The only thing I’ve bought so far for Pesach is matzah. (Ten pounds at Costco for $18 – sadly, I don’t live in the land of “free after coupon” matzah.)
And yet, my Pesach box in the storage room is already brimming with brand new stuff that we’ll be using for Pesach.
Extra virgin olive oil. Walnuts. Raisins (certified OU are “P” year-round). Baking soda. Salt. Sugar. Ground coffee. Tea bags (unflavored). Cocoa. Coconut oil. Bottled water and unflavored seltzer.
And let’s not forget the dog food, tin foil, plastic wrap, baggies, dish detergent and sponges.
What all these products have in common is that they do NOT require a special KLP hechsher. And in some cases – they don’t require any hechsher at all.
There are plenty of Pesach food items that will necessitate a trip to the kosher aisle of the store, but for the ones that don’t, I see no reason to pay the mark-up.
In fact, just the opposite – I’ve been gleaning my stockpile to set aside the items I have scored practically for free with a coupon and a sale.
To know what items I can start stockpiling in advance, I rely on the OU’s List of Food Products that Don’t Require a Special KLP Hechsher (it starts on page 51 of the Passover Guide.) I also keep a copy of Non-Food Items that Don’t Require a Special Hechsher handy.
Dislaimer: I realize that minhagim vary by community. And of course, I am in no way a halachic authority, so please discuss any questions you have with your LOR.
Mara,
You might want to clarify that certain brands of these foods (e.g. raisins) that have an OU are KLP without a special hechsher, while other brands are not KLP at all.
(To see more detail, search for raisins at
http://search.oukosher.org/ )
-Rachel
Thanks for this info! I am going to save this link for future years too. This will be a big savings! The kosher for passover markup, as you know, is outrageous! Happy Passover.
You can get a Manischewitz coupon here:
http://www.manischewitz.com/coupons.html
And CouponKosher.com has one for broth
Great point. Eliminates some of the psychological strain, too, that you have a box all ready!
Is there any way to get to page 51 of the OU guide besides clicking through forever?
That’s an amazing price for matzah! Our minhag is to use only handmade matzah at about $25-$28 a pound! (For a family of seven ka”h!)
I feel for you – that definitely adds some cost to your Pesach!
Is there a way to print this list/the whole guide? I haven’t been able to from the website.
The OU confirmed Spectrum coconut oil again for this year! No KLP hechsher required.
My email to the OU “webbe rebbe”:
I’ve heard that in past years, Spectrum Coconut Oil was kosher l’Pesach with a regular OU (and did not need a Pesach hechsher). Is that true for 2014?
The response on 3/26/14:
“Based on careful research we have found that Organic Virgin Coconut Oil from Spectrum when bearing the OU symbol is kosher for Pesach this year as well. Note: valid for Passover 2014 only.”
YAY! 🙂
Hi Mara, great list, thanks so much! Just wanted to clarify that it’s only the NON iodized salt that doesn’t need KLP. I think the more common type of table salt, which contains iodine, is not kosher for Passover. Amy
Yes – you are absolutely correct, Amy! That link to the OU’s Pesach guide is really helpful for all those things, too!
Please remember to note that ALL products that you use for Pesach – even those that need no special Hechsher – MUST be NEW, UNOPENED AND NEVER USED CONTAINERS/BOTTLES.