7. Many people ask whether they have to kasher a hot pot or pan which a fly or bug fell into out of concern for forbidden bliyos from the insect.
8. Shishim. First of all, the volume of the food is usually sixty times that of the fly or insect that got inside (רמ''א יו''ד סי' פ''ד ס''ט ). Thus, after the insect is removed, any flavor it imparts is nullified and the food is mutar. [The flavor alone is not subject to the briyah chumra, so it is botul b’shishim.] Accordingly, the pot is mutar without being kashered.
9. Nosein taam lifgam. Even if one is certain the volume of the food was less than sixty times that of the insect, we follow the primary opinion of the poskim that an insect imparts an adverse flavor [טעם לפגם]. Although we do not know whether the flavor of a fly makes a dish better or worse, since bugs are disgusting and people are repulsed by then, their very presence is considered “nosein taam lifgam.” Thus, the poskim hold that after the insect is removed from the pot, any remaining flavor has a negative effect, so we do not need to take it into account (שו''ע יו''ד סי' ק''ז ס''ב, רמ''א שם שכן המנהג ואין לשנות ).
10. Although some are machmir and hold something is only considered taam lifgam if it has an inherent bad flavor—i.e., the fact that a person is disgusted is not enough (או''ה, מהרש''ל מהר''ם פדוואה הובא בש''ך שם סק''ז )—we pasken that if there is potential for substantial financial loss or if it is a pressing situation, one may be meikel (ש''ך שם סק''ז, חכמת אדם כלל נ''ד סי''ד ), especially because the Rama says “This is the minhag ... and one should not deviate.”
