{"id":2186,"date":"2015-07-06T18:08:34","date_gmt":"2015-07-06T18:08:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.star-k.org\/articles\/?p=2186"},"modified":"2022-05-09T13:57:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-09T13:57:00","slug":"from-the-chronicles-of-a-kosher-caterer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.star-k.org\/articles\/kashrus-kurrents\/2186\/from-the-chronicles-of-a-kosher-caterer\/","title":{"rendered":"From The Chronicles Of A Kosher Caterer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Published Winter 2014<\/em><\/p>\n<p><b>A Fictional Account of a Factual Situation<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\"><sup>1<\/sup><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Pictures<\/span>:&nbsp;<\/b>Large industrial stove, oven, fryer, elegantly set ballroom with tables<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Mendy enjoyed his job at Elegant Touch Catering (ETC). His primary responsibilities were in the office, but his sharp eye was noticed by&nbsp;Rabbi Ephraim Rubin, the caterer\u2019s veteran <i>mashgiach<\/i>,&nbsp;who&nbsp;needed extra help with vegetable checking. Finding people with the skill and acumen to determine acceptability of leafy greens, especially in the pressurized environment of a commercial kitchen, was a challenge for Rabbi Rubin and he was eager to recruit Mendy as an assistant.<\/p>\n<p>After two months of training, and hours squinting in the harsh glow of a light box covered by microfiber mesh cloth, Mendy became adept at detecting tiny translucent&nbsp;thrips&nbsp;and aphids hiding in the folds and crevices of romaine, kale, broccoli, dill, and parsley. Finally, the STAR-K&nbsp; <i>Kashrus<\/i>&nbsp;Administrator overseeing foodservice establishments approved him as a vegetable checker. Eventually, Mendy finely honed his skills to the point of finding insects in vegetables that&nbsp;were&nbsp;previously checked by fellow workers. This forced everyone in the kitchen to upgrade their vigilance.<\/p>\n<p>&#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666;<\/p>\n<p>Mendy decided to expand his kosher credentials, and began accompanying Rabbi Rubin to off-site venues where the non-kosher kitchen was&nbsp; <i>kashered<\/i><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\"><sup>2<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;before an event. For weddings,&nbsp; <i>bar mitzvahs<\/i>, and other standard occasions, all the food was prepared in the commissary and only required re-heating. Consequently, it was sufficient for the <i>kashering<\/i>&nbsp;team to arrive just a few hours in advance. Mendy quickly picked up the routine, and he found it useful to draft a checklist of general tasks.[See Sidebar]<br \/>\nMendy&nbsp;learned that&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>&nbsp;was much easier than he previously assumed. The difficult part is the preparatory work, making sure everything is completely clean.&nbsp; <i>Kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>is ineffective when bits of grime, grease or rust remain on a utensil. Although hotel managers are reminded to thoroughly clean the kitchen, Mendy frequently observed how Rabbi Rubin would gently explain to kitchen staff that the job was not yet complete. Our kosher standards of cleanliness exceed what is normally acceptable by their standards. When preparing to&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i>, the proper instruction is to clean the equipment until it looks like new!<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">&#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666;<\/p>\n<p>Once, while setting up a kitchen at a country club for a wedding, Mendy noticed that some of the soup servers coming off the caterer\u2019s truck were marked in blue paint with the letter \u201cD\u201d, denoting \u2018Dairy\u2019.&nbsp;Since it would take two hours for&nbsp; <i>fleishig<\/i>&nbsp;(meat) pots to be delivered from the commissary, Mendy thought valuable time could be saved by merely&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>the&nbsp; <i>milchig<\/i>&nbsp;(dairy) pots. He verified that they weren\u2019t used during the previous 24 hours, and carefully checked for cleanliness, especially the area around the rim where food particles can get stuck. Mendy was familiar with the custom not to&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i>back and forth from dairy to meat and vice-versa;<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\"><sup>3<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;he also knew the work-around.