Monday, March 11, 2019

kashrut kosher - What's the halachic advantage of double (or triple) wrapping food?


I've heard of both double and triple wrapping when it comes to shielding a food item in an oven with regards to Kashrus.


What exactly does double or triple wrapping accomplish that one wrapping can't? Why is there a need for more?



Answer



In Isur Veheter there is a concept: "Ain Taam Yotzei Mchaticha Lchaticha blo Rotev". Taste can't transfer without liquid. So if a slice of bread absorbed meat taste (so there is no actual meat in the bread, just taste), then one puts that (hot) bread on (hot) cheese, the taste cannot go from the bread into the cheese.


Another example of this idea is "Shtei Kdeiros", if two pots, one cooking meat and one cooking milk touch each other on the outside, if there is no liquid there, the pots do not become traif because the taste doesn't transfer.



When one double wraps food, he is creating that situation. Let's say he is cooking food in a traif dirty oven (and there is steam, which halachically is considered like the food itself). The outer layer of foil (or whatever other material one uses) becomes traif. If it was only one layer, that traif taste in the foil would transfer directly to the food, possibly causing the food to become traif. Now, if there are two layers, the taste must go from the outside layer into the inside layer first, before getting transferred into the food. However, because there is no liquid between the two layers, there is no taste transfer and, therefore, the food stays kosher.


The third layer is probably a backup in case the second layer has a hole, gets slightly unwrapped, etc.


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