[Avodah] induction cooking

[Zev Sero]

Micha Berger wrote:
> On Thu, Sep 25, 2008 at 12:26:30PM -0400, Zev Sero wrote:
> : Why is this bedieved?  Covering the knobs is parallel to gerifah; the top
> : part of the blech that covers the flame is parallel to ketima.  Standard
> : blechs do both, but only one is necessary.
> 
> That would have been my take too. Now, given that, and given that
> the flame isn't visible, is a blech needed altogether, or is ketima
> effectively done by the mechanics of how the food is heated?
> 
> IOW, is ketimah covering the flame, or not having a flame to see?

AIUI, gerifah means physically removing the possibility of stoking the
fire; ketimah means deliberately slowing the cooking, thus indicating
that one has no interest in speeding it up, and therefore that one has
no reason to stoke the fire.


> My take from the gemara is in the case where there is no flame to see as
> too low or high and therefore no chance of panic to stoke it, requiring
> any form of blech is already above the minimum of the din.

I don't think it has to do with panicking, but with wanting to get the
food ready quicker.  The fear is that you'll come home from shul and
find that dinner isn't ready yet, so you'll stir the coals to make the
flame hotter.  If you remove the coals then there's nothing to stir;
if you cover them then you've shown that you're in no hurry.

-- 
Zev Sero               Something has gone seriously awry with this Court's
zev at sero.name          interpretation of the Constitution.
                       	                          - Clarence Thomas