12 Dec KASHRUS QUESTIONS & ANSWERS WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT

What bracha
do you make
on donuts?
There is a
custom, a
minhag, that many people have
to eat donuts, sufganiyot, on
Chanukah. Somehow, the donuts
keep on expanding. They keep
on expanding in size. They keep
on expanding in toppings and
fillings. But the question is, what
is the bracha on a donut? And
the bracha on a donut is
a Mizonos, even if you’re
eating a large donut. If
someone is eating many
donuts, which I don’t
recommend they do, then
there could be a question
of having to say Birchas

Hamazon. If you’re going to eat a
donut and you’re going
to eat a fancy donut,
just keep it within
proportion and then the
bracha achrona will be
Al Hamichya.

Can one use the same
bottles of ketchup

and mustard for
both fleishig and
milchig meals?
If somebody has
a jar of ketchup
or mustard on the
table that they’re
using for meat and
they then want to
use the ketchup or

mustard for non-
meat or for dairy,

there is no issue using the same
jar. However, if somebody took
the ketchup and put it into a
bowl, and meat was dipped
into the ketchup, obviously
that ketchup becomes fleishigs
and should only be used for a
fleishig meal.

Some kosher restaurants no
longer provide towel paper
at sinks; they have hand air
dryers. Has there been any
halachic discussion as to
whether it’s permissible to use
a hand air dryer when washing
for bread?
It is certainly better to dry your
hands with towels. If you’re in
a place that doesn’t have hand
towels and you can’t get a napkin
or anything else to dry your hands,
you could rely on the hand dryer.