Frozen Broccoli and Halacha (insects)

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  • #592594
    WIY
    Member

    Which brands of Frozen Broccoli florets may be used?

    I know Birds Eye brand has a triangle K but is that good enough? Im inclined to say no. Anyone knowledgeable about Kashrus please chime in. Thanks.

    #699922
    Sacrilege
    Member

    Why is Triangle K not good enough?

    #699923
    so right
    Member

    Triangle K certifies “Hebrew National”.

    #699924
    Sacrilege
    Member

    Yum.

    #699925
    so right
    Member

    sacrilege, you will eat Hebrew National food, if offered to you?

    #699926
    Sacrilege
    Member

    Only on Treif Tuesdays.

    #699927
    so right
    Member

    so you just answered your own question.

    #699928
    squeak
    Participant

    I thought it was Torah Tuesdays? That would mean you can eat it any other day of the week. You are really limiting yourself more than you have to here 😉

    #699929
    smartcookie
    Member

    My rabbi(and that’s a psak for myself) allows ONLY the Eden GREENHOUSE GROWN frozen veggies.

    #699930
    Sacrilege
    Member

    So Right – In all seriousness the problem with Hebrew National is that it isnt Glatt otherwise it is completely Kosher.

    Squeak – what is Judaism about if not striving for perfection?

    #699931
    Sacrilege
    Member

    Eden has hard pieces.

    *Shudders*

    #699932
    arc
    Participant

    sac, the bags that do are awful.

    if it isn’t washed/cleaned and bug free the it is still a problem.

    #699933
    smartcookie
    Member

    Sac- I never came across that prob. I cook the veggies of course.

    #699934

    cooking doesnt eliminate those frequent shards of green plastic

    #699935
    Sacrilege
    Member

    Every time I have purchased Eden the pieces were so hard that they were impossible to chew.

    Now I am back to Bodek.

    I would love to use fresh. Is there anyway to check it?

    #699936

    most Halachic authorities hold: no

    #699937
    rescue37
    Participant

    If most halachic authorities hold no, how can a company sell it? It may be hard and you may need some training, but to say you can’t check it yourself is sheer idiocy.

    #699938
    Sacrilege
    Member

    rescue – I’d imagine thats why smartcookie’s Rav says to use only Green House grown.

    #699939
    MichelleNY
    Member

    I asked a few months ago and was told to use only Eden brand

    #699940
    WIY
    Member

    So Bodek and greenhouse grown are the only Mutar types?

    #699941
    apushatayid
    Participant

    “I would love to use fresh. Is there anyway to check it?”

    The Star-K gives directions how, on their website.

    #699942
    smartcookie
    Member

    I was told even Bodek shouldn’t be used, except when blending the veggie.

    #699943
    rescue37
    Participant

    Sacrilege,

    That is a copout. There are frozen brands out there (with heimish hechsherim) that were checked a few years ago and were found to have bugs. My guess is that the Rav is not in the kashrus industry. A kashrus question such as this needs to be asked of someone in the industry. They know what is done and can give an opinion, to say eat a certain brand and only that brand is motzi la’az on the other brands unless the Rav has personally looked into the other brands and found them lacking.

    #699944
    Sacrilege
    Member

    Smartcookie – if there are bugs in bodek the if you blend it wouldnt you then be eating blended bugs?

    rescue – Hey, I was just repeating what cookie’s Rav said don’t shoot the messenger, I want to find out as much as the next guy.

    #699945
    Sacrilege
    Member

    I went on Star-K.org it seems easy enough to check fresh broccoli…

    #699946

    it seems i was completely wrong

    im pretty sure that was once the case though

    #699947

    although this is from the cRc:

    #699948
    smartcookie
    Member

    Sac- youre eating blended bugs but that’s not assur.

    #699949
    Sacrilege
    Member

    smartcookie – Why is blended bugs not assur?

    #699950
    Sacrilege
    Member

    80 – I asked about fresh because I had heard that it was near impossible to check, thats why I was quite surprised to see how relatively simple the Star K made it out.

