Consumer Kosher Articles
What’s Going on with the “Bugs” in the Fish?
By the time you see this article, you may have heard that there is serious discussion currently going on in the Torah world regarding “bugs” in many of your favorite fish. You may have heard snippets of the back and forth, seen a list of which rabbis permit and which rabbis forbid. I hope this […]
Yashan and Chadash
A brief summary of the laws of Yoshon and Chadash.
The Kosher Status of Papain
In the early twentieth century, Belgian colonists in the Congo noticed that the Congolese were careful to store elephant meat in papaya leaves. Intrigued, they found that the papaya leaves, besides protecting the meat, tenderized it. Laboratory analysis demonstrated that a particular enzyme, called papain, was the agent of the process.
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.
Baker’s Cheese: On the Crossroads Between Acid Cheese and Rennet Cheese
A discussion of the Kosher status and rules of Baker’s Cheese.
A Peafowl by any other Name
A discussion of the history and Kosher status of the peacock.
What Bracha Does One Recite on a Granola Bar?
If one does not understand the process involved in creating a granola bar, one could study the ingredient panel a hundred times and still not be able to answer the above question. However, through our access to the companies that produce these bars we are privy to information that is important in resolving this issue.
Fish and Meat
The Gemara Pesachim (76b) teaches that one may not cook fish and meat together since this combination is considered a sakana. Shulchan Aruch (Y.D. 116:2-3) adds that one may not even eat meat after fish or fish after meat unless one eats and drinks in between1. Rama adds that one should not cook open meat and fish in the same oven because of raicha (aroma), though bidieved we say that raicha lav milsa. Magen Avrohom (O.C. 173:1) questions whether this sakana still exists today, however the minhag is still to be machmir.
Go South Young Mashgiach: An OU RFR Travels the Highways and Byways of the Old Confederacy
A tour of South-Eastern United States with an OU Rabbinic Field Representative meeting products and people that leave a lasting impression.
How a Product from Beef Can be Used in Dairy Delicacies
An explanation of how pareve gelatin can be manufactured from beef and therefore be used in dairy products.