Warming food on Yom Tov - Electric blech? Shab mode oven?

MrsMortgage

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 7:58 pm

Every Yom Tov I plug in my electric blech for reheating food, and leave the smallest back burner on my stove lit for heating soup. I have noticed however that the electric blech heats the underside of my wooden cabinets, so for safety's sake I now plug the blech in on top of the stove. (don't worry, there's no pilot light.)
Also I have a new stove this year, and the smallest flame is much bigger than on my other stove, so I'm uncomfortable leaving it lit for 2 days.

The new stove has Shabbat mode on the oven, which I have never even tried using. Does anybody know anything about it? What would you recommend I do for reheating food?

Thanks!

MrsMortgage

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 7:59 pm

I wasn't clear. The question is, should I use the blech, the oven, or the stove?

cindy324

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:06 pm

Shabbos mode on the newer ovens just means that it wont shut off after 12 hrs, once the shabbos mode is set up. Also the controls on the oven wont work, so there will be no beeping sound when u press a button..

Be aware that shabbos mode cannot actually be used on Shabbos, only on yom tov Smile

being that when u open the oven door, the temp drops and the thermostat kicks in.

Its up to you whether u wanna use the oven or the blech. If ur not planning to bake or cook anything in the oven over yom tov, then don't bother leaving it on, just use the blech.

MrsMortgage

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:11 pm

But I can't warm a soup on the blech, right? It would take too long...

Would it be unsafe for my toddler to have my oven on all Yom Tov? I wonder if the oven lock would work...
What would I set the temp to ?

chanahlady

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:22 pm

On my MIL's oven in Shabbos mode, the controls will work, so you can change the temperature, but it won't make a noise or signal that the change has been made. The oven light also stays off.

chanahlady

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:24 pm

I'd say for just being on, you could set it to 170 degrees, and change it when you need it (the mode uses a grama, if you have the Star-K approved shabbos mode oven).

MrsMortgage

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:27 pm

I could really change the temp?! It is an approved one. I'll have to talk to my LOR! Thanks ladies!

ra_mom

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:43 pm

MrsMortgage wrote:

What type of blech do you have?
The one I have warms up everything really well.
I usually place all the food in disposable pans, over more disposable pans filled with a bit of water (like a double boiler.) This way nothing burns and it warms up evenly.
Soup I put the amount I need in the smallest pot possible so it warms up faster.
I put it all up about 2 hours before the meal and forget about it.

mummiedearest

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 8:52 pm

I've used sabbath mode AND a burner. I tend to leave the oven on 250. not sure if mine adjusts, and it's not worth experimenting with. I do all my baking beforehand and reheat lots of food at once in my oven. I use the stovetop to cook whatever I didn't get a chance to do before y't. (think eggs for breakfast for the kiddos.) I have a baby gate at the entrance of my kitchen, so I just keep the kids out of there. they're old enough to know that they are not allowed in the kitchen if the flame is lit on the stove, but I've been doing this for a couple of years, and I always feel better knowing the gate is closed.

mummiedearest

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 9:51 pm

YESHASettler wrote:

And don't forget, you can turn the temp UP, but can't LOWER it.

not everyone holds that way. I lower my flames on y't.

chanchy123

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 10:01 pm

Do you not have a chagaz in chul?
We have a gas timer specially for YT. You set the timer for however long you want the gas to be on, and light the flame it will cut the gas by itself and turn out the burner when you want it. So you don't have to leave a flame all chag. I use it to cook on YT then I cover the burners with a blech for warming.
I also leave my oven on occasionally with a timer (in Israel everyone has an electric oven) so it goes on whenever I want it to.

chanchy123

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 10:04 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

YESHASettler wrote:

And don't forget, you can turn the temp UP, but can't LOWER it.

not everyone holds that way. I lower my flames on y't.

You can lower the flame only if it is necessary for what you are cooking (I.e. you need to simmer the sauce).

BeershevaBubby

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 10:07 pm

chanchy123 wrote:

mummiedearest wrote:

YESHASettler wrote:

And don't forget, you can turn the temp UP, but can't LOWER it.

not everyone holds that way. I lower my flames on y't.

You can lower the flame only if it is necessary for what you are cooking (I.e. you need to simmer the sauce).

Can you provide the sources? I learned (at various points in my life) that you can't lower a flame on Yom Tov.

chanchy123

Sun, Apr 10 2011, 10:16 pm

YESHASettler wrote:

chanchy123 wrote:

mummiedearest wrote:

YESHASettler wrote:

And don't forget, you can turn the temp UP, but can't LOWER it.

not everyone holds that way. I lower my flames on y't.

You can lower the flame only if it is necessary for what you are cooking (I.e. you need to simmer the sauce).

Can you provide the sources? I learned (at various points in my life) that you can't lower a flame on Yom Tov.

DH is my source (I can ask him for a textual source).
Growing up this is what my mother told me - I think she said this was because the flame could go out.

OOTBubby

Mon, Apr 11 2011, 6:08 am

Please be aware that while the Star-K certified Shabbos ovens have instructions for adjusting temperatures on YT (and the Star-K approves the methods) the vast majority of other poskim DO NOT allow this method to be used. There were major announcements about this a few years ago. Please check with your LOR as to how it can be used for YT. Without question, you can leave it on in Shabbos mode which will disable all lights and fans so you can freely open and close it on YT, but actually adjusting temperature on YT is not at all clear cut.

1387

Mon, Apr 11 2011, 6:12 am

I've heard of putting tealights on the "floor" of the oven to keep food warm for a yom tov night meal.

OOTBubby

Mon, Apr 11 2011, 6:21 am

1387 wrote:

I've heard of putting tealights on the "floor" of the oven to keep food warm for a yom tov night meal.

That was published in a magazine and afterwards they retracted it with a warned not to do so as it can be dangerous and can explode.

1387

Mon, Apr 11 2011, 6:40 am

I got something similar to this as a wedding gift. For shabbos, you would need to put aluminium foil or something under the dish as a blech.
http://www.oxone-online.com/pr.....id=68