Faqs

Q. Is it okay to buy frozen vegetables (i.e. winter squash) if the ingredients say the vegetables were precooked (but they contain no other ingredients)?


A. Winter squash, such as acorn and butternut squash, is normally cooked prior to eating. In fact, most cannot be eaten raw and must be cooked, unlike summer squash such as zucchini, which can be eaten raw.

Some frozen selections of winter squash must be cooked prior to serving, while others come fully cooked and do not require any additional cooking. Even if there are no ingredient problems with the product, if the frozen winter squash is already fully cooked when purchased, that might raise concerns of bishul akum, and the cRc would not recommend its use. [Bishul akum is the prohibition against eating certain foods cooked without Jewish participation.]