1st time home for yom tov with electric/digital kitchen HELP

STMommy

Wed, Oct 19 2011, 6:55 am

It is my first yom tov home (not at mom or MIL's house) and I am LOST about how to prepare food in my electric/digital kitchen (it came with the house Smile

On the cooktop, the electric ignition is the first thing when you turn the knob - no way to just turn on the gas and light with a flame like I'm used to. Do I leave a flame on all yom tov??
On the oven of course all digital, buttons/lights/etc instead of good old fashion knobs - do I leave the oven on all yom tov? What temp?
Also I have my non-Jewish babysitter coming for yom tov - can I "hint" anything to her about turning off the oven before she leaves on Friday? Can I write out the instructions on how to shut my oven (don't ask) for her today and then just hand it to her on Friday afternoon?
PLEASE HELP!!!!
THANK YOU!!!

Chana Miriam S

Wed, Oct 19 2011, 8:18 am

The laws about what you can ask a non Jew to do are fairly complex. You should ask a rabbi. It seems to me that turning things off is slightly easier than turning them on, but nonetheless ask a rabbi.

Some stoves have a sabbath mode which overrides the digital and allows you to use the oven on chagim. check online to see if your model has this feature.

re the flame. I know people who leave them on and people who dont. I bought a hot plate and used it when I had a gas stove, but now I use a ceramic top which technically does not need a blech, but I use a kedeira anyways because it gives me more heating surface.

canadamom

Wed, Oct 19 2011, 8:26 am

I have the same issue as you, electric stove top and electric oven. don't leave the stove top on for 3 days, it's not good for the stove. as for the oven, I usually leave it on 250 for 3 days without a problem. if you want an extra, you can leave on the base of your crockpot, to warm up soup etc. good luck

Liba

Wed, Oct 19 2011, 8:29 am

Many ovens have a safety control and will turn of well before 3 days. Generations of Jews have been leaving on fires for three days and I have never heard of it being an issue. I keep a pot or blech on top so there is no open flame.

mha3484

Wed, Oct 19 2011, 10:05 am

We have a similar issue. Everything that requires baking I cooked last night and will warm it on the plata. I am also making full use of my double crockpot for soup, cholent, shabbos dinner.

Chana Miriam S

Wed, Oct 19 2011, 11:14 am

by the way, I was thinking about the stove getting turned off and it must be halachically possible, because when I do a kiddush or luncheon under hashgacha, we leave the ovens on over night, in sabbath mode, then after the event is over the kitchen staff turn it off without anyone telling them to. the mashgiach knows this and approves it. I am not sure how the original 'ask' was given, so you should still as your lor, but it seems to me it is possible to have your babysitter turn the oven off.

kind of like the non jews are allowed to wash the dishes at the shul using the dishwasher and that is kosher, on shabbat and yom tov. they are allowed to do what they need to do to get the job you hired them for done. in the case of a babysitter, I have no idea, but catering staff can.

in addition, it may be possible to have a non jew be your 'agent' and ask your babysitter to do so. one pesach we stayed in a hotel and it was awesome because we could hint to the front desk and htey would inevitably call housekeeping to do whatever, so it was never the same person who did the task as who we requested. this was like when maids turned off lights we needed.

STMommy

Sat, Oct 22 2011, 10:19 pm

OP here, thanks to all who responded - on Sabbath mode my oven stayed on for all yom tov, I set it to like 225 degrees or something like that, so that worked well...I kept a flame on the stove with a burner cover with no problem too.
Thanks again for your help!!!!