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Kashrus Halacha

Small Kitchen Items on Shabbos [Part 1] (Kosher Anthology 17)

·35 min·3 clips
Rabbi Dovid Cohen demonstrates a flameless ration heater that uses magnesium to heat food on Shabbos.
The episode begins with Rabbi Dovid Cohen introducing three unrelated small kitchen items for Shabbos analysis. First, he demonstrates a flameless ration heater (FRH) from La Briote, a kosher version of military MREs that uses magnesium, salt, and water to create an exothermic reaction. He shows it heating up live, noting it takes about 20 seconds. The host explains Rabbi Shechter's ruling that the steam from the reaction creates a Taldu Sa'ar Chama, making it potentially forbidden on Shabbos, especially if the food contains liquid. He also discusses Hatamana issues, comparing it to putting food in a thermos, and mentions the chemical reaction might be considered noilad. Second, the episode shifts to making seltzer on Shabbos, outlining three stages: historical methods with baking soda and lemon juice, syphilux systems from the 1950s, and modern SodaStream. The host notes most poskim assume no molybdenum issue for mixing carbon dioxide into water, but debates exist over makh of a patech and whether attaching cartridges creates a kli. He cites opinions from Dain Weiss, Ravosner, and others, with some permitting use on Shabbos. Third, the host discusses metal ice cubes, which are sealed containers filled with water or substances like glycerin and ethanol to cool drinks without dilution. He raises kosher concerns about b'liya if non-kosher ingredients are used, analyzing scenarios with hot or cold drinks. The host explores halachic issues like noilad when ice melts inside the cube without mixing into the drink, and notes the need to mark milchig or fleishig versions for hot use. The episode concludes with a brief mention of typing metal ice cubes due to their functional nature.

As heard by us

A practical tour of Shabbos questions hiding inside heaters, seltzer makers, freezers, and ice.

Small Kitchen Items on Shabbos finds halachic weight in the sort of kitchen objects people usually handle without much thought. Flameless ration heaters become a way into creating heat, as the episode explains how magnesium, salt, and water can produce an exothermic reaction…

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Why you'd press play

Want to trace what self-heating meals, home seltzer, and freezer questions are doing in a Shabbos kitchen conversation?

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