&nbsp;&nbsp;Pots could be rendered non-kosher, and when subsequently&nbsp; <i>kashered<\/i>&nbsp;they could be designated with any status (meat, dairy,&nbsp; <i>pareve<\/i>).<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\"><sup>4<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;He asked the head waiter for a bottle of non-kosher wine and an empty #10 ketchup can in which to heat the wine. Pouring hot wine into the dairy pots would render them non-kosher.<\/p>\n<p>Proud of his quick thinking, Mendy went to Rabbi Rubin for approval before proceeding. His satisfaction quickly faded when the rabbi reminded him that the pots were un- <i>kasherable<\/i>&nbsp;because of the paint markings.&nbsp; <i>Chazal<\/i>&nbsp;never discussed a method to&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i>paint and, therefore, we must assume that any non-kosher (or dairy or meat) absorptions cannot be extracted from the paint layer.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\"><sup>5<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;In addition, as a matter of policy to prevent mistakes, pots are generally not&nbsp; <i>kashered<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>on the day of an event. Mendy humbly acknowledged that he still had more to learn.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">&#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666;<\/p>\n<p>One year after adopting his new role, Mendy received a call from the president of&nbsp; <i>B\u2019nei<\/i> <i>Israel<\/i>&nbsp;Congregation. He wanted ETC to cater their upcoming weekend retreat at a resort in the mountains of Western Maryland.&nbsp;Mendy\u2019s&nbsp;first question was whether or not the facilities were&nbsp; <i>Shabbos<\/i>&nbsp;compliant, and specifically, whether the electronic door locks could be bypassed. Due to the large group in attendance, STAR-K required that three <i>mashgichim<\/i>&nbsp;be present throughout the event. Allowing ample time for any unexpected surprises, Rabbi Rubin and&nbsp;Mendy&nbsp;planned to&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i>&nbsp;the kitchen early, on the previous Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p>Standard procedure is to&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i>&nbsp;only devices used for re-heating food, or for cold food preparation. ETC submitted a request to their STAR-K administrator to permit&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i><\/i>the resort\u2019s deep fryer so that fried chicken and potatoes could be prepared fresh for Sunday dinner. The request was granted as the&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>process would begin three days prior to the event. Consideration was also given to the knowledge and expertise of ETC\u2019s <i>mashgichim<\/i>. This decision was contingent upon the cleanliness of the fryer.<\/p>\n<p>Late Tuesday night, Mendy received a telephone call from Rabbi Rubin. His son just became a&nbsp; <i>chosson<\/i>! The rabbi informed Mendy that in the morning, he would be travelling to New York for the&nbsp; <i>l\u2019chaim<\/i>. He added, \u201cI already called the&nbsp; <i>Rav&nbsp;HaMachshir&nbsp;<\/i>and he gave his approval for you to handle the&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>. I\u2019m really sorry about this, but I know that you\u2019ll be fine without me. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut,\u201d protested&nbsp;Mendy, \u201cI\u2019ve never&nbsp; <i>kashered<\/i>&nbsp;a fryer by myself!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rabbi Rubin had full confidence in his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, knowing that Mendy was studying the <i>halachos&nbsp;<\/i>of&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>in the evenings after work. \u201cCall me from the resort and we\u2019ll work it out together.\u201d&nbsp;The next morning,&nbsp;Mendy&nbsp; <i>davened<\/i>&nbsp; <i>Shacharis<\/i>&nbsp;with intense&nbsp; <i>kavanah<\/i>&nbsp;that everything should go smoothly.<\/p>\n<p>It was hard to find another&nbsp;available&nbsp; <i>mashgiach<\/i>&nbsp;on such short notice. In the end, Mendy found his neighbor Yossi, who was home from&nbsp; <i>yeshiva<\/i>&nbsp;and had some catering experience working during&nbsp; <i>bein<\/i> <i>&nbsp;haz\u2019manim<\/i>. Arriving at noon, they stopped at the office and went straight to the kitchen. From the first moment, Mendy knew things were not going to go smoothly. He waited patiently as the kitchen manager showed them around, boasting about the cleanliness. Then, pointing to some otherwise innocuous looking streaks and rust spots,<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\"><sup>6<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;Mendy explained in the most delicate terms that although by industry standards it was a clean kitchen, by kosher standards there was still work left to be done. \u201cWe need everything to be clean and looking like new!