Kitchen Preparations
Kashering can be dangerous and could potentially damage equipment.
Before starting, please ensure that these tasks will not compromise on your safety or damage your equipment. For safety guidelines, click here
Note: Kashering should be completed prior to the time that it is forbidden to eat Chometz.
Scroll to the bottom for list of Important Kashering Terms
List of Practical Applications
Thoroughly clean.
It is preferable to cover the tray with contact paper.
Replace the grates of the grill. If one does not have a new set of grates, the grates can be Kashered by sandwiching the grates between charcoal briquettes and setting them on fire.
The part of the grill cavity which is level with the grate must be kashered by heating it to a glow or covered with a double layer of foil. This is due to the likelihood of food having touched that area during barbecuing.
The cavity (and the hood) of the grill must be kashered by cleaning, closing the hood, and setting it to the highest setting for 40 minutes.
A grill cannot be kashered by simply turning on the gas or electricity.
Heat until glows using a blowtorch.
Plastic and glass parts of the unit that come in direct contact with the food should be replaced.
Metal blade should be dipped in boiling water (see Hagalah). Thoroughly clean the rest of the appliance.
Replace the broiler pan with a new pan. To kasher the empty broiler cavity one must throughly clean it and then set it to broil for forty minutes.
If one does not intend to use the broiler on Pesach, one may still use the oven, even without kashering the broiler, provided the broiler has been thoroughly cleaned.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Clean thoroughly.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
For coffeemakers that have brewed only unflavored, caffeinated coffee, clean thoroughly and replace the glass carafe with a new or Pesach carafe and new filters.
Coffeemakers that were used with decaf or flavored coffee:
Plastic Coffeemakers should not be Kashered.
If it is made out of metal then clean thoroughly. Do not use for 24 hours. Pour one cup of water into chamber. Heat water in unit and allow to drip over exposed metal base. Replace the plastic filter holder and use new filters.
Gas Range:
The cast iron or metal grate(s) on which the pots sit should be thoroughly cleaned, inserted into the oven, and kashered at highest heat (500 or 550 degrees) for 40 minutes.
Alternatively, the grates can be covered with a double layer of foil or a blech and turned on high for fifteen minutes.
Electric Range:
Turn the burners on the high heat setting for several minutes until they come to a glow.
For both types of cooktops, the area between the burners should be covered with a double layer of heavy-duty foil. The knobs with which the gas or electricity is turned on should be cleaned.
To kasher the burner area, clean well and turn on the elements until they glow. The burner area is now considered kosher for Pesach. The remaining area that does not get red hot is not kosher for Pesach so it should be covered with foil if it will not damage the cook top. If covering is not practical another option is to place a metal heat diffuser disc on the burner area to raise the Pesach pots above the glass surface. This will help prevent the pots from coming in contact with the non-kosher-for-Pesach area of the cooktop. This disc should not extend beyond the designated cooking area.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Granite, Marble, Stainless Steel, or Metal may be kashered through Iruy.
Synthetic countertops (See Plastic) should be cleaned and covered with a non-porous material.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
- Remove any pieces of food that are attached.
- Wash items with detergent in the washing machine set on “hot.”
- Clean thoroughly, paying special attention to the edges where crumbs
may get trapped. - Many have the custom to line surfaces with paper or plastic. (Note: freezers will operate more efficiently if holes are poked in the lining to
allow for air flow.)
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
It is best to purchase dedicated glassware for Pesach. When Pesach glassware is unavailable, one may kasher drinking glasses by immersing them in cold water for three twenty-four (24) hour periods. The water should be emptied and refilled in between. This procedure, however, does not apply to glass (Pyrex) that is used with heat.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
See Plastic
It is customary to buy new knives for Pesach.
A knife which is made out of one piece of metal can be Kashered with Hagalah. A metal knife which has a handle that is made out of a separate material can be Kashered with Hagalah only if there is is no space between the handle and the blade that can potentially trap dirt or food.
See Plastic
May be kashered through Hagalah.
Bake pans and sheet pans cannot be kashered.
If the walls of a microwave get really hot during the cooking process, it cannot be kashered for Pesach.
To test, cook an open potato in the microwave until it has been steaming for a few minutes. Place your hand on the ceiling of the microwave to see if it has become too hot to touch. If you cannot hold your hand there for 15 seconds, then it should not be used for Pesach. If you are able to hold your hand there for 15 seconds, then the microwave can be kashered for Pesach.
It is very difficult and may be impossible to access the vent area well enough to clean it for Kashering.
Clean the microwave thoroughly. Wait 24 hours since the last use. Fill a large container with water and bring to a boil. Move the container to a new spot and bring to a boil again. The glass turntable should be replaced.
The motor area of a mixer is often exposed to chametz and is very difficult to clean; it is therefore recommended that
one purchase a separate appliance which should be reserved for Pesach use.
