Consumer Kosher Articles
Good & Sweet Year (Honey, Corn Syrup & Other Sweeteners)
In the times of Chazal, honey was the substance that symbolized sweetness. There may have been several reasons for this, but one of them is certainly that honey was the sweetener that was available in those days. In the last few centuries honey was dethroned by sugar as the most popular sweetener in most of the world, and in the last few years even sugar has been challenged as the king of sweeteners. In food science laboratories around the world, chemists are bent on developing sweeteners that have low or no calories, have absolutely no deleterious effect on one’s health, are odorless and, like sugar, taste geshmak . Some of these are natural and some are artificial. A few of them involve real kashrus concerns.
Kashrut FAQs
Glossaries of computer terms usually explain that a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) is a list of the most commonly asked questions (with the answers) on a certain subject. The original idea was that the author of the FAQ saved himself the trouble of answering the same question over and over again, but the FAQ has become such a popular format, because any given subject usually involves certain obvious information that an interested person would want to know.
Shelled Eggs, Peeled Onions And Garlic Left Overnight: Keeping Products Ruach Ra’ah-Free
Taste, health and convenience are some of the considerations consumers think about when making decisions regarding foods. Of course, kosher consumers also consider the kashrus of products. But one other principle discussed in Cha’zal, chamira sakanta me’isura – laws regarding danger are more stringent than those regarding prohibition — make food safety a primary consideration. This article will focus on one unique aspect of food safety.- ruach ra’ah.
A Change For The Better: Nishtaneh (Change) in Kosher Law
The concept of Nishtaneh and the Usage of Biotechnology for Ingredients
The Catered Affair On Shabbos
Taking Responsibility It goes without saying, but unfortunately needs repeating, that in preparing a catered kiddush, not only must someone be responsible to oversee the kashrus of the food, but someone must insure that the halachos of Shabbos are adhered to. Who will accept this responsibility? The baalei simcha are preoccupied with other things. The […]
Warming Food On Shabbos
In warming food on Shabbos, there are three issues to consider – the first is potentially d’oraita and the latter two are d’rabbanan – bishul, hatmana and chazara. Bishul/cooking includes, but is not limited to, finishing off the cooking/baking of a food (e.g. baking/warming a challah in a manner that removes the last vestiges of […]
Kosher Oils
Many years ago, it was a common, though unsound practice of many frum people to check the kosher status of food items they wanted to eat by reading the ingredient listing printed on the label. This was not a good idea for two primary reasons: Although ingredients are generally required to be identified, there are […]
Across The Divide: Building Bridges
Several decades ago I spent some time in Rome, Italy. Faced with the depletion of the stocks of food that I had brought with me, I set out to explore the availability of kosher food in the Italian capital. I was advised that there was a store that specialized in kosher food. It took all […]
The Key To Ingredient Approval In Today’s World
When Bob, the purchasing agent at kosher-certified Joe’s Fine Baked Goods of Palo Alto, California, is evaluating a potential supplier of margarine, he uses some of the same criteria that anyone involved in a purchase would consider: he wants the product to be of appropriate quality, and it should be appropriately priced. But before he […]
Chocolate Covered In Halacha & Kashrus
Perhaps one of the most exciting food treats for children and adults alike is chocolate. Incredibly popular, it has been consumed for generations as a tasty snack or an important component of a delicious dessert. To the delight of many, medical researchers have begun extolling possible health benefits of moderate chocolate consumption. Known to contain […]