How to cook for a Friday night seder

amother

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:01 pm

We generally have a large soup as our one and only course at the seder. I put in a ton of flanken meat, vegis, and matzah balls, and everyone is happy and full enough.
I've already made the soup.
Now it occurred to me that Shabbos/Yom Tov starts around 7:30 and we won't be eating this soup until midnight. We don't have a hotplate. I don't have a blech technically but I suppose I could put a metal pot upside down over my gas stove.
My husband said I have to put the food on the stove or in the oven before I light and can't touch it till it's time to eat. What is the best way to make sure this food is hot but not too hot almost 5 hours later? :-(

ra_mom

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:03 pm

Don't put a metal pot upside down on your gas range.
Put the food in a 200 degree oven tightly covered (170 is really a great temp for keeping food warm but I don't know if people leave it at that temp for 2 days because it won't warm the food fast enough for the 2nd seder night).

Last edited by ra_mom on Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

Optione

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:05 pm

I was thinking the same and don't have a good solution. I don't want it staying warm in the oven for 4 hours. (We have a main course. Just how some people prefer it so I make it. )

amother

Saddlebrown

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:08 pm

Either put in it your oven on around 170, 200 or buy a blech. For a blech, heat up the soup before Shabbos, lower the flame, move the soup off of the flame but near it so it stays hot. If you think it's too hot (if you hear it boiling or see steam escaping; you can't open the pot when it's on the hot part of the blech), you can move it further away from the flame, but not closer.

Chicken soup happens to be a great food to have sit for hours and stay warm without getting ruined.

Optione

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:09 pm

What ra_mom said re: pot. There will be no way for the gases to escape and you'll end up with carbon monoxide chas v'shalom.

amother

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:23 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Thank you! That makes sense. When I put it in at 7:30, it should be cold or already heated up?
Our oven has a "shabbos mode" so on the 2nd night Yom Tov, I can turn it up as high as I need.

ra_mom

Thu, Apr 14 2022, 11:50 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thank you! That makes sense. When I put it in at 7:30, it should be cold or already heated up?
Our oven has a "shabbos mode" so on the 2nd night Yom Tov, I can turn it up as high as I need.

At 200, put it in cold at 7:30, so it doesn't overcook during the wait.

amother

Natural

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 12:42 am

How can you keep the good on a 200 oven? Doesn't that mean it's cooking on shabbos? Aren't you not allowed to open an oven door that's on on shabbos?

Elfrida

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 12:42 am

amother [ Saddlebrown ] wrote:

A blech does not involve advanced technology. A friend of mine makes one every year, cutting a piece of the very thick Pesach foil to fit her stove. It just needs to be a heat conducting barrier between the flames and the food.

amother

Wine

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 1:14 am

ra_mom wrote:

At 200, put it in cold at 7:30, so it doesn't overcook during the wait.

Food with a lot of liquid needs to be hot at the time Shabbos starts, it cannot be warmed up from a cold temperature on Shabbos

DustyDiamonds

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 1:52 am

amother [ Wine ] wrote:

Food with a lot of liquid needs to be hot at the time Shabbos starts, it cannot be warmed up from a cold temperature on Shabbos

It’s late, but I think this may be incorrect. Liquify foods may not be placed on top of the crockpot to be rewarmed on Shabbos. I’ll put my simple shnitzel on top of the crockpot for Shabbos lunch at 9am on Shabbos, but can’t put the saucy sesame chicken on.

DustyDiamonds

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 1:54 am

I’ve wrapped food in 2-3 generous layers of foil on Yom Tov when I was afraid it may burn, if I wanted to keep my oven at 250 and go to shul for a few hours.

Foil doesn’t conduct heat well (that’s why it’s not hot to touch, even right when you take a foil pan out of the oven) so anything in lots of foil will take longer to warm. I did this before I went to shul for a few hours on simchas Torah.

Iymnok

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 1:59 am

Bring the soup to a boil then turn off the fire. Put tea lights under the pot. This is allowed since they can’t be adjusted. Make sure they are the ones that last 6hrs, not 3.

amother

Sunflower

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 2:15 am

If you don't want to deal with the oven you could bring it to a boil, take off the stove, and wrap the pot in thick towels (like beach towels) to insulate it like a giant thermos. Not on a heat source--just on the counter. We've done this on weeks when shabbos started early but we didn't want to eat for a long time and it's stayed hot for hours with good results.

DustyDiamonds

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 2:16 am

Iymnok wrote:

Bring the soup to a boil then turn off the fire. Put tea lights under the pot. This is allowed since they can’t be adjusted. Make sure they are the ones that last 6hrs, not 3.

Wouldn’t they be immediately extinguished due to a lack of oxygen being directly under a pot? Unless your not has a wavy bottom surface, like a grill pan?

Iymnok

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 2:21 am

DustyDiamonds wrote:

Wouldn’t they be immediately extinguished due to a lack of oxygen being directly under a pot? Unless your not has a wavy bottom surface, like a grill pan?

We have no problems and we do it every week.

Goldie613

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 6:51 am

Iymnok wrote:

We have no problems and we do it every week.

I'm assuming you have a gas stove? Or at least ones with burners as opposed to a glass surface? This is a really interesting idea - I might try it when we get to the hot shabboses in the summer...

amother

Black

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 7:04 am

דבר לח - liquids, can’t be heated up on Shabbos.
That’s why soup has to be already hot when Shabbos comes in.
דבר גוש - solids, can be heated up on Shabbos if it is already fully cooked and you’re not putting it directly on the flame.

Your soup sounds yummy , have a beautiful and kosher Pesach!

amother

Ivory

Fri, Apr 15 2022, 7:08 am

Optione wrote:

What ra_mom said re: pot. There will be no way for the gases to escape and you'll end up with carbon monoxide chas v'shalom.

Of course it will. The pot will be on the grate, not actually covering the burner, so the gas can escape. Unless you don’t have grates on your stove, which is possible? I mean, I wouldn’t recommend it anyway to do for endless amount of hours, but it shouldn’t really be a problem.