Halachot and Customs
I Have One Oven. May I Use It for Meat and Then for Dairy?
Question
Peace and blessings,
I have one oven.
My question is whether it is permitted to use it for meat and then for dairy after a 24-hour waiting period from baking to baking?
Answer
Peace and blessings,
According to Sephardi custom, you may bake dairy foods such as cakes, and other dry foods, when three conditions are met:
A. Twenty-four hours must have passed since the last time you baked meat foods in the oven.
B. You must use trays designated for dairy foods.
C. Before baking, the oven should be turned on to a high heat for twenty minutes so that it completely removes any steam remaining from the meat foods (Responsa Yabia Omer, part 5, Yoreh Deah, siman 7).
According to Ashkenazi custom, however, it is not permitted to bake meat and dairy in one oven one after the other, even when the above conditions are met (Responsa Chelkat Yaakov, Yoreh Deah, siman 23).
With blessings,
Hillel Meirs