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The cleaning team was brought in and got down to work. Mendy and Yossi filled two large 100 quart pots from the commissary with water and turned on the fire. Mendy told Yossi, \u201cIt will take a while for these pots to boil, so let\u2019s get started on something else.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s add salt to the water to help speed up the boiling,\u201d suggested Yossi. \u201cThat\u2019s what my mother does at home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d answered Mendy. \u201cRabbi Rubin always says the&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>&nbsp;water must be pure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Just then, Rabbi Rubin called. \u201cHow is everything going?\u201d Mendy reported on the current state of affairs and what had been accomplished up until then. He then mentioned Yossi\u2019s suggestion about the salt. Rabbi Rubin explained that since there is a disagreement in the <i>Poskim<\/i>&nbsp;about whether&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>&nbsp;is effective with liquids other than water, we are careful to&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i>&nbsp;with plain water only.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn7\" name=\"_ftnref7\"><sup>7<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;\u201cHowever,\u201d added Rabbi Rubin, \u201cthere are other ways to speed up the water boiling, such as covering the pots.\u201d<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn8\" name=\"_ftnref8\"><sup>8<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Rabbi Rubin continued, \u201cAssuming that you are using a standard commercial gas stove with 30 thousand BTU per burner, and each pot was filled with 24 gallons of water, you easily have more than an hour until they boil.\u201d Rabbi Rubin was fond of displaying his technical knowledge. \u201cPerhaps now is a good time to look at the deep fryer. Please keep me posted.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mendy and Yossi moved away from the hot and humid area around the stove, past the busy workers who were scrubbing and scraping, and went to inspect the fryer. \u201cI hope you fellows won\u2019t be poking around there with a blow torch, like I saw a rabbi do one time,\u201d remarked a nearby resort maintenance worker. \u201cThat&nbsp;Frialator&nbsp;cost $2500 plus installation, and we take mighty good care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, the fryer is a big pot filled with oil that has baskets inserted inside to hold the food. In this older model, fire shoots through two gas-powered heating tubes sitting near the bottom which quickly heat oil to a high temperature. Mendy was grateful that the fryer was in excellent condition, and was as clean as one could expect for a machine that could hold 90 pounds of sizzling oil. Judging from the recipe card for fried shrimp hanging on the wall, this piece of equipment was bona fide not kosher. Mendy ran his finger around the walls and the bottom of the fryer and, to his surprise, it was free of grease. He surmised that they must use a powerful de-greaser to clean it. Therefore, it could be <i>kashered<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>by simply filling it with water and turning on the heat.<\/p>\n<p>Revisiting the pots on the stove, Mendy lifted the lid and peered in to see how far it had progressed towards boiling. He saw bubbles forming, and estimated that it was almost ready. Meanwhile, Yossi had returned to the office to retrieve his knapsack and took out an infrared heat gun that he purchased for his last&nbsp; <i>hashgacha<\/i>&nbsp;job. After adjusting the setting for stainless steel pots, he pointed the beam inside the water. \u201cOnly 205\u00b0F,\u201d he shouted over the kitchen noise. \u201cI think it still needs a while yet to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTemperature doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d Mendy responded. \u201cLook at the bubbles.