QUESTION

Chicago, IL

Can this be kashered for Pesach? Griddle for making pancakes used with batter.

ANSWER

In general, we rule that chameitz, even during the rest of the year, is considered to be איסורא בלע, and when absorbed directly via the fire requires libun chamor (Shulchan Arukh OC 451:4). That is normally defined at about 700 degrees. I imagine that that is not possible here and that a blow torch or the like would destroy it.

There are, however, poskim who rule that libun chamor is the same as the hottest temperature the object got to. According to this you could just turn it up to its hottest, let it burn for a few minutes after it reached maximum heat, and you are done. We would permit this in cases – such as this – where the keli would be ruined otherwise. So the conclusion from that is that it would work.

Another reason to be lenient is that poskim state that when necessary, and when there are other sevarot to on which to rely, we can rule that chameitz is heteira bala, and that only libun kal is needed (Mishnah Berurah 451:28).

Thus – you can kasher this by bringing it to maximum heat for two reasons:

1. Libun chamor according to some poskim is the hottest temperature of the keli and we rely on this when the keli would be ruined otherwise.
2. Even if it is only libun kal, we can rely on the poskim that chameitz is heitera bala in cases such as these.

To make it more lenient, I would wait 24 hours from the last time it was used for chameitz before using it for matzah, so we are only dealing with, at most, an אב”י problem. Although מעיקר הדין this is not really necessary.