Gas Stove
24. Lechatchiloh, it is best for a home to have separate stoves for milchigs and fleishigs. This avoids all the shailos that could otherwise arise, e.g., milchigs or fleishigs spilling onto the stove, pots touching each other, milchigs splashing onto a pot of fleishigs, etc. Also, with two stoves, one has the advantage of having separate grates for fleishigs and milchigs (שו"ת כתב סופר יו"ד סי' נ"ד, הגר"ש וואזנר, קובץ מבית לוי ח"א עמ' כ"ט).
25. However, in many homes, especially in Eretz Yisroel, where the kitchens are smaller, there is only one stove. We will go through some halochos that pertain to common situations.
26. One grate. One may use a grate for a milchige pot after it was used for a fleishige pot since bliyos do not travel from one vessel to another without a liquid intermediate (רמ"א יו"ד סי' צ"ב ס"ח ). If some liquid does spill, one should make sure to wipe the spilled substance off the grate. As far as the bliyos absorbed in the grate, the fire performs libun on them (מ"ב סי' תנ"א סקל"ד, שו"ת אג"מ יו"ד ח"א סי' נ"ט ).
27. When one has only one grate, he should always make sure the bottom of the pot he is putting on it is completely dry. If it is wet, there is a fear that bliyos will transfer by way of the moisture between the pot's bottom and the grate, and vice versa, and can cause halachic problems if the grate is hot but not hot enough for libun.
Glass Cooktop
28. Many people today have glass stoves that are heated electrically, or with induction. One should not use the same glass for fleishigs and milchigs since there is a concern it is the type of glass that absorbs, and if milchigs or fleishigs spills on it, there is no way to kasher it. The same glass stovetop may be used for fleishigs and parve or milchigs and parve, but not for fleishigs and milchigs, even separately.
29. If there is only room in the kitchen for one stove and it is made of glass, one can buy a small, electric portable burner with room for one pot that can be used solely for milchigs.
