Kashering cookware

Hi, I want to kosher my pans. They are Hard Anodised Forged Aluminium and are non stick. How can I kosher them? Thanks

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

For the benefit of readers, I will elaborate a bit on how the koshering of utensils is performed.

The Torah tells us that a vessel may be kashered if it is made from one of six metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin or lead. Common custom is to include the modern-day aluminum and steel in this list and to generally permit kashering them, as well.

There are three possible methods to kasher a frying pans. The first is known as “Libun Gamur” which requires heating the utensil until it is red hot (about 850°F). Then there is “Libun Kal” which is heating a utensil until it is hot enough to burn something weak that touches it (i.e. like straw). Finally, there is a “Hagala” which is the common kasheirng by dipping the utensil into a pot of boiling water on the fire. This latter method is rarely acceptable for frying pans as we will explain.

The typical frying pan is typically used with a small amount of oil, which for a practical purposes, is considered to be a usage of “dry heat.” As such, when koshering from treif to kosher, Libun Gamur would be required.

However, many non-stick frying pans a re coated with a Teflon or “Teflon-like” substance. One of the requirements for Libun Gamur to be acceptable is that one must be certain that the utensil being koshered by Libbun Gamur can withstand and “Survive” such intense heat. In most pans, the Teflon coating will be destroyed by Libun Gamur, and as such, such frying pans cannot be koshered at all.

OC 451 with commentaries