Glossary of Kosher Terms for Companies

Some non-English kosher terms that you may come across along with their explanations.

Category:  The Kosher Certification Process 

ORTHODOX UNION ANNOUNCES NEW KOSHER FOR PASSOVER ITEMS FOR 2010

The number of kosher for Passover products increases every year. The Orthodox Union’s Daf Hakashrus, OU Kosher’s magazine, annually prints an updated list that includes new Kosher for Passover items. Following are several major highlights of that list.

Category:  The Kosher Market 

Dairy Industry Training Webinar

On Friday October 16th the OU presented the first of a two-part webinar (Internet seminar) on dairy hashgacha. The second session took place one week later on Friday, October 23. Rabbi Yaakov Mendelson, Senior Dairy RC, moderated the sessions and presented e-mail questions sent in advance and on-the-spot by RFRs; Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer and Rabbi Avrohom Juravel responded verbally and live to the questions.

Category:  OU Programs 

Baker’s Cheese: On the Crossroads Between Acid Cheese and Rennet Cheese

By Rabbi Eli Gersten

Leaf through any cookbook and you will be convinced that baker’s cheese is crucial for gourmet dining. I have heard it said that a cheesecake made with anything other than baker's cheese is just simply not worth the calories. With its soft, spongy consistency, baker’s cheese fills the gap between rennet cheeses (such as mozzarella and cheddar) and acid set cheeses (such as cottage cheese and cream cheese). As its name implies, it is often the baker’s cheese of choice for creating real cheese fillings for pies and cakes. Although fundamentally an acid set cheese, because baker’s cheese is made with a touch of rennet, it has the proper degree of firmness that gives cheese cake its proper texture. Baker’s cheese lies on the crossroads between acid cheese and rennet cheese, and as we will see, exactly how it is classified will have important ramifications on its kosher status.

Category:  The Certification of Specific Industries 

Ask the Rabbi

By Rabbi Andrew Gordimer

Dear Rabbi: While visiting the Summer 2009 Fancy Food Show in New York it was indeed impressive to see more OU certified companies than ever before featuring baked goods, chocolates, olive oils from all around the globe, condiments from Turkey, rice from India, tea from Australia and the list goes on. But I did not notice too many exhibits featuring OU certified cheeses, soft or hard cheeses produced in Italy, Spain, Chile... Why is that? Are there special kosher laws for cheeses? Someone told me that it was more difficult to kosher certify cheeses than chocolate chip cookies. Is that true? Awaiting your response, with thanks.

Category:  The Certification of Specific Industries 

Kosher Tidbits: Informally Exploring the Complexities of Halacha through Technology

Baker’s Cheese: On the Crossroads Between Acid Cheese and Rennet Cheese

By Rabbi Eli Gersten

A discussion of the Kosher status and rules of Baker's Cheese.

Category:  The Certification of Specific Industries 

A Peafowl by Any Other Name

By Rabbi Chaim Loike

A discussion of the history and Kosher status of the peacock.

Category:  Misc. 

Go South Young Mashgiach: An OU RFR Travels the Highways and Byways of the Old Confederacy…

By Rabbi Norman Schloss

A tour of South-Eastern United States with an OU Rabbinic Field Representative meeting products and people that leave a lasting impression.

Category:  Misc. 

The Fascinating Story of Kosher Gelatin, or How a Product from Beef Can Be Used in Dairy Delicacies

By Rabbi Eli Gersten

An explanation of how pareve gelatin can be manufactured from beef and therefore be used in dairy products.

Category:  The Certification of Specific Industries 

Colombia – Land of (Kosher) Opportunity

By Rabbi Aharon Brun-Kestler

A survey of the opportunities for Kosher in the country of Colombia.

Category:  The Kosher Market 

The Tasty Muffin: Starting off Your Day the OU Way

By Rabbi Yisroel Bendelstein

A discussion of the Kosher certification of muffins.

Category:  The Certification of Specific Industries 

Ask OU Participants Come From The Four Corners Of The Torah World

Category:  OU Programs 

Down In Old Kentucky, OU Certified Bluegrass Dairy Hits The Finish Line First At The Kentucky State

Category:  OU Programs 

All in a Day’s Work (Actually Many Days): Twin Rivers and Kosherization

By Rabbi Avrohom Stone

All in a Day’s Work (Actually, Many Days): Twin Rivers and OU Kosher Rabbis Make a Very Complex Kosherization a Reality

Category:  Kosherization