Shabbat:

On Shabbat we are prohibited from cooking, baking, frying, grilling, microwaving, warming, etc. Consequently if one wishes to have hot food on Shabbat, the food must be pre-cooked and prepared before the onset of candle lighting time. The pre-cooked food is then placed on the stove, in the oven or the warmer, etc. before candle lighting time. The temperature control settings should be set before candle lighting time and may not be touched throughout the entire Shabbat. The stove top burners should be covered with a ‘blech’ (a metal or foil cover). A new blech should be purchased for Pesach. When pots and pans have been removed from the fire on Shabbat they can only be replaced on the ‘blech’ under the following condition: Either the pot has not been placed down on a surface or even if it has, someone was still holding on to it, and one must have intention of returning it to the Blech. This is only permitted for food that has been cooked completely and still hot. Food that has been removed from the oven, cannot be put back into the oven, under any circumstances.

Yom Tov:

 The laws of cooking on Yom Tov differ to those of cooking on Shabbat. One may cook on Yom Tov to prepare food or if the food will taste better by cooking it onYom Tov, Halacha (Jewish Law) permits us to prepare and cook food on Yom Tov providing that one uses an existing flame. However, Halacha forbids us to prepare food on one day ofYom Tov especially for the next day. The controls must be turned on, and set at the correct setting before the onset ofYom Tov. One may not reduce or increase the heat of an electrical stove top onYom Tov. One may however, increase the heat of a gas stove on Yom Tov while food is on the fire. Regarding an oven, please consult your Halachic authority

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