Kashering Dairy Fried In Meat Pan

Q. Cheese blintzes were fried in oil in a frying pan that was used for meat in the last 24 hours. How do I kasher the pan?

A. The method for kashering the frying pan will depend on how much oil was used.

        • If fried in a non-stick pan with no oil, the pan has the same status as a grill and is kashered with libun

        • If a thin layer of oil was used, it is halachically the same as being dry. The Pri Chadash (OC 451:11) writes that a small amount of oil is defined as a coating of oil that does not cause the food to sizzle. The Mishnah Berurah (451:65) quotes this ruling as well. If the pan will not survive libun, such as a pan with a non-stick coating, the pan cannot be kashered and should be discarded.

        • If a considerable amount of oil was used, but the oil dried up or was absorbed into the food, some poskim allow hagalah, but Shulchan Aruch (YD 121:4) rules that the frying pan requires libun. However, if the pan will be ruined by performing libun, Igros Moshe (YD 3:14:2) writes that one can rely on the lenient opinion and kasher with (a light form of libun which is accomplished by placing the pan in a regular oven at 550º F for an hour) or hagalah, but this should be done after a down-time of 24 hours.

        • If a considerable amount of oil was used and the oil did not dry up during the frying, the pan can be koshered with hagalah, or libun kal. Here too, there should be a 24 hour down-time before kashering.

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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.