Your Kosher Kitchen – All About Ovens

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2. I cooked meat and pareve at the same time in the oven. Can I eat the pareve item with milk?

  • If both are completely covered, yes.
  • If the meat was double wrapped, there is room to allow it. If not (although they may be covered), there is a concern that some of the steam will escape and therefore it is not permitted.

3. I accidentally cooked dairy lasagna in a fleishig oven. What do I do with the food and my oven?

If the pan was completely covered it is kosher bidieved, otherwise the food may not be eaten and the oven and pan must be kashered. However, one may be lenient and kasher with a lower temp then if it was treif (i.e. 500°F is fine, one does not need to self-clean).

4. What do I need to do in order to cook pareve in my fleishig oven and keep it truly pareve? How do I bake challah in a fleishig oven and keep it pareve?

Make sure the oven is completely clean and either turn the oven to the highest temperature for 2 hours or allow the oven to remain off for 24 hours. The pan must be pareve as well.

5. How do I kasher my oven?

According to most poskim, a self-clean cycle is sufficient to kasher an oven. If an oven does not have this option, a high temperature blow torch must be applied to the entire oven surface until it becomes red hot. Some poskim also allow kashering by cleaning the oven with chemicals, waiting 24 hours, and turning the oven to the highest temperature for 2 hours.

6. Can I open the oven on Shabbos if it’s on?

Yes, but make sure the light will not turn on and that you remove all food before closing the oven.

7. Can I put anything into the oven on Shabbos?

No.

8. I have 2 ovens in one unit. Can I use one for milk and one for meat?

Yes.