[Avodah] [Areivim] Kashrus of Imported Chocolates

[hankman]

This was a response I tried to post to a thread on Areivim ( Re: [Areivim] Kashrus of Imported Chocolates ) but the moderator wants me to post this to Avodah. so here it is:


RZS wrote:
Even if it is a liquid, since when can one kasher with liquids other
than water?

CM responds:
While true according to many, your flat statement is a gross oversimplification. See below:
Kol Tuv
Chaim Manaster
>From http://www.kashrut.com/articles/KashrutOfChocolate/
Kashrus of Chocolate – Kashering
Besides dairy chocolate, many products are made with pareve chocolate. Therefore, a company would need to kasher the equipment if it wishes to make both dairy and pareve on the same machinery.36 Most of the production of chocolate does not require heat except the conch (see above). Chocolate companies are unwilling to introduce water to the chocolate machines, since it can potentially damage the product. An alternative may be to run chocolate through the system once and consider it kashered. However, this approach is a dispute among poskim.

The Rama37 says that one should not kasher with any liquid other than water,38 but b’dieved one is allowed to use “other liquids” to kasher.39 A pressing situation has the status of b’dieved.40 Based on the above, some kashrus organizations permit a company to make dairy and pareve chocolate on the same equipment after a “kashering” of chocolate in between.41 Those who do kasher with chocolate do not have to wait twenty-four hours before kashering.42 The opinion of the OU is that since chocolate becomes solid at room temperature it may not be used for kashering.43 This applies even if one were to follow those opinions that permit kashering with other liquids.44 Therefore, their policy is to have two separate systems for pareve and dairy chocolate.45 Many other kashrus agencies follow this opinion.46


37. O.C. 452:5, Shulchan Aruch Harav 28, Aruch Ha’shulchan 19. For those who are lenient to kasher with “other liquids” refer to Pri Chadash 452:5, Kaf Ha’chaim 452:58, Hagalas Keilim page 226:footnote 1.

38. Refer to Mishnah Berurah 25.

39. Rama ibid, Shulchan Aruch Harav ibid, Mishnah Berurah 26, Shar Ha’tzyion 29, Aruch Ha’shulchan 19, Igros Moshe Y.D.

40. Refer to Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 108:3, Melamed L’hoyel O.C. 1:96. See V’Yan Yosef Y.D. 38.

41. Included in this are the Badatz of Yerushalayim and other European hechsherim (The Laws of Pesach: A Digest 2006 page 592, opinion of Dayan Westheim Shlita). Shufra Chocolate only manufactures pareve chocolate and do not

have dairy in the plant (Ibid page 594). Schmerling is kashered with water or libun (fire) (Ibid page 594).

42. Mesora 7:page 75:6. Those who eat from companies who use chocolate as kashering do not have to wait after eating meat before eating this chocolate (Mesora 7:pages 74-75).

43. Refer to Igros Moshe Y.D. 1:60 (end). See Mishnah Berurah 452:26.

44. OU document I-14:page 4.

45. As expressed in the Manual for the Chocolate Industry (OU) page 3, OU documents K-63 and K-91.

46. Such as the KOF-K, and Star-K.

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