Koshering a Kitchen

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Koshering a Knife

  1. A knife should be koshered with hagalah.[1]
  2. The minhag is to have a designated meat and milk knife.[2] Preferably one should have three knives, one for meat, one for milk, and one for parve.[3]
  3. It is forbidden to use a dirty meat knife to cut cheese or even bread which will be eaten with cheese. [4] The same is true vice versa.[5]

Using a non-Kosher Knife

  1. It is permitted to use a non-kosher knife on a one-time basis for cold if you first stick it into hard earth ten times. [6] But in order to use the knife for hot one even once one needs to do a proper hechsher.[7]
  2. Similarly, to use a meat knife to one time cut cold bread that will be eaten with cheese it is sufficient to stick it in hard earth ten times. However, in order to use a meat knife to cut cheese one should do a proper hechsher. [8]
    1. Some poskim say that if one doesn't have a knife, cleaning the knife with soap is considered the equivalent of sticking it in the ground ten times.[9]
  3. If one wants to use on a consistent basis a meat knife for cold dairy one must do a hechsher of the knife.[10]

Using Non-Kosher Utensils

  1. It is permitted to use a clean cold non-Kosher utensil to eat cold kosher food on an irregular basis. [11]
  2. It is initially forbidden to place cold kosher food into a cold pot or container that was used for non-Kosher if the container wasn’t washed since the kosher food that goes into the container will have some non-kosher on it and one might forget to wash off the kosher food. If the kosher food is usually washed before being eaten it is permitted to initially place it in a cold pot used for non-kosher. [12]
  3. It is initially permitted to place kosher food into a cold pot or container that was used for non-kosher if the container was washed.[13] However, one shouldn’t use non-kosher earthenware utensils even for cold.[14]
  4. It is permitted to own a non-kosher utensil and not use it as there’s no concern that you’ll come to use it for a forbidden use.[15]

Sources

  1. Shulchan Aruch YD 121:7
  2. Rama 89:4
  3. Maharshal (Yam Shel Shlomo Chullin 8:8), Badei Hashulchan 89:111
  4. Rashba (responsa 1:76), Shulchan Aruch YD 89:4
  5. Rama YD 89:4
  6. The Gemara Avoda Zara 76b states that in order to kosher a non-kosher knife one should just stick it in the ground ten times. Tosfot 76b s.v. hasakin says that even though the Yerushalmi says three times one should be strict to stick it in the ground ten times. Tosfot chullin 8b s.v. vehilchata says that sticking it in the ground cleans the knife from non-kosher fat that got stuck to it. Shulchan Aruch YD 121:7 rules accordingly that in order to use a non-Kosher knife once for cold it should be stuck into earth ten times. The Rama carefully adds that if one wants to use it on a consistent basis one must do a proper hechsher.
  7. Rav Huna in Gemara Avoda Zara 76b, Shulchan Aruch YD 121:7. Shulchan Aruch explains that this procedure is sufficient even to cut a cold sharp food (such as an onion).
  8. The Rama YD 89:4 writes that to kosher a meat knife to be used for cold dairy it is sufficient to stick it in the ground ten times. The Taz 89:6 explains that if one is just going to cut bread for dairy use the knife just needs to be cleaned, however, for cheese it should be stuck in the ground ten times. However, the Shach 89:22 says that it should be stuck into the ground ten times even to cut bread that will be used for dairy. The Badei Hashulchan 89:108 is strict for the Shach and explains that it is forbidden to cut cheese with a meat knife unless one did a proper hechsher.
  9. Maadenei HaShulchan (M'taamei Hashulchan YD 89:17 p. 62)
  10. Badei Hashulchan 89:108 based on Rama YD 121:5
  11. Rama YD 121:5, Shulchan Aruch YD 94:3, Badei Hashulchan 91:15, Kaf Hachaim 94:40
  12. Shulchan Aruch YD 91:2 based on the Baal HaItur and Tur
  13. Shach 91:3, Badei Hashulchan 91:15, Kaf HaChaim 91:5
  14. Shach 91:3, Badei Hashulchan 91:15. See Kaf HaChaim 91:10 who permits using non-kosher earthenware utensils that belong to a non-Jew for cold.
  15. Kaf Hachaim 91:9