Bishul Akum - Turning Point

Q. At what point does food cooked by a nochri become bishul Akum?

A. Rav Yosef Cairo (Shulchan Aruch YD 113:9) writes that if a nochri cooks food to the point of maachal ben Drusai (the minimum level of edibility), it is subject to bishul Akum. Food that is cooked less than this amount is permitted, since it is not yet edible. Once cooked till maachal ben Drusai, the food is bishul Akum and remains forbidden even if a Jew completes the cooking. However, the Beis Efraim quotes the Avkas Rochel (a collection of teshuvos from the Beis Yosef) who writes that if the nochri cooked the food past maachal ben Drusai and subsequently it dried out and could not be eaten without further cooking, the prohibition of bishul Akum is removed.

The Rema (YD 113:9) disagrees with Rav Yosef Cairo. In his opinion, food cooked by an aino Yehudi may be eaten if a Yisroel completes the cooking process. In this respect, bishul Akum is different than most other prohibitions which cannot be reversed. Apparently, the Rema’s position is that when the Yisroel completes the cooking process the initial prohibition of bishul Akum is lifted because the food is no longer the same as before. Food cooked by a Jew cannot be considered bishul Akum.

The Issur V’heter (43:11) adds that this leniency (of the Rama) only applies if there is further cooking which improves the food, but reheating does not change the status.

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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.