"Heimishe" hashgacha

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seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:01 pm

Please ONLY advise if you or your family only use heimish hashgacha. This is a practical question and not interested in debate.

My kids' school policy is to only allow foods with "Heimishe" hashgacha. I'm making my kid a birthday party at home, inviting her school friends. So far none of the parents who RSVP'd asked any questions or made any comments about food but I'm thinking that I should go with school policy just in case (majority of student body is regular OU type but I don't know who the machmir families are, not sure it's safe to assume that they would self-identify?)

Here's the thing - for school events I just buy packaged nosh from a Jewish supermarket. For birthday cake, I don't have the budget for a store bought heimish cake, plus I don't live in Brooklyn/etc so it's tricky to find, plus food allergy issues, plus I have a family tradition of making my kids personal decorated birthday cakes.

Now, how does the heimish hashgacha thing apply to ingredients? Can I please just use my generic branded, OU certified flour, sugar, oil, juice, whatever? How about icing - can I use Crisco? Generic or Wilton food coloring? I also really wanted fondant for this specific design but I couldn't find in any of three Jewish grocery/supermarkets and now I'm back home with very limited frum shopping. If I can still get hold of Wilton fondant in time, is that too non-heimish? I mean were heimish people and bakeries not using fondant until the Jewish brand came out? Hard to believe but ok. What I really need a "heter" for is Crisco, food coloring, and the basic baking staples.

Heimish people please advise!

meme6

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:04 pm

For your cake I would use what u have but for bought stuff yes stick to school policy I also buy ou stuff but don’t give it to school friends etc.

thunderstorm

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:05 pm

I don’t think Crisco would be ok.
I eat OU but my kids went to school and I have family that only eat heimish and that means:
Hisachdus, Volova, Badatz, Etc.
They do make an exception to sugar and flour I believe. But Wilton products wouldn’t be allowed either.

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:07 pm

Right like I said packaged nosh I have paskesz etc. But cake I need from scratch and need to know what's acceptable. I can get Jewish flour etc locally but would rather not because of the time and expense, but the real question is for icing... I can make homemade icing but that needs Crisco, confectioners sugar, and food coloring.

kenz

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:08 pm

seeker wrote:

I worked with people who ate only heimish hechsherim for years. They would not have eaten any of the items you listed, but they would also not have eaten your homemade birthday cake. Since it is a hardship for you to provide a heimish cake, can you just tell the parents that you are making the birthday cake, are they ok with that? I am going to assume almost all of them will have no problem, maybe one mom will tell her kid not to eat the cake. Alternatively can you have your homemade cake privately and something heimish but not exorbitant at the party?

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:08 pm

I've never even seen a heimish version of Crisco or of packaged icing. What brand would I be looking for?

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:12 pm

kenz wrote:

Ok you're much smarter than me. Good plan. Slight pain to reach out to all the parents and I'd feel bad if any of them actually do turn out to be machmir. Most families in our community aren't but I have no idea which ones are.

Simple1

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:14 pm

seeker wrote:

I've never even seen a heimish version of Crisco or of packaged icing. What brand would I be looking for?

What about using margarine for the frosting?

kenz

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:16 pm

seeker wrote:

I've never even seen a heimish version of Crisco or of packaged icing. What brand would I be looking for?

I don’t know about Crisco, I just use margarine-based recipes for buttercream icing or I do confectioner’s sugar type. Maybe give Peppermill a call - they carry everything and can probably guide you.
I wonder what the heimishe bakeries use - probably the same Wilton stuff, but then it’s under their heimishe hashfachah so it’s ok? Otherwise there must be a heimish alternative.

Cheiny

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:16 pm

seeker wrote:

Did you check that they allow home baked goods? If they say heimishe hashgacha it sounds like they want only bought products on which you can see what the hashgacha is. You should just buy cupcakes or an ice cream cake instead with the name of the (heimishe) bakery/store on it,

kenz

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:20 pm

seeker wrote:

How many kids are invited? Do they need to rsvp? Maybe when they do you can just tell them then?
I totally get why this is hard for you - you don’t want to upset anyone or mess with their personal standards but you have your own tradition you want to keep too. It’s not life-altering but it’s a tough one all the same.
Do people normally make at home birthday parties? Our school wouldn’t allow it to begin with (though of course people did it anyway) for just this type of dilemma.

ra_mom

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:23 pm

You can get a beautiful cake for $20. Is that in the budget?

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:30 pm

Cheiny wrote:

The rule is for school. The party is at home. I'm just using school policy as a guideline for a common denominator. Buying a cake, as I said, is difficult due to location and allergies as well as cost.

ra_mom

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:31 pm

Go with what kenz said.

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:32 pm

kenz wrote:

Yes there are plenty of other home parties including some with homemade food. In those cases I assume people with limitations would discuss with the hosts, as I do regarding my food allergy concerns.

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:33 pm

ra_mom wrote:

You can get a beautiful cake for $20. Is that in the budget?

I can only assume this is not local to me and not nut free. But I'm open to learning new information.

seeker

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:34 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Go with what kenz said.

I shall

G-d bless all you amothers, my backup brain unit.

ra_mom

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:37 pm

seeker wrote:

I can only assume this is not local to me and not nut free. But I'm open to learning new information.

So KRM is not nut free. But Gourmet Glatt's bakery is and I know they deliver to a few communities. Though I don't know if there's enough time for that. I think the gorgeous round cakes I just saw there were around $22.

kenz

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:39 pm

seeker wrote:

I shall

G-d bless all you amothers, my backup brain unit.

So happy to be of help 😊
Happy birthday and much nachas!!!

naturalmom5

Thu, Oct 24 2019, 6:50 pm

I honestly can't relate to the whole heimishe hechsher thing
Often it's just OU products with a 2nd hechsher on it who didn't go down and check out every ingredient ..

But if I were in your position OP, I would just buy a few bags of ostreicher cookies and yoitze zein...

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