You may have heard of kosher food, kosher salt, and kosher hotdogs, but who ever heard of kosher appliances? Over the past three decades, appliance manufacturers have utilized modern technology to design kitchen appliances to be safer, more efficient, and more convenient. Although everyone benefits from these new innovations, they can pose a bit of a problem for the Sabbath or Shabbat observant Orthodox or religious Jew. Automatic shut offs, thermostats, digital displays, lights and buzzers that exists in even the most basic models today, make it virtually impossible for someone who wishes to keep the Sabbath according to Jewish law. According to the written Torah and Jewish Oral Law, it is forbidden to ignite or extinguish a fire on the Sabbath. Modern day rabbinic authorities explain that electricity is included in this prohibition. Therefore any appliance that is activated by a person’s direct action such as a refrigerator light or fan that turns on when the door is opened is categorically forbidden on the Sabbath.

In the mid 90’s, the STAR-K kosher certification organization in Baltimore hired a team of engineers who began working together with the appliance manufacturers to rewire the computer boards in ovens, fridges, air conditioners, and freezers to override these enhanced features. In 1998, the Whirlpool Corporation (manufacturers of KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana and others) was awarded a patent for their “Sabbath Mode,” which successfully eliminated these problems in many models. Today the STAR-K certifies sixteen major brands of ovens, fridges, and freezers including most of the major manufacturers such as GE, KitchenAid, Whirlpool and others.

The STAR-K certification on appliances falls into two categories:

Sabbath Mode
The Sabbath Mode includes models that have unique software/hardware programmed into them that specifically address the concerns of Sabbath observant Jews. Some models come with a built in Sabbath Mode option whereas others require it to be programmed by order.

Sabbath Compliant
The second category includes models that were assessed by the STAR-K at to the manufacturer’s request with the intention of helping consumers avoid the unwanted surprise of not being able to use their expensive purchase on the Sabbath and holidays. The STAR-K has a list of which appliances are Sabbath compatible and what some of the pitfalls are to be aware of in each model. Details of manufacturers in both these categories, listed by company along with the specific model numbers, can be found by visiting the STAR-K website at http://www.star-k.com/cons-appl.htm. The STAR-K has issued the disclaimer that although the models are certified for use on the Sabbath, a qualified Orthodox Rabbi should be consulted to clarify exactly what actions do and do not constitute the forbidden labor of cooking.

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Popularity: 33%

Meal time again, but you’re on the go? What else is new? If your busy schedule doesn’t leave time for cooking dinner, you’re just like most Americans today. During the 1970’s, American kitchens were revolutionized by the introduction of microwave ovens for everyday use. Microwaves are a great way to prepare many foods quickly—perfect for today’s fast paced world. The only problem is that microwaves alter the taste and texture of foods. They may be great for defrosting or heating up, but a “zapped” chicken doesn’t come close to an oven-roasted one. No one would trade the browned outside and juicy inside of oven-roasted meat or vegetables for the rubbery, un-browned microwaved version.  However it takes more than six times as long to cook—a time commodity that most people don’t have. Thanks to the Speedcook technology of the GE Advantium, it’s possible to have the best of both worlds.

Using a combination of convection microwave cooking, together with innovative new halogen light technology, the Advantium oven cooks as fast as a microwave, while preserving the conventional oven-baked texture you enjoy. The Advantium can cook food up to 8 times faster than a conventional oven like a microwave, while browning and locking in moisture and flavor like an oven. Chicken, rolls, fish, pizza, and other items will taste great in a fraction of the time and there’s never a need to preheat your oven! How’s that for fast food!

The Advantium can brown, bake, crisp, and broil using three 1500-watt high-intensity halogen bulbs work together in various combinations depending on the ingredients and the desired results to cook both the top and bottom of the food. The sensor microwave simultaneously helps to cook food from the inside out. It can also function as a regular microwave whenever conventional defrosting or warming is required. We’ve put together a list of some of the main Pros and Cons of the Advantium to help you decide if it’s right for you.

Voltage

The Advantium comes in two different voltage options, either 240-volt or 120-volt. The 240-volt oven cooks up to 8 times faster than a conventional oven, while the 120-volt oven provides results up to 4 times faster, giving new meaning to the term “fast food!” The true European convection oven can get up to heats as high as 450°F. The more powerful oven is considerably noisier to run and takes up the same energy as an oven, simultaneously using halogen lights and microwaves to cook food. The 120-volt model cooks food by alternating halogen lights and microwaves. With the 240-volt oven, it’s possible to cook many of your favorite foods to perfection such as steak, whole roast chicken, fish and pies in under thirty-five minutes, often even faster, and the results are even moister than with a standard convection oven.

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Popularity: 6%

If you are considering buying a freezer then you probably already know that there are many advantages. Over its lifetime, a freezer can generally save you as much money as you paid to buy and operate it–many times over! Buying items on sale, seems like a small thing, but if you consider a $1 savings multiplied numerous times, it really adds up. Now consider buying in bulk or in season and the difference in price is even much greater. Besides for cost efficiency, freezers are just plain convenient and they will save you many a trip to the supermarket. Once you’ve decided that a freezer is for you, choosing the right one may be overwhelming. You have to make your decision based on style, price, capacity, and energy efficiency. We’ve put together this basic guide to choosing a new freezer in order to help you find the right type of freezer without getting frozen in the process.

There are basically three different types of freezers on the market–chest freezers, upright freezers, and compact freezers. Here are some of the pros and cons of each:

Chest Freezer
Chest freezers are the most economical freezer model on the market, both in purchasing and operational costs. Since they open from the top, and are made with built-in insulation, chest freezers hold their temperature and are therefore much cheaper to run. In fact, during a blackout, a chest freezer can keep food frozen for up to 3 days as long as the lid stays closed the whole time. They also release less cold air when opened as compared to upright models. Chest freezers are exclusively manual defrost. Although this is a tedious task that can take as much as a day to accomplish, it will greatly save on energy costs. Typically, freezers need only be defrosted about once a year, although it could be more often depending on how frequently the door is opened. Additionally, chest freezers have slightly more storage space than upright freezers of the same size, since the entire interior is usable without the space lost for shelves. It is also easier to accommodate oddly shaped or elongated items in a chest model. The capacity of a chest freezer ranges from 10 to 25 cubic feet of food storage space. They also have a long lifespan—as much as 20 years—slightly outliving most upright models.

The downside of chest freezers is that they require a large amount of floor space to store. Because of their great width, it’s not unusual to have to remove a door or two to get it inside the house and beyond. It is also more difficult to keep them perfectly organized and items can get lost more easily than in an upright model, although you’d be surprised how many things can get lost on a shelf as well! The difference is that with a chest freezer, it requires a lot of bending and reaching to find what you’re looking for. Furthermore, chest freezers do not always come with an internal light, making it even harder to find things although some models do come with baskets that make organization easier. Some models possess bottom drawers that are accessible from the outside, and although this is convenient, it slightly reduces freezer capacity. As mentioned above, manual defrost can also be a burden making chest freezers much less attractive to anyone for whom saving money is not an absolute priority.

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Popularity: 2%