Introduction
- As mentioned in the introduction, the melacha of bishul includes different methods of preparing food for consumption via a fire, including cooking, baking, roasting etc. The primary distinction between the methods is whether the food is prepared by ‘dry heat’ alone, as occurs in baking (‘afiya’) and roasting (‘tzli’), or whether the food is prepared within a heated liquid, as occurs when cooking (‘bishul’). Whilst until now we have included these all under the general title of ‘bishul’, in the next halachos we will explicitly distinguish between them.
Bishul Achar Bishul – ‘Recooking’ Fully Cooked Foods
- Solids: once a solid food has already undergone the process of ‘bishul’ (by being fully cooked in a liquid), it is no longer prohibited to apply the process of bishul to it again, ie it may be placed in a hot liquid on Shabbos. This principle is known as ‘ein bishul achar bishul’, ‘there is no cooking after cooking.
- Liquids: By contrast, a liquid which was fully cooked but has entirely cooled down is subject to the melacha of bishul such that it may not be re-heated on Shabbos. However, if it has not yet fully cooled off, even if it is no longer Yad Soledes Bo, bishul doesn’t apply and it can be re-heated in ways we will go on to define (SA 318:4, 15, MB 99, SSK 1:7-10).
- Powders/granules which dissolve: it is preferable to treat powders and granules which dissolve in water, such as coffee, sugar cocoa powder etc as a liquid in regard to these halachos, given they end up in a liquid state. As such, even if these substances have previously been cooked, one should avoid circumstances when they would be ‘re-cooked’ (so they shouldn’t be added to a Kli Rishon (a pot cooked on the fire) though may be added to a Kli Sheni as we will explore soon iyH) (MB 318:71, SSK 1:55, fn 159).
- Actions which look like cooking: Even when there is no longer a prohibition to cook a previously cooked food (such as a fully cooked solid), one may not put the food in a pot which is standing directly on the fire – this is forbidden on a Rabbinic level as we will explore below . Thus one may only put such a food in a Kli Rishon which is off the fire, or a kli sheni etc (SA 318:15, MB 98, SSK 1:7).
Afiya Achar Afiya – Re-baking Fully Baked Foods
- The same principle (as we say by cooking ‘ein bishul achar bishul’) applies to the other methods of preparing food outlined above – so once a solid food has undergone the process of ‘baking’ there is no prohibition to re-heat it with dry heat on Shabbos (‘ein Afiya achar afiya’))MB 318:41, SSK 1:71, fn 214).
Toasting Bread
- Toasting bread: whilst we have outlined that ‘ein Afiya achar afiya’, there is no prohibition for something previously baked to be heated up with dry heat, one should not place bread by a heat source in a way which will toast the bread (rather than just heat it up) as this effects a substantive change in the quality and taste of the bread. Furthermore, as we saw in <ref> paragraph 2 above, one of the definitions of the overall melacha of bishul is hardening a soft item via heat, which occurs when toasting the bread. (SSK 1:71, fn 212, Dirshu 318:61, PT 318 fn 185).
Softening Croutons
- Softening croutons: We would not, however, be strict to forbid softening a hard foodstuff, which was previously cooked, in hot liquid on Shabbos (though this is another characteristic of bishul, per paragraph 2) if the food would become soft even if it wasn’t subject to heat. This is because it is not specifically the heat which is causing the item to soften but rather the moisture present.
- Therefore, it is permissible to put deep fried croutons into a hot soup, even though they will inevitably soften (SSK 1 fn 198, 213)
Bishul Achar Afiya – Cooking Baked Foods
- Whilst there is no prohibition to re-cook solids (ein bishul achar bishul), we are strict to assume that there is ‘bishul achar afiya or tzli’, ie one may not take a solid that was fully baked or roasted and cook it in liquid.
- Therefore, one may not dip a biscuit or bread in a saucepan or hot drink in a ‘kli rishon’ which are the temperature of Yad Soledes Bo. Similarly one not put turkish coffee (made from coffee beans which have been ‘roasted’ but not cooked) into such a utensil (SA 318:5, MB 40-41, SSK 1:68).
- For example, in a kli sheni, there is no prohibition to heat water to YSB, even though were this done directly on a stove this would be defined as ‘bishul’ for liquids. This is permissible as a Kli Sheni is somewhat removed from the fire. We will iyH explore these halachos in detail after outlining the other principles of bishul (SSK 1:2).
Afiya Achar Bishul – Baking Cooked Foods
- The same applies in reverse as well – one may not take a solid food item which was fully cooked submerged in a liquid (‘bishul’, eg cooked vegetables) and then put it by a heat source to bake (‘afiya’) or roast it out of liquid.
- However, if putting it near a heat source will merely heat the food up but not substantively change its taste then this is permissible as the food will not be meaningfully changed as a result (not considering for now the paramaters Rabbinic restriction of putting food directly on the fire on Shabbos) (MB 318:41, Dirshu 60, 113, SSK 1:69, fn 206, 211).
Status of Frying
- Status of frying – Deep Frying: foods which were ‘deep fried’ are considered to have been ‘cooked’ as they were submerged in liquid. As such there is no prohibition against cooking them in liquid on Shabbos. Therefore, croutons which have been deep fried may be added to a hot soup, even in a Kli Rishon if off the fire.
- Shallow Frying: However, food which has been shallow fried may not then be ‘cooked’ (SSK 1:68, 70).
