Keeping kosher is a cornerstone of Jewish life, but what if you live in an area without a kosher grocery store? Don’t worry—with some knowledge and planning, you can maintain a kosher kitchen anywhere in the US or places that import many US-manufactured goods. Here’s how:

1. Many Packaged Foods Are Kosher

A surprising number of supermarket items bear reliable kosher certification (look for the symbols and you’ll be delighted to see them on the majority of the packages in your local supermarket). Staples like pasta, canned vegetables, oils, cereals, and snacks often have kosher certification.

2. Fresh Produce & Eggs Are Simple

All unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and (chicken) eggs are inherently kosher (just check for bugs in leafy greens and rinse well).

3. Finding Kosher Meat

Perhaps the most sensitive item on the menu is meat, which must be prepared by a trained shochet and processed in a specific manner. Here are our tips for sourcing meat if you live far from a kosher butcher:

  • Check chain stores: Some national supermarkets carry kosher meat in the frozen section. It’s worth scoping out the lay of the land.
  • Request it: If your local supermarket does not have kosher meat, request it. You may get a “no,” but it is worth a shot (making sure they are importing meat from a source with reliable certification). If they honor the request, be sure to patronize the grocery and tell others to do the same, so that they will see that kosher is profitable.
  • Order online: Many kosher distributors ship frozen meat. This has become increasingly practical, and with a good freezer, you can ensure a reliable (and often below retail price) flow of kosher meat at home.

4. Dairy Is Nuanced

Our first concern is that your dairy not contain any non-kosher additives. And to that end, make sure that your dairy products all bear a reliable kosher certification. But that’s not all.

When it comes to dairy, there are two tiers. The Mishnah states that we may only consume dairy that has been milked under actual Jewish supervision, to ensure that no non-kosher milk has been mixed in. This is known as chalav Yisrael. Some kosher certifying agencies rely on government oversight as part of their system, referring to this government-supervised milk as “chalav stam.”

Those who consume chalav stam will find dairy products in their local supermarket which are certified kosher and acceptable for use—but be sure to check the labels well!

If, however, you wish to go for the upper tier and only use products that have been actually supervised by an observant Jew, seek out products specifically marked chalav Yisrael.

In this case, your options are more limited, and you may need to consider the three options outlined above for kosher meat.

5. Fish Without a Kosher Fishmonger

Any fish that has fins and (peelable) scales is kosher. So if you go fishing and catch such a fish, you can eat it.

If you need to shop at a non-kosher fish store, you must see the scales on the fish to ensure that it’s kosher. According to many, salmon is an exception to this rule, since its unique pinkish color (caused by the carotenoids in the food the fish consumes) is sufficient proof that it is indeed salmon you are purchasing.

After inspecting the scales, ask the store employee to clean the knife well and then cut your slice of fish on a fresh sheet of paper. You should then carefully wash the part of the fish that has been cut in water that is no warmer than room temperature.

6. Bread & Baked Goods

Like everything else, your baked goods must not contain traces of anything not kosher, so be sure to purchase goods with a reliable kosher label.

But there’s more. Somewhat similar to dairy, there are two tiers for baked goods. The most basic halachah does not require that commercial bread be baked by a Jew (provided that it contains only kosher ingredients and meets other requirements of Jewish law). Cookies, bread, etc., of this type, certified by reliable agencies, are widely available in national chains.

A more stringent approach is to require that baked goods be prepared with Jewish involvement (pat Yisrael). So how can you know if a specific item from a national supplier is pat Yisrael? This can vary by region (within a single company, one plant may be pat Yisrael while another is not), so speak to the Chabad rabbis near you to find out.

Buying frozen, par-baked goods (the kind your supermarket bakes in-store) is also an excellent option worth exploring, as it allows you to have fresh, kosher bread pretty much on-demand. Some supermarkets are happy to sell you this bread frozen. It’s worth asking in the bakery corner.

You Can Do It!

Five decades ago, in the summer of 1976, the Rebbe launched a campaign to encourage kosher observance among Jews worldwide. Today, we enjoy the amazing success of this campaign, with kosher food more accessible than ever before.

Keeping kosher outside a Jewish hub may require extra effort, but it’s entirely possible. With careful label-reading, smart sourcing, and a little creativity, you can enjoy a fully kosher kitchen—no matter where you live!