• All of your ingredients must be kosher.
• Your kitchen and dishes must be kosher.
• If you are not Jewish and wish to prepare a kosher meal for your Jewish guests - you must consult an Orthodox Rabbi.
• Rules for kosher cooking are like following directions in a recipe, to be successful you have to follow the rules.
• If the ingredients are kosher but one isn't - then the whole meal is treif [not kosher].
• Recipe Substitutions
• Don't make assumptions - ask an Orthodox Rabbi if you have a question.

Does a food item or product need a hechsher?

Processed foods and their ingredients can be a very complicated issue as to whether it is kosher or not -- Consult your Rabbi on kashrus questions.

If you are in doubt whether or not a product does or doesn't need a kosher symbol -- rule on the side of caution, buy the product with a hechsher.

• Do not mix dairy and meat products. Remember for Kosher foods and cooking you must separate meat and dairy products and have separate meat and dairy dishes.

Does need a hechsher

• Meat and Poultry
• Tomato Products
• Wine
• Cheese

Is hunting for sport permitted by the Torah?

• No - ask an Orthodox Rabbi if you have a question.

Does NOT need a hechsher

• Fresh Fruits, Citrus and Vegetables

Does Milk need a hechsher?

• Some opinions say, No. Because some authorities say that the FDA and the laws governing how milk is processed  in the United States is enough.
• Cholov Yisroel is the term given to all dairy products, including cheese and non-fat dry milk powder, which have been under constant Rabbinical supervision.

List of kosher Eggs

Fresh Fish does not need a hechsher, however not all fish are kosher.

• List of Kosher Fish

What can be eaten

• Any fish that has "both" scales and fins. This means that shellfish are not kosher, and neither are fish like catfish.
• Any land animal that chews its cud "and" has split hooves. Sheep and cows are kosher animals, while pigs and horses and dogs are not kosher.
• Pigs do have a split hoof, but they do not chew their cud, so they are not kosher. Both deer and goats are kosher if properly slaughtered. There are also restrictions as to what parts of the animal may be eaten. Some parts may never be eaten and some parts are not normally processed as kosher meat in the United States due to the additional labor involved. (kosher hot dogs cannot contain some of the filler and miscellaneous scraps that are added to most non-kosher hot dogs)
• There is a list of non kosher birds in the Torah, which names predominantly scavengers and predators. Kosher birds include duck, chicken, and turkey. Ostrich is not kosher.
• There are some kosher insects that are types of grasshopper or locust. Ashkenazi and most Sepharadi groups have lost the tradition of which exact species are kosher, but Yemenites and some Sepharadi groups have maintained this tradition and can properly identify them (though to most people the prospect of eating insects is not appealing, rendering this a largely academic point).
• Animal blood is not to be eaten.
• Eggs from kosher birds are kosher. Eggs are not used if any blood spots are found.
  Honey made by bees is kosher even though it is processed by a non-kosher insect.
  An animal that is sick or injured cannot be eaten.
• All kosher animals must be slaughtered properly in order for the meat to be permissible.
• There are some restrictions on plants: they need to be checked that there are no insects. Any beverages made from grapes including grape juice and wine require special processing and supervision to be kosher.
• Gelatin is usually made from non kosher animal's hooves/bones, but it is possible to get kosher gelatin either made from kosher fish, kosher animals or vegetable products.
  Ask a local Rabbi for more details.