’s plant just across the parking lot.
With our work day finished, what better way to relax than a midnight flight to frozen (and difficult to find a hotel room in because of a government conference the same day) Bodø? We thought so too!
Figuring that the good folks at Bodø Sildoliiefabrik probably were not available at 1:00 a.m. when we made it into town, we decided to come back in the morning to see their brand new kosher-dedicated herring silage manufacturing plant. (Silage is fermented, high-moisture fodder that can be fed to cud-chewing animals like cattle and sheep, or used as a biofuel feedstock for anaerobic digesters.)
Next it was time to drive back to the airport for a trip to Stokmarknes (at 68° 34’ 51” North of the Equator – more than four degrees farther north than Reykjavik). It was here that we took a 40-minute cab ride to Maritex, home to some of the highest quality cod liver oil in Norway.
After our visit, the next stop was…the airport, of course! Arriving at Oslo in the early evening, the chance to eat dinner at the usual time was a treat indeed (and the salami I brought from New York had been waiting for me for days!)
The next morning before my flight home, Rabbi Melchior took me to see the beautiful main synagogue in Oslo, which was visited the past June for the first time in the more than 100 years of the community’s history by Norway’s King, Harald V. Here the community presented the king with a framed Hebrew and Norwegian print of the blessing recited every week during Sabbath services for the well-being of the country and the royal family.
Our last stop was the one to which I was most looking forward, a trip to a local supermarket before my flight home. (Did you think I would leave such beautiful fish behind?) The size of the seafood section was astounding. Though kosher supervision clearly has room to expand here in Norway, the offerings to be found in the seafood section would leave any pescetarian with a lifetime of viable options. The average American supermarket might have a door or two in the freezer section devoted to seafood and maybe a small fresh case. In the supermarket I visited in Oslo, there were thousands of square feet in the corner of the store covering everything which could possibly emerge from the depths.
After filling my cart with a full checked bag worth of frozen trout and smoked salmon (I brought along an extra suitcase just for such an emergency), it was time to head back to New York and start my (now well-stocked) seafood diet.

For a fish fancier, a fish beats a fjord anytime. Norway has plenty of both.
Rabbi Chaim Goldberg has been chasing both wild and farmed fish around the globe while managing the OU Fish Desk for the past seven years. A fan of thrills and adventure, Rabbi Goldberg frequently educates and amuses kosher fish customers from ages 6-99 both in scheduled lectures and through viewings of his critically acclaimed OU educational video, “The Kosher Fish Primer.” Rabbi Goldberg lives with his wife and three children in Brooklyn, NY.

What a Difference a Year Makes: Jelly Belly Grows with the OU

Since Jelly Belly Candy Company converted its entire 190 confectionery delights to become OU kosher certified in 2008, the company has seen whole new markets open. “It’s a sweet world,” reports Herman Rowland, Sr., chairman of the board and fourth generation candy man.
New distributors have signed on and new points of distribution have opened to Jelly Belly Candy Company’s flagship product line, Jelly Belly® jelly beans. The company, headquartered in Fairfield, CA, has enjoyed sales increases in the U.S. and international markets among large populations of vegetarians who seek out kosher products, as well as among consumers around the world who are committed to religious dietary laws.
“OU certification has opened doors for us. It is an extremely well-recognized sign and consumers seem to feel safer eating products that carry the mark,” Mr. Rowland said.
The company has increased distribution by opening new channels previously unavailable, such as kosher grocery stores. Jelly Belly signed on kosher distributor Klein’s Naturals of Brooklyn to carry the entire line of confections made by the company.
In addition, retailers in the general marketplace where large ethnic populations reside look for OU products to add to their production selection, Mr. Rowland said.
Jelly Belly has supported its outreach to the kosher marketplace with advertising and promotions. The company recently announced plans to participate in a program with the Jewish Children’s Museum of New York that helps educate children on shopping for kosher products.
“OU certification has opened new international channels of distribution in new markets for us and within markets where Jelly Belly was already doing business,” Mr. Rowland declared. “We’ve had great response in Australia, France and the United Kingdom.”
Being OU certified allowed Jelly Belly to distribute in Israel since last year, an option that was not available before. As soon as the OU mark was cleared a new distributor placed an order for the first shipment.
The company operates three manufacturing facilities in California, Illinois and the newest plant in Thailand. The international marketplace is serviced with products made in the Thailand plant which is also OU kosher certified.
“It was very challenging to convert thousands of ingredients in three plants to kosher. We’ve had terrific cooperation in solving the challenges from the Orthodox Union and we look forward to continuing that excellent relationship,” Mr. Rowland said.
The company also reports the licensed Sunkist® Fruit Gems® and Fruit Slices manufactured and distributed by the company are phenomenally successful with the OU certification. The pectin jells with real fruit juices are particularly popular for celebrations from bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, and weddings.
Among the other candies made by Jelly Belly Candy Company, the iconic fall sweet Candy Corn is a tradition. The company has made Candy Corn since 1900 as well as other “mellocreme” type confections. Those made by Jelly Belly are among the few brands of mellocremes on the market certified OU Kosher, a fact that has brought success to one Los Angeles area candy purveyor.
An online store called The Sweet Spot located in southern California is dedicated to candy catering. The husband and wife team of Jay and Shana Sokol cater all sorts of events from corporate parties, to bar mitzvahs, birthdays, baby showers, retirement parties, and weddings with custom designed candy buffets.
Each event is special and unique. Some clients want candy in a color theme, particularly brides planning their reception. Others want a collection of nostalgia candies or kids’ favorites.
The Sweet Spot provides containers, scoops, design and a custom selection of candy. Take-out boxes, printed with the date and name of the event, are provided for guests to choose their favorite candy to go.
“Jelly Belly is one of our favorite brands, particularly because it is kosher. We’ve developed quite a bit of business because Jelly Belly is one of the few companies with kosher certification for mellocremes and all their confections,” Jay Sokol said.

