- Q. We have a glass top stove. The stove was used for chometz in the past. Each year, we kashered it for Pesach by turning on the elements until they were red hot, as per COR guidelines. Since the glass between the elements could not be kashered, we had a blech (aluminum plate) made with circles cut out where the elements are.
We moved this oven/stove into a Pesach kitchen, and have only used it for Pesach for the past 4 years.
My wife had two very large pots (about 12 inches in diameter) of chicken soup cooking side by side. Both pots had lids on top of them. One of the pots ran over, with a significant amount of liquid spilling out and running under the pot, and under the blech to areas of the glass top that the blech covered because they could not be kashered. As soon as this was noticed, the pots were removed from the stove top.
1) What is the status of the pots and the soup inside them?
2) What is the status of the blech? Can I run a blow torch over its surface on both sides and make it kosher for Pesach that way?
3) If I have to re-kasher the elements, do I have to wait 24 hours to do so?
A. On question 4167 we wrote:
"Dearest Rov amv”s. We are traveling out of town for Pesach and renting a house that has a glass top stove. How do we Kasher it and use it on Pesach?
A. On question 515 we wrote “Kosher certifying agencies agree that prior to koshering all parts of the stove, the top should be thoroughly cleaned including scraping residual food from the surface and catch-tray, and not used for 24 hours. They disagree, however as to the time that the electrical elements should be left on at maximum temperature.
CRC maintains one hour while COR says they should be maintained at glowing hot for only ten minutes. Star K rules that it is enough for the elements to get glowing hot, which they advise takes only a few minutes. Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit”a opinion is that they should stay at maximum heat for forty five minutes. The area between the burners that does not get hot and can’t be koshered without risking cracking of the glass-ceramic.
CRC advises the area should not be used at all. COR directs to cover the rest of the surface around and between the burners with material that will not easily tear. They caution not to cover the whole surface with a Pesach Blech (metal sheet) as the glass might crack. Star K recommends that since the area between the burners cannot practically be kashered, it would be wise to place a trivet or stand on the open glass area so the pots can be transferred. Furthermore, in order to use a large pot that extends beyond the designated cooking area, one should place a metal disc approximately 1/8 of an inch thick onto the burner area in order to raise the Passover pots above the rest of the glass surface.
Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit”a opinion is to cover only the non-heated areas with heavy duty aluminum taped by the edges so it will stay put. See also question 1045.
In your case the Rabbonim’s Shlita opinion is that one can be lenient after so many years of strict Pesach use have already passed.
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