Food Preparations, Part One vol.2 no.10
In an effort to limit social mingling with our gentile neighbors and the intermarriage which might result, our sages prohibited eating food cooked by gentiles, even if all ingredients are kosher and the food is cooked in a kosher vessel while under the watchful eye of a Jewish supervisor. Such food is referred to in Hebrew as bishul nochri or bishul akum. It is particularly important to bear this isuue in mind if one has a non-Jewish housekeeper or attendent who takes part in household food preparation.
When establishing this prohibition, the sages excluded foods which would have been fully edible prior to the cooking process. Therefore, pasteurization of milk and juice, though typically done by non-Jews, presents no bishul nochri problem. Some authorities use this exclusion as the justification for the common practice to drink coffee or tea cooked by a gentile. These drinks can be viewed as basically being flavored water. As water is drinkable prior to any cooking, water and by extension coffee and tea, are exempted from this prohibition. Other examples within this category would be most fruit and those vegetables which could be eaten raw.
Another category excluded from this prohibition is that of foods that are not dignified enough to be served on shulchan melachim - literally the table of kings or practically, as a dish at a fancy dinner. Accordingly, if for example, a bowl of oatmeal was cooked by a non-Jewish housekeeper, the bishul nochri prohibition does not apply.
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