Adding Salt to Cholent
This question and answer were automatically translated using our trained AI and have not yet been reviewed by a qualified rabbi. Please treat this translation with caution.
go to original →
Question
Is it permissible to add salt to cholent on Shabbat, or is it considered a solid mass? Does it matter if there is more water, less water, in a second or third vessel?
Answer
Hello
According to the law, it is ruled that salt does not cook except in a primary vessel on the fire, like "the meat of an ox," and one who is stringent considers it as easy-to-cook and forbids even in a secondary vessel, may he be blessed.
Therefore, according to the law, even if the cholent is considered a "solid mass," it does not cook, because although the mass is considered like a primary vessel, it is not on the fire.
However, due to stringency, even if it is not considered a "solid mass," it can cook easy-to-cook items.
[Regarding the actual halachic discussion: when there is enough sauce that the dish is liquid, the meat and potatoes inside do not have the status of a solid mass, because the walls cool the sauce and what is inside. And when there is only slight moisture, there is a status of a solid mass, which depends on the dispute among the authorities whether it is considered like a secondary vessel or a primary vessel. The Mishnah Berurah wrote stringently that it is like a primary vessel].