Various Utensils Used
24. Scoring knife. It is common to use a special scoring knife for the sourdough to give it an impressive design or shape or to prevent uncontrolled cracking during the baking process. The knife consists of a handle with a special sharp blade that is attached to the end. The shaila is whether the blade requires tevila.
25. Since the blade comes in contact with the dough, it requires tevila. Although the blade is disposed of after some time and replaced with a new one, since it is used several times, it is not considered disposable. It is considered a utensil and requires tevila. However, as with a shechita knife, no bracha is made since it only comes in contact with food during preparation, not during a meal (see Issue 93, par. 24).
Pre-Seasoned Dutch Oven
26. Many people use a special cast-iron pot, called a Dutch oven, to make sourdough bread. The advantage is that it spreads heat evenly, causing the sourdough to be well-baked. There are several types, including what is called pre-seasoned, i.e., the pot undergoes a process during its manufacture in which it is treated and coated with oil without a hechsher, then heated at a high temperature to create a protective layer that prevents the pot from rusting in the absence of oil. The shaila is whether the pot must be kashered before use besides for its chiyuv tevila.
27. Type of oil. It is impossible for the most part to determine exactly what the oil coating is made from. Thus, it is at least a safeik whether it is vegetable oil, which is not assur, or animal oil, which creates shailos of forbidden food and how to kasher it, as will be explained.
28. Assur liquid. The poskim argue whether a liquid of issur cooked in a pot is viewed as absorbed into the pot through the fire’s heat, in which case it is kashered through libun chomur, or whether it is viewed as absorbed via a liquid, in which case hagala or libun kal suffices (see Issue 84). Some say the dish requires libun chomur, as it is considered to have absorbed the issur through the fire’s heat (רמ''ע מפאנו סי' צ''ו הובא בש''ך יו''ד סי' קכ''א סק''ח ). Others say hagala or libun kal is enough, as per the halacha of something absorbed via liquid (פמ''ג או''ח סי' תנ''א משב''ז סקט''ז, הובא בגל' רע''א שו''ע יו''ד על דברי הש''ך שם ). In practice, the poskim hold that hagala suffices for new utensils coated with oil, and libun chomur is not necessary, as that is the opinion of most Rishonim (חזו''א או''ח סי' קי''ט סקי''ט, יו''ד סי' מ''ד סק''ד, שו''ת הר צבי ח''ג יו''ד סי' ק''י ).
29. Requires kashering. Thus, if one buys a pre-seasoned Dutch oven, he should l’chatchila kasher it through hagala in boiling water. He can also put it in an oven set to the highest heat setting and kasher it through libun kal. Most poskim hold this suffices, and also, it is a safeik in the first place whether the oil used for the seasoning is from something assur. One who wants to be machmir can put the pot into a self-cleaning oven, which effects libun chomur, thereby satisfying all opinions.
30. Dutch oven which doesn’t require kashering. Some Dutch ovens are not pre-seasoned and do not require kashering before use, e.g., Dutch ovens coated with enamel, which are usually identifiable by their glossy finish, or Dutch ovens pre-seasoned with vegetable oil, which is kosher. [Lodge brand Dutch ovens are pre-seasoned with soy oil and are kosher (as attested to by the CRC kashrus organization).]