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Yossi said hotly. \u201cThe&nbsp; <i>Rav&nbsp;HaMachshir<\/i>&nbsp;for whom I usually work insists that&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>&nbsp;water must be 212\u00b0F. Feel free to use a lower standard, but don\u2019t involve me!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy dear Yossi,\u201d replied Mendy. \u201cIf you want to wait until this pot reaches 212\u00b0F, <i>Moshiach<\/i>&nbsp;will arrive and you\u2019ll still be waiting! 212\u00b0F is the temperature of boiling water at sea level. But we\u2019re in the mountains, where the atmospheric pressure is lower. At our elevation of 2700 feet, water boils at just 207\u00b0F.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mendy continued his point. \u201cThe&nbsp; <i>halacha&nbsp;<\/i>is clear that&nbsp; <i>hagolah<\/i>&nbsp;(purging with hot water) removes&nbsp; <i>beliyos<\/i>, absorbed tastes, through the bubbling action.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn9\" name=\"_ftnref9\"><sup>9<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;The&nbsp; <i>type&nbsp;<\/i>of heat source is significant, but not the&nbsp; <i>temperature<\/i>. That\u2019s why boiling water can&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>items that usually operate at much higher temperatures.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn10\" name=\"_ftnref10\"><sup>10<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;For instance, oil in a deep fryer reaches 400\u00b0F, and liquid in a pressure cooker reaches 600\u00b0F. Both items are&nbsp; <i>kashered<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>through boiling water, because the&nbsp; <i>risicha<\/i>, bubbling, is what works.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn11\" name=\"_ftnref11\"><sup>11<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;The opposite also holds true,\u201d explained Mendy. \u201cIf you were&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>at a hotel near the Dead Sea, which is almost 1400 feet below sea level, you would need to wait until the water boils at 214\u00b0F.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As Yossi nodded his head to indicate his understanding,&nbsp;Mendy\u2019s&nbsp;phone rang. It was Rabbi Rubin. Over the music and singing in the background, the rabbi asked about the state of the deep fryer. He was relieved to hear how clean it was. \u201cExcellent,\u201d remarked Rabbi Rubin. \u201cBy the way, did you check the heating tubes?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo,\u201d answered Mendy. \u201cI carefully examined the cooking chamber, but I didn\u2019t think to check those tubes. I\u2019ll go take a look right now.\u201d Phone to his ear, Mendy looked in and noticed some black specks on the heating tubes, which felt slightly&nbsp;raised&nbsp;when he rubbed his hand over them. \u201cAre they a problem?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d said Rabbi Rubin. \u201cFrying generates an intense heat, which produces carbon that can become embedded on the tubes. Degreasers don\u2019t remove them, and we can\u2019t&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i> <i><\/i>with&nbsp; <i>hagolah<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>as long as they remain. The only effective method that I know of is to boil pure ammonia in the fryer for 20 minutes.<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn12\" name=\"_ftnref12\"><sup>12<\/sup><\/a>&nbsp;No need to fill it all the way, just above the level of the tubes is good enough. If this works, you can then&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>using plain boiling water afterwards. Remember that you must also&nbsp; <i>kasher<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>the outside of the fryer, by letting the boiling water cascade over the sides.&nbsp; <i>Hatzlacha<\/i>, I wish you success!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By now, it was already evening and Mendy and Yossi took a break to&nbsp; <i>daven<\/i> <i>&nbsp;mincha<\/i>. When they returned, the cleaning team was putting away their supplies and preparing to leave. Mendy felt bad asking them to stay to take care of yet another task, but he had no other option. The maintenance technician was relieved that no blow torches were being used, but wasn\u2019t quite sure what to make of the ammonia plan. As they were bringing ammonia from the secure chemical room,&nbsp;Mendy\u2019s&nbsp;phone rang. It was Rabbi Rubin again. What could he want?