Fresh fruits and vegetables are never a problem unless they have bugs (certain vegetables, such as lettuce or broccoli, are commonly infested with insects. These vegetables must be carefully inspected before consumption); or they were grown in Israel (Israeli produce must be tithed and (generally) may not be from a Sabbatical year. Rabbinical certification is necessary to ensure that the tithing and Sabbatical laws were observed).

Meat must come from cud-chewing mammals with hooves that are split, and must be slaughtered and processed in a specific, “kosher” way. Poultry are limited to chickens, ducks and certain other non-predatory birds (see How do I know whether a particular bird is kosher or not?), which must be prepared in the same manner as kosher beef. The consumer can know if meat/poultry is kosher by looking for a Kosher certification on the packaging.

Kosher seafood must have fins and scales. Grains, beans, and legumes (without additional ingredients) are cool. Wines, beverages and anything liquid are only good if they’ve got a kosher symbol on their label (also see Does 100% juice need Kosher certification?).

Kosher today means that a Kosher certification company has inspected the production process from start to finish. They check every vat, oven, conveyor belt, container and piece of packaging machinery to really make sure that nothing non-kosher gets in your food

C. Kosher today means that a Kosher certification company, such as Organized Kashrut Laboratories (“the OK”), has inspected the production process from start to finish. They check every vat, oven, conveyor belt, container and piece of packaging machinery to really make sure that nothing non-kosher gets in your food.

How do I keep kosher?

1. Kosher made simple

For kosher food, just look for the kosher labels on the package: circled K or U, Star-K and others. (A plain K¹ don't mean much.) They tell you that they’re certified kosher. See What are all those kosher symbols?

Mixing meat and milk products in any way, shape or form is not kosher.² And Kosher is more than what you eat—it’s what you eat it on, and how you make it, too. So it's necessary to have separate dishes, cutlery, utensils and gadgets, and ovens, for meat and dairy items.

Most processed foods are kosher today, anyway, as more and more supermarkets are tuning in to the trend and supplying kosher provisions. You can usually find kosher stock without much of a search

3. “What about my favorite foods?”

Not to worry. You can almost always find kosher substitutes. And many processed foods are kosher today, anyway. As for meat and poultry, more and more supermarkets are tuning in to the trend and supplying kosher provisions. You can usually find kosher stock without much of a search. And with the magic and convenience of the Web, an ever-growing selection of on-line purveyors will internationally deliver kosher whatever, straight to your door at rock-bottom prices, in the event you don’t find what you want in the aisles. You can even get kosher buffalo! I kid you not: http://www.kosherbison.com.

4. Eating Out

Most cities with a fair sized Jewish community have kosher eateries serving up some of the most fabulous food you’ll ever eat. Visit http://shamash.org/kosher/ for a kosher joint near you. (Helps if you don't live in South Dakota.)

5. Eat! Eat! Eat!

Want Beef Stroganoff? How about Beef Sukihaki? Ever tried Bruschetta? Or Pasta Olio Aglio? It’s all kosher, and yours for the taking. There are approximately 17 gadzillion kosher cookbooks available, and more coming out daily. Start with the Spice and Spirit Kosher Cookbook, the mother of all kosher tomes, available from Amazon or your local Chabad center. Above all, if you’ve got any questions about kosher matters, get answers: call your local Chabad rabbi posthaste.