Cleaning your kitchen for Passover is not a stroll in the park – getting rid of chametz (products produced from wheat, barley, oats, rye or spelt) in the kitchen and creating a spiritual as well as the physical difference between your regular kitchen and your Passover kitchen.
What is Passover?
Passover is a period of immense spiritual rebirth every April, commemorating the departure of the Hebrews from Ancient Egypt. They had to leave so quickly they didn’t have time even to make bread.
If you went to Hebrew School as a child, or watched The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston, then you learned that Passover was when the Angel of Death came to kill the first born males as punishment for the Pharaoh not allowing the Hebrew slaves to leave Egypt.
The dough they carried baked into flat crackers in the hot sun, due to the lack of a leavening agent.
It is very important to abide by all provisions (religious “Hallachah” and dietary laws) of the eight day celebration to get a full reward.
Here are some tips that will help you to get your kitchen ready for Passover.
Clean out the pantry.
It is very important to get rid of chametz, leavened as well as flour-filled foods from the pantry. All the crackers, pasta, cookies and other treats in your pantry should be discarded, or put away until after Passover.
If it is possible, you can “sell them” to a non-Jew or have a Rabbi sell them for you, or dump them in the trash. This will ensure that after the holiday, you will have to start afresh.
Clean out the refrigerator.
This is the best time of the year to clean up all the condiments on your refrigerator door and give it an intensive scrub. You should clear everything on the shelves and get rid of expired products.
You should then remove the shelves from the fridge and soak them in a bucket filled with soapy water. The interior surfaces should be properly wiped down and the dirt in the accordion folds in the rubber covering that keeps the door shut should be properly removed.
Your washcloth should then be run over the exterior of the door of the refrigerator, and a shining, lustrous fridge will be yours during the Passover.
Finally, any items you will keep that are not kosher for Passover should be put in a designed area or compartment and covered in foil, so it will not be used.
This is the best time of the year to clean up all the condiments on your refrigerator door and give it an intensive scrub. You should clear everything on the shelves and get rid of expired products.
You should then remove the shelves from the fridge and soak them in a bucket filled with soapy water. The interior surfaces should be properly wiped down and the dirt in the accordion folds in the rubber covering that keeps the door shut should be properly removed.
Your washcloth should then be run over the exterior of the door of the refrigerator, and a shining, lustrous fridge will be yours during the Passover.
Finally, any items you will keep that are not kosher for Passover should be put in a designed area or compartment and covered in foil, so it will not be used.
Clean the counter tops
The counter tops should be cleaned thoroughly to remove any chametz. Remove any appliances from the counter and clean well, then pour boiling water over the surfaces, or cover with foil.
Degrease the oven and stove top
Your oven and stove top is very familiar with grease, and this is caused by your regular roasting as well as frying. While the stove top is easy to clean with natural cleansing powder, you need an extra effort the get the oven sparkling clean.
If you have a self-cleaning oven, the intense heat will remove any chametz from inside your oven. Just wipe clean with a damp cloth to remove the remnants.
If not, you should open your oven for proper ventilation and coat the inside with a cleaning detergent containing a bleaching agent, leave it for some hours and the grease will wipe off with a little scrubbing.
Line the racks with foil and your oven is ready for Passover.
Clean stove top, broilers, grills and BBQ’s
You should clean your stove top, broilers, grills and BBQs with a good detergent. It is very common for stubborn dirt to be on these appliances and using the right soap or detergent to clean them will ensure that the dirt is properly removed.
Sanitize your sink
Your sink is also used to clean dishes and should not be left out in this Passover cleaning exercise.
You should get a powder cleanser to scour your sink and pour boiling water on its surfaces as well as down the drain to get rid of debris and bacteria.
Clean toaster, sandwich maker, and waffle maker
Your toaster, sandwich maker, and waffle maker have done a lot of good jobs for you for a long time, and it’s the right time to appreciate them by giving them a thorough wash. You should make use of a clean cloth dipped in clean water and soap for a thorough wash.
Sweep the floor
Sweeping the floor for Passover should not be shallow sweeping that many of us are used to, whereby we ignore the corners and places that fall under the counter. Passover sweeping entails moving your oven, butcher block and fridges aside to sweep every hidden place in your kitchen.
After sweeping, it is important to back it up with thorough mopping so that your kitchen will put on a new look.
Clean electric knife, Kitchen Aid, food processors
With a moist, clean cloth, you should clean your electric knife, Kitchen Aid, and food processors. Nothing should be left untouched because there is an absolute need for you to have an all-round clean kitchen for the Passover celebration.
Wash your tablecloth and napkins
Your tablecloth and napkins should also be washed, and it is important for you to note that you should not make use of starch when washing them. Washing them with starch will not enable them to absorb dirt easily, and that’s the job they are well-known for.
Your microwave oven
Your microwave oven deserves special treatment to make it clean. To clean your microwave for Passover, you should fill a bucket that has not been used for at least 24 hours with water.
Then, switch on the microwave and let it steam profoundly. Put it off then wipe out the interior thoroughly. When you make use of the microwave oven during Passover, you should endeavor to make use of a plane, thick, microwave-safe substance to separate the bottom of the oven and the cooking dish. Also, whenever you are cooking or warming, you should make sure that you cover the food on all sides.
Make everything shine.
If you have silverware in your kitchen, make them shine with the right scouring powder. Your copper pots are also not left out. You can make use of lemon and coarse salt to clean the bottom of your copper pot. You can also run a silver-polished piece of rag over the spoons and in between the forks for everything to be shining during Passover.
Bring out your Passover cookware and dishes.
The final step in cleaning your kitchen for Passover, is to bring out the Passover cookware, dishes and silverware.
Author Bio
Chad Rubin is a creative entrepreneur. He convinced his parents, who tan a vacuum repair shop, to start selling online, and the rest is history. You can learn more about Chad at ThinkCrucial.com
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Thanks. I’ll get rid of chametz from the pantry.