<\/p>\n<p>With urgency in his voice, Rabbi Rubin said, \u201cAnd make sure to open all the windows and turn on the exhaust fan. The last time we boiled ammonia, one of the workers passed out on the floor from the fumes! We carried him out to fresh air and he was okay, but don\u2019t take any chances. Also, it\u2019s important that the drain, hoses and gaskets on the bottom of the fryer be thoroughly cleaned. They\u2019re probably full of non-kosher grease and will affect the kosher status of whatever is fried inside.\u201d Mendy heard someone shout, \u201c <i>L\u2019chaim<\/i> <i>!<\/i>\u201d and the phone connection&nbsp;was&nbsp;broken.<\/p>\n<p>It was already very late by the time the kitchen was satisfactorily&nbsp; <i>kashered<\/i>. The doors were sealed with tamper-proof tape to ensure that the kosher status remained intact until Friday. On Friday afternoon, Mendy was walking outside near the resort lobby as cars pulled up. He spotted Rabbi Rubin\u2019s car and ran over shouting \u201c <i>Mazel Tov<\/i>!\u201d as he gave the rabbi a hug.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCongratulations to you!\u201d exclaimed Rabbi Rubin. \u201cFor the fabulous job you did&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> the kitchen!\u201d<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">&#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666; &#x2666;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular; font-size: small;\"><b>&nbsp;<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">1.<\/a>&nbsp;Adapted from a&nbsp; <i>shiur<\/i>&nbsp;delivered by Rabbi Shmuel Heinemann at the STAR-K FOODSERVICE <i>MASHGIACH<\/i>&nbsp;TRAINING SEMINAR, July 2013.&nbsp;Rabbi Mayer Kurcfeld, an invaluable resource in the area of foodservice&nbsp; <i>hashgacha<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>with a wealth of practical knowledge, also contributed to this article.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">2.<\/a>&nbsp;This is the Yiddish term for making equipment and utensils fit for kosher use. The procedure employed depends on how the utensil was used.&nbsp; <i>Hagolah<\/i> <i>,&nbsp;libun&nbsp;chamur&nbsp;and&nbsp;libun&nbsp;kal,&nbsp;<\/i>or&nbsp; <i>iruy<\/i>&nbsp;are various methods <i>&nbsp;<\/i>of&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"> <\/a><\/div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"> <\/a><\/p>\n<div><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"> <\/a><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\"><\/a><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">3.<\/a>&nbsp; <i>Mishna<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Berurah<\/i>, 451:19, quoting&nbsp; <i>Magen<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Avraham&nbsp;<\/i>509:11.&nbsp; <i>&nbsp;<\/i>He cites the&nbsp; <i>Chasam<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Sofer<\/i>&nbsp;( <i>Shu\u201dt<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Y.D.<\/i>110) who says that when&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>for&nbsp; <i>Pesach<\/i>&nbsp;one may also switch the dairy\/meat designation. Common practice dictates that this&nbsp; <i>minhag<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>applies only when&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>with&nbsp; <i>hagolah<\/i>, but not <i>libun<\/i>. (See&nbsp; <i>She\u2019arim<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Mitzyunim&nbsp;B\u2019Halacha<\/i>&nbsp;46:15 and&nbsp; <i>Chelkas<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Binyamin&nbsp;<\/i>121:33.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">4.<\/a>&nbsp; <i>Mishnah&nbsp;Berurah<\/i>, 509:25, from&nbsp; <i>Pri<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Megadim,&nbsp;Eishel&nbsp;Avraham,&nbsp;<\/i>509:30.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">5.<\/a>&nbsp;This is a concern when&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>with&nbsp; <i>hagolah<\/i>, which works by drawing out the tastes absorbed in the walls of the utensil. In contrast,&nbsp; <i>libun<\/i>&nbsp; <i>gamur<\/i> <i>&nbsp;<\/i>burns absorptions in their place and works in almost all circumstances.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">6.<\/a>&nbsp;Discolorations and stains don\u2019t affect&nbsp; <i>kashering<\/i>&nbsp;( <i>Mishna<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Berurah<\/i>&nbsp;521:22), only actual residue or rust, even a minimal amount.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref7\" name=\"_ftn7\">7.