Question
Dear Rabbi, I am going on holiday, renting a student lodge. The cooking facility is an induction hob. 1)- How can I use it; does it need Koshering? Can it be koshered? 2)- If I use a “converter disk” will I be able to use the cooker without koshering? 3)- Can I use it on Shabbat with/without a “converter disk”? Many thanks,
Answer
Shalom, Thank you for your question. Here is a quote from the O-K kashrut website – “Induction (Glass Cooktop With Electromagnetic Elements) If one has an induction cooktop that was previously used for non-kosher, one can either kasher with boiling water or one can buy an induction interface disc. This disc would serve as a barrier between the non-kosher surface and your pot. One of the features of induction cooking is that the element stays cool to the touch, so unlike the other cooktops this one would not kasher itself. Therefore, one should designate separate burners for dairy or meat; alternatively, one can purchase two sets of induction interface discs – one set for meat and one set for dairy. One may have pots of dairy and meat cooking at the same time provided that there is no splattering or mixing (including steam) from one to the other. Since it is difficult to meet the required conditions, it is not advisable to cook meat and dairy at the same time.” So, based on this in answer to your questions – 1. Yes you can use an induction stove top. It needs to be koshered. It can be koshered by pouring boiling water on it. 2. If you use a converter disc, you do not need to kosher the stove top. You should wipe it down to insure that it is clean. 3. You may not use it on shabbat, as removing the pots from the stovetop turns on and off the electrical element. Even if you have a converter disc in place, in which case the heat will stay on when the pot is removed, you would still have a problem of using an uncovered fire on Shabbat. Blessings.
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