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As a general rule, one must immerse, in a mikve, any glass or metal utensil or receptacle obtained from a non-Jew and to be used for preparing, serving, or eating food. (Source, source.) What if it's to be used for food, but the food isn't going to touch it directly? For example,

  • a microwave-oven turntable on which one plans to put bread to defrost, but only on a paper towel so as not to dirty the turntable; or
  • a toaster-oven tray on which one will heat food, but only on foil so as not to dirty the tray; or
  • a metal bread basket in which one will serve bread, but only wrapped in a napkin for elegance.

Do such items require immersion?

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  • Does your intended use alter whether these are considered kelim that nominally come in contact with food? If it's "normally" used one way that requires tevilla and your only change is to "add a chotzetz" external to the kli, it isn't changing the vessel's functionality to non food use (like designating a knife to cut wires would)... Apr 23, 2015 at 9:25
  • The example you DIDN'T provide is the slow cooker for chulent, for which liners are specifically made (as opposed to your other examples in which you jury rig something). That case may be different. Apr 23, 2015 at 9:28
  • dupe? judaism.stackexchange.com/q/241/759
    – Double AA
    Apr 27, 2015 at 14:46

1 Answer 1

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Chabad's article on Tevilat Keilim (your second source) quotes Tevilat Keilim, p. 55, (I cannot find this book)

that a vessel that normally touches the food may not be used before immersion even if one puts down foil or paper between the food and the vessel.

Since many people do allow the food to touch your example vessels directly, it seems that the interposition will not help avoid teviloh.

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  • Otoh, maybe his particular breadbasket is not "a vessel that normally touches the food".
    – msh210
    Apr 23, 2015 at 16:14
  • If so, just fine. Apr 23, 2015 at 16:16
  • @msh210 in that case, it's likely batlah daito etzel kol adam for most items. Bread baskets may be the one exception, since it's normative to have napkins in then for decorative purposes (most restaurants do this), but toaster and microwave trays are most certainly required. Aluminum pans (the counter argument) only require it when you intended to reuse them, turning them from a disposable kli which doesn't require immersion into a standard kli matches which does. Apr 26, 2015 at 12:51
  • @IsaacKotlicky If this answer would source that bat'la da'to applies here, IMO it'd be a much better answer.
    – msh210
    Apr 26, 2015 at 14:28

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