Guides A kosher kitchen is built to keep meat and dairy completely apart. That means two sets of dishes, pots and utensils, careful washing, and a waiting period between meat and dairy foods.
Guides Treif is any food that is not kosher. The word covers pork and shellfish, a cheeseburger that mixes meat and dairy, and even a candy that hides pork gelatin in the fine print. Here is what makes a food treif, and how to catch it on a label.
Certifications A hechsher is the small symbol a recognized kosher agency prints on a product to show a rabbi supervised how it was made. It is the difference between real certification and a brand simply calling itself kosher. Learning to spot and read one is the single most useful habit for any kosher shopper.
Ingredients & E-Codes Carmine is not kosher. It is a red dye made from crushed cochineal insects, and since kosher law forbids eating insects, no reliable certifying agency will approve a product that contains it. The hard part is spotting carmine on a label, because it hides under several different names.
Guides Kosher means food that meets the requirements of Jewish dietary law, known as kashrut. It covers which animals may be eaten, how meat and dairy are kept separate, and how products are supervised. This guide walks you through the basics in plain English.