Intro to The Shabbos Kitchen Series
Join Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport as he guides you step by step through the laws of Shabbos (or Shabbat) as they apply in the kitchen.
Disclaimer: This series is not meant to take the place of having your own rabbi or of learning the laws of Shabbos regularly and in-depth. As with all areas of Torah, if you have any questions about the laws of Shabbos, you should direct them to your local Orthodox rabbi. If you do not have one, feel free to email Rabbi Rappaport at askrpr2@gmail.com.
Warming Food on Shabbos
Lesson 1: Getting to Know Your Blech
In this first lesson, Rabbi Rappaport introduces the laws of warming food on Shabbos, beginning with a demonstration of the “blech,” a metal sheet that covers the stove to separate the pots of food from the flame.
The goal is to make sure that nobody will adjust the flame, whether higher or lower, for the duration of Shabbos. to ensure this doesn’t happen, we need to do two things:
- Cover the stove top
- Cover or remove the knobs
It is preferable that the food is fully cooked before Shabbos.
However, if the food is not fully cooked:
- One may not uncover and then cover the pot again
- The pot may not be moved closer to the fire.
Tip! To keep your food for Friday night warm inside the oven, turn on the oven with enough time before Shabbos to ensure the food is hot and fully cooked. Then, right before Shabbos, turn off your oven and stick in your challahs. You can then leave the covered pans of food and challahs in the oven until you are ready to eat. The food in the pans should remain hot, and you’ll have delicious warm challahs for Friday night!
Rabbi Pinchus Rappaport received his Rabbinic ordination from Yeshiva of Staten Island and currently serves as a Rabbi in Brooklyn, NY. Rabbi Rappaport encourages you to direct any questions to your local Orthodox rabbi. If you don’t have one, feel free to email him at askrpr2@gmail.com.
