Include pareve counter or only meat & milk?

amother

OP ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 4:19 pm

Interested to know what most people do when choosing layout for their kitchen.

Do you have meat, milk and pareve counters or only for meat and milk?

amother

SandyBrown

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 5:30 pm

amother OP wrote:

Interested to know what most people do when choosing layout for their kitchen.

Do you have meat, milk and pareve counters or only for meat and milk?

I have a milk meat and parve counter
Also 3 sinks
And 3 ovens
Best thing in my house !

I know you don’t need 3 x of everything to keep a kosher kitchen.
This is what I have and I love it.

ra_mom ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 5:39 pm

amother OP wrote:

Interested to know what most people do when choosing layout for their kitchen.

Do you have meat, milk and pareve counters or only for meat and milk?

I have a U - meat on the left, parve on the long center stretch, and dairy on the right.

amother

↑ OP ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 5:59 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I have a U - meat on the left, parve on the long center stretch, and dairy on the right.

Do you also have a pareve oven? I've only got a meaty oven (it's a rental so can't change the design of kitchen) so not sure it's worth having a pareve space. Though I do have quite a bit of counter space so I can work it in. Layout wise, it would end up meaning the dairy countertop is a tiny space so I'm not sure it's worth it.

↑ ra_mom ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 6:02 pm

amother OP wrote:

I have only one oven.

↑ ra_mom ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 6:02 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

What benefit would a pareve counter provide you if you're not putting pareve pans directly on it hot?

I like a big prep counter that is not specifically meat or dairy.

amother

↑ OP

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 6:08 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

What benefit would a pareve counter provide you if you're not putting pareve pans directly on it hot?

Good question. I guess I just feel it's a shame not to have a pareve space when I do have quite a bit of countertop space (though as mentioned it would have to mean the dairy space is tiny just due to the layout). I guess it's something I'm used to from growing up though practically I haven't been cooking much pareve myself, since I had a tiny kitchen until now.

Though thinking through more. If I do do it, it would mean that I could prepare supper for example, while someone else is baking. Which wouldn't really work if I have just the meat and dairy because then there's either a big meaty space or a big dairy space and I wouldn't feel comfortable someone preparing there if it's going into a meaty oven. Not sure how often this scenario will happen, but I guess I would love it to lol.

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 6:31 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I like a big prep counter that is not specifically meat or dairy.

There's nothing not kosher about preparing pareve on a milchig or fleishig counter...

↑ ra_mom

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 6:36 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

There's nothing not kosher about preparing pareve on a milchig or fleishig counter...

Of course there isn't! I prepare all around the kitchen. In fact, my fleishig crockpot actually sits on the corner of the parve area on shabbos. Maybe I should describe it as an undesignated space. I just like having separate sides of the kitchen, and a open middle prep space.

Goldengoose

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 6:37 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I have a U - meat on the left, parve on the long center stretch, and dairy on the right.

I have the same and it's great.

↑ Hashem_Yaazor ↓

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 7:16 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Gotcha.
But in theory she could make it fleishig if she wanted more surface area for taking things out of the oven to cool down and still use it for prep for anything...

amother

Purple

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 7:28 pm

I have separate areas for milchigs, pareve, and fleishigs. Island is pareve. I have three sinks and I just replaced my ovens a year ago and put in a double oven on milchigs side. I use smaller for milchigs and larger for pareve. I love having everything separate.

amother

Lily

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 9:19 pm

I have a big pareve counter and I love it! I can have milk, meat, and pareve going on in the kitchen at the same time. Anything that's not milk or meat, I make on the pareve counter, like Kugels, salads, dips, desserts, cakes, cookies, dips, challah. I also have a pareve sink, oven, and dishwasher. I say if you have space for it, go for it.
I happen to also have a tiny, tiny milk side. It's just a sink and tiny counter, no oven or dishwasher there. We don't eat a ton of dairy so it works for us but if you do a lot of dairy cooking I can hear why you may find that annoying. For me, it works well. I'd still pick pareve again if I was redoing my kitchen now.

esther7

Tue, Sep 17 2024, 9:48 pm

Definitely aylor but we were told that hot parve pots and pans can go directly on a clean milchig or fleshing counter/stove.
Cold is definitely not an issue.
If your Rav says the same, I don't see the gain in a parve counter. But you can always start with it as parve and have the option to switch it to either milchig or fleshig

B'Syata D'Shmya

Wed, Sep 18 2024, 12:51 am

On a practical level, I def see the value of a pareve area, if you cook a lot pareve and want the convenience.
Halachically, its unnecessary. AYLOR

PinkFridge ↓

Wed, Sep 18 2024, 3:36 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

What benefit would a pareve counter provide you if you're not putting pareve pans directly on it hot?

It's where our urn, KitchenAid, and cookie container live. With room for work.

↑ PinkFridge

Wed, Sep 18 2024, 5:03 am

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Those can also be on a fleishig, milchig, or treif counter 😉

True. But my crockpot and a large dish drainer live on the fleishigs and a compact dish drainer is on the milchigs. (The milchigs is where I plug in the food processor, sandwich maker, other. Those live in cupboards.)

amother

Apricot

Wed, Sep 18 2024, 5:17 am

amother OP wrote:

Interested to know what most people do when choosing layout for their kitchen.

Do you have meat, milk and pareve counters or only for meat and milk?

Only meat and milk. Don't see a reason to specifically cook pareve. Most items are pareve anyway.