Consumer Kosher Articles
Didn’t get your questions answered at the Pre-Passover Webinar? Rabbi Gersten answers them here – audio
The Pre-Passover Webinar which was broadcasted live from OU Headquarters on Wednesday, March 22 was a great success and watched by over 3400 live viewers. Due to the large amount of requests submitted, we were not able to address all questions. Rabbi Gersten, RC Recorder of OU Psak and Policy, addresses some of those additional Passover questions […]
Uncorking the Secrets of Kosher Wine
Wine plays a central role in Jewish religious life. In the days of the Temple, whenever one brought a korban, it had to be accompanied by wine. Furthermore, the Levi’im only sang shirah while wine was being poured on the mizbayach (Berachot 35a). Of course, every Shabbos we commemorate the creation of the world over […]
OU Kosher’s FAQ’s for Purim
Ta’anit Esther this year will be Thursday, March 9th. What time does the fast begin and when does it end? The fast begins when one goes to sleep at night, unless one plans to wake up early to eat before the fast begins. If one planned to wake up early, he can eat until alot […]
Kosher Gardens – Green House Grown High Quality Kosher Certified Vegetables
A great contemporary kosher challenge is ensuring that vegetables are clean of insect infestation. Insects are forbidden according to Torah law and there is a rabbinic requirement to check those vegetables that are commonly found to house insects. Although the FDA has thresholds for insects in produce, kosher requirements are far more rigorous. For example, […]
The Local Bakery
Let us take a close look at the trip these baked goods took from the time the flour was milled until it was brought into the Jewish home. Is it as simple process as one is wont to assume? While many of us bake at home, the neighborhood bakery is a very different type of operation. As we will see, the neighborhood bakery is significantly more complex and has its unique kashrus issues.
Hi-tech Kitchen Appliances: Navigating their use on Shabbos: OU Certifies Plug-in Device by Zman Technologies…
Technology has changed drastically over the last 30 years and with that, its application in home appliances, such as refrigerators. What was once merely a question of indirectly activating a compressor on Shabbos, which many leading poskim permitted, is now considerably more complex. Activating the automatic defrost system, which is controlled by microprocessors and door sensors, can involve […]
A Guide for Mitzvah-Keepers with Housekeepers
Mi-Hu Yehudi? Here’s an Erev Shabbos “mishap” you don’t hear about very often… A rabbi, the scion of a rabbinic dynasty, sees that things are particularly busy in his home one Erev Shabbos and he asks his Hispanic non-Jewish housekeeper if she can perhaps stay into Shabbos. She agrees readily, but on one condition: they […]
OU Kosher Halacha Yomis: Chanukah
Whether to say havdalah or light chanukah candles first on Motzei Shabbos Baking and Cooking While the Chanukah lights are burning Chanukah Gelt What can be used as a menorah? Do guests light their own menorahs? Is there Any Obligation to Make a Seudah (Meal) in Honor of Chanukah? Which Comes First on Motzei Shabbos, Chanukah […]
Can skinless salmon be assumed to be kosher?
Although kosher fish are usually identified only by the presence of scales [1] , the Orthodox Union has a long standing policy of accepting as kosher all reddish-pinkish fillets, even without a piece of skin by which the fillet can be identified. The basis for this policy is that there is no fish [2] that […]
Color Additives and Kashrus
The following article is an overview of colorants used in the food industry. Kashrus considerations for colorants focus not only on the manufacture of colorants themselves but on any ingredients that may be used with colorants to help make them compatible in a given food system. The first part of the article will survey natural […]