Sidebar
Herman G. Rowland Sr.
Herman G. Rowland Sr. is Chairman of the Board of Jelly Belly Candy Company, makers of Jelly Belly® jelly beans and 100 Confections® by Jelly Belly gourmet candies.
Mr. Rowland is the great-grandson of Gustav Goelitz, a German immigrant who launched the family’s candy making tradition in this country in 1869. Herman Rowland went to work in the business at the age of thirteen. Weekends and holidays were devoted to doing anything that needed to be done, from sweeping floors to candy making.
His personal admiration for Ronald Reagan had a profound impact on the company when Reagan ran for President and the Jelly Belly bean name became renowned worldwide. In the years since, Mr. Rowland has been an innovator for many “firsts” in candy making, such as the nine-inch long Pet Rat®, Prehistoric Eggs™ and the biggest gummi candy ever brought to market, a two-and-a-half-foot gummi snake.
He was honored for lifetime achievement in 1988, was inducted into the Candy Hall of Fame and has received numerous industry awards.
His story is told in Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneur’s Soul and he was invited to write the introduction to Reagan The Hollywood Years by Caroline McGivern. Rowland’s children and grandchildren have positions in the company and are learning the candy business from the ground up, just as he did.

Blended to Perfection: Hero Expands its Kosher Fruit Spread Offerings by Launching Three New Blended

OCALA, FL – Hero Preserves, a part of Hero/Beech-Nut Nutrition, is introducing a new line of Premium Fruit Spreads that are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union, a highly recognized and valued symbol of kosher certification.
Established in the quaint Swiss village of Lenzburg in 1886, Hero has become the gold standard of gourmet fruit spreads around the world. The vision of the original founders was to preserve fruits as gently and carefully as possible, and today that vision still provides Hero with the finest quality fruit products in the world. Hero is the best selling premium fruit spread in Europe. Served in luxury hotels and fine restaurants across the globe, Hero fruit spreads are also the preferred choice of top bakery chefs for complementing artisan breads, pastries, and desserts. First introduced in the United States in 1951, the Hero Group produces more jars of premium jams than any other company in the world.
Hero premium fruit spreads are available in 14 flavors which include the new line of blended flavors. In July 2009, Hero launched three new blended fruit spread varieties, blending fruits with rich natural flavors such as vanilla, to bring a whole new taste sensation to the category. These blends have been a huge success in Europe. Now we are bringing them to North America. There is nothing else like it in the category. Our top-two box scores in consumer research (with close to 80 percent), and our consumer taste panels say our new blended products have extraordinary taste. Hero only uses premium selected fruits from around the world in order to give our consumers the ultimate in quality and taste. We use all natural ingredients, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. While we cannot tell you the secret manufacturing techniques that are contained under every colorful lid, we can share that Hero uses a slow-cook method which preserves the original taste and color of the fruits. Perfected over Hero’s 123 year history, the esteemed Swiss method of making jams can be equated to the quality of Swiss watches and Swiss chocolates. Kosher certification is very important to Hero, which is available nationwide and in over 50 countries. Both of our European production facilities are OU certified to satisfy the majority of our consumers who call for the approval of the Orthodox Union. Hero Premium Fruit Spreads are used not only for the daily indulgence of your breakfast, but also for baking. Our plum fruit spread can be found in the fillings of hamantaschen on Purim and our apricot can be used as a glaze on your next baked chicken. When choosing a kosher certification, Hero chose OU certification because of the prestige it carries in North America and all over the world.
Hero Premium Fruit Spreads are distributed with the OU logo outside of North America and are even found on store shelves in Israel where they have been increasing in market share over the last few years. The Israeli army and police purchase Hero products and have them on their official plan-o-gram.
To view all of Hero’s OU certified preserves visit http://www.herousa.com

Rabbi Chaim Loike serves as Orthodox Union rabbinical coordinator for Hero Preserves.

Traversing the Highways and Byways of Western New York and Pennsylvania

Many people think that to see the real beauty of the United States one must travel to the Rockies, the Grand Canyon, the national parks, Alaska or Hawaii. Let me tell you, there is a great deal of beauty and excitement in our own back yard (if you live in Cleveland, as I do), in Western New York and Pennsylvania. It is my job as OU RFR in those areas to travel the highways, and above all, the byways, enjoying the spectacular scenery while at the same time visiting a host of plants that are OU Kosher. Let’s take a trip together on one of my typical monthly routes.

We start in the small town of Northeast, PA. Please don’t be misled by the name. This town is actually in the northwest corner of Pennsylvania. (Go figure.) Northeast has banks on every corner. Why so many? This town has an extremely high percentage of millionaires. What is the basis of their wealth? Vineyards — tens of thousands of acres of Concord grapes! Northeast is the home of Bay Valley Foods condiment division, which, by the way, has nothing to do with grapes.

Now we drive from Northeast 30 miles to Dunkirk/Fredonia, NY. All we see on both sides of the highway are vineyards. This stretch is along Lake Erie, which provides specific winds, keeping the vineyards at the exact temperature required for their growth.