    #699951
    trak443
    Participant

    this is NOT meant to be a knock on the Star-K, but they tend to be maykil when it comes to bugs/veggies.

    i only allow my wife to buy eden, because it’s grown in a greenhouse. go ahead, check ’em under a bright light.

    as for bodek (or other fum brands). nobody says they are bug free. they only need to be MUCHZOK to be bug free.

    #699952
    avi e
    Participant

    Sacrilege: When the bugs are whole they cannot be batil b’shishim. Once they are not whole anymore (blended), then they can be considered nullified.

    #699954
    apushatayid
    Participant
    #699955
    Dave Hirsch
    Participant

    Rav Vaye Shlit”a, perhaps the most competent Rav in this field, states that Broccoli florets cannot be totally bug-free if it wasn’t grown in a greenhouse under constant supervision. Stems (even fresh) can easily be washed (properly) and used. According to my knowledge, Eden is the only brand that has the greenhouse method. They have many different cuts so you might want to try all of them to see what you like best. I personally refrained from eating broccoli (and cauliflower) for years until Eden came along. We should know that consuming insects is no less than eating pork.

    #699956
    charliehall
    Participant

    Vaad of Riverdale approves Birdseye frozen broccoli with the Triangle-K. I typically eat it several times a week.

    Both Star-K and OU have instructions for checking on their web sites; consult your local Orthodox rabbi.

    #699957
    apushatayid
    Participant

    I don’t eat broccoli, spinache, beats, asparagus, green beans and most vegetables parents make their kids eat. My parents made me eat them as a kid and I’m now rebbeling against all those vegetables. I guess something positive has come from my silly “stand”. I don’t have to worry about bugs.

    #699958
    WIY
    Member

    charliehall

    Dont know who this Vaad of Riverdale is, but the bug issue is serious and not one to be Meikel with, in one salad with bugs one is over many more Lav Deoraysos than eating a Pork sandwich.

    #699959
    Sacrilege
    Member

    I still dont understand how by grinding the bugs they become batul. If eating a bug is AS bad as eating pork, then why cant you grind a little bacon throw it in to your food and make it batul?

    #699960
    arc
    Participant

    sac,

    eating pork is worse. the halocha is that a frozen or ground up bug is muttar.

    frozen because it becomes brittle as to the reason ask your LOR.

    #699961
    smartcookie
    Member

    Apushitayid- you’re missing out on some delicious food.

    If you want good recipes for those feel free to ask me!

    #699962
    charliehall
    Participant

    WellInformedYid,

    The posek for the Vaad of Riverdale is Rabbi Mordechai Willig.

    Now you are truly well informed!

    #699963
    WIY
    Member

    Charlie,

    You asked him personally and he said its fine to eat it the floret as is from the frozen package without further checking and doing anything the star k recommends? Did you ask him if he would personally eat it that way?

    #699964
    Sacrilege
    Member

    If frozen bugs are muttar then its obvious why Bodek is ok.

    #699965
    WIY
    Member

    Sacrilege

    Who says frozen bugs are mutar?

    #699966
    arc
    Participant

    I did, thats why frozen strawberries are ok. I am only repeating the psak I heard and dont know the reason. check with your LOR*.

    *or yhjygtmnzg or whatever nomenclature you prefer.

    #699967
    smartcookie
    Member

    Btw my posek does not allow any strawberries, except if you completely blend them.

    #699968
    charliehall
    Participant

    I didn’t ask about Star-K; that was a separate statement having nothing to do with the Vaad.

    The Vaad of Riverdale approves Birdseye frozen vegetables with the Triangle-K to be sold at the kosher groceries that they supervise. I personally buy them at the kosher stores.

    #699969
    arc
    Participant

    if bugs are an issue then how does blending help?

    Bugs become brittle after they are frozen and that is why frozen is allowed.

    #699970
    WIY
    Member

    charliehall

    Ok because they are allowed to be sold doesnt mean you can eat them as is. There may be further requirements which you should really look into especially considering how often you say you eat them.

    #699971
    WIY
    Member

    Sacrilege arc

    Halachically, frozen is the same as fresh I asked a Rav. He says the only difference is checked or unchecked. The freezing process doesnt make bugs mutar. The reason why blending helps is because once it is blended its not a complete bug and the issur is on eating a bug as a whole being, not bug mush.

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