Thursday, December 10, 2009

Cook Kosher For Passover

You can serve meat and fish, but not poultry, with dairy.


Kushrut is the body of Jewish law that explains what foods Jews can eat and how they must be prepared. Kushrut law applies to year-round food preparation and eating; however, there are additional rules for cooking Kosher for Passover. Additional rules for Passover are to avoid the use of fermented grains and yeast, as well as ensuring that the kitchen, serving ware and appliances are cleansed of all dirty and leavened items before cooking.


Instructions


1. Clean all appliances, dishes and glassware that will be used in preparation of the Passover meal. Do not use the dishwasher for 24 hours and then run a full cycle with detergent to clean the dishwasher. Thoroughly scrub and clean all appliances that you will use with a sponge and soapy water. Run a self-cleaning cycle in the oven after you have scrubbed it with a sponge. Clean all glassware and dishes in the cleaned dishwasher. Clean the kitchen sink by pouring boiling water over all parts of the sink.


2. Shop for items that do not contain forbidden foods: leavened bread, cakes, biscuits, crackers, cereal, coffees containing cereal derivatives, wheat, barley, oats, spelt, rye, rice, corn, millet, beans, peas and all liquids containing ingredients or flavors made from grain alcohol. Make sure that all the food you purchase has the circle "U," circle "K", star "K" or "Kal K" symbol on the package, followed by a "P." Refer to the Resource for pictures of these symbols.


3. Buy cattle, sheep, goat, deer, bison, poultry, tuna, carp, herring or salmon to include in the meal. Read the label to make sure that these have the symbol letting you know that these are kosher certified for Passover or purchase them from a kosher butcher. If you are cooking poultry, do not include dairy in the meal, as poultry and dairy should not mix in your stomach after being consumed.


4. Buy vegetables that are clean and ripe. Buy grains that show the kosher-for-Passover symbol on the package. Thoroughly clean all fruits and vegetables to ensure that no bugs or insects are on them before cooking them. Use only wine, or any beverage that contains grape juice, that is Jewish made.








5. Drain all blood from poultry or boil it out before eating it. Drain the blood by soaking it in a solution of 1/2 cup salt and 2 gallons of water in a large clean meat pot. Change the water until no blood remains. Boil the blood out by placing the meat in a large pot of boiling water for one hour to remove all blood from the veins. You must eat or freeze the meat 72 hours from slaughter.


6. Use only a pot, utensil and pot holder that has always been used to cook kosher for Passover meats to cook the meats and only a pot, utensil and potholder that has been used to cook kosher for Passover dairy to cook dairy. Do not mix pots used for meat and dairy or use pots that were used for non-kosher cooking. You can cook and eat kosher-for-Passover certified eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains with either meat or dairy.


7. Use separate dish pans and sponges when cleaning dishes, pots and utensils. Do not wash meat dishes, pots and utensils with dairy dishes, pots and utensils. If you are using a dishwasher, rinse the dairy items in the sink and run the dishwasher with only the dairy items, cleanse the sink and repeat this for meat items on a separate dishwasher cycle.

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