The Clarion Hotel in Dunkirk is my second home. I actually registered on their computer 134 nights in three years. This hotel overlooks Lake Erie. In winter, the lake is covered with ice. In summer, it is dotted with boats. Within walking distance of this hotel are five OU plants. The aroma of peanut butter produced by Carriage House can be smelled a block away. Carriage House, a division of Ralcorp, is the behemoth condiment producer. The world headquarters of Cliffstar, the world’s largest private labeler of juices is here as well. Of course, the location of these two plants is no coincidence, as they are near the grapes, which they press.

Finally, we get to a huge yellow building. Don’t enter without a coat! This building is the 20-degree below zero freezer for Fieldbrook Farms, the huge private labeler of ice creams with a mouth-watering array of flavors.

Let’s get back into the car and drive east along the Thomas A. Dewey (New York) Thruway. Our next stop will be Perry’s Ice Cream of Akron, NY. This plant is an ice cream lover’s dream. From Perry’s we drive to downtown Rochester NY, home of many kosher plants, and of course, Kodak. Upstate Farms’ fluid milk plant is here, as is Van Lab, the flavor company. Additionally, Pennant Foods, the bakery supplier, has two plants here. Coke has a plant, which is 200 yards from High Falls Brewery, with the beautiful Genesee River running between them, including three sets of waterfalls.

Near Rochester is the home of Fleischer’s Bagels, one of the largest private labelers of bagels in the world. This very high tech company is extremely fascinating. Down the road in Avon is the huge (and I mean huge!) Barilla pasta plant. This plant is so amazingly clean one can eat off of the floor!

We mentioned Lake Erie. Now it’s Lake Ontario’s turn. From Rochester to Oswego within close proximity to Lake Ontario is the very picturesque Route 104: a nightmare in the winter due to lake effect snow; magnificent the rest of the year. In this 50-mile stretch, I have seven plants, including fruit and vegetable processors. Many of the fruits and vegetables are grown close by. Among them is Victor Packing, the sauerkraut producer. Further down we have Mizkan and Fleischmann Vinegar companies. Cahoon Farms produces all kinds of fruit pie fillings. Anyone is invited to taste my chocolate blueberry cake made with blueberry pie filling from Cahoon Farms. No, it’s not dietetic! Helluva Good Horseradish is next. A division of HP Hood, the company produces boatloads of horseradish both for Passover and all year round.

We now switch from the Great Lakes to the Finger Lakes. New York State is famous for the Finger Lakes, which are a series of long narrow lakes, sometimes extending for 30-40 miles. The drive along these lakes is exceptionally beautiful, especially in the Fall, with magnificent colored foliage.
The northern end of Seneca Lake is home to three fruit and vegetable processors. Cherry Pharm and Red Jacket Orchards are premium juice processors. Seneca Foods is the world’s largest vegetable canning company. An interesting anecdote: Red Jacket Orchards (RJO) became OU certified when some Hasidic women in Williamsburg, Brooklyn told a distributor that they would buy the product if it were kosher. RJO chose the Lexus of the kosher industry: the OU! Its sales have skyrocketed ever since becoming certified. RJO premium juices are full of fiber so they are healthy and delicious.

Thirty miles from Geneva is the town of Watkins Glen, the famous home of a racing car track and a state park with gorges and magnificent waterfalls. Under Seneca Lake at Watkins Glen is salt! Cargill and US Salt mine the product from under the lake.

About five miles west of Seneca Lake is the town of Penn Yan. This fascinating town is amazing as it is the home of many Amish families and is also a resort area. Penn Yan is the home of two very unique companies. First is Birkett Mills, a specialty grain miller. Part of the building and some of the equipment is over 100 years old; it is amazing that certain processes haven’t changed in a century. Down the road is CASP, a specialty dairy products packer. Its claim to fame is extended shelf life coffee and cream type products. From July through November my next stop is an Amish farm. My wife loves when I bring home 20 pounds of butternut squash or 30 pounds of peaches to cook.

Also in the Finger Lakes region are two dry mix packers where lots of cake and pancake mixes are produced. They are the Raymond Hadley Company of Spencer, NY and New Hope Mills of Auburn.

Over the hill from Watkins Glen lies Route 17, now called 86, which is the Southern Tier Expressway. Let us drive from Cuba, NY to Binghamton. This remote area of New York State has beautiful rolling hills and much snow in the winter. Probably because cows outnumber people, I have six dairy plants in this area.

Between Pollio’s ricotta cheese in Campbell and Leprino in Waverly is the city of Corning. Known for its glass, here is the home of the internationally known glass museum. And what do you think is made in Corning? You guessed it – not glass. Corning glass is no longer produced here. In fact, exotic fiber optics are produced here.

A few miles from Corning is the large Corning/Elmira airport. There are very few flights here; however, this airport has extremely long runways in case it is needed as an emergency landing strip for diverted planes. There is also an aviation museum in town.

From Binghamton we will proceed northeast towards Norwich, NY, home for as far back as 100 years ago of Norwich aspirins. This area also has many exotic dairy plants, including HP Hood in Oneida and Agro Pharma in South Edmonston. Agro Pharma produces a delicious Greek yogurt, Chobani. Sales are booming and the OU on the label has been a great help. This area is very close to Cooperstown, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and many other tourist attractions. It is a great summer trip even for the non-baseball enthusiast.

Now we swing way north to the edge of the Adirondacks — stunningly beautiful in the summer and treacherous in the winter. Great Lakes Cheese in Adams is only a few miles from the internationally known tourist area, “Thousand Islands.” These thousand islands are in the St. Lawrence Seaway, not in salad dressing. The St. Lawrence Seaway separates the United States from Canada.

