Non-Stick Pan Kosher Status: Immersion Or Not?

Non-stick pans are a convenient tool for any cook, but when it comes to koshering, the process can be a bit tricky. The basic principle of koshering is that the way non-kosher food is absorbed into a utensil is the way it should be expelled. For example, a pot used for stewing can be koshered by boiling, while a pan used for frying or baking requires direct contact with heat, such as a blowtorch. This is because frying pans are typically used with a small amount of oil or fat, and the oil or fat can get burned or dried up, resulting in a direct transfer of taste from the food to the pot. This requires a higher level of koshering called libun gamur, which means heating the utensil until it is red hot, around 850°F. However, Teflon or enamel-coated pots cannot be koshered as they will get ruined in such intense heat.

Non-stick pans cannot be koshered

The basic principle to bear in mind when koshering is that the way non-kosher food is absorbed into a utensil is the way it is expelled. Therefore, a pot used for stewing can be koshered by boiling, but a pan used for frying or baking can only be koshered by blowtorching (direct contact with heat).

If non-kosher food was fried in oil in a frying pan, it can be koshered by heating it to the point that paper will become singed when in contact with the other side of the heated metal. However, if the pan was used without oil, it is not feasible to kosher it, as it must be heated until it glows red-hot, which will almost always ruin the pan.

According to Conservative rulings, non-stick pans can be koshered. However, if the surface is scratched, the pan should be replaced, as it may be unsafe to continue using it.

Frying pans require libun kal

Libun kal involves heating the frying pan to a high temperature, typically around 450°F. This is a lower temperature than libun gamur, which requires the pan to be heated until it is red hot, or around 850°F. During libun kal, the pan should be hot enough that a combustible material, such as paper or a straw, will scorch or singe when it touches the pan. This can be achieved using a blowtorch or by placing the pan in an oven during a self-cleaning cycle.

It is important to note that not all frying pans can be koshered using libun kal. Teflon or enamel-coated pans, for example, cannot be koshered as the high temperatures required for libun kal will typically ruin the coating. In such cases, it may be necessary to consult a rabbi for guidance on the proper method of kashering.

Boiling water is used for hagalah

> Only the gold, the silver, the copper, the iron, the tin, and the lead; whatever is used in fire you shall pass through fire and then it will be clean; it must, however, [also] be cleansed with sprinkling water, and whatever is not used in fire you shall pass through water.

Numbers 31:22–23

The basic principle to bear in mind when koshering is that the way the non-kosher food substance is absorbed into the utensil is the way it is expelled. For example, a pot used for stewing can be koshered by boiling, while a pan used for frying or baking can be koshered only by blowtorching (direct contact with heat).

Utensils made from any type of metal, stone, wood, bone, leather, or natural rubber may be koshered by hagalah. Earthenware, china, porcelain, glassware, and paper utensils cannot be koshered by hagalah. Any utensil that may be ruined during the hagalah process may not be koshered, as it is assumed that its owner would not want to damage it.

Before immersion in boiling water, the object must be thoroughly cleaned and left unused for 24 hours. All surfaces of the item are then placed into a pot of water that is on a heat source and at a rolling boil. The entire utensil, including its handles, is placed inside the bubbling water for a few seconds. If a utensil is too large to be inserted all at once, it may be put in part by part.

It is important to note that hagalah is not required for utensils that have come into direct contact with cold non-kosher food. In such cases, thorough washing with cold water is sufficient. However, if the non-kosher food was a liquid and remained in the utensil for 24 hours or more, hagalah is required.

Metal utensils can be koshered

The basic principle to bear in mind when koshering is that the way the non-kosher food substance is absorbed into the utensil is the way it is expelled. For example, a pot used for stewing can be koshered by boiling; a pan used for frying or baking can be koshered only by blowtorching (direct contact with heat).

Metal utensils that have been used for non-kosher food must be thoroughly cleaned and then not used for twenty-four hours before koshering. The utensils must be scrubbed clean of any actual residue or dirt. Rust spots must also be removed, as it is possible that particles of food are trapped between the rust and the utensil.

There are two ways to kosher metal utensils:

• The utensils are dropped one by one into a pot of boiling water. The water must be boiling when the utensils are placed in the pot, and the utensils must be left in the pot until the water bubbles.
• If the utensil is too big to submerge in another pot, it is filled with water to the very top. The water is boiled. A large stone or another piece of metal is heated up and then thrown into the pot using tongs, causing the water to overflow. The water is then poured out and the pot is rinsed in cold water.

Glass utensils cannot be koshered

Glass is made from sand, oftentimes mixed with soda ash and limestone. Consequently, it may fall into the category of cheres, which means earthenware or clay. Cheres, according to Jewish law, can be kashered only in a high-temperature furnace or kiln. And since that’s not an option for glass, which would likely break if subjected to high temperatures, glass cannot be kashered.

However, glass is non-absorbent and non-porous. So perhaps it can be kashered like other non-porous or less-porous materials like metal, which can be kashered with boiling water. Or perhaps it doesn’t need to be kashered at all.

As with many questions in Jewish law, whether glass can be kashered depends on who you ask. Some authorities maintain that glass absorbs nothing, so a simple cleaning is sufficient. Under this view, a person who keeps kosher and can use the same glass dishes for meat, dairy, and Passover meals and only wash them in between uses. Others maintain that glass is like earthenware and cannot be kashered at all. And still, others take a middle position and say it’s like metal, which can be kashered with boiling water.

It also depends on the way the glass dish is used. All Jews agree that glass serving utensils—that is, glassware used only for eating and serving (but not cooking)—do not need to be kashered. A thorough washing is sufficient. In strictly observant homes, however, the widespread practice is to maintain completely separate glass utensils for dairy and meat.

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