In a Nutshell:

PB and Banana Slices

Here’s my 30-second filling snack that’s really an excuse to use salted caramel on a weekday. I slice a banana into half-inch slices, then dollop a small teaspoon of peanut butter onto each slice. Drizzle caramel syrup over the whole thing and top with salt flakes if you like the sweet/salty taste. Enjoy!

—Chanie Nayman

Halachah Central

In your cholent issue, Miriam (Pascal) Cohen recommended assembling the cholent ingredients before Shabbos and leaving it raw until just before licht bentching, when you plug in the Crock-Pot. Can you clarify how to do this in a halachically permissible way?

Rabbi Avrohom Neuberger answers:

Technically, this is muttar as long as one placed the food on a blech. When using a Crock-Pot, thick aluminum foil should be placed over the heating element and preferably the knobs so that it’s considered a blech. But the following has to be stressed:

Regardless of whether there is a blech or not, any time one hastens the cooking of an uncooked item on Shabbos, he is chayav d’Oraisa. This includes placing a lid on an open pot; stirring; moving the pot closer to the fire; and closing an oven door. Therefore, should one want to place a raw cholent on the fire right before Shabbos, he cannot touch the pot at all until the food is fully cooked, even if there is blech.

The same applies to any overnight item that was not fully cooked before Shabbos. For example, there are some closed plastic meat packages that are fully seasoned and all you have to do is cook them overnight. If one is using this on Shabbos, again, one would have to be careful not to hasten the cooking in any way on Shabbos.

Kitchen fave

I haven’t gotten a new nonstick skillet since my original fleishig set (which is over a decade old) and needed one badly — the old ones were Teflon and totally scratched. I got a T-fal ProGrade nonstick 10-inch fry pan and I’m very happy! Great finish and even browning.

—Michal Frischman

Ok, Quick:

What’s in your omelet?

Place a piece of cheese (usually a slice of cheddar) onto a lightly greased pan. Crack the eggs and mix with a bit of milk. Pour on top of the cheese just as it’s melting. Add another slice or two of cheese and some salt and pepper. I like adding chopped scallions too. Cover for a minute or two. Fold in half and slide off the pan.

—Estee Kafra

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 852)