What chefs need to know for kosher cooking

The Basics: What Does Kosher Mean?
Kosher is derived from the Hebrew root “kashér,” which means “to be pure, proper, or suitable for consumption.” It refers to the Jewish dietary belief which is followed to ensure that food is properly prepared and processed in order to be consumed. It stems from a biblical origin in which it's interpreted as a safeguard that protects the integrity of the food. Kosher is really a body of laws which start from harvest to the plate. There are foods according to Kosher belief that must be eaten separately. This Jewish law of dealing with food defines which foods can and cannot be eaten according to the custom.

Kosher describes any food that complies with a strict set of dietary rules in Judaism.
Kosher diet rules are called kashrut.

The rules cover which foods to eat, how to prepare them, and how to combine them. Not all Jewish people observe the rules of kashrut by eating kosher food.

For those who do, it is a way to show reverence to God and feel connected to their faith and their communities.

Foods That Are Never Kosher and Are Prohibited:
Pork
All shellfish
Any bottom feeder fish (for e.g., catfish, monk fish and basa)
Any combination of dairy and meat products
Non-kosher meat and poultry
Blood! Blood is particularly unclean according to Jewish law, which goes to explain while kosher meats are salted during its processes to remove as much blood as possible. Other foods like blood sausage are a not allowed.

Here’s a little twist to the rule: You can combine fish with dairy. You can also (usually!) combine fish with meat.
Fish:
Fish has only one criteria to be considered kosher, it must have both scales and fins.

Fresh Fruits, Vegetables and Grains:
Fresh fruits, vegetables and grains that are in their natural unprocessed state, are considered kosher and pareve.

Pareve:
Pareve refers to neutral foods, they do not contain any traces of dairy or meat, they do not need kashrut certification.

With the exception of fish, pareve foods are inherently vegetarian and dairy-free. Therefore, many consumers with dietary restrictions who do not keep kosher for religious reasons may nevertheless seek out kosher pareve-certified products.

For example, a bag of fresh carrots or lettuce from the produce department is considered pareve and because it is unprocessed likely won’t have a kosher or pareve symbol, this is the same for eggs and fish.

Other processed items such as dried pasta, packaged snacks, and all other prepared items must have a symbol indicating they are pareve. Meat and poultry must have a kosher symbol on the packaging.

A Deeper Dive on Eggs:
Eggs that come from kosher fowl or fish are considered acceptable to consume, on the contingency that there are no traces of blood.
For example, if you crack an egg and there is a “blood spot” then the egg would not be acceptable for consumption.
It’s best practice to crack eggs for a recipe into a separate dish and checking for blood spots before adding them in.

Wine: 
A special rule governs the production of wine. Even if all the ingredients in wine are of kosher origin, it is kosher only if production was done exclusively by Torah-observant Jews.
Kosher Jews will wait 3-6 hours between a meat meal and a dairy meal, in order to fully cleanse the system. So usually, it is fine to have a meal containing dairy for lunch and a meal containing meat for dinner in the same day as long as they are hours apart.
Ask your client how long they wait in between.
Note: In many Jewish Orthodox circles, while fish and meat may be eaten at the same meal, it is not considered permissible to cook fish and meat together, to serve or consume them from the same plate or to eat them during the same course of a meal. This is another example of where communication is key to understanding your client.

Key Terms:
• Pareve (pronounced Par-ev): A term indicating that a food does not contain either meat, poultry or dairy, and can therefore be eaten with all types of kosher ingredients. Pareve items include all fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, eggs and kosher fish, etc.
• Treife (pronounced Tray-F): A term generally indicating that a particular food is not kosher.
• Milichg: Yiddish for dairy products, utensils and equipment.
• Kashrut : the body of Jewish religious laws concerning the suitability of food, the fitness for use of ritual objects, etc.
• Kasher: To “make kosher,” usually applied to the salting and soaking procedures used in the production of kosher meat and poultry. Also used to describe the procedure for preparing (cleaning) a non-kosher facility so that it may be used for preparing kosher food.
• Kosher: Literally, “fit, proper or correct.” Describes food that is permissible to eat under Jewish dietary laws.


Where To Buy Kosher?
Kosher food is easy to come by at any supermarket you just look out for particular symbols on packaging.
Kosher meats may be a little trickier to find and you will have to research to find the closest Kosher butchery.

In Orange County:
O.C Kosher Market in Tustin (it is a market and butchery).
Trader Joe’s has a good selection of kosher dairy and meat
Manarah Meat Market in Anaheim
Fresh Choice Marketplace in Anaheim Hills