The White House Kitchen Goes Kosher

Every year we hear about certain White House special events tied to the holidays. There is the Easter egg roll on the White House Lawn, the pardoning of the Thanksgiving turkey, and the lighting of the White House tree. This year the White House is hosting a special event for Chanukah. While that event might not get a lot of media coverage, the behind-the-scenes preparation for the koshering of the White House kitchen is fascinating.

Yesterday, the New York Times chronicled what goes into koshering a non-Kosher space. The process is sometimes called kashering or making something kosher, and it is usually reserved for homes in preparation for the spring holiday of Passover. But this week it's all about koshering the White House kitchen in advance of a Chanukah party at the White House tomorrow night.

According to that New York Times article, the way you kosher a non-kosher space without ripping out the countertops, appliances, and surfaces that once touched non-kosher food is to clean them and then to cover them. And cover them well. Here is how that article described the process.

"First, spritz the kitchen's stainless steel counters with disinfectant. Scrub vigorously.

Next, wrap counters in tinfoil, tight, tight, tight.

Now stretch plastic wrap over the foil and seal with masking tape.

Then repeat for every surface that could possibly come into contact with food — yes, even the hanging pot rack."

While the White House staff is responsible for preparing the kitchen for koshering, the real deal happens with the rabbis show up.

What can't be covered is treated differently in respect to koshering. This includes utensils, cooking tools, and serving pieces. First, anything that touched non-kosher food must be cleaned, and then set aside for 24 hours to ensure that any lingering non-kosher morsels or aromas are gone. Then the rabbis will submerge it all in boiling water.

For items that can't be covered or boiled, a different process occurs. Because time doesn't allow all the refrigerators to be cleaned out properly, they are simply taped shut. If they're never opened, they can't contaminate the kosher space. As far as the ovens go, it is koshering by fire—literally. The rabbis turn the ovens to 500 degrees and instruct that they be kept at that temperature for at least one hour.

Once the space is deemed to be kosher, hundreds of pieces of certified kosher dishes, flatware, and drinking glasses will be trucked in to be used to plate the food for the guests.

The koshering of the White House kitchen for the Obamas isn't the first time this has occurred. When George W. Bush was President, a similar scenario ensued in advance of a 2006 Chanukah party.

And you thought cleaning up for your Christmas or Chanukah party was stressful.