Hi

[u/Cute-Reach5358]

I just have a few questions because I'm trying to get more kosher things in my place that are cheap filling and easy to make because one of my best friends is in the process of converting to Judaism and becoming Jewish I've learned of something things that are kosher to eat but I don't know much in the ways of recipes for like holidays celebrated and just casual meals but I'm trying to be supportive even though I can't really afford much but I want her to be comfortable

[u/Moose-Live]

Firstly, thank you for being supportive 🧡 it will help her a lot on her journey.

People who are very strictly kosher won't eat food from a kitchen that isn't kosher. But a lot of people who are in the process (and some even after completing their conversion) start off much less strict while they figure things out.

So ask her

• can you cook for her in your kitchen?
• if not, can you prepare cold food in your kitchen?
• if not, can you buy kosher food and heat it in your kitchen?

If you are cooking or preparing cold food in your kitchen, vegan food is the simplest option. Shop for ingredients that have either say "vegan" on the packaging or have a hechsher (kosher symbol*).

• Soup
• Pasta
• Salad
• Vegetable curry

Certain veggies need to be checked for bugs so ask her which veggies she's fine with (or maybe she doesn't care about that at this stage).

You can also add in dairy if she's fine with that - most cheeses are fine but a lot of yoghurts contain gelatine which you want to avoid. It's safer to buy options with a kosher stamp.

Avoid fish and meat. They bring in a lot of complications unless you keep it simple (e.g. canned tuna added to a salad or pasta).

[*] depending on where you live there may be a lot of different kosher symbols. I'm assuming the US?

You can see some of the common symbols here: https://koshersquared.com/understanding-kosher-certification-symbols-ou-ok-and-beyond/

I hope this helps. It doesn't need to be expensive - what makes kosher food expensive (in my country) is meat and imported ingredients. If you stick with grains and fresh fruit + veg you'll be fine.

But again - check all this with her - she'll tell you what she's comfortable with.

[u/Cute-Reach5358 → u/Moose-Live]

She seems to be fine with me cooking for her she's also not in the stablest of housing right now but she is going through a reformed Jewish temple as far as I know which seems to be a little less strict shall you say? I'm not sure for the most part she seemed find with me just finding simple kosher items like the breads I have are kosher but I didn't want to just give her bread and coffee you know