Q&A: The Laws of Mixtures
The Laws of Mixtures
Question
A kashrut question: I understood that there are two tracks for determining whether a prohibited substance is nullified within a permitted one—nullification in a ratio of sixty to one, and checking through a non-Jew—when both are really aimed at clarifying the same question: whether the taste is perceptible. So basically, anything prohibited (if it is not something that gives structure / causes the mixture to set, etc.) that is not distinguishable—if it is known not to impart taste—would be permitted. The question is: in the laws of kosher utensils there are all sorts of discussions about flavor absorbed in a pot being released, and if the part that was released is larger than sixty it is not nullified, etc. Now, it seems to me that no normal non-Jew would detect the taste of chicken in milk porridge if the spoon had previously been used to stir chicken soup. So are all these kinds of cases essentially permitted?
Answer
Hello.
The measure of sixty regarding absorption in utensils is measured against the volume of the walls of the pot. And when it is released into a dish, that is already secondary transferred taste. But it is hard for me to answer questions in this area, because I myself have a great deal of difficulty with them and do not have good answers. If it were up to me, I would abolish most of the laws of absorption.