Tips For Making The Kind Of Kosher Meals Everyone Will Love

By Donald Meyer


If you grew up in a Jewish household, you know there are plenty of rules about what you can and can't eat. For those just learning kashrut, the rules can seem confusing and confining. Instead of focusing on what you can't cook, a better idea is to focus on all the foods you may eat and the dishes you an experiment with. Planning kosher meals should be fun and exciting. You can prepare delicious, nutritious meals easily and economically.

The local farmer's market is a wonderful source of foods that you can feed your family without breaking kashrut. The fresh produce you find there, like herbs, fruits, and vegetables will all be on your approved list. You must make sure they are clean and pest free however. If these were the only foods you were allowed to cook, you would have plenty of recipes to choose from.

Margarine is traditionally used in place of butter when baking and cooking pareve dishes. The problem you should have with margarine is that it's not good for you. It's loaded with transfat, and is on the low end when it comes to taste. You need to ditch the margarine and substitute something more flavorful, but still acceptable, like extra virgin olive oil.

Most big supermarkets have health food aisles, and you'll find them loaded with dairy free and gluten free products. If there's not a health food section in your favorite grocery store, try the local health food store. A benefit to you is that the food has all kinds of certifications. People who are serious about their health want to see genuine organic, vegan, and fair trade labels. You'll find kosher certifications here as well.

For those who live in an urban area, finding great specialty foods may not be that challenging. Living in a smaller community might require the Jewish chef to go online in search of delicacies. That is where you'll find items like Vietnamese fish sauce, Manchego cheese, and curry paste.

If you're really adventurous, you should take a look at international cuisine. Much of it can be easily adapted to kashrut. Asian cooking, for example, tends to be free of dairy. Pork, which is an Asian staple, can be changed to approved meats.

You also need to familiarize yourself with all the certification symbols, such as those put out by Kof-K and the Orthodox Union. Once you starting looking for them, you'll surprised at how often you find them on major brands. Other kashrut certifications are less familiar, but they are authentic. Learning about the symbols will give you a much wider selection of foods to choose from.

There are many foods that you can use in food preparation that don't necessarily have the qualifying certifications or a hechsher. These foods are just as acceptable in your recipes as those bearing the certifications. Included in this list are extra virgin olive oil, raw nuts, plain popcorn kernels, kosher meats, and pure unflavored honey and coffee. You should not be intimidated by kashrut. A better idea is to view it as a challenging opportunity to learn, grow and become a confident kosher chef.




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