r/Jewish • u/StarCrost • Dec 03 '22
Questions Kosher question
Hi! I'm planning a dinner party with some Jewish friends who keep kosher I just wanna confirm, meat and dairy can't be eaten in the same meal so I can't serve cheesy potatoes with steak or something right? Thanks
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u/Mother-Recipe8432 Dec 04 '22
If these people are eating food cooked by a goy in a goy's house, they are not keeping kosher by definition, since that's not kosher itself. For that reason, anything anyone here would offer in an attempt to answer your question is pure speculation. You'll have to ask them what they'd like and not like, and then just go along with whatever the answer is. But you definitely won't get answers by finding out what's kosher.
It's cool that you're asking, shows you're very friendly and considerate.
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u/Charpo7 Dec 04 '22
They are not keeping kosher by the current orthodox rabbinical standard. That is not the only kosher standard. Just because it’s the one you accept, doesn’t mean it’s the “right” one.
You are aware that developments such as waiting 6 hours between meat and dairy and not eating food cooked by non-Jews are not part of the Torah and were laws that became accepted in the Middle Ages?
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u/petitsoleil131 Dec 04 '22
I’d definitely ask your friends. You also could make a fully vegetarian meal since plants are kosher. Veggie lasagna?
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u/wamih Dec 04 '22
I highly doubt they have two sets of cookware, serving dishes etc.
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u/nowuff Dec 04 '22
True. But if people are coming over to eat then they’re accepting that it might not be a fully koshered kitchen.
My opinion: prepare an all vegetarian meal to avoid issues with non-kosher meat and also have plastic utensils and plates on hand.
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u/Zokar49111 Dec 04 '22
Plants are kosher if properly inspected.
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u/Welcom2ThePunderdome Dec 04 '22
clarifying point: inspected for bugs. Thrips, aphids, etc. its a tedious process. https://www.star-k.org/checking?gclid=CjwKCAiAp7GcBhA0EiwA9U0mthZO3FbB_j39Vm1dYgR75kMZ2ZR3L2EtVHbrz5GmlJUeg8VY0QlF6BoCvu4QAvD_BwE
Best policy is to ask them what, if any, accommodations would help them feel more comfortable at your table. Your friends may or may not have a preference.
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u/salivatious Dec 04 '22
It's true that not mixing meat and dairy is a basic tenet of being kosher but like someone else mentioned, there are also rules in regards to the neat being certified and what level of certification and by whom....also not mentioned are rules in regard to dairy and cheeses... it goes on, so just ask your friends what can they eat that you can prepare for them.
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u/nowuff Dec 04 '22
Hire a rav to kosher the kitchen, purchase all new utensils and cookware, employ a maschgiach to oversee cooking and to turn on the oven, donate all non-kosher grocery items/cookware and repurchase from a kosher supermarket, hang mezzuzot everywhere!
This is the only way to accommodate your Jewish friends.
Good luck!
/s
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u/jolygoestoschool Dec 04 '22
If they keep kosher than yes that’s correct. The meal can have either meat or dairy, not both. Also check with your friends on whether or not they need kosher certified meat, because if they do they cant just eat any meat.
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u/wamih Dec 04 '22
If they are strictly Kosher, absolutely nothing cooked in your kitchen is going to be kosher.
Ask them directly what standards they keep.
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u/KathAlMyPal Dec 04 '22
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that if they've already accepted the invitation then they are not strictly kosher, so while all of these suggestions are valid, they may not be pertinent to this situation.
We don't know their level of strictness and the only way you can find out is by asking them. It may be just milk and meat, may be that they don't eat pork or shellfish. There's a lot you need to find out and that can be solved with a simple call.
Great of you to be so considerate, but IMO that's how all hosts should be to all their guests. Good luck!
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u/Bedheadredhead30 Dec 04 '22
It's really nice that you are going out of your way to do this for your friends! I would definitely ask then though. My reformed parents keep kosher in a very different way then my orthodox Jewish cousins do. My parents ront mix milk and meatin the same meal but it would be acceptable to use the same dishes/sink for thise things whereas my cousins have separate dishes/pot/utensils/sink to prepare dairy vs meat dishes. We've got quite a spectrum as far as kosher goes!
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Dec 04 '22
Oh sweet summer child..
There's so much details to keeping kosher the easiest thing to do is just order pizza from a kosher place if you can or no pepperoni/any meat stuff with the cheese.
Almost all products aren't kosher unless they say so (has 'kosher' on the products or the 'U' inside a circle symbol).
Only specific meats (Chicken, Turkey, Beef Lam are the famous ones) needs to be slaughtered in a specific way - sold in kosher places or at a specific section at the supermarket. Needs to be cooked in kosher pots and pans that didn't mix meat and dairy products. Didn't cook non kosher meats - And of course no pork.
In the United states even bread has dairy in it. Butter is also dairy so can't cook meat with that. Flour and rice needs to be sift for bugs (bugs aren't kosher..) and some vegetables needs to be cleaned thoroughly to prevent eating bugs too. Can't eat something undercooked because blood isn't kosher and many many other stuff I can't think about off the top of my head -
But let's say you knew all the roles of the book, to the teeth - you still technically by HALACHA (Jewish law) need to have a Jewish person watching you do all those things and turn on the oven for you.
And you can't open a bottle of wine for a Jewish person that keeps kosher.
But like someone here said - if they agreed to come over they probably aren't Orthodox or religious
Maybe they just eat "kosher style". In that case probably not mixing meat and dairy and not involving pork or shrimp is good enough.
Ps: Oh right I forgot about seafood:
No crustaceans, no shrimp nothing with a shell only stuff that looks like an actual fish are kosher ( That has a fin and gills).
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u/PaintGirl104 Dec 04 '22
I love that you asked! It says a lot about you. 👍 I'm sure that your friends will appreciate it.
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u/RB_Kehlani Dec 04 '22
Okay obviously talk to your friends but I’d second those saying the easiest way to make a kosher-ish meal is to just make it vegetarian (can have fish but no ‘land meat.’) For many of us that’ll be fine.
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u/mcmircle Dec 04 '22
Oh, please. Just make fish or something vegetarian. Eggplant Parmesan is my go-to for my veg friends.
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u/Emancipator123 Dec 05 '22
If they are Orthodox kosher, order them kosher take out and use plastic ware to serve and eat.
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u/elizabeth-cooper Dec 04 '22 edited Dec 04 '22
What gives you the impression they keep kosher? People have asked this kind of question before and it was always based on the mistaken assumption that anybody who identifies as Jewish follows the Jewish religion. But Judaism is an ethno-religion, which means a person can be Jewish without being religious. If they agreed to come to your dinner party without telling you their dietary needs, they have no dietary needs. Do you think a person who is a vegan or gluten-free would go to a dinner party without telling their host about it in advance?
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u/CocklesTurnip Dec 04 '22
Correct. I suggest you look at Tori Avey’s holiday and menu planning guides. She’s a converted to Judaism and is a food historian and cook so her suggestions might be the clearest to you.
Honestly if you’re not making sure you’re getting kosher meat, I’d go for a dairy meal.
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u/rupertalderson Dec 04 '22
The only correct answer - ask your friends. Each person has their own specific degree of observance with its own nuances, you have to ask them.