Kashering Formica Counters

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  • #590442
    Belev Echad
    Participant

    im moving to a kitchen with a weird milchig/fleishig setup from the previous owners. The counter tops are formica…is there any way for me to kasher them so i can decide for myself which is fleishig and which is milchig? The setup is so inconvenient, i dont know what im going to do!

    Smebody help me!!

    #659711
    cherrybim
    Participant

    I can tell you what not to do.

    Don’t ask this most complicated and important question on the internet and expect a one opinion answer.

    Rather, go to your Rav or to a respected Rav that you trust and ask him for advice on what to do.

    There are opinions that you can pour boiling water on the formica after it’s scrubbed with cleanser and waited 24 hours and there are opinions that you need to keep it covered since you can’t kasher it.

    #659712
    lesschumras
    Participant

    Why do people insist on asking sheilos to anonymous people on a blog? Please ask your Rav!!!

    #659714
    Be Happy
    Participant

    My husband writes the following: I’m a Masgiach who does a lot of kashering and has had a lot of shimush by Dayonim in the city that I live. To kasher counters do the following: 1-Make them treif by dripping hot fleishig liquid on the milky side and drip hot milk on the fleishig side (a drop is enough) 2- Clean the counters that there will not be a “Chatzitza”. 3 Wait 24 Hours 4: Have ready a hot electric iron and a boiling kettle.Pour some water from the kettle (Does not have to boil while pouring)onto the counter and push it along with the hot iron. The iron will push boiling water all over the counter.Add water to the counter when the iron has boiled out the first water. DO NOT LET THE IRON REST ON THE COUNTER KEEP IT MOVING WITH THE WATER, OTHERWISE IT WILL BURN THE COUNTER. Hatzlocho

    #659715
    PM
    Member

    Please consult your Rav!!!

    Dripping hot fleishigs on a milchig counter or the opposite could be an issur d’Oraisa of bishul basar b’chalav.

    #659716
    Be Happy
    Participant

    My husband asked that shaloh to his Dayan the first time he told him to do that. The answer is that there is no issur of mevashel bosor vecholov when one is “Boluah”

    #659717
    Joseph
    Participant

    PM: Perhaps he is from your kehilla?

    #659718
    PM
    Member

    I’m not saying your husband did something wrong. The Aruch HaShulchans permits “balua”, but Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Pri Megadim do not. That is exactly me point. It is not straightforward and each person should ask their own Rav!!!

    BTW, treifing the counters is only relevant if one wants to switch a surface from milchig to fleishig or reverse. It is a chumra of the Magen Avraham not to switch items back and forth lest one get confused, and does not apply according to many Poskim when purchasing a new object. IMO not worth getting into a machlokes d’Oraisa over a possible chumra.

    #659719
    squeak
    Participant

    esther, perhaps you should mention before #1 (drip hot fleischig….) that you should make sure the counters are completely clean.

    #659720
    PM
    Member

    If you want my psak, the counters may be changed w/o treifing up first since you are moving into a a new house. Formica may be kashered. DON’T use an electric iron, it is an electrocution hazard. A red hot metal pipe is ideal to roll on the wet counter. DON’T do this yourself, bring someone who knows the Halachos and has lots of experience. And still I think you should ask your own Rav.

    #659721

    A suggestion:

    This and other halocha threads can be helpful in both explaining what the issues are and bringing down the various seforim and rabonim who discuss and/or argue over the psak.

    Occasionally writing the Hebrew word can also help one who may want to research the issue, due to the plethora of online seforim that a Google search may pick up (which a transliterated word may miss).

    Thank you – ???? 🙂

    #659722

    I moved into a house with formica counters & asked my Rav how to kasher them. I’d rather not write how he told me to do it, because that’s his p’sak & your Rav may tell you a different way. So, ask your own Rav.

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