Infestation Update from Rav Moshe Vaye

Rav Moshe Vaye, Lakewood- on Sunday Parshas Ri'aye gave a shiur on infestation for women. Then gave another shiur for Mechanchois in Girl schools. Stressed the importance of having all girl high schools & seminaries to teach hands on bedikas toloyim. It's been taught in eretz yisroel successfully in the Girl schools for many years. It must be part of the curriculum.

1- Chestnuts- Fresh- after cooking or baking, each one must be opened and checked for infestation. Peeled and cooked with good hashgocha from China- a cursory check is recommended.
2- Corn on the cob- Fresh, Frozen-Commonly infested with thrips & mites hiding under kernels. Must be de-kernilized prior to cooking, rinsed. Baby corn, no issues. Frozen or canned kernels-no issues.
3- Blueberries- Fresh, Frozen, Filling, etc- Scales, Mites, Maggots- unrealistic to clean, check-do not use.
4- Grapes- mites- Break into small cluster, do not remove from stem- wash with soapy water 3 times & rinse. Then seperate and rinse under water while rubbing each grape.
5- Apricots- Fresh- open, remove pit, check. Dried from Turkey- split open & check inside for infestation. If not fresh check outside for small whitish that may be mites.
6- Dates- split open check along area of pit for infestation.
7-Garlic- Mites, thrips- Must be carefully peeled, then rinsed while rubbing each one. Wash knife & table.
Pre-peeled garlic- must wash each one.
8- Scach-סכך Kainus- Booklice, worms- lay flat, bang with a stick above a white paper or sheet, inspect for insects. If found, spray with hot water & chlorine both sides- let dry, then rinse. Stand on end, bang with stick, inspect for worms or insects. When storing, put into plastic with mothballs.

9- Orange Juice- fresh, concentrate-Scale insects- very common, even with hashgochas- Aidah Yerushalem says must be sifted with a 70 mesh sifter, Rav Vaye recommends to sift through a white shirt.

ALERT: Due to various kashrus issues, especially infestation- All kosher cookbooks should be reviewed by a Responsible kashrus authority prior to publication.

Sales of Kosher Cookbooks Soar as New Books are Planned

Brooklyn, NY…Kosher cookbooks are hot sellers, according to Judaica stores in many parts of the country. One quipped: “Instead of taking the time to teach daughters the art of kosher cooking, most mothers nowadays simply buy one of some 90 kosher cookbooks now on the market, including the popular Kosher by Design (Suzie Fishbein) and Joy of Kosher (Jamie Geller) series.” A number of other cookbooks are in the works, according to sources which may very well bring the total to well over 100 by the end of 2015. By comparison, in 1980, said one Judaica store owner, he could recall only three, led by the popular cookbook by the Lubavitch Women’s Organization. Amongst the new cookbooks planned is Jewish Soul Food by Carol Green Ungar. Set for release in Spring 2015, the author claims that it “is the first ever Shabbat and holiday cookbook, to include not just recipes but in depth explanations of the deep meanings behind our most beloved Jewish foods.” One Judaica store said that despite his full selection of “sfarim” (Jewish holy books), ranging from the Talmud to ordinary sidurim (prayer books), the cookbooks represent more than 25% of his overall sales. By comparison in 2000, it was less than 10%.

What size insect is not permitted? According to all poiskim - we are talking about an איסור דאוריתא!