THE KOSHER NEXUSA Publication of the Union For Traditional JudaismCopyright 1996-1999 Union for Traditional Judaism Vol. 3, No. 5 Spring, 1996, Editor in Chief: Rabbi Jeffrey Rappoport Editor: Andrea L. Herrera
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Reaching the Kosher Nexus
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For those of us who live on the East Coast in the Metro NYC area, Pesah this year featured an all time new "low" in advertizing. Waldbaum's Supermarket put out a beautiful, multi colored magazine Lichvod Pesah. The cover invited readers to look inside for the "valuable Waldbaum's Passover Bonus coupons inside." Sounds great, right? The coupons featured Kineret Frozen Kosher. Kosher what? Well, the picture was of a challah box. It gets even better: how about coupons for Raisin Bran and Grape Nuts cereals? Or how about Tyson's chicken? (To the store's credit, not all of the magazines had coupons for the Tyson's chicken!) They also had coupons for Corn Oil, Aunt Jemima's Pancake syrup, and Cohen's Frozen Hors D'Oeuvres. What's the point? The point is that we must remain ever vigilant, ever ready to protect others from... some really wierd stuff!!
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Those fun folks at FUNFOODS have done it again. They have some really wild new pasta shapes. These O-U pareve noodles now come in these shapes: Angelica (like little malachim), Chicken Noodles for Your Soup (like little shabbes birds), Country Western (boots, guitars, and hats), and Tropical Island Pasta (trees, parrots, and sail boats). Of course, they still make the Magen David Pasta (Jewish stars). Call 1 800 50 PASTA and order some today!
BUCKLEY'S THIMBLE CAKES are now O-U endorsed. Lucky folks north of the Border have long known this company's fine products, now we can enjoy them in the lower fortyeight, too! These new yummies come in three palate pleasing flavors: chocolate, lemon, and pecan.
And you thought Grandma was just sitting and rocking her life away! Not this grandma; she's busy in the kitchen turning out batches of GRANDMA IDA'S MONDLE BREAD. The old lady has Star K certification, and her mondles (is that right? Mondles??) come in six flavors. Call 1 800 581-8670 to order. Tell them Zayda sent you.
CLOUD NINE CANDIES are wholesome and tasty. Quite tasty as a matter of fact! Certification is by the O-K.
Call Eden foods for their tomato recipe collection. You can reach them at 1 800 248 0320.
Athens Foods now makes MINI FILLO DOUGH SHELLS. These babies look so cute on the table! Fill them with your favorite filling, bake, and serve. They are O-K pareve.
According to FEINSCHMECKER, their name means gourmet in Yiddish. By us it means that it smells good, but why quibble over semantics?
Four Star, French trained chef, Arlene Jacobs markets some unbelievable gourmet products for the way upscale market. Supervision is by the O-U. All of this company's products here listed are pareve. The key, here, in addition to taste, is packaging. The presentation is nothing short of breath taking. Items include: Lemon/Bay Vinegar, Cranberry/Orange Vinegar, Lemon/Thyme Vinegar, Marjoram/Rosemary Oil, Sweet and Fragrant Nuts, Sweet and Spicy Nuts, German Biscotti, Chocolate Biscotti, all manner of Pecan Balls, Brownie Meringues, Mixed Bean Soup (uh, how did that one sneak in here??) and Cajun Crackers. The stuff is really fine. Makes a great gift, too.
METROPOLITAN FRUIT ICES out of Canada and under the Star K, are pareve, 100% fat free, and 10000000% delish! Flavors include: Raspberry, Mango, Fresh Lemon, Peach, Cassis, and Pink Grapefruit. Believe it or not, the Pink Grapefruit was extremely refreshing.
