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Methods of Cooking
Boiling
According to all Poskim, boiling grain gives it the status of being cooked. To what degree the grain needs to be boiled hinges upon the debate laid out above.
Steaming
Steaming is a common method used to puff grains. The hot steam enters and bloats the endosperm causing it to puff. There is a debate whether cooking through steam is considered Bishul, boiling. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach holds that steaming is not considered boiling and thus would not constitute Bishul. Sefer Mekor HaBerachah following Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv holds that no distinction should be made between steaming and boiling.
Baking/Toasting
Although the Shulchan Aruch and many subsequent halachic authorities stated that toasting grain does not transform the grain into a Mezonot dish, there are those who hold that the definition of Bishul can change over time. Rav Elyashiv holds that the definition of Bishul, with regards to Berachot, has the ability to change over time (see the opinion of the Rambam above). Since toasting grains has become a normal medium to make significant dishes, he held that one would make a Mezonot on them. However, Rav Elyashiv holds that in order for toasting to be considered a method of cooking that transforms the grains, the grains must be cooked to the point where they are sticky.
Granola
Over the past few years, a new snack has taken over supermarkets, granola bars. According to the Orthodox Union, modern-day granola bars are made by steaming (or boiling) whole grain oats until soft and then rolling them into flakes. These flakes are then combined with oils, sugars, and other ingredients then baked. Normally, the five grains, in which oats are included, receive a Mezonot and an Al HaMichyah. However, since the grain is not cooked and mashed together, the oats may not be sufficiently cooked to warrant a Mezonot and an Al HaMichyah. What Berachah do we recite on these delicious snack bars?
Contemporary Poskim - The Berachah on Granola Bars?
For granola bars made of rolled oats, there seemingly is no reason to make a Mezonot: the grain is whole and toasting is not defined as “Bishul”, cooking (as per the Shulchan Aruch above). For this reason, Rav Belsky, Rav Schachter, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Bodner and Rav Moshe Feinstein all hold that on granola oats one recites a Ha'Adamah.
Rav Moshe Sternbuch and Rav Pinchas Scheinberg hold that if the oats are fit for eating after they are steamed/boiled then one can say Mezonot. However, if the oats are not fit for eating after the steaming/boiling the Halacha is otherwise. VeZot HaBerachah writes that since the steaming/boiling process is meant only to soften the grains for rolling, and not for eating, one makes a Ha’Adamah.
As noted above, there are those who hold that the definition of Bishul, in the context of Hilchot Berachot, adapts to changing circumstances. They hold that due to toasted oats being a normal cooking method, we may change the Berachah. Furthermore, since the oats are first cooked in a water medium, we are more inclined to make a Mezonot. Rav Moshe Heinemann concurs based on the fact that, overall, the oats are sufficiently processed to render them a significant dish warranting a Mezonot. However, Rav Dovid Heber explains that according to Rav Heinemann only on Quaker and Nature Valley bars one makes a Mezonot, but on Kellogg's Granola one would make a Ha’Adamah as the cooking that occurs is only to neutralize enzymes.
Mezonot, Ha’Adamah, or None?
Although not all disagreements create doubts on how to rule, in a case where there is no clear consensus on how to rule we are left to deal with the Safeik. There is considerable debate whether Mezonot is effective for anything considered Mazon, satiating (i.e., everything except water and salt). On the other hand, once the grain has been transformed into a more significant dish requiring a Mezonot, it is not clear that one can make a Ha’Adamah.
Although a SheHaKol would be effective, albeit BeDi’avad, it is unclear if it is fitting to make a SheHaKol. Regarding the Berachah on Crispix, as noted in our previous article, one may be able to claim that there is a Safeik about the food itself due to the 50/50 nature of its ingredients; therefore, for Crispix, SheHaKol is the appropriate Berachah. However, regarding granola, the food deserves one Berachah of which we are unsure how to understand the level of processing the Halchah requires it to go through to merit a Mezonot. The issue is not inherent in the food, it is in our understanding of the food. Since the issue lies in our understanding, one should follow the majority view’s understanding and recite Ha’Adamah.
One might take a different approach: since the granola bars are substantial snacks and are filling, unlike raw grain which is not considered a satiating food, they are fit for a Mezonot.
Practical Guidance
Due to the increase in popularity of breakfast and snack bars, there are many different varieties on the current market. In this article, we focused on Nature Valley and Quaker oats as the paradigm for rolled oats. However, any bar that contains rolled oats as the main ingredient would be subject to the debate outlined above. However, any bar that does not contain oats as a main ingredient, would get whatever Berachah is fit for its primary ingredient. Please be sure to check the ingredient list and consult your local Orthodox Rabbi regarding which Berachah is fitting.
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