Passover Kashrut Agency Online Information and Resources for 2020

 

Here are the Pesach 2020 links to kashrut guides and apps from the three major kashrut agencies, the OU, the Star-K and the CRC.

After you download the Passover Guides, I recommend you install all three of these agencies' apps on your smartphones, as they can be incredibly helpful when you are shopping for Pesach.

OU 212-613-8241 or kosher@ou.org iOS Android Download the PDF here.

STAR-K (410) 484-4110 ext. 238 or  halacha@star-k.org iOS Android Download the PDF here.

CRC (773) 465-3900 or info@crcweb.org iOS Android Download the PDF here.

Shopping for Passover at Costco 2019: UPDATED 4/10/19

To keep up with more practical information about saving money on your Pesach shopping, please join the Daily Cheapskate Facebook page here.  Get your Daily Cheapskate email by entering your email address here.  You can follow Daily Cheapskate on Twitter here. Please make sure you check out and bookmark Pesach.DailyCheapskate.com  for ALL of DailyCheapskate's excellent deals and  resources on everything you need for Pesach/Passover!

For the past few years, I've been finding that I'm doing more and more of my Passover/Pesach shopping at Costco.  I'm originally from Brooklyn, but I live in East Denver, and we are fortunate to have a Costco in nearby Aurora, Colorado that stocks a nice-sized kosher section and a plethora of KFP/KLP (kosher for Passover/kosher la'Pesach) items.  But even if you live somewhere where the local Costco doesn't stock special KFP items, there are still TONS of must-have Passover items that you can buy at Costco that will cost much less than at your local supermarket.

Many of these deals (except for the specifically seasonal KFP items, like shmurah matzoh) are available for months before Pesach.   What I love about that is that I can make a significant dent in my Costco Passover shopping well before Purim, and save a ton of money as well. That takes a lot of the panic out of Passover shopping for me.

I've included price comparisons to previous years (if available).  Of course, your local Costco is going to have different items and prices from my local Costco.  If you'd like to send me photos of KFP items at your local Costco, by all means, please do (and make sure to include the price in the photo)!  It's still relatively early and I plan to do a great deal of updating to this post as we get closer to Pesach.

FYI, I'm not affiliated with Costco at all (other than being a shopping member) and I was not compensated in any way for writing this post.  I put this together strictly as a reference for Daily Cheapskate readers.  And while I'm Orthodox, I'm definitely NOT a posek, so if you have any halachic questions, please contact your own local halachic authority.

Please note that when I say that the OU allows an item for Passover without special certification, that means that the item must have an OU on it but does not need an OU-P.  To clarify, the OU can only certify items supervised by the OU. So if your item has another hechsher on it, it is probably not covered by the OU for Passover.

I've been doing these massive Costco-Passover posts for the last five years, and each year, they grow longer, as Costco adds more and more items to their Passover repertoire. These Passover-at-Costco posts are among Daily Cheapskate's most popular posts on saving money on Passover shopping.

• 2018 Costco-Passover post
• 2017 Costco-Passover post
• 2016 Costco-Passover post
• 2015 Costco-Passover post
• 2014 Costco-Passover post

Things that I haven't included: vegetables (other than Pesach staples like romaine lettuce and potatoes), fruit, and cleansers.  Some of these I consider rather obvious.  In creating this listing, I  wanted to focus on must-haves for Pesach that might not be on your radar.

Ok, grab your cart, make your list, and away we go.....

Going nuts for Pesach: how to make almond milk, almond flour and almond butter. SO EASY!

UPDATE:  I'm bumping up this post from last year to the top of the website. This is one of the best money-saving hacks you'll find for Passover shopping on almond products.

So let me start out by confessing that I'm pretty uninspiring in the kitchen. I'm not one of those people who is constantly posting pictures of my amazing meals on Instagram because my meals are less than amazing and that's okay.  I like simple, easy, healthy, inexpensive and tasty food and I constantly look for shortcuts. I like nice, not overblown, presentation.  I don't like to spend hours in the kitchen cooking and baking. I'm never going to be Martha Stewart.

So when I tell you that making your own KFP (kosher for Passover) almond milk, almond flour and almond butter is really, really easy, please believe it.  If I can do it, so can you.

So if you can buy it, why make it?  Here are some reasons to make this stuff from scratch for Passover:

• You'll save money in the long run.  
• You'll know exactly which ingredients are in your food.  Have you ever seen the ingredients list for KFP coffee creamer?  It reads like the stuff in a chemistry kit. The ingredients in almond milk?  Almonds and water. 
• Your food will taste less "Pesachdik." Compare the taste of a cake made with potato starch or matzoh meal to the taste of one made with homemade almond flour.  The homemade almond stuff tastes really good.
• You'll have more Passover dishes to feed your gluten-free or non-gebrokts guests (but be careful with the ones allergic to nuts)
• You will be 100% sure that your almond milk, almond flour, and almond butter are KFP and won't need to rely on various agencies' conflicting and confusing opinions, or worse yet, on Rabbi Internet. 

Ready?  Let's do this.

ALMOND MILK

What you will need:  a nut bag (like this one), a food processor (like this one), raw shelled almonds (I use the Costco brand, approved by the OU for Pesach), and water. 

What you need to do: 

1. Place the almonds in a bowl and cover with water.  Soak the almonds for at least 12 hours, preferably overnight.


2. Drain away the water and rinse the almonds.


3. Combine the almonds and new hot water in a food processor. You can make the milk in any quantity that you like, with the water to almonds ratio as 3 to 1, or if you like thinner milk, 4 to 1. 


4. Blend at a high speed for 2 minutes. 


5. Strain the almonds out of the milk through the nut bag. (Set aside the nut meal; you can use it in other recipes.)


6. Store the almond milk in the refrigerator. It might separate in the fridge, so shake it up before using.  It contains no preservatives, so it will stay about a week.

Options:  Add honey, salt and/or vanilla to the milk.  

ALMOND FLOUR

What you will need:  a food processor (like this one), raw shelled almonds (I use the Costco brand, approved by the OU for Pesach). 

What you need to do: 

1. Pulse the almonds in the food processor for about 2 minutes or more, until they turn into meal and then flour. Don't overprocess them or they will turn into almond butter.


2. Store the almond flour in a tightly covered container in the pantry, refrigerator or freezer.  The colder the storage, the longer the flour will last. 

ALMOND BUTTER

What you will need:  a food processor (like this one), raw shelled almonds (I use the Costco brand, approved by the OU for Pesach), and patience. Lots of patience.

What you need to do: 

1. Don't overload your food processor bowl; fill it no more than halfway with almonds. Process the almonds on a high speed until they turn into meal, then flour, and then once the oils release, butter.


2. Keep processing the almonds until the almond butter is smooth and creamy. In my food processor, this takes about 25 minutes.  You need to be patient.  It will look like crumbs, then flour, then suddenly, it's a butter consistency.  Even after it becomes a butter, keep processing it until it's smooth.  Just make sure your food processor motor doesn't get hot.  If your nuts are giving you a hard time about becoming creamy, throw in a tiny bit of coconut oil to get the party started.


3. Store the almond butter in a cool pantry, refrigerator or freezer.  The colder the storage, the longer it will last. Almond butter will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks and in the freezer for about 6 months. If the butter separates over time, just stir it.

Options:  Add salt, honey, or any flavorings.  Add chopped almonds for a crunchy nut butter. Add other nuts.  If you prefer, roast the almonds before processing them.

FYI, this is one of my favorite crazyeasy, gluten-free, non-gebrokts, almond butter chocolate chip cookie recipes for Passover (6 ingredients, zero fuss).

In-store at Target: Market Pantry 18-count large eggs for $0.99 (66 cents per dozen)

Yay!  An fanastic egg sale, just in time for Passover.  Target has got their Market Pantry 18-count large eggs going for $0.99 this week (66 cents per dozen, wowzers). Some Targets have quantity limits (see my friend and fellow blogger, Chani Y.'s cartful of 9 dozen eggs down below) and some don't (see my dear cousin, Rifky Frimi S.'s cartful of 30 dozen eggs below). 

But the Target deal gets even better.  

Get a FREE $10 Target gift card with every $50 you spend on food and beverage items at Target as well (through 3/31/18).

AND, get a FREE $5 Target gift card with every $25 you spend on eggs, baskets, and more. 

Some of these offers might be regional, so check with your local Target store (but it appears to me that they are all national).

Rifky S.'s 30 dozen eggs.  Pesach Lite!

Chani Y.'s paltry 9 dozen eggs. Dang those quantity limits! 

The egg sofa.  I love the egg sofa.

Go to Passover.DailyCheapskate.com 

for more great Passover deals.

30.5 oz. Folgers Classic Roast for $6.99 on Amazon

Amazon has got this 30.5 oz. canister of Folgers Classic Roast coffee for $6.99.

This is an Amazon Add-On item, which means that it ships for free with a $25 minimum order, and its price of $6.99 counts towards that $25.  You can buy multiples of this item to help get you to your $25 minimum for free shipping, so basically, if you buy three boxes, shipping is free.  (Other Amazon Add-On item deals can be found here.)

(FYI, on page 59 of the OU 2018 Passover Guide, unflavored, not-decaff Folgers is listed as one of the coffees that is approved for Passover without special certification.)

Go to Passover.DailyCheapskate.com 

for more great Passover deals.

Another Passover Shopping Hack: Coconut Secret items (kosher for Passover) for $3.59 to $4.79 at Thrive Market. KFP "Soy" Sauce, KFP "Agave" Syrup, and more!

First, let's talk about the kosher aspect. The Star-K Agency has said in their 2018 Pesach Guide that select Coconut Secret items are approved for Passover when bearing a Star-K only; no other special Passover certification is needed (page 6).

Coconut Secret products are not only KFP (kosher for Passover) but they are also nutrient-rich, gluten-free, low carb, low glycemic (developed by children of diabetics for their parents), non-GMO, 100% organic, and vegan. They are not only more nutritious than the items that they are subbing for, but they are also known to be delicious (not coconutty)!  They can also be quite pricey if you buy them from health food stores.

Thrive Market is a self-described "membership community that uses the power of direct buying to deliver the world’s best healthy food and natural products to our members at wholesale prices."

Thrive Market carries four out of the five of Coconut Secret's KFP items for a fraction of their market prices, and when you join Thrive Market's completely free 30-day trial offer, you get your first three orders at 20% off.

• Coconut Secret Coconut Aminos, 8 oz. (substitute for soy sauce), $4.99 - 20% = $3.99

• Coconut Secret Coconut Nectar, 12 oz. (substitute for agave syrup; does not have a coconutty flavor), $5.99 - 20% = $4.79

• Coconut Secret Coconut Vinegar 12.7 oz. (does not have a coconut taste), $4.49 - 20% = $3.59

• Coconut Secret Coconut Flour 16 oz. (low carb, nutritious alternative to gluten-free flour), $4.79 - 20% = $3.83

Sign up for Thrive Market's 30 day free-trial here.  You won't enter any credit card at signup and your 30-day free trial will only start with your first purchase.

If you don't cancel after you make your first purchase, you'll be charged $59.95 for a one-year membership (5 bucks a month).  You're paying to have access to low prices on great-tasting, select nutrient-rich food. You can cancel at any time during the trial by sending an email here.

Free shipping starts with a $49 purchase, so make sure you hit that mark to avoid shipping charges.

Thrive also has various other KFP food items, live Extra-Virgin Olive Oils (double check that they are under the OU or listed the OU's 2018 Passover Guide), Virgin Coconut Oils (ditto, double check that they are under the OU), certain gluten-free Matzoh-style varieties and more. 

Remember that when you sign up for the free one-month trial, you get a straight 20% off your first three orders.

Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa 8 oz. cans for $2.63 each (kosher for Passover)

Amazon has got this 6-count of Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa 8 oz. cans for as low as $15.76 or $2.63 per can (33 cents per oz.) with Subscribe & Save discounts. Here's how those savings work out:

• $15.76 or $2.63 per 8 oz can (33 cents per oz.) with the Subscribe & Save 15% discount (if you can take delivery of 5 or more active subscriptions in one month).

• $17.61 or $2.94 per 8 oz can (37 cents per oz.) with the standard Subscribe & Save 5% discount.

According to the OU's 2018 Passover Guide, Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder (except for the "Special Dark" type) is permissible for Pesach use without special KFP certification (page 58).   This is a way, way less expensive way to go than buying the special heimishe KLP brands or the KLP chocolate chips.

BTW, just for price comparison purposes, the 7 oz. Gefen Cocoa (kosher for Passover) at our Kroger affiliate supermarket is $5.99 (86 cents per oz.), which is, ounce for ounce more than twice the Amazon price on the Hershey's cocoa.

If you are ordering this cocoa for Passover via Subscribe & Save, make sure you adjust the date on Amazon so that it arrives on or before 3/29/18.

If you're unfamiliar with Subscribe & Save deals, or would just like a few tips on how best to use the Subscribe & Save program, read my shpiel on Subscribe & Save strategies here.

Remember that you don't need to be a member of Amazon Prime to get free shipping on ANY Amazon Subscribe & Save deal...shipping is free for anyone.

Go to Passover.DailyCheapskate.com 

for more great Passover deals.

LOWEST PRICE: 54 oz. jar of Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (kosher for Passover) for $14.06 on Amazon (26 cents per oz.)

Amazon has got this 54 oz. jar of Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for as low as $14.06 (26 cents per oz.) when you stack a high-value 20% online coupon with Subscribe & Save discounts.

First, "clip" the 20% off online coupon on the product page. Tht's 20% off the pre-discount price of $21.64 or $4.33  Then, that Subscribe & Save pricing works out as follows: 

• $18.39 - $4.33 = $14.06 or 26 cents per oz. with the Subscribe & Save 15% discount (if you can take delivery of 5 or more active subscriptions in one month) .
• $20.56 - $4.33 = $16.23 or 30 cents per oz. with the standard Subscribe & Save 5% discount.

Coconut oil is great for Passover baking and frying. If you are buying this coconut oil for Passover, don't forget to adjust the Subscribe & Save delivery date so that it arrives before March 29th.

This year, the OU  has approved all virgin brands of coconut oil for Pesach under OU hashgacha without special Passover certification..  Only the virgin varieties come under this ruling; other types of coconut oil DO require special Passover hashgacha.  Additionally, the OU specifically mentions that Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil is approved for Passover without any special hashgacha in their 2018 Passover Guide (page 58). 

If you're unfamiliar with Subscribe & Save deals, or would just like a few tips on how best to use the Subscribe & Save program, read my shpiel on Subscribe & Save strategies here.

Remember that you don't need to be a member of Amazon Prime to get free shipping on ANY Amazon Subscribe & Save deal...shipping is free for anyone.

Shopping for Passover at Costco 2018

To keep up with more practical information about saving money on your Pesach shopping, please join the Daily Cheapskate Facebook page here.  Get your Daily Cheapskate email by entering your email address here.  You can follow Daily Cheapskate on Twitter here. Please make sure you check out and bookmark Pesach.DailyCheapskate.com  for ALL of DailyCheapskate's excellent deals and  resources on everything you need for Pesach/Passover!

For the past few years, I've been finding that I'm doing more and more of my Passover/Pesach shopping at Costco.  I'm originally from Brooklyn, but I live in East Denver, and we are fortunate to have a Costco in nearby Aurora that stocks a nice-sized kosher section and a plethora of KFP/KLP (kosher for Passover/kosher la'Pesach) items.  But even if you live somewhere where the Costco doesn't stock special KFP items, there are still TONS of must-have Passover items that you can buy at Costco that will cost much less than at your local supermarket.

Many of these deals (except for the specifically seasonal KFP items, like shmurah matzoh) are available for months before Pesach.   What I love about that is that I can make a significant dent in my Costco Passover shopping well before Purim, and save a ton of money as well.

I've included price comparisons to previous years (if available).  Of course, your local Costco is going to have different items and prices from my local Costco.  If you'd like to send me photos of KFP items at your local Costco, by all means, please do!  It's still very early and I plan to do a great deal of updating to this post as we get closer to Pesach.

FYI, I'm not affiliated with Costco at all (other than being a shopping member) and I was not compensated in any way for writing this post.  I put this together strictly as a reference for Daily Cheapskate readers.  I'm also not a posek, so if you have any halachic questions, please contact your local halachic authority.

Please note that when I say that the OU allows an item for Passover without special certification, that means that the item must have an OU on it but does not need an OU-P.  To clarify, the OU can only certify items supervised by the OU. So if your item has another hechsher on it, it is not covered by the OU for Passover.

Here's the 2017 Costco post, the 2016 Costco post, the 2015 Costco post and the 2014 Costco post.  These Passover-at-Costco posts are among Daily Cheapskate's most popular posts on saving money on Passover shopping.

Things that I haven't included: vegetables (other than Pesach staples like romaine lettuce, potatoes and onions), fruit, and cleansers.  Some of these I consider rather obvious.  I wanted to focus on must-haves for Pesach that might not be on your radar.

Some changes from previous years:

• one of my favorite Passover items, Kirkland Egg Whites, are not KFP in my region this year. I'll be buying the KFP ones from Walmart (and paying a lot more). 
• Eggs are a LOT more expensive this year.
• This year I've included some k-cup choices, which I omitted last year.

Ok, grab your cart, and away we go.....

Schmerling's Swiss Chocolate Praline Bars (kosher for Passover) for $3.90 each on Amazon. (Available in pareve or cholov Yisroel.)

Amazon has got these four varieties of Schmerling's of Switzerland kosher-for-Passover chocolate bars for just $3.90 each; $39.00 with free Prime/SuperSaver shipping for 10 of them.  At this price, I don't mind stocking up on them.  These are great to have in the freezer or you can split a 10-pack with your friends.  Schmerling's makes very high quality Swiss chocolate. I have seen these in the supermarket for around $6.00 per bar and more.

• 10-count Schmerling's 72% Cocoa kosher for Passover Swiss Chocolate (Pareve) LIMITED STOCK


• 10-count Schmerling's Rosemarie Harmony kosher for Passover Swiss Chocolate (Chalav Yisroel) 


• 10-count Schmerling's Rosemarie Milk kosher for Passover Swiss Chocolate (Chalav Yisroel) 


• 10-count Schmerling's Rosemarie Parve kosher for Passover Swiss Chocolate (Pareve) LIMIT 1 PER ACCOUNT

Existing and new customers at Jet get 15% off select Passover items (no minimum but free shipping at $35)

If you are a new customer at Jet, make sure you use promo code SAVEFRESH20 to get 20% off your entire grocery purchase, with a minimum order of $75 and free shipping.

I know some of you were feeling left out because either you were an existing customer or didn't want to spend a minimum of $75.  Don't worry, Jet didn't forget about you!

Get 15% off select kosher for Passover items when you enter promo code PASSOVER15 at checkout with NO minimum order.  Jet's prices on Passover foods are already very good, and this 15% off really sweetens the deal.  Now, you do want to have a minimum order of $35 to get free shipping, but that can include any items are on Jet to get there, not just Passover stuff.

This promo code is valid from 3/30-4/14 and may be used on up to 2 eligible orders placed no later than 4/14/17. Maximum discount per order is $30.

I just picked up 3 boxes of this Gefen KFP gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix for $3.87 - 15% = $3.29 each shipped.

10% off Passover shopping at Crafted Kosher; Blanchard & Blanchard Passover Couscous for $4.31 per box

Crafted Kosher has got some awesome gourmet kosher-for-Passover options here (all with reliable, mainstream hechsherim).

Now you can take 10% off your entire Pesach order when you enter the promo code PASSOVER2017 at checkout.  Free shipping with a $75 minimum order or it's a flat $5.99 shipping fee.

I was really pleased to see one of my all-time favorite Pesach super-easy go-to side dishes on their site, Blanchard and Blanchard Passover Couscous, OU-P, made with 18-minute matzoh meal, $4.79 - 10% = $4.31 . The first time I had this was at a friend's house back in 2009 and for a moment, I thought she had goofed and was serving chametz!  (It's really that good.  And I was really that embarrassed when she showed me the box.) And unlike other Pesach side dishes, it's fuss-free and cooks up very easily.