OU Kosher Staff

OU KOSHER Experts Answer Sukkot Questions

             OU Kosher presents frequently asked questions to-date on the OU Kosher Hotline (212-613-8241) by consumers in preparation for Sukkot. Questions may also be submitted to kosherq@ou.org. The questions below were answered by Rabbi Eli Gersten, rabbinic coordinator and halachic recorder. The responses were reviewed by Rabbi Yaakov Luban, OU Kosher executive rabbinic coordinator. […]

OU To Present First Program In The Catskills

In its first event in the Catskills, ASK OU Outreach, together with Congregation Ohev Sholom (“The Woodridge Shul”) will present a special “Shabbos Nachamu Weekend Kashrus Event” on Sunday morning, July 21 beginning at 10:30 a.m.  The OU member synagogue is located at 14 Maurice Rose Street in Woodridge. Men and women are invited and […]

Cardboard No More

The Kosher pizza industry has been transformed in recent years, leading, leading to many opportunities and challenges, both for manufacturers and for the OU.

Kosher in the Dairy Case

From genetically engineered microbial rennet to ‘Rocky Road’ ice cream, the dairy industry presents new challenges to the kosher kitchen. As with many other food products, modern food technology has created new concerns for the kosher consumer. All dairy products, by definition, begin with milk, and milk from a kosher species of animal is inherently kosher. […]

A Time to Eat and A Time to Wait

General guidelines for waiting between the consumption of milchig and fleishig foods

Ice Cream and Other Frozen Desserts

Before we know it, the heat of summer will be upon us, and many of us will be consuming ice cream and other frozen sweets in an effort to keep cool. So long as our summertime frozen treats are reliably-certified, we do not think too much about how they are made or about the kashrus […]

The Kashrus of Skinless Salmon

This column has previously addressed the concern of purchasing fish without its skin intact. We discussed that once the skin is removed, one has no way of knowing what a particular fish is, unless it was skinned in the presence of a mashgiach. As such, a skinless fish is considered “kirvei dagim” (unidentifiable fish), and […]

An Analysis of Kaskeses: Past and Present

Consumers are becoming more health conscious. Fish is often considered a healthier option compared to meat. We are all familiar with certain fish like salmon and tuna. Yet, some may want to broaden their culinary experiences and try some more exotic varieties of fish. The question then becomes, what fish are kosher? This article will illustrate that it may not always be so simple to answer this question.

Kosher Dairy Primer – What is a Kosher Dairy Product

We are often confronted with a myriad of ingredients and products grouped loosely under the “Dairy” category. The purpose of this discussion is to clarify what those products are and their Halachic status.

The Certification of Products of The Coca-Cola Company

Statement from Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union wishes to bring to your attention the following points of information:  1) The OU certifies a wide range of products manufactured by The Coca-Cola Company in the United States of America, Canada and the State of Israel. 2) The Orthodox Union has no information on products of The Coca-Cola Company manufactured in other locations. […]