[Avodah] Induction stovetop halachic status

Zev Sero zev at sero.name
Tue Jun 30 20:38:16 PDT 2020


On 30/6/20 4:53 pm, Micha Berger via Avodah wrote:

> (Although I find it hard to believe the stovetop rarely reaches yad
> soledes bo. Doesn't the pot heat the surface it's sitting on?)

It does, but in my experience not that much.  It gets warm, even very 
warm, but rarely actually hot.


> I wanted to comment on something else. What I've heard about microwaves
> and bishul aku"m involve two arguments:
> 
> 1- Microwave cooked food is of lesser quality and not oleh al shulchan
> melakhim.

I doubt this is true.


> 2- Technically, the taqanah was about food put al ha'eish, and microwave
> cooked food doesn't qualify.
> 
> Well, I'm pretty sure that one could produce quality food on an induction
> cooker, even if I cannot picture a 5-star chef wanting to take that route.

I'm pretty sure induction stoves are used in some top restaurants.

And from the food's point of view the difference between microwaving and 
induction is great.  In a microwave the heat is induced in the food 
itself, not the pot it's in.  Any heat the keli picks up is from the 
food.  In both conventional and induction cooking the food is heated by 
the pot; the difference is merely in how the pot itself is heated.

But the Ramo, 113:13, explicitly says that only cooking on fire was 
forbidden.  So at least for Ashkenazim this whole issue should not 
exist.  Someone should inform this restaurateur, and/or the Rabbanut.


-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy summer
zev at sero.name       Seek Jerusalem's peace; may all who love you prosper


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