Do I have to tovel my refrigerator shelves and oven racks?
The general rule is that dishes and portable surfaces that come into contact with food require tevilah (immersion in a mikvah) prior to use. This raises the question of whether refrigerator shelves and oven racks need to be toveled as well.
While some contemporary poskim do rule that refrigerator shelves and drawers require tevilah, the common custom is not to tovel them. This is presumably because food in the refrigerator is generally stored in containers and isn’t placed directly on those surfaces; even though food may occasionally come into contact with the shelf, it isn’t how the shelves are regularly used, so one may be lenient. For various reasons, the custom is to be lenient and not tovel even the drawers used for fruit and vegetables, despite the fact that the food touches the drawer.
Similarly, although it’s relatively more common to put food directly on oven racks, food is generally placed on a cookie sheet, tray or baking pan, so there’s room for leniency here as well. While some poskim argue that silver foil or oven paper don’t serve as a proper hefsek (separation) between food and the oven rack, other poskim rule leniently, so this can be taken into account as well.
On the other hand, barbecue grill racks certainly require tevilah since they are always in direct contact with food. #523?1
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