Warming Up Casserole on Shabbat
Question
I’m a little confused about how to warm up food on Shabbat. I understand that you can only put fully cooked solids on the hot plate, but I’m not sure if casseroles count as solids. Generally I avoid the issue by eating cholent, which just stays in the cooker till you’re ready for it, but I’ve invited people over for Shabbat during pesach, and I was thinking of making lasagna. I’m a vegetarian, so making chicken won’t work. How can I warm up a cheese casserole? Thanks!
Answers
It is very hard for me to answer your question definitively because it all depends on the consistency of the casserole. If the casserole is “liquidy” then it is forbidden to hear it up on Shabbat. What does that mean? If there is obviously liquid in the food after it has been warmed up. If the consistency of the casserole is on the denser side and dry then it can be warmed up but it should not be placed directly on the hotplate. Rather, the food should be placed on something that is sitting on the hotplate – for example, an upended aluminum container.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team