5786/2026
Malca’s Practice – Low Flame and an Inverted Pan on a Blech
My wife Malca warms food for Shabbat lunch by lighting a low flame on the stove and placing a Blech on it before Shabbat. She places an inverted, empty pan on the Blech and, on Shabbat day, places cold chicken from the refrigerator on top of the inverted pan an hour or so before lunch. The chicken becomes hot but never reaches Yad Soledet Bo of 120 degrees Fahrenheit (and probably not even 113 degrees Fahrenheit). This strategy also eliminates the concern of reheating the liquids that accompany the chicken.
Malca’s approach satisfies Rav Moshe Feinstein (Teshuvot Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 1:94), who permits placing food in a place where it will never reach Yad Soledet Bo. Malca’s approach also constitutes a valid Kedeira Al Gabei Kedeira according to the Magen Avraham (318:26).
Malca has been doing this for years, and the food she makes is delicious, but never reaches the 120 degrees standard or even the 113 degrees Fahrenheit standard of Yad Soledet Bo.
Question Number One- Tzilyah Achar Afiya
One may question Malca’s practice due to two concerns. First, the Shmirat Shabbat K’Hilchata (1:40), based on the Mishna Berurah (318:41) Biur Halachah 318:15 d”h V’Hu Yavesh), forbids placing even fully cooked and completely dry food to reheat. His concern is that one is thereby roasting food that was previously cooked, which is prohibited according to the Yere’im we discussed in an earlier section. We refer to this as Tzliyah Achar Bishul.
We can defend Malca on two levels. Rav Schachter (The Laws of Cooking and Warming Food on Shabbat, p. 184) and Rav Willig (The Laws of Cooking and Warming Food on Shabbat, pp. 39-40) follow the Chazon Ish (Orach Chaim 37:14), who rules that reheating food is not considered roasting since the food will not thereby attain a roasted taste. Moreover, there is no intention of roasting the food, unlike when dipping Challah into burning hot chicken soup; there is an intention to cook it after it has been baked (Bishul Achar Afiya).
Second, and more importantly, since the food does not reach Yad Soledet Bo, there is no concern for Tzeliya.
Question Number Two – Placing on a Blech when it will not Become Yad Soledet Bo
Rav Eliashiv (cited in The Laws of Cooking and Warming Food on Shabbat, p. 139) considers all of the Blech to be “on the fire,” even the parts where food placed on it will not reach Yad Soledet Bo, lest he put the food in a place it will reach Yad Soledet Bo. Thus, Rav Eliashiv does not permit placing even fully cooked solid food on a part of the Blech where it will not reach Yad Soledet Bo. This seems to run counter to Malca’s practice.
We can defend Malca’s approach in two ways. First, Rav Nissim Karelitz (cited in Orchot Shabbat 37:10; Rav Yosef Shalom Eliashiv disagrees) considers the part of the Blech where food will not reach Yad Soledet Bo as near (Smicha) but not on the fire. Second, Malca places the food on an inverted pan, which is not on the fire, even by Rav Eliashiv’s standards, even though it does not contain food. The Mishna Brura (318:90), Bi’ur Halacha (318:6 d”h Ad Shetehei and 318:14 d”h L’Hafig), and Shmirat Shabbat Kehilchata (1:36) support this understanding.
Accordingly, one who follows Malca’s lead should not move the chicken off the inverted pan after the Shabbat afternoon meal, even to a part of the Blech where the food will not reach Yad Soledet Bo, as this would run counter to Rav Eliashiv’s view.
Conclusion
Malca’s approach is rock solid, and all families can benefit from her wise guidance.