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Kashering - A Summary 4. Warming Drawers and Vikron ® tops made of these materials should be thoroughly cleaned and
then covered with a non-absorbent material (cardboard, contact
Due to the general usage of warming drawers, as well as the paper, aluminum foil, etc). Most poskim agree that countertops
Vikron warming cart, it is not possible to make these appli- made of natural stone, granite (unsealed), marble, stainless steel
ances kosher for Pesach. To use them on Pesach, all of the or metal, without any seams, can be kashered through the use of
surfaces need to be cleaned from any remaining residue and boiling water. Nothing hot should be placed on these countertops
any food that is placed inside them should be double wrapped for 24 hours prior to kashering them. They should then be thor-
in aluminum foil. The Vikron warming cart may be used in this oughly cleaned and boiling water should be poured over them.
fashion on Shabbat and Yom Tov during Pesach. For the halach- Steam alone (produced by a heavy duty or commercial steamer)
ic guidelines concerning the use of warming drawers on Shab- should not be used to Kasher countertops unless there is con-
bat, please consult with our rabbinic staff. densate that remains on the entire surface and retains its kash-
ering temperature.
5. Stove Top
Conventional Gas Burners may be kashered by placing the The question becomes more complex when we talk about coun-
racks (or grates) upon which the pots rest into the oven while tertops that are made of plastic or acrylic, such as Formica or
it is being kashered. The burner itself does not need to be Corian, or natural stone with an acrylic sealant. Also, countertops
kashered. The drip pans should be covered. Electric Burners made of ground stone which is bound with an acrylic resin, such
(either metal or glass) may be kashered by turning them on as Silestone or Caesarstone, fall into this category. The psak of
until the element glows red. Rav Moshe Feinstein, z”l, is to prohibit these materials, whereas
the psak of Rav Gedaliah Dov Schwartz, z”l, of the Chicago Rab-
The other areas of the stove top surrounding the burners binical Council (CRC) permits them to be kashered, as long as
should be covered with aluminum foil. Glass stove tops pres- there are no seams in the countertops (formica countertops are
ent significant difficulty on Pesach because covering them usually seamed). If one relies on the opinion that these counter-
often results in cracking. Please speak to our rabbis for fur- tops may not be kashered, they should be cleaned and covered
ther information. with a double layer of covering, and one should avoid placing hot
food directly on them.
6. Dishwasher
Difficulties in kashering a dishwasher are primarily due to the Tabletops should also be double covered for use during Passover.
difficulties in thoroughly cleaning it. Assuming that all cor- The next page has some common kashering situations that often
ners, edges and rubber gaskets and food traps can be proper- arise (please note that these guidelines assume the more strin-
ly cleaned, a stainless-steel dishwasher may be kashered by gent opinion that plastic should not be koshered for Pesach):
running it through two soapy cycles with hotter water than is
usually used (such as a sanisteam), after allowing it to sit un-
used for 24 hours. It is preferable to stop the dishwasher mid
cycle and to pour in a pot full of boiling water, raising the tem-
perature of the water inside. The cycle should then be allowed
to finish. A new set of racks should be purchased for Pass-
over use. Plastic dishwashers may not be kashered for Pass-
over use, according to the psak of Rav Moshe Feinstein, z”l.
According to those poskim who allow plastic to be kashered
for Pesach, a plastic dishwasher may be kashered in the same
manner as above. The racks should remain in the dishwasher
during kashering and need not be replaced. All agree that a
porcelain dishwasher may not be kashered.

7. Sink and Countertops
A stainless-steel sink may be kashered by cleaning it and al-
lowing it to sit unused for 24 hours. Boiling water may then be
poured over the entire surface of the sink, including the fau-
cets. Enamel or porcelain sinks cannot be kashered for Pass-
over and require a covering or plastic sink insert.

There are many different materials used for countertops to-
day, which makes the question of kashering them very com-
plex. Most poskim agree that countertops made of glass tile,
ceramic, porcelain or concrete cannot be kashered. Counter-

SCOPE Magazine Passover 2022 67