Mixing blades and hooks can be Kashered with Hagalah.
See Oven, Conventional
Thoroughly clean. An oven cleaner may be necessary to remove baked-on grease. Be sure to check hidden areas including corners, door edges, the area behind the flame burners, and the grooves of the rack shelves. If a caustic type of oven cleaner (such as Easy-Off) is used to clean the oven and some stubborn spots remain after two (2) applications, the remaining spots may be disregarded. Once the oven and racks have been cleaned, it may be kashered by turning the oven to broil or the highest setting (550F) for forty (40) minutes.
Note: Many ovens today have ‘Aqualift’ or ‘Steam Clean’ instead of a self-cleaning feature. Neither ‘Aqualift’ nor ‘Steam Clean’ get hot enough to kasher the oven. Instead, use the Conventional Oven kashering method.
Clean the inside face of the oven door as well as the opposing outer rim of the oven outside the gasket, since these areas are not necessarily cleaned during the cycle. One should ensure that the gasket itself is clean on the area outside the oven seal. (NOTE: The gasket is sensitive to abrasion.) The self-cleaning cycle will then clean and kasher the oven simultaneously.
Hoods and exhaust fan filters should be cleaned and free of any food residue.
It is not practical to Kasher bake pans or sheet pans.
Some frying pans can be Kashered depending on how they are used. Ask your Rabbi to assess your individual situation.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
We avoid kashering plastic utensils for Pesach. If there is a need one should consult with their Rabbi.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Kasher with Hagalah.
Note: Rolled lips, seams or cracks, which cannot be cleaned, will require torching of those areas before boiling.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
See Cooktop.
- Clean thoroughly, paying special attention to the edges where crumbs
may get trapped. - Many have the custom to line surfaces with paper or plastic. (Note: Refrigerators will operate more efficiently if holes are poked in the lining to
allow for air flow.)
- Clean thoroughly, paying special attention to the edges where crumbs
may get trapped. - Many have the custom to line surfaces with paper or plastic.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Stainless steel sinks can be kashered through Iruy.
Clean the sink thoroughly. Ensure that even hard to see spots such as the underside of the faucet are clean. Perform Iruy.
China and porcelain sinks cannot be Kashered for Pesach and must be covered. The sink should be completely lined with contact paper or other appropriate material. In addition, dishes must be washed in a Pesach dishpan and placed on a Pesach rack. Dishes should not be washed directly in the sink.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
See Cooktop.
A table upon which chometz is eaten during the year may be used on Pesach if it is covered with a waterproof covering (e.g. sheet of plastic). It is preferable to put cardboard or a few layers of newspaper on the table under the plastic covering. Table pads may be overturned and used.
Metal tea kettles can be kashered with Hagalah. Although it is uncommon for anything but water to be put into a tea kettle, nevertheless, it must be kashered. Tea kettles often sit on the stove, and it is common for them to get sprayed with hot food.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Urn that at times is used to warm food (e.g. to warm challah):
Must be put away and not used for the Pesach.
Urn only used for heating water:
Fill the urn to the very top and boil it. Then run the hot water through the water tap for 10 seconds, Do Iruy over the water tap.
Cannot be Kashered for Pesach.
Important Terms for Kashering
IRUY
The item being Kashered and the pot or kettle being used to Kasher should not be used for hot Chametz 24 hours prior to Kashering. Fill the water to the top and bring to a rolling boil. Iruy (literally: pouring) is accomplished by pouring boiling hot water over every part of the countertop or sink. The poured water must directly touch every part of the item that you are Kashering including the drain and the spout of the water faucet. It is likely that the kashering kettle or pot will need to be refilled a few times before kashering can be completed. Actual water is needed to kasher, not steam. A steam machine may be used if it boils water and sprays water onto the countertops. However, most steam machines only produce steam and not actual boiling water, and they should not be used to kasher. One method of Iruy is to pour a small amount of hot water on the counter and then use a hot iron on top of the water which will [re-]boil it on contact.
HAGALAH
Metal Utensils can be Kashered with Hagalah.
- Use a pot (any type) that is clean and has not been used for Chametz in 24 hours.
- Fill it to the top and bring to a rolling boil.
- Dip the items that you want to Kasher for a few seconds into the water that is at a rolling boil. The entire item does not have to be submerged at one time it can be done part by part. All parts of the items (including handles etc.) need to have been submerged at a point in time.
- Put the items into cool water after the Hagalah.
Note: Make sure that the water maintains a rolling boil during the dipping.
If a Pesach pot is used for Kashering Step 1 can be skipped. However, one should Kasher the pot after Kashering in it, if one plans to use it for Pesach.
Much information in this guide was adapted with permission from
www.ou.org, www.star-k.org, www.kosherquest.org,
www.kashrut.com and www.crcweb.org.
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