K A S H R U T . C O M_©

SABBATH MODE UPDATE

April 7, 2016 From the Star-K:
Recently there has been much discussion about “Sabbath Mode” appliances. While there is a machlokes haposkim with regard to whether one can rely on the "Grama" for changing temperatures on Yom Tov, a Shabbos compliant oven is critical for every Shomer Shabbos home. Without a mode to disable unwanted oven display activity, it is near impossible to use these ovens in any way on Shabbos. To "se an oven on Yom Tov even without changing temperatures, a "Sabbath Mode” is needed to make sure the oven will not violate Yom tov nor shut off after 12 hours.

This is a message that must be clarified to every consumer regardless of any other Halachic issues that can and should be discussed with one’s own posek.

As an example, this morning we received a call from a consumer who had bought a range with a 12 hour shutoff built into the oven. She wanted to know if we had any solution for her. We told her that unfortunately, without buying a new control board for the oven, there is no way to override that. Now she will not be able to use her oven on YomTov. Without a Sabbath Mode, of which the most critical feature is the ability to override that shutoff, the frum consumer would not be able to use most ovens on YomTov.

In order for a Sabbath Mode to be reliable, it needs certification. The Star-K works with major appliance manufacturers to ensure that their appliances meet our halachic specifications. Appliances are tested for compliance.

The Star-K recently discovered that some of the ovens that we certify are not compliant. It is extremely disappointing for a certification agency to discover that a company is not conforming with its particular stipulations.

In the spirit of transparency, and our mandate to keep the consumer informed, we have just issued some alerts based on a review of several of the appliance manufacturers.