Far south from here is the Binghamton area. Frito Lay has a massive plant here. The building is so huge there are actually train tracks through the building dropping off oils for the fryer. Crowley has a fluid plant here as well as Black and White Cookie company, the all natural premium cookie company. Walton is the home of Breakstone Cottage Cheese, the Kraft division, which produces for both year round and Passover. Ultra Dairy in Delhi is where organic milk is produced, fat free but still delicious chocolate milk, and aerosol whipped cream.

Let us now back track all the way back to Dunkirk/ Fredonia, NY. Due south is the city of Jamestown, and continuing south one enters Pennsylvania and the Allegany National Forest area. This area is awesomely beautiful and very historic. Approximately 150 years ago this area of Bradford and Warren, PA is where the first oil wells were discovered in the United States; this area really greased the wheels of invention.

In Western Pennsylvania, not far from the Ohio line, are three plants in the Sharon area. Sharon was known in 1979 as the town where there was a new flag raised every day of the Iranian hostage crisis. Today one still sees the “Boulevard of 400 Flags.”

Charlie’s Specialties, the gourmet pastry company is here, with a product that is high taste, high calorie and high fat. Down the road in another Amish area is a Dairy Farmers (DFA) whey plant. Finally in Sharpsville we find the huge fluid milk plant of Dean Dairy.

We finally end up in the town of Dubois, PA the home of Fresh Harvest River Foods, a specialty condiments packer. Northwest of here, the town of Lake City, PA is the home of Maple Donuts. Finally, west of Dubois is State College, PA, a booming area, home of the main campus of Pennsylvania State University with close to 50,000 students. Don’t even try to get a hotel room when the Penn State Nittany Lions are playing a home game. Outside of State College is the small town of Centre Hall, the home of Hanover Foods, a massive vegetable processor.

You probably wonder if it gets lonely being away from home two to four nights a week. Sometimes it does. However, I find my route extremely fascinating, which keeps life interesting. All the New York State Thruway collectors know me on a first name basis!

I am proud of my relationship with the people in my plants. One plant actually said that they wait for my visit. Another said that I bring energy to their company. I feel that a great working relationship has helped me deal with issues that arise, as some of my plants are quite complicated in a kosher sense.
Altogether, I drive about 45,000 miles a year on behalf of OU Kosher. The road is long, the winters are freezing, the warm months are beautiful, and at the end of each byway is a plant that is certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. In the words of a famous advertising jingle, “I love New York.” I might add, “I love Pennsylvania” as well.

Kosher Tidbits: Informally Exploring the Complexities of Halacha through Technology

Kosher Tidbits, an initiative of OU Kosher which presents audio and visual learning sessions regarding contemporary kashrut issues, is nearing the 150 mark with the announcement of its 143rd production last week, “Onions and Radishes: Proceed with Caution,” with Rabbi Hershel Schachter, OU Kosher Senior Halachic Consultant. Available on http://www.ouradio.org and geared toward the general Kosher-observant community across the globe, Kosher Tidbits are an informal and enjoyable means of developing substantial kashrut knowledge. New Tidbits are added to provide insights into aspects of kashrut in today’s world and to show how centuries old halacha is applied to modern technology processes.

In a series which began in the fall of 2006, spearheaded by Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Safran, Vice President for Communications and Marketing of OU Kosher, Orthodox Union halachic consultants, rabbinic coordinators and rabbinic field representatives provide detailed yet understandable explanations on a plethora of subjects in their specialized fields. The topics are enticingly clever and presented with witty titles to capture all audiences – from those with minimal knowledge of the law who are seeking to learn more; to long-time observers brushing up on the latest kashrut innovations; as well as rabbinic teachers and authorities seeking to learn from specialists in the various areas of kashrut.

New segments will be added regularly, Rabbi Safran promises. “We will never run out of topics because as long as people eat, there will be issues to discuss and explain,” he said. “All the experience our OU rabbis gain in the field and from their learning will continue to be available to an ever-increasing audience around the globe. Kosher Tidbits is more than just a series; it is thorough explanation of how a basic human need, eating, is raised to the level of the sacred with each bite we take.”

Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher declared, “The extraordinary range of knowledge and experience of OU Kosher rabbis is available worldwide, and not only to the companies they serve, through Kosher Tidbits. I congratulate the staff and Rabbis Safran and Eliyahu Ferrell on this extraordinary series, a source of great pride to all of us with any connection to OU Kosher.”

Some of the most recent Kosher Tidbits include; “A Peek at the Peacock,” with Rabbi Chaim Loike; “Oil’s Well that Ends Well,” with Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld; “A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread, and Th’OU,” with Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell; “Kosher Cheese: Overcoming the Hurdles for the Milk that Curdles,” with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer; “Let’s Ex ‘Salmon’ Kosher Fish,” with Rabbi Chaim Goldberg; “Trix Of The Trade: The Production Of Kosher Cereals,” with Rabbi David Gorelik; “ Yours, Mine, and Hours: Waiting Between Milk and Meat,” with Rabbi Eliyahu Ferrell; and “As the World Churns: Aspects of Kosher Butter Production,” with Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer.

Only a click away, these bite-size educational blurbs will have audiences learning and appreciating the complexity and sanctity of the halachic kashrut system.

Lo Basi Ella L’orer - Extended irui

Irui can only kasher the outer layer of a kli. Hot water poured against a cold kli is an example of חם לתוך צונן (hot onto cold) of which we say (Pesachim 76a) תתאה גבר ואדמיקר ליה בלע. The bottom surface succeeds in cooling down the water but not before the water succeeds in kashering the topmost layer.

