Kosher Meat

GOING KOSHER
The following is intended as a general guide only. Those intending to make the transition to Kosher should in the first place consult their Rabbi.
When you are ready to have your kitchen kashered, KAWA is willing to assist you, as a free service. You can contact us on (office) 9271.0539, or (mobile) 0410.548.859,or by e-mail: kawa@iinet.net.au

Going Kosher-Getting Started
Once you have made the decision to go kosher a number of things need to be done/considered. Some of these are:

  • Go slow!!
    There is no need to rush. As this is something of great importance, it is worth spending the time and effort to ensure that it is done correctly and that it will LAST.

  • Take stock of the physical layout of your kitchen.
    Make a plan of which areas are for meat and which are for milk. This should be done with all surfaces and drawers (the drawers should be labelled to avoid errors). Divide everything (pots, pans, utensils, cutlery) in your kitchen into two groups MEAT or MILK. There should be no overlapping in the use of any vessel or utensil between meat and milk.

  • Sinks-You need one each for Meat & Milk
    If you have two separate and fairly deep sinks (the length of your hand or close to it) then you are set. If not, you need to either nominate another sink in the house for meat/milk (the opposite of whatever your single kitchen sink is to be) or use some sort of containers to wash your dishes in. This scenario means that the sink itself is treif (non-kosher) and is used only for pouring the used dish water out of the empty buckets. Another system often used is to hold each dish in your hand and wash it under the faucet without it touching the sink (great for an individual or couple not so great for families). Please note: porcelain sinks cannot be koshered.

  • BUY A KOSHER GUIDE
    In Australia less than 10% of the locally produced kosher certified foods available in the stores have a hechser (kosher logo) on them to identify them as Kosher. The only way you are going to know what is available is by having an up to date Australian Kosher Guide. Many of the complaints about Kashrut being expensive and not convenient come from people not having at least one of the guides available. In Australia there are two guides. The one KAWA participates in is The Australian Kosher Food Bulletin. This can be purchased by phoning 9271.0539 or 0410.548.859. You may also order it online by clicking Here. The other guide is from the the New South Wales Kashrut Authority (KA). You can order a book directly from them online at www.ka.org.au or by phoning 02.9365.2933 (their product list is also online at their web address).

  • Clearance Time
    Now that you have set up your kitchen and purchased the appropriate reference books (Kosher Guides), it is time to remove everything from your kitchen that is not kosher, (this includes wine & liqueur). Dispose of all the trief food by throwing it out or giving it to a non-Jewish friend or neighbour. Remember, unless the item is fruit or vegetables or in the kosher guides or from overseas with a hechser on it - then it’s not kosher.

  • Practice makes perfect
    OK, now we have set up the kitchen, bought the books, disposed of the treif- what's next? A practical suggestion is that before you get the place kashered, you spend some time practising living kosher. The main problem now is your old habits and mind set which need to be changed. Don't worry, you will make mistakes, everyone does (even people who have been kosher their whole lives). The idea now is to modify your kitchen habits so as to make kashrut second nature. A brilliant book to use in this regard is The Spice and Spirit: The Complete Jewish Cookbook published by the Lubavitch Womens Cookbook Publications. You can buy it from the PHC Bookshop. The book is superb in detailing the "How & Why" of Kashrut and the recipes are pretty good as well.

  • The Kashering
    Once you feel at home in your new kosher set up, it is time to finish the job and have your kitchen made kosher (Kashered). Some points to be aware of regarding kashering are as follows:

  • What Can be Kashered
    In general metal, glass and wood (must be very clean) can be made kosher. Materials that cannot be are most plastics, porcelin, ceramics and earthenware.

  • Appliances
    Most can be koshered, including ovens, stove tops, grills, and microwaves. Dishwashers can be kashered if their insides are metal. You will need to buy new racks. Note: All utensils must be VERY clean and not used 24 hours prior to kashering.

  • Kitchen Equipment
    In general most pots & pans can be kashered providing they are metal and do not have special coatings (like teflon). The same is true for cutlery & utensils.

  • Method Of Kashering
    This depends on how the item was used or made non-kosher. Most items will be kashered by immersion in boiling water or by being heated by a blow torch.

  • Toiveling (Dipping in a mikvah)
    Most of the vessels and utensils that have been kashered, or that you will purchase new in the future, require tevila (toiveling) in the Mikvah. A full inventory should be taken and the items can be divided between those that require a Bracha to be toiveled and those that don't (this can be arranged at the time of kashering).

Help
Don't worry help is available. KAWA is willing to offer assistance all along the way. Our contact details are:
KAWA
Office:9271.0539
Mobile:0410.548.859
Fax:9271.9455
Email:kawa@iinet.net.au