Zeiya - Hanging Utensils

QUESTION: May I hang fleishig utensils above my stove, if I sometimes use my stove to cook dairy foods?

ANSWER: The Rema (YD 92:8) cites the Terumas Hadeshen that one may not hang meat to dry out above a dairy pot if the steam from the dairy food is still “yad soledes bo” (too hot to hold, i.e., above 113°F or 120°F) when it reaches the meat. This is because the vapors that come from dairy are also dairy. If the vapor is hot when it touches the meat, it will be equivalent to cooking meat and milk together. However, if the steam has already cooled down before it reaches the meat, the meat would be permitted as long as it has been scrubbed well, since there can be droplets of dairy on the meat (Pri Megadim, Hanhagos Hashoel 2:36). Similarly, meat utensils should not be stored directly above a stove used for dairy, even if the steam will not be hot when it reaches the pots. At the very least, there will be an issue of dairy residue on the pots. If there is a shelf or hood above the stove that blocks the steam, one may store utensils above that.

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