A kli rishon has the ability to be boleya and to be polet throughout its entire thickness. Therefore, one cannot kasher a kli that was used as a kli rishon with irui, even if the irui is performed with water that is significantly hotter than the temperature of the non-kosher product.

The appropriate way to kasher a kli rishon is according to the manner that it was used.
• A spoon placed into a non-kosher kli rishon al ha’aish – must be kashered in a kli rishon that is on the fire.
• A spoon placed into a non-kosher kli rishon that was off the fire – must be kashered in a kli rishon, but the kli rishon need not be on the fire.

In industry today kettles are most often heated by means of circulating steam or hot water. Yet these kettles are considered to be like a kli rishon even though they are heated with an irui of hot water. Rav Belsky explains that an extended irui of hot water can also create a kli rishon. Because circulating hot water/steam heats the walls of the kettle such that there aren’t any דפנות מקררות (quite the contrary the walls of the kettle heat the inside product), this too can be considered a kli rishon and the entire thickness of the walls requires kashering. The source for this idea comes from Tosfos (Shabbos 40b) who explains the distinction between a kli rishon and a kli sheini. The walls of a kli sheini are cold and cause the contents of the kli to immediately cool down. However, a kli rishon has hot walls that retain the heat and cause bishul. Additionally, the Rashba (Shabbos 42a) says that an אמבטי (bathtub) can be mivashel even if it is a kli sheini, because the water in it is much hotter. Rav Belsky explains that because a bathtub contains a great quantity of water and a relatively small amount of surface area it can retain its heat even though it is a kli sheini. Similarly, a continuous irui of large quantities of hot water although technically a kli sheini, can also be viewed as a kli rishon.

While the appropriate method for kashering a jacketed kettle is by turning on the hot water/steam and boiling up the kettle, in cases of need, one can rely on an extended irui on the inside of the kettle, through the use of spray balls. Roschim water should be sprayed until the walls become saturated with heat and the exiting water does not differ in temperature from the entering water. Typically this process takes about 15-20 minutes. This method is employed for kashering tanker trucks.

Other common applications for which we rely on kashering with spray balls are holding tanks that have no independent heat source but were filled with hot non-kosher product or held cold non-kosher product for 24 hours. Lichatchila, these tanks should be sprayed with roschim water for 15-20 minutes. In cases of need there is room to be more lenient and allow for slightly lower temperatures since the tanks have no independent heat source.

Viewing an extended irui as a kli rishon leads to a stringency regarding kashering pipes. When hot non-kosher product flowed through the pipes for an extended period of time, the walls of the pipe became saturated with heat and bliyos were able to be absorbed into the entire thickness of the pipe. It is therefore insufficient to kasher the pipes by merely passing boiling water through them for one minute. Rather, boiling water must be circulated until once again the walls of the pipe become saturated and there cease to be דפנות מקררות. While there is no exact way to tell how long this will take, other than to manually check the outside of the pipe with a thermometer for the point at which the temperature ceases to increase, typically we can assume that this takes about 15 minutes.

Another issue that has recently been raised concerns the use of CIP systems for both kosher and non-kosher lines. Even if a plant has completely separate lines for kosher and non-kosher, if they share a CIP system in which the waters are circulated back to the CIP tank, then the CIP tank can become non-kosher. Future use of the CIP system on the kosher line can potentially compromise its kosher status. Typically a CIP consists of three or four stages; an initial flush which is usually done below yad soledes, a caustic wash and acid wash which are done above yad soledes and a fresh water rinse which can also be done hot. Although the caustic and acid cycles are typically pagum and do not present an issue, if the final rinse is above yad soledes, and is circulated through the CIP tank this can present a problem. Since every CIP system is built and performs differently, it is important for Mashgichim to be aware of how the systems in their plants operate and report to the office any situations of concern.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Baker’s Cheese: On the Crossroads Between Acid Cheese and Rennet Cheese

Leaf through any cookbook and you will be convinced that baker’s cheese is crucial for gourmet dining. I have heard it said that a cheesecake made with anything other than baker’s cheese is just simply not worth the calories. With its soft, spongy consistency, baker’s cheese fills the gap between rennet cheeses (such as mozzarella and cheddar) and acid set cheeses (such as cottage cheese and cream cheese). As its name implies, it is often the baker’s cheese of choice for creating real cheese fillings for pies and cakes. Although fundamentally an acid set cheese, because baker’s cheese is made with a touch of rennet, it has the proper degree of firmness that gives cheese cake its proper texture. Baker’s cheese lies on the crossroads between acid cheese and rennet cheese, and as we will see, exactly how it is classified will have important ramifications on its kosher status.

From a kosher perspective, rennet is one of the most sensitive ingredients. Although microbial rennet is inherently kosher, because it mimics the effect of animal rennet, there are many restrictions placed on its use. However, it is relatively easy to maintain a kosher program for acid set cheeses, such as cream cheese, which do not require the inclusion of rennet. Baker’s cheese is principally similar to cream cheese in that it is essentially an acid set cheese that is set with a culture; however in dairies today it is made with the inclusion of a small amount of microbial rennet. If baker’s cheese were classified as a rennet cheese, then it would require full time rabbinic supervision, but if it is considered an acid set cheese then periodic reviews of the factory would be all that is necessary.

What is important to note in making this determination is the exact amount of rennet that is added. While the amount of rennet in a rennet set cheese will range from 70 milliliters to over 100 milliliters of rennet per 1000 pounds of milk, baker’s cheese will typically have about 4 milliliters of rennet. Without the addition of the culture, this amount of rennet would have very little effect on the milk. It is for this reason that it is the position of the OU as well as most major kosher certifying agencies to consider baker’s cheese an acid- set cheese.

