Are Foods that Contain Onion Considered Charif (Sharp)?

Although Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh De’ah 96:2) writes that raw onions are considered charif, however fried onions caramelize and become sweet. Boiled onions also lose their sharp taste through the cooking. At that point, they are no longer considered charif, and if they are subsequently cut with a cold fleishig knife, they will not become fleishig. However, it should be noted that if an onion was cut when it was raw and still charif, it will remain fleishig even if it is later cooked or combined with other ingredients.

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.