Kitchen Guidelines

WELCOME TO THE CBI KITCHENS

CBI Sisterhood

We hope you find camaraderie and joy in preparing food in our kosher kitchens. Cooking in a group is a pleasure that has mostly been lost in our daily lives, but we wish it to flourish here in our synagogue. Since multiple groups use the kitchen, it is important to respect the staff and care for our kosher spaces. The CBI Sisterhood is responsible for the management and care of the kitchen. We share the kitchen with Gourmet-to-Go and they prepare a majority of the kiddish and special event meals.

Only authorized congregants who are cooking, bringing in supplies, or discussing an upcoming event with a staff member should enter the kitchen. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the sisterhood board member in charge of the kitchen (currently Chris Buchalter).

Thank you,

Chris Buchalter

 

Here are the procedures to follow:

Preparation for the Event

1. Committee chairs need to reserve the kitchen with the Calendar coordinator on the CBI Board. They will verify the date is available and then Calendar Coordinator will put on        the CBI calendar.
2. Contact Chris Buchalter who will work with Gourmet-to-Go and the kitchen staff to insure the kitchen is available for you and guide you through kitchen protocols.
3. If you are going to need custodial help for clean-up after an event, let the office manager know several days beforehand. You should do all your own clean-up after prep work.
4. If needed, arrange freezer or fridge space with the Garcias beforehand.

 

Kosher Requirements

Because our kitchens are kosher, make sure the partition between the meat kitchen and the dairy kitchen is completely pulled in place. It is located next to the freezer. Do not travel between the two kitchens.

1. If you are having a meat meal, you cannot go through the Dairy kitchen door. Please make sure it is kept shut.
2. A meat surface or equipment cannot be used to prepare parve foods for a dairy meal or vice-versa.

Supplies and Ingredients:

1. 1. Bring all your groceries, supplies, ingredients with you, and please take them with you when you leave. This includes cooking oils, sugar, flour, salt and milk. If this is a Shabbat event that you oversee, check with Ritual Committee regarding grape juice, wine and challah.
   2. Have your own plastic storage bags and paper towels. You may use kitchen aprons, towels, washcloths, and plastic gloves. Please put them in the dirty hamper to be washed.

• All packaged food and spice items must be unopened—you cannot bring items from home. All items must be marked with a heksher, except for dairy items, dried pantry goods (rice, beans, pasta,), fresh vegetables and fruit. All canned goods must have a heksher. 

• If you have questions about any ingredients, or if a heksher is reliable, please ask Sharon Levine (owner of Gourmet-to-Go) or Cantor Angress.

1. If you are buying baked goods or crackers, check for hekshers. Whole Foods, Dunkin’ Donuts, Einsteins (bagels only), and Costco in-house baked goods are kosher dairy. Others might be added to the list later. Please contact Cantor Angress if you have any questions.
2. Do not use kitchen supplies that are not yours. This includes Gourmet to Go supplies.

Food Preparation:

1. Only use utensils and dishes from the kitchen you are working in. They should be etched with the kitchen that they come from (D for dairy and M for Meat). Do not “borrow” any pots, dishes, or utensils from the dairy kitchen.
2. You may not bring in any outside cooking equipment, including pots, dishes, utensils, or serving ware, unless they are new.
3. Only use one kitchen for your event! For all pareve foods, you can’t prepare these items in one kitchen and then cook your entrée in another.-
4. Gloves must be worn when preparing foods that won’t be cooked. You do not need gloves if food is cooked.
5. Dairy items can only be prepared in the dairy kitchen. Meat items can only be prepared in the meat kitchen.
6. Only kosher meat (including chicken) can be prepared in the meat kitchen. Butter replacements and milk replacements can be used in the meat kitchen.
7. Fish and eggs are parve and can be prepared in either kitchen.
8. All fresh fruits and vegetables are also parve and can be prepared in either kitchen.
9. Sometimes cooking equipment gets placed into the wrong kitchen and needs to be rekoshered. For metal utensils, place the utensil into a pot of boiling water from the proper kitchen and boil for 15 seconds. Alternatively, you must leave a note on the item for the kitchen staff, who will take care of it. Only metal items can be rekoshered in this way; for other types of items, please contact Chris Buchalter.

After you’re finished:

1. If needed, arrange freezer or fridge space with the kitchen staff beforehand.
2. Store all dairy items in the dairy fridge, and meat items prepared in the meat fridge.
3. Cover all prepared items and label and date them if you are not going to use them immediately. The freezer is used by both kitchens. Carefully package and mark all stored freezer items with the name of your organization and the date.
4. Take home or give away leftovers after your event is finished

 

Kitchen and Cooking Utensils Cleaning procedures

You are responsible for clean-up. The kitchen must be left in the same condition you found it.

Cleaning procedures–These are in accordance with the health code safety protocol.

1. You must wash your hands in the small handwashing sink at the entrance of each kitchen. Do not wash in the food triple sink.
2. Sanitize the counters often when you are working, especially between wet prep and dry preparation. There will be an available spray solution or a bucket with sanitizer washer liquid for you to use.
3. Scrape all dishes into the trash can before washing.
4. You have two options to clean utensils and pots or pans, depending on load size. Small to medium loads need to be handwashed. The large electric dishwasher should be used only for big loads after a sizeable event.
   1. Dishes/equipment can be washed in their respective kitchens in the triple sinks. The first sink is wash, the second is rinse and the last sink is sanitize.
      1. Fill the washing sink and the sanitizing sink with the appropriate amount of solution (soap and sanitizer) and then fill the rest of the way with hot water (at least 110 degrees). The correct fluid amounts are posted above the sink.
      2. After sanitizing, the equipment must air dry. Do not use cloth towels.
   2. Large amounts of dishes/equipment use the electric dishwasher between the dairy and the meat kitchen.
      1. After scraping the dishes, rinse off the dishes, glasses, silverware, and kitchen equipment with the sprayer. The small sink below the sprayer is also a garbage disposal.
      2. Arrange all the items on a plastic tray to go through the dishwasher.
      3. The directions on how to use the dishwasher are posted behind the sprayer.  Please make sure to check if there is soap in the detergent dispenser on the right-hand side of the large dishwasher before running.
   3. Wipe and sanitize all countertops and the stove. Store utensils, pots, plates and bowls in the proper location (Dairy or meat)
   4. Run the garbage disposals after you finish cleaning the dishes so that all food residue is gone from the disposal. There is a trap that collects the food remnants at the end of the respective pipe. The kitchen staff or custodian will clean the traps at the end of the day.
   5. Make sure exterior doors are locked and trash is disposed of.

If you are cleaning up your event late, you can let the dishes dry and put away the next day. There cannot be any dishes left in the sink or on the drainboard.