For those who wish to be extra careful in this area, the OU also certifies chalav Yisrael baker’s cheese which is made with full time rabbinic supervision and all of the stringencies as though it were a rennet set cheese.

Thursday, December 03, 2009

“America’s Favorite Candy”, Tootsie Roll, Goes Kosher

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. today announced that Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Fruit Rolls, Frooties and DOTS have become kosher-certified by the Orthodox Union, the world’s largest kosher certification agency. New packaging bearing the “OU” symbol will be distributed nationwide beginning in the next few weeks.

“We take great pride in producing wholesome confectionery products with fresh ingredients of the highest quality. This will bring our iconic brands to an entirely new consumer base that can now enjoy our products,” said Ellen Gordon, President, Tootsie Roll Industries.

The OU rigorously monitors of all aspects of production. It supervises the process by which the food is prepared, examines the ingredients used to make the food, and regularly inspects the processing facilities to make sure that its standards are met.

“We are very pleased to have Tootsie Roll join with other leading confectionery producers who have attained OU certification in recent years. It was also gratifying for OU to guide Tootsie Roll through the certification process and bring these famous candies to the growing kosher market place,” said Rabbi Eliyahu Safran, OU Kosher’s Vice President of Communications and Marketing. “It was rewarding for OU Kosher’s team, headed by Rabbis Dovid Jenkins and Abraham Juravel, as well as Phyllis Koegel, OU Marketing Associate, to corroborate with Tootsie Roll’s team and bring the much sought after Tootsie Roll products to an ever-growing kosher market place.”

Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. is one of the country’s largest candy companies, headquartered in Chicago with operations in Massachusetts, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Mexico and Toronto. In its 112th year, the company produces more than sixty-four million Tootsie Rolls per day and is considered the world’s largest lollipop supplier. The company sells many well-known branded products including Tootsie Roll, Tootsie Roll Pops, Tootsie Pop Drops, Caramel Apple Pops, Child’s Play, Charms, Blow Pop, Blue Razz, Cella’s chocolate covered cherries, Mason Dots, Mason Crows, Junior Mints, Charleston Chew, Sugar Daddy, Sugar Babies, Andes, Fluffy Stuff cotton candy, Dubble Bubble, Razzles, Cry Baby, Nik-L-Nip and EI Bubble. For more information about the Company, see the Company’s website on the Internet at: http://www.tootsie.com.

A Peafowl by Any Other Name

As he was constructing the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, King Solomon labored to establish extensive and far-reaching trade routes to bring the very best for the service of God. A series of maritime expeditions were launched to the most distant lands; the expeditions returned to Jerusalem carrying an array of goods which the inhabitants had never before seen.

The lands which were visited are named and vaguely described in both Kings and Chronicles, although few of these lands can now be identified. What is known are the items which were brought back to Jerusalem. The Bible records regarding one of the expeditions (Kings 1: Ch. 10 v. 22 similar to Chronicles 2: Ch. 9 v. 21), “For the boat of Tarshish was for the king in the sea with the boats of Hiram; once in three years the boat of Tarshish would come carrying gold, silver, ivory, monkeys and peacocks.” The people of the Phoenician city of Tarshish were the preeminent mariners of biblical times. It was they who traveled to the most distant lands, returning with the most impressive items to display to the people of Jerusalem.

While Tarshish was a city-state located on the shores of the Mediterranean, the domain of King Solomon stretched from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea. Thus, by allying themselves with the ancient Israelites, the mariners of Tarshish gained access to the Far East. Although peacock could have been procured in many places along the coast of the Indian subcontinent, there is linguistic evidence that it was specifically the island of Sri Lanka that was visited. The Hebrew word used in the Bible to identify the peacock is tuki, which is almost identical to the ancient Tamil word for peacock, toka.

Four hundred years after the death of Solomon, the peacock is once again mentioned in the Bible in the Book of Ezekiel; when the prophet bemoans the destruction of Tyre he mentions the ivory and peacocks in which they traded. (Ez. 27:15). In the Book of Ezekiel the birds are no longer referred to as tuki but rather as havonim. This word is similar to the word pavo which is still the name by which peacocks are called in many European languages.

As a result of the civil war which followed the death of King Solomon, Israel’s nautical exploration was put on hold. The Israelites were only periodically able to access the Port of Eilat on the Red Sea and there were only sporadic attempts to renew trade from this area. Despite the decline of the Israelite state, the Phoenicians continued to maintain their trade routes with the Far East, although it is not clear which ports were used to access the Indian Ocean.
When the Babylonians exiled the Jewish people and subjugated the Phoenician city-states, the maritime explorations in the Far East ceased. Two hundred years later, Alexander the Great marched into India and once again began trading with the Far East, this time opening the silk route which was over land. It was only a matter of time until peacocks were once again imported into Israel as well as the other parts of the Greek empire. The birds are discussed in the Talmud, where they are identified as kosher.

The size of the peacock set it apart from the other fowl which was raised in ancient times. Osteological evidence indicates that the chicken which was kept two thousand years ago was only slightly larger than a pigeon. Comparatively the peacock would have been a mammoth centerpiece at any ancient feast. It remained so in Western Europe, until the 16th century when it was replaced by the larger and perhaps tastier turkey. Prior to the arrival of the turkey, period cookbooks often focus on the drama of a dish with peacock. John Baptist Porta (in a work which was written in the 1600’s) recommends cooking the peacock and then adding gold leaf before reattaching the skin and feathers to make the bird look alive. No such attention is lavished on the bird in the 1723 Cook’s and Confectioner’s Dictionary. Two recipes for the peacock are included, none of which involved any gold. In more recent times, the peacock has vanished from even the most elegant restaurants.

