18 Jan KASHRUTH QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT

Can one buy plain coffee or tea in a treif store (i.e. bodega, Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks, etc.)?

I don’t think you should buy coffee in a non-certified establishment because even if the equipment is only used to make coffee, they certainly use the same dishwasher for other utensils. The example I always use is: What would happen if in your home you found a milchig spoon in the fleishig dishwasher or vice versa? When people call with this question they think you have to throw out the dishwasher but there are many reasons to be lenient, most of all because it was an accident. Here, on a regular basis, the dishwasher is going to be used for kosher and non-kosher utensils, I can’t see how it’s permissible.

What food typically do not need a Hechsher?

Bottled water, salt, sugar, flour. Those are the typical foods that don’t need Hashgacha. Of course, fruits and vegetables don’t either, unless there’s an infestation problem.

I travel a lot for business and stay in motels. Do I need to bring a microwave with me to heat up my food or can I kasher a microwave in a motel?

You can Kasher a microwave in a motel. What would be best is that it should not have been used 24 hours before you use it which isn’t always possible because when you get a room you don’t know what had been going on in the past 24 hours. So if you can’t be sure that it wasn’t used in the past 24 hours, you should clean the microwave with some sort of soap or detergent. Then put in a cup or bowl of water and make sure it heats up the entire microwave and it’s full of steam.

Then move the cup to a different spot, because you also have to Kasher that spot, and repeat. And what I also recommend is, if possible, after doing all of this, is try to keep your food that you’re going to heat up double wrapped.