How to safely keep food hot over Shabbos?

m in Israel

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 7:58 am

Sanguine, you had me LOL

I want to point out with all this discussion of timers, that is fine if you are using your plata to warm food in the morning. Many Israelis however, actually cook their chulent on the plata (in my circles, at least, it is only the Americans who use crock pots). If you are using your plata to cook your chulent, then obviously it is going to be on all night.

And as you said, considering these items are marketed as Shabbos equipment (and designed as such -- without controls, etc.) it clearly seems the manufacturers are intending it to be left on over Shabbos.

Sanguine

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 7:59 am

Both mine are fine. But I think most platas always have a hotter spot (where the heating mechanism is). On my goldline I know it's the back left so I put my soup there since it won't burn. My extra large one I think it's just the middle but I'm not positive. In general I buy whatever I see in the store

etky

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:03 am

Sanguine wrote:

Yes - one of the first thing you get to know about your platta are it's hot spots. Ours is in the middle too. The edges have always been cooler but now they're barely getting warm at all. At first I thought I was imagining it but now I know for sure.

water_bear88

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:08 am

Just an idea regarding timers and 3-day (or 2-day) Yom Tov-
Pretty sure you can adjust the timer pegs on Y"T, though I forget how. In theory you could have it set to be on for an hour at some point over Y"T and then readjust it before Shabbos so it'll be on for as long as you need your chulent on (at least overnight and until lunchtime).

(edited for grammar)

vintagebknyc

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:15 am

Mevater wrote:

Personally, I could eat cold chicken and salad, and fresh fruit for dessert, all Yom Tov. When you have loads of company with kids, from experience, the cold stuff (as main dish or sides) dont go. They want their warm main, next to a piece of warm kugel.

I've yet to have a guest complain. kids are happy with PJ & J. if they want a warm meal, they can go next door. having company enjoy what I serve them isn't a reason to put our lives in danger.

Sanguine

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:18 am

m in Israel wrote:

Sanguine, you had me LOL

In America my mother left Cholent on the blech overnight (I never thought people used platas in America - gas was cheap so it always stayed on - also with a teakettle - never heard of an electric urn).

Now here's my funny crockpot story (talk about "in my circle"). I went to Prospect Park for HS. Not exactly my speed but that's what there was. So our Dinim teacher was Rabbi Avrohom Blumenkrantz (before he became the Pesach guru). My family is 100% Dati and Shomer Mitzvot but he always said things that were foreign to me (like you shouldn't brush your hair on Shabbat). As we're learning Hilchot Shabbat he keeps talking about this foreign-to-me object called a crock pot!! I really thought it was a Chareidi thing that my family doesn't do shock

. I also had no idea what a chinick was. I think I failed Dinim that year. He was teaching a different religion Wink

etky

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:34 am

Sanguine wrote:

. I also had no idea what a chinick was. I think I failed Dinim that year. He was teaching a different religion Wink

Well, our family didn't even know from cholent so no crock pot for us either, though my mother did use a blech to heat up food. What is a chinik, if I may ask?

Sanguine

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:35 am

water_bear88 wrote:

This is how timers work on Yontif and shabbat too. I assume we're talking about the type that has lots of buttons that you push in for all the time you want it on and pull out all the time you want off (or the opposite) - Not one that you actually remove a peg from 2:00 and then put it in at 3:00.

You're allowed to extend the current state of the timer but can't cause a change of the current state (nor make changes to something that you're not in the middle of). So if your buttons are down (on) from 12:00 - 2:00 and it's now 1:00 and the air conditioner is luckily making the room comfortable but you realize that lunch will go past 2:00 (and you don't want to hint to your guests to leave), you can extend the on time by just pushing in the next buttons so it stays on till 3:00. That is allowed. You can't decide that you're going to want the A/C to go on earlier than you set before Shabbat and you can't decide while you're standing by the clock to extend supper's time. You have to be in that time when you do it

Last edited by Sanguine on Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:53 am; edited 1 time in total

Sanguine

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:42 am

etky wrote:

What is a chinik, if I may ask?

Wasn't a word in our same elementary school. I had to go to Prospect Park for HS to learn it. It's a teakettle or maybe an urn. People say Don't hock my Chinik -This is what I found

Quote:

The origin of the expression is the Yiddish phrase, hock mir nicht kein chinik, (or tscheynik) which literally means dont bang my tea kettle. (Some say that chinik is a teacup and the phrase refers to those who stir their tea in an irritating manner. Figuratively it came to mean dont get on my nerves or stop giving me a headache.

water_bear88

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:48 am

Sanguine wrote:

This is how timers work on Yontif and shabbat too. I assume we're talking about the type that has lots of buttons that you push in for all the time you want it on and pull out all the time you want off (or the opposite) - Not one that you actually remove a peg from 2:00 and then put it in at 3:00.

You're allowed to extend the current state of the timer but can't cause a change of the current state (nor make changes to something that you're not in the middle of). So if your buttons are down (on) from 12:00 - 2:00 and it's now 1:00 and the air conditioner is luckily making the room comfortable but you realize that lunch will go past 2:00 (and you don't want to hint to your guests to leave), you can extend the on time by just pushing in the next buttons so it stays on till 3:00. That is allowed. You can't decide that you're going to want the A/C to go on earlier than you set before Shabbat and you can't decide while you're standing my the clock to extend supper's time. You have to be in that time when you do it

Got it. I knew those were the rules for Shabbat, thought they were different for Yom Tov.

Sanguine

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 8:55 am

water_bear88 wrote:

Got it. I knew those were the rules for Shabbat, thought they were different for Yom Tov.

If they're different for Yom Tov, they're only better for then Very Happy

Also, if you do it don't wait for the last minute cause you might accidentally move the dial and turn the light off or on

water_bear88

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 9:23 am

Sanguine wrote:

If they're different for Yom Tov, they're only better for then Very Happy

Also, if you do it don't wait for te last minute cause you might accidentally move the dial and turn the light off or on

So, another shaila to ask before the end of Pesach! I haven't made a 2- or 3-dayer at home before this, only had to make eruv tavshilin once when I was single and lighting/sleeping at home but eating all the meals out. I'll probably be on here with more questions in the next couple of weeks...

greenfire

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 10:19 am

greenfire wrote:

I'm looking at this item ... what are your thoughts as to how safe it sounds for shabbos

http://www.vikron.com/about

btw I never said this was a good item ... I'd like to know what opinions are on how safe this actually is - I do not have one so I cannot give advice

if people are lying about UL certifications - how can we ever know the truth ...

does anybody use one of these ? give us your opinion too ... hot is hot - electric is electric - fire is fire - hazard is hazard

Rubber Ducky

Tue, Mar 24 2015, 10:21 am

Regarding hot kugel: you can reheat a kugel on top of the crock pot on Shabbos morning. Just invert the crock pot cover. Works best with kugel baked in a metal or foil pan smaller than the crock pot lid. In theory you could bake your kugel in an angel food or bundt cake pan and then you wouldn't even need to turn over the crock pot lid, but I've never tried doing it that way.