Five years ago, I saw live peacocks being sold in a New York meat market for about double the price of a large turkey. I haven’t seen them since. The last recorded listing of the bird among kosher meat was from Italy in the mid-1800s. The OU does not certify the peacock, and there has never been any local demand for the meat of this bird. Perhaps, for a bird as beautiful and graceful as the peacock, it is best to know it is kosher, and leave the actual taste a mystery.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Dairy Industry Training Webinar

On Friday October 16th the OU presented the first of a two-part webinar (Internet seminar) on dairy hashgacha. The second session took place one week later on Friday, October 23. Rabbi Yaakov Mendelson, Senior Dairy RC, moderated the sessions and presented e-mail questions sent in advance and on-the-spot by RFRs; Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer and Rabbi Avrohom Juravel responded verbally and live to the questions.

RFRs were encouraged to e-mail questions about any and all topics relating to dairy kashrus supervision and policy to .

RFRs were sent a detailed dairy kashrus information packet for use during and after the webinar.

There was very positive feedback from Senior Management and RFRs on the success of this webinar in terms of ongoing RFR education and training. We look forward to more such excellent webinars in other industries as well.

The topics that were covered in the webinar were
1. Fluid milk
2. Powdered milk
3. Fresh cream
4. Whey cream
5. Butter
6. Hard cheese
7. Soft cheese
8. Whey
9. Sour cream
10. Yogurt
11. Ice cream

In the following RFR’s were given guidance concerning each topic as to what Kashrus issues they should be aware of as they do their inspections.

Webinar Dairy Issues
By Rabbi Avrohom Juravel and Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

Fluid milk.
When going to a fluid milk plant, it is important to ascertain what else is processed there. While fluid milk is intrinsically kosher, it goes through various processes that could have kashrus problems. These include, but are not limited to: separators, pasteurizers, and storage tanks. Chocolate milk, egg nog, and even chicken soup have been found to be processed on the same equipment as fluid milk. Due diligence is not only a virtue, it is a requirement. Note: In ultra-high pasteurization (UHT) dairies, which make long shelf-life product in boxes or pouches, the likelihood of shared equipment issues is very great.

Powdered milk.
This product starts off as fluid milk, goes through a separator where the cream (fatty part of milk) is removed. From there it goes through a series of evaporators, mixing/holding tanks, and from there to a spray dryer. It is imperative to keep track what the equipment is used for. It can easily be used to dry other materials besides milk, which may not be kosher.

Fresh cream
Fresh cream (also called “sweet cream”) is taken from the milk by putting the whole milk into a separator, which is really a centrifuge. Cream is lighter than milk, so it floats to the top when put through a centrifuge. The optimum temperature for separating the milk from the cream is about 140F. Therefore, the milk is put through a heat exchanger before it gets separated. An RFR must have a thorough knowledge of the workings of the plant and keep track of what else is going through the heat exchanger that heats the cream. He must also keep track of where and into which tanks the fresh cream is going, and ascertain that the tanks are not used for anything non-kosher.

Whey cream
Whey is a by-product of cheese making. There are plants where both the cheese and the whey are non-kosher. Just like milk has a cream content, whey also has a cream content. (As with milk, whey’s cream is its fat component.) By putting whey through a separator just like milk, you will end up with whey cream. Most factories keep the whey cream and the fresh cream separate. These are two very different commodities with very different values. However, in a plant where the whey is not kosher, one must keep track of where the whey cream is separated, stored, heated, etc. to make sure the kashrus of the fresh cream is not compromised. For this very reason, we do not accept fresh cream from any plant that also deals or produces whey cream, unless it is properly kosher-certified.

Butter
Butter is made by taking cream and churning it. The churning process smashes the fat molecule and inverts it, thus yielding a very smooth, uniform, and almost solid product. The water that does not go along with the butter is called classic buttermilk (not to be confused with cultured buttermilk). Butter can be made both from fresh cream and from whey cream (See Chasam Sofer Yoreh Deah s. 79). Even USDA grade AA butter can contain significant amounts of whey cream. The certification program at a butter plant revolves around checking the cream sources. The cream will be coming in bulk by tanker truck. Each load has paperwork as to where it was picked up and produced. The RFR must meticulously check ALL the cream deliveries. He must also check what other ingredients they add to the butter against the schedule A.

Hard cheese
This product is made by starting with milk (whole, skim, powdered, or combinations of the above), adding cream and/or skim milk when called for. All these are put into a cheese vat, cultures are added, and when the pH changes, rennet is added. The vat is left alone for anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours, the cheese is cut, and the whey is drained out. The OU is machmir like the Poskim who say that the cultures and the rennet must be put into the vat by a YID. After the whey is drained out, the cheese is pumped into molds and sometimes it goes into brine. For kosher cheese productions, the brine must be fresh brine, not having been used previously for any non-kosher cheese, and the brine tank must be new and kosher-dedicated or kashered or lined in accordance with OU policy .

Soft cheese
Milk, non-fat dry milk (“NFDM”), whey and cream are put into a vat. Various acid cultures, possibly other acids (such as vinegar) and stabilizers are put in, and in these temperature-controlled vats the mixture is allowed to separate. The whey is drained off, and we are left with soft cheese. The cultures and the temperatures will determine what type of cheese it will become. Since there is no rennet, what is making the cheese here is the acid. Therefore this is known as acid- set cheese. The whey, which is a by-product of this cheese production, is always going to be an acid whey. The RFR must check the schedule A very carefully to see that the cultures match schedule A. He must also be aware that since acid set cheese is very often made at high temperatures, the equipment used in this type of cheese making must be dedicated for kosher use or be kashered before a production.

Whey
Whenever there is cheese production (or casein production), there will be whey. Whey is the uncoagulated part of the milk that is the by-product of cheese production. When the whey is coming from hard cheese, the RFR must check that the temperature of the cheese vat does not reach or exceed 120 F. If the temperature reaches or exceeds that, we have whey cooking with GEVINAS AKUM. He must also see that all the rennet and cultures are kosher. If they are using animal-derived rennet to set the cheese, then the whey is not acceptable to the OU. Usually, the whey comes off the cheese vat after the cheese coagulates. In some instances, the coagulated cheese is washed with hot water in order to get it to expel more whey. This process is known as scalding the cheese. The whey that comes out of this process is not considered kosher.

Mozzarella cheese goes through an additional process called stretching. This is accomplished by immersing the cheese in a very hot bath which will soften it, and then through a mixer/molder which stretches it. The water from the hot bath (“cooker” in industrial terms) is generally between 150 F-175 F. Sometimes, this water is returned to the rest of the whey. When this happens, not only is the whey non-kosher, but the whey cream which comes off the whey will also become non-kosher.

It cannot be emphasized enough that the RFR at a whey plant must be totally familiar with every part of the process, and evaluate whether there are any pieces of machinery (separator, pasteurizer, heat exchangers, evaporators, tanks, etc.) that can become kosher-contaminated along the way. Please remember that we are certifying the whey which is the by-product of non-kosher cheese (GEVINAS AKUM). Total segregation of kosher and non-kosher is imperative.

Sour cream
Cream, milk, cultures, stabilizers, and emulsifiers are standard ingredients in sour cream. Cream, not like its closely-related cousin butter, is a liquid, not a solid. In order to solidify cream, cultures are put in which will change the taste and have some effect on the texture. This is still not enough to solidify it. Starch, stabilizers, and emulsifiers will accomplish this task. The problem we encounter is that a lot of sour cream stabilizers have non-kosher GELATIN in them. This is especially relevant in light sour creams. The less the cream content, the more the gelatin. The stabilizer itself can have high amounts of gelatin, even though the final sour cream product has only a small amount. We will not certify the product even with a minimal amount of gelatin in it.

The gelatin problem rears its ugly head when a plants adds gelatin or stabilizer that contains gelatin to a small amount of cream in a liquefier, creating a “pre-mix” A liquefier is a very-high speed mixer which will mix and blend the gelatin into a small amount of cream, and then send it to the big vat of sour cream mix. This is done with other stabilizers also, even the kosher ones. Oftentimes, the liquefier is heated, rendering it non-kosher because of the large amount of gelatin in the pre-mix. Although the total amount of gelatin in the final product is botel, in the liquefier it is not botul. When the same liquefier is used for a kosher stabilizer, it can be rendered non-kosher because the liquefier was not kashered. Similarly, if the liquefier processed a pre-mix which contained gelatin that was not botel therein, and that pre-mix gets mixed into the rest of the product (which it surely does – that is the whole idea of a pre-mix), the rest of the product will become non-kosher, as we view the entire pre-mix as non-kosher (ChaNaN), and the pasteurization equipment will thus also need to be kashered. It is necessary to verify that a pre-mix which contains gelatin is not made, or that the entire line is kashered if such a pre-mix is made.

Again, unless the RFR understands the complete workings of the plant, he may check the formula of the non-kosher gelatin and decide it is always botul, and he will ignore the fact that the liquefier (and subsequently the pasteurizer) is TRAIF!

Yogurt
Yogurt starts with milk (fresh or NFDM) and cultures. The milk is inoculated with the culture, it is kept in a thermostatically-controlled holding tank, and after many hours, the whole thing turns into yogurt. After we have yogurt, flavors, sweeteners, starch, fruit fillings, and stabilizers are added. The best way to keep the fruit in suspension is by adding a stabilizer called gelatin. An RFR must carefully monitor the stabilizer systems they use and ascertain which products contain gelatin and which do not. He should also be checking all the other ingredients (stabilizers, fruit preparations, flavors, cultures, etc.) and compare them to the labels of the finished products. The same exact issue of pre-mixes with gelatin that was detailed in the case of sour cream applies equally to yogurt plants, where it is quite common. RFR beware!

Ice cream
Cream (fresh cream or whey cream), milk powder, sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and flavors make up ice cream. When a product like ice cream freezes, small ice crystals form. This is not what the customer wants to taste. He wants the smooth mouthfeel of a creamy product. We all know that oil and water do not mix very well. In order to get the components of ice cream to mix, stabilizers and emulsifiers are used. When the right ones are used in the right proportions, a smooth creamy product will be the result, even when frozen, and it will not form minute ice crystals in the product. The RFR must be very vigilant in checking the stabilizer systems.

Ice cream comes in many flavors and varieties. Some may be kosher, while some may not be kosher. Rocky road is usually not kosher because of the non-kosher marshmallows it contains. Often, other ice cream varieties contain non-kosher marshmallows and are called by different names (e.g. Heavenly Hash, etc.). While the flavors are usually put into the ice cream mix after the ice cream is made, rework and remelt is an issue that must be very closely monitored.