When koshering an oven, does it make a difference whether the 24-hour wait comes before or after the cleaning? Must the cleaning come first?
Order of the 24-Hour Wait and Cleaning When Kashering an Oven
Question
Answer
It makes no difference whether the 24-hour wait comes before or after the cleaning.
Sources
The Shulchan Aruch defines when a pot stops being “ben yomo” (used within the last 24 hours). The 24 hours are counted from the time the forbidden food was cooked in it: once “a full day has passed after the issur was cooked in it,” its absorbed taste is considered spoiled (lifgam). Separately, the pot must be washed, with no grease on its surface. The 24-hour period is measured from the last hot use, not from the cleaning. Cleanliness is an independent condition. So it makes no difference whether the 24 hours pass before or after the cleaning.
- Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 103:5 — a pot is no longer ben yomo once 24 hours have passed since the forbidden food was cooked in it, and its taste is then lifgam; separately, it must be washed clean of residue
Author
Rabbi Shay Tahan
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