On Shabbat is it permitted to put a spoon or ice cream scoop in a mug of hot water (From an urn with water heated prior to Shabbat) in order to make it easier to scoop hard frozen ice cream or sherbert for dessert at the end of the seudah?
Please send sources.
Thank you
Answer:
One can be lenient in this matter.
Best wishes.
Sources:
The problem of melting down the ice cream is not an issue (of nolad), for there is clearly no intention of changing the state of the solid ice cream, and only to make it easier to scoop out. See Mishnah Berurah (318:91).
The question, however, is whether or not there is a concern of bishul for the actual touching of the hot scoop with the ice cream: Is this a problem of “cooking” the ice cream.
I believe that this will not be a problem, because there is no interest in any “cooking,” and the actual “cooking” that takes place is entirely negligible.
This is somewhat similar to the question of pouring hot water into a cup that is not entirely dry, for which Rav Shlomo Zalman zt”l was lenