Kosher Cooking - Jewish Cooking Terms

• Baking Pans Measurements
• Cooking Abbreviations
• Glossary of Passover Terms
• Glossary of Ethnic Foods
• What is a Jewish Recipe?
• Weights and Measurements

• Bench - Give Thanks to G-d for the Food we have eaten. This comes after the meal

• Challah - Braid Bread

• Milk and Dairy Products - Jewish Law does not permit the mixing of Milk and Meat. You must wait a period of 2 to 6 hours after eating meat before you may a diary product. Consult your Rabbi on waiting periods.
  Also see: Kosher Glatt Meat

• Parve - neither Dairy or Meat

• Batul - to nullify. Batul refers to a situation when a small amount of one food is accidentally mixed into a larger amount of a different food. When the ratio is one part to 60 parts or less, the smaller ingredient is generally considered to be null and void.

• Bishul Yisroel to the preparation of certain foods for which it is necessary for the Mashgiach to light the fire.

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• Chodosh literally, new, refers to the grain (wheat, barley, oats, rye, and spelt) that has not taken root before Passover. It is called "new grain." Its consumption may be restricted until the following Passover.

• Cholov Yisroel to all dairy productions, including cheese and non-fat dry milk powder, which have been under constant Rabbinical supervision.

• Fleishig - meat, denotes meat and poultry products, as well as dishes and utensils used in their preparation.

• Glatt Kosher Glatt is the Yiddish word meaning smooth, and refers to beef from kosher slaughtered animals whose lungs are free of adhesions. Kosher consumers who are very stringent in accepting only high standards of kosher, demand that all meat products be "glatt." The term is often mistakenly used to differentiate food items which have higher standards of kashruth from those which have a more relaxed level of kosher certification.

• Halacha literally, the path that one walks. It refers to Jewish Law, the complete body of rules and practices that Jews are bound to follow, including biblical commandments, directives of the Rabbis, and binding customs.

• Hashgacha literally, supervision, generally refers to kosher supervision.

• Hechsher to the certification of a kosher product or ingredient, given by a Rabbi or a kosher supervisory agency.

• Kasher to make kosher, usually applied to the salting and soaking procedures used in the production of kosher meat and poultry. The term is also used to describe the kosherization procedure of a non-kosher facility or utensil, so that it may be used in the preparation of kosher food.

• Kashruth the state of being kosher.

• Keilim - vessels or utensils.
  
  Kli Rishon, Kli Sheni, Kli Shlishi
  Kli rishon, literally the first utensil, refers to a utensil that is used for cooking, baking or roasting food or liquid, and contains that hot food or liquid. When hot food or liquid is transferred from the kli rishon into a second utensil, this utensil is called a kli sheni. A kli shlishi is the third utensil into which hot food or liquid is transferred.
   

• Kosher is the Hebrew word meaning fit or proper, designating foods whose ingredients and manufacturing procedures comply with Jewish dietary laws.

• Kosherization - the process of changing the status of equipment which had been used with non-kosher ingredients or products, to use with kosher ingredients or products.

• Mashgiach - one who is trained to supervise kosher food production.

• Mehadrin - to the most stringent level of kosher supervision.

• Mikvah - literally, gathering, refers to a structure, a ritualarium, in which water is gathered for purposes of immersion.

• Milchig - dairy, refers to dairy products as well as dishes, utensils, and equipment used in their preparation.

• Mevushal refers to wine which has been cooked.

• Orla - the Torah commandment to wait for three years before partaking of any fruit from fruit-bearing trees. The forbidden fruit of this period is known as orla.

• Pareve - neutral, indicates a product which contains no derivatives of poultry, meat, or dairy ingredients and can therefore be eaten with either a meat, poultry or dairy meal. Pareve items include all fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, eggs, kosher fish, etc.

• Pas Yisroel baked goods prepared in ovens which are turned on by the mashgiach.

• Shechita - the Torah prescribed manner of slaughtering an animal or fowl for consumption.

• Shochet - one who is specially trained to slaughter kosher meat and poultry according to the Jewish tradition.

• Shmitta the agricultural cycle observed in Israel, in which every seventh year the land lies fallow.

• Tevilas Keilim meaning dipping of utensils, refers to the immersion of vessels, utensils, or dishes in a ritualarium (mikvah) before their first use.

• Tovel To dip or immerse in a ritualarium (mikvah).

• Traiboring the process of removing forbidden fats and veins from meat in order to be prepared for the next stage of kashering, namely, the salting process.

• Treif / Treifah - food that is not kosher. The term is generally used to refer to all foods, vessels, and utensils that are not kosher. Literally, it means an animal whose flesh was torn or ripped.

• Yoshon, literally, old, refers to the grain that has taken root before Pesach, even if it is harvested after Pesach. It is called "old grain." It is permitted to be eaten without restriction. When a product is yoshon, it means that yoshon grains, including wheat, barley, oats, rye, spelt, were used in its preparation.
  
  Other Related Jewish Terms
   

• Birkas HaMazon - blessing of the food, commonly referred to as Grace After Meals. The recitation of birkas hamazon is called "bentsching" in Yiddish.

• Kiddush - sanctification. Kiddush is the prayer recited over wine sanctifying Shabbos or a Yom Tov.

• See "Seder" in Passover Terms.

• Seuda - a meal, specifically a festive or Shabbos meal.

• Shabbos is the seventh day of the week, which in the Jewish calendar begins at sunset on Friday and ends after dark on Saturday night.

• Yom Tov refers to the holidays on the Jewish calendar. These include: Rosh Hashana (September or October), Yom Kippur (September or October), Succos (October), Chanukah (December), Tu B'Shvat (January or February), Purim (February or March), Passover (March or April), Shavuot (May or June) Tisha B'Av (July or August).