WHAT IS A KOSHER OVEN?
The answer may vary slightly depending on who you ask, but in a nutshell, a kosher oven is an appliance that complies with certain Jewish dietary restrictions and guidelines regarding food preparation. Ovens with features like Sabbath Mode help modern appliances better align with the needs of Sabbath-observant households. Some may even be kosher certified, which signals a sign of approval by a rabbinic agency.
Keep reading to learn more about kosher appliances and how to know whether an oven can be considered kosher.
WHAT MAKES AN OVEN KOSHER?
A kosher oven is typically one that is used to cook either meat or dairy (but not both) or one that has been “koshered” or cleaned of all non-kosher food by using precise rules. Specific types of oven features, like Sabbath Mode, and how you utilize the oven, can help to determine whether it can pass as kosher. Sometimes a certification from a qualifying agency can also help determine whether an oven can be deemed kosher.
These features are important because kosher rules not only determine which foods a Jewish person can eat, but they also provide guidance on how the food must be prepared. This can involve having two sets of appliances, utensils and dishes to separate meat from dairy throughout both the cooking and eating process.
Read on to explore a few features that can help determine what makes an oven kosher.
SEPARATION OF MILK AND MEAT
According to Jewish kosher law, milk and meat should not be prepared or eaten together. Some kosher kitchens will have two ranges or a double wall oven like this one to help abide by this rule, allowing for dairy to cook in one and meat recipes to cook in the other.
If your kitchen has a single standard oven, there are steps you can take to use the oven for both dairy and meat items. Read on for more information.
USAGE
There are ways to make a single oven kosher for cooking by following certain cleaning and preparation procedures. This is called "koshering" or "kashering." Kashering an oven can involve:
Cleaning the oven surface and racks
Intense, high-temperature heating
Time restrictions both before and during the heating process.
There are sometimes discrepancies over how to kasher an oven regarding timing and heating requirements when switching from using a single oven for meat to dairy and vice versa. And sometimes, the food must be sealed and covered in a particular manner while being cooked in an oven that is not normally used for this purpose.
CERTIFICATION
Some kitchen appliances, including ovens, can receive a type of certification from a rabbinic agency that says the product meets certain kosher law requirements. Some ovens may be certified to meet kosher requirements for use on the Sabbath and other religious holidays.
SHOP MAYTAG® DOUBLE WALL OVENS
Sometimes, one oven just isn’t enough—especially if you’re trying to cook milk and meat dishes separately. Maytag® double wall ovens allow you to cook dishes with various ingredients in separate spaces to help ensure you get dinner on the table in a way that helps meet your Sabbath standards. Customize your oven usage to your lifestyle needs with features on select ovens like Sabbath Mode, which overrides the oven's automatic shut-off function, keeping it active for hours of uninterrupted cooking and making it possible to use the oven on the Sabbath without turning it on.
SABBATH MODE IN A KOSHER OVEN
Sabbath Mode allows appliances to minimally operate during certain religious holidays, like the Sabbath (also called Shabbat or Shabbos), that typically don’t allow for the use of electricity. Certain features, like oven lights and automatic shut-offs, can be modified while in Sabbath Mode.
Turning on your oven’s Sabbath Mode can:
Allow your automatic shutoff and Bake Mode to stay on for longer than 12 hours
Allow your oven light to remain on or off, even as you open or close the oven door, remaining in whichever mode it was on when you turned on Sabbath Mode
Disable unnecessary oven settings, like temperature displays, sounds and cleaning cycles
EXPLORE MAYTAG® OVENS AND RANGES
Whether your meals require a double oven, or you prefer a single slide-in range or wall oven, Maytag brand has different types of cooking appliances that come with Sabbath Mode. From electric to gas ovens, you have options to keep your oven warm and your family-fed, even while observing the Sabbath.
