Halachot and Customs
Kosher Status in a Food Processor
Question
Hello, honored rabbi. I would like to ask several questions. If you could answer me in simple language, separately for each of the questions, so that I can understand once and for all, I would be very grateful. So here goes: I purchased an expensive food processor (Magimix) that has 3 plastic bowls and steel-blade knives (attached to plastic):
1. Am I required to designate the food processor as either dairy or meat? Or can I use it for both meat and dairy (provided that everything is cold and not sharp - and if you could explain what is meant by sharp, whether by quantity or by the type of sharpness).
2. If the food processor becomes meat because I put something sharp or hot meat in it for grinding, can I prepare a pareve vegetable salad in it that I can eat with cheese? If so, do I need to wait 24 hours, or can I prepare it immediately afterward (of course after I have washed the bowl and all the parts well)?
3. If I made the food processor meat because I put something hot in it (a potato straight from the pot) or sharp (half a hot green pepper), can I somehow kasher it (it is completely new and I probably made a mistake because I did not know the laws properly in advance), or is it lost for me? I should note that the bowls are made of hard, durable plastic, and the blades are steel but attached to plastic.
4. If you could also explain the rules for keeping a microwave and oven kosher (I have one appliance for both, and I want to learn how to keep kashrut properly and not just approximately).
I was raised in a traditional, non-religious home, so I know kashrut in general, and everything I know comes from home. I would therefore be glad if you could teach me something new, because I truly want to learn. Thank you in advance, and sorry for the length of the questions...
Answer
שלום וברכה If one is always careful not to use anything hot or sharp, then according to the letter of the law it may be used for both meat and dairy. However, it is not proper to do so, lest the knife not be completely clean, or lest someone mistakenly use something hot or sharp and not notice that it has become entirely meat. Sharp means anything sharp, such as onion, garlic, lemon, and the like. If the food processor has become meat, it is still possible to use it for pareve things and then use those as dairy. If it has become meat or dairy, it can be kashered by hagalah in boiling water on the fire, after waiting 24 hours, for the knife or the bowl, and then it will return to being pareve.
4. One must be very careful regarding the microwave and the oven not to use them one after the other for meat and milk. One must kasher them each time one wants to use them for milk after meat or vice versa by waiting 24 hours between the meat and the milk, thoroughly cleaning, and heating for half an hour on the highest heat. In the microwave, one should heat a cup of water.
With blessings, Binyamin Shmuali