<\/a>&nbsp; <i>Rema<\/i> <i>,&nbsp;Orach&nbsp;Chaim<\/i>, 552:5. <i>&nbsp;<\/i>This policy is most relevant when producing&nbsp; <i>pareve<\/i>&nbsp;chocolate on equipment previously used for dairy, since chocolate producers avoid introducing water into their equipment. Therefore, STAR-K certifies chocolate as&nbsp; <i>pareve<\/i>&nbsp;only when produced on a dedicated line.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref8\" name=\"_ftn8\">8.<\/a>&nbsp;Applying heat on the sides of the pot with a propane torch can also help speed things along.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref9\" name=\"_ftn9\">9.<\/a>&nbsp;See&nbsp; <i>Shulchan<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Aruch,&nbsp;Orach&nbsp;Chaim,&nbsp;<\/i>252:1,&nbsp; <i>Shulchan<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Aruch&nbsp;HoRav<\/i>&nbsp;252:3.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref10\" name=\"_ftn10\">10.<\/a>&nbsp;See&nbsp; <i>Kitzur<\/i> <i>&nbsp;Shulchan&nbsp;Aruch&nbsp;<\/i>( <i>Rav<\/i>&nbsp;Aharon&nbsp;Pfeifer)&nbsp; <i>Basar<\/i> <i>&nbsp;B\u2019chalav&nbsp;<\/i>II, Appendix 1, in the name of <i>Rav<\/i>&nbsp;Shlomo&nbsp;Zalman&nbsp;Auerbach.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref11\" name=\"_ftn11\">11.<\/a>&nbsp;In some specialized equipment, such as reactors found in flavor companies which operate in a near vacuum, water will bubble furiously at a mere 60\u00b0F, cool to the touch. In this situation, we require at least a temperature of&nbsp; <i>yad<\/i> <i>&nbsp;soledes&nbsp;bo<\/i>, which here can be assumed to be 120\u00b0F.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftnref12\" name=\"_ftn12\">12.<\/a>&nbsp;The non-sudsing&nbsp;type should be used. Otherwise, it will bubble over and all of the ammonia will boil out. Without liquid inside, the fryer will be ruined.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Published Winter 2014<\/p>\n<p><b>A Fictional Account of a Factual Situation<a title=\"\" href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">1<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Pictures<\/span>:&nbsp;<\/b>Large industrial stove, oven, fryer, elegantly set ballroom with tables<b><\/b><\/p>\n<p>Mendy enjoyed his job at Elegant Touch Catering (ETC). His primary responsibilities were in the office, but his sharp eye was noticed by&nbsp;Rabbi Ephraim Rubin, the caterer\u2019s veteran <i>mashgiach<\/i>,&nbsp;who&nbsp;needed extra help with vegetable checking. Finding people with the skill and acumen to determine acceptability of leafy greens, especially in the pressurized environment of a commercial kitchen, was a challenge for Rabbi Rubin and he was eager to recruit Mendy as an assistant.<\/p>\n<p>After two months of training, and hours squinting in the harsh glow of a light box covered by microfiber mesh cloth, Mendy became adept at detecting tiny translucent&nbsp;thrips&nbsp;and aphids hiding in the folds and crevices of romaine, kale, broccoli, dill, and parsley. Finally, the STAR-K&nbsp; <i>Kashrus<\/i>&nbsp;Administrator overseeing foodservice establishments approved him as a vegetable checker. Eventually, Mendy [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84,27,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kashrus-kurrents-2014","category-kashrus-kurrents","category-winter-kashrus-kurrents-2014"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>From The Chronicles Of A Kosher Caterer | STAR-K Kosher Certification<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Published Winter 2014 A Fictional Account of a Factual Situation1 Pictures:&nbsp;Large industrial stove, oven, fryer, elegantly set ballroom with tables\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.star-k.org\/articles\/kashrus-kurrents\/2186\/from-the-chronicles-of-a-kosher-caterer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"From The Chronicles Of A Kosher Caterer | STAR-K Kosher Certification\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Published Winter 2014 A Fictional Account of a Factual Situation1 Pictures:&nbsp;Large industrial stove, oven, fryer, elegantly set ballroom with tables\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.star-k.org\/articles\/kashrus-kurrents\/2186\/from-the-chronicles-of-a-kosher-caterer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"STAR-K Kosher Certification\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-07-06T18:08:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-09T13:57:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Moshe T. 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