Placing a Vessel on the Hotplate for Heating on Shabbat
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Question
Hello, What is the reason that it is forbidden to heat a vessel with food directly on the hotplate, and what is customarily placed between the vessel and the hotplate to allow heating according to Halacha? If an upside-down pan is inconvenient, is there some kind of long metal sheet that can cover the entire hotplate to help? And what is a blech?
Answer
Hello
It is forbidden to place food in a place where cooking is usually done, as it appears like cooking on Shabbat. Therefore, even if the food is fully cooked before Shabbat, it is forbidden.
Some hold that it is permissible to place food only on a pot with food or a water urn. Others permit placing an empty pot or an upside-down pan, which reduces the heat of the fire.
A flat iron surface does not reduce the heat sufficiently, and it still appears as cooking on the hotplate. However, one can prepare a surface with edges that will reduce the heat and serve as an upside-down pot.
Source
Biur Halacha, Siman 253, Seif 3, d"h "Veyizaher"