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We are most pleased to note the new products made by Michio Kushi, world reknowned expert on health and nutrition. His line of foods is called KUSHI CUISINE. There are different hashgachot on different products (and some with no hashgacha), so check each product carefully. The majority of the product is either O-U or O-K endorsed. Products include: Pastas (mostly wheat), Rice Medlleys, and Porridges. They also make many kinds of soups. Condiments include: Soy sauce, Rice Vinegar, Garlic Sesame Garlic dressing for salad, Gomashio, Zesty White Sauce (pareve), and a tomato-free Red Pasta Sauce. In the snack foods department, they offer: Rice Nuggets, Seasoned Rice Curls, Rice Bars, and Toasted Almond and Oat Bran bars. Because the company has few distributors, they will ship directly to you. Call 1 800 935 3434. The company is located in Parsippany, New Jersey.
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From the Eden company comes this product guaranteed to put a sheen on your forehead: Hot Pepper Sesame Oil. Certification is by the O-K. When you've already got the first HumVee on the block, what do you do next to impress the Goldsteins? You buy Romanoff brand BLACK WHITEFISH CAVIAR, that's what you do! This epicurian delight is certified by the O-U. Upping the stakes in the lucrative organic bagel chips market, is CENTRAL MARKET BAGEL CHIPS ORGANIC & FAT FREE chips. These O-U pareve goodies come in Hot and Spicy, Baked Garlic, and Honey Cinnamon.
YOHAY makes some really fine snacks: Wafer Rolls, Sugar Free Wafer Rolls, Biscotti, Fat Free Biscotti, Caffe Cookies, Twists, and Ruggelach. All are O-K pareve.
DESSERT ROSE makes eight (count em- 8!) different salsas, delicious condiments, and candies. All are O-U.
We just love the name of this product! We haven't seen it, and we don't know where to get it, but the O-U has announced that henceforth KOALA YMMIES creme filled cookies are O-UD. There are two flavors of filling: Chocolate and vanilla. Hey, it works for us! We're game!
New from Cary Randall's come these new products: Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette and Honey Mustard. Both are O-U and are pareve, fat free, and have no preservatives.
The PRETZEL GOURMET makes four flavors of make it yourself at home pretzel mixes. All are O-U.
From the Gosh, I can't wait to taste the stuff department, comes this great new product: BUBBIE'S SAUERKRAUT WINE. We don't know about you, but we sure thank the O-U for jumping on the band wagon and finally finally finally making some kosher sauerkraut wine! We'll wait.
Here's a company with a great sense of humor. From AMAZIN' FRUIT, come the following O-U drinks: Kangadude Fruit Punch, Later Alligator Grape Drink, and Orangutan Man Orange Drink.
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When you buy Pancake syrup, check the hashgacha very carefully. Many brands are now dairy. We discovered this the hard way when we wanted to jazz up some baked beans to go with the dogs!
Volume 36, Number 4 (Sept. 95) of Food Distribution Magazine reports, "...Japan has become a major market demanding more and more kosher food. The citizenry's perception of the clean, healthful qualities of kosher products is a primary reason for the country's surge in the kosher marketplace." (Page 78, "Kosher Korner"). Isn't it nice, once again, to be part of a trend?
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Look for FRUBET. This Half Moon K certified dessert is a dairy sorbet type creation. It comes in Strawberry, Exotic, Fudge, and, of course, Raspberry. Amerrato DiSarrono is now O-U certified. L'Chaim!
Hershey's Canada announced two new COR certifications: Hershey Almond and Toffee Bar and Chocolate Covered Almonds.
The Raspberry strikes again- or- Can I have a Raspberry, please?: Foodtown now has a Rapberry flavored iced tea mix. It is O-U pareve.
Pathmark now offers Potato Shakes. Not all are kosher, however. Look for the O-U on select flavors such as Herb and Garlic. They are DAIRY.
ORGANIC GOURMET Brand Wild Mushroom Soup stock is kosher certified by Rabbi Cohen of Antwerp.
Do you still laugh when you remember Gene Wilder calling out, "Landesmen" to the Amish farmers in Frisco Kid??? Well, apparently the Landesmen have gone kosher! Look for AMISH Brand O-U pasta.
The O-U has announced the following new products under their supervision: Critic's Choice Happy Days With Marshmallow Cereal; Frosted Cheerios by General Mills; Ty Ling Tempura Batter Mix; and Sunshine Cheezits.
From the Home Baked Group Inc., comes PAN BAKED CAKES. These babies have no cholesterol, no fat, and no sugar. Flavors include: Blueberry, Butter Almond, Chocolate, Apple Cinnamon, and various Brownies. They are all O-UD.
Steve Weiss of St. Louis presents THE SWEET TOOTH: CANDY AND NUTS. The store is located at 9914 Clayton Road, 63124. 1-314-993-7177. They specialize in gift baskets. According to Steve, the store is not certified kosher, but the baskets are. Certification is by the O-V.
Here is a company that puts out more products than you can count, and so many of them are kosher, too! The Beaver, Old Spice, Old Spice Gold, and Inglehoffer families of companies offer the following products under the certification of Rabbi Yonah Geller (RCA member- acting as Independent): BEAVER: Horseradish, Sweet Hot Mustard, and Raspberry Mustard. INGLEHOFFER: Hot Dijon Mustard, Honey Mustard, and Creamy Dill Mustard. OLD SPICE: Polish Mustard, Dijon Mustard, Honey Mustard, and Dijon Rough Mustard.
Do you remember a song that started with the words, "I am the king of hell fire, and I bring you...fire"? Well, never mind. We finally found the one product that truly qualifies for the title fire in a bottle. TUONG OT SRIRACHA by Huy Hong Foods is fire in a bottle. Don't let the red color fool you- this stuff will melt the bobby pins on your kipah! Certification is by the Orthodox Jewish Council- Kosher Technical Konsultants of Philadelphia (Rabbi Alan Silver 215-745-3773).
Hey, be forewarned, this stuff is HOT! The bottle has French, Spanish, Vietnamese, and English on it. Caveat Emptor. You can call Huy Hong Foods at 818-286-8328. Don't say we didn't warn you!
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WARNING, DANGER, AH-OOGAH!!!!!
Libby's Dietetic Canned Fruit is not kosher certified. It contains added flavors that are problematic. According to Rabbi Eidlitz, no West Coast Carvel Stores are certified kosher by the O-K.
Only ORIGINAL style RICOLA HERB THROAT DROPS are now kosher. All the others are not certified. The packages with the K on them have no outside certification.
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Our Editorial Board met recently and decided upon a new policy. To date, we have tried to avoid commenting on the various Hashgachot that appear. On the other hand, we have tried on occasion to list some kind of identifying material when the Hashgacha is by a lone rabbi who may not be known to large numbers of our readers. We did that so you could make a more informed decision concerning the foods you eat. Our new policy remains essentially the same, except that we will try to identify all rabbis who act as independents by listing their affiliation (when we can get that information) and by listing them as independent. For example, we could list the Really Fine Tasting Baked Goods Company of NYC under the hashgacha of Rabbi Hayim Yonkil (Morasha-independent). That would tell you that the rabbi is a member of Morasha, and that his hashgacha is just that- his. We hope that this will help you make better decisions concerning the hashgacha of a product.
As always, we welcome your comments.
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AND FINALLY..................................
Remember that hysterical scene in Men In Tights (the Mel Brooks version of Robin Hood) when Dom Deluise (the Godfather) commented to the Sherif of Rottingham that he was disappointed that the Sheriff had never invited him over for a Cannoli?? Well, you aksed for it, we got it: Kosher Cannolis. Under the Kof-K, the Cannoli Factory makes only kosher, handmade Cannolis and cannoli creme. The company markets all over the US; if you can't find the product, call them at 516 957 2700.
These are really superior products. If you hanker for a really good Cannoli, hanker no more. By the way, the C is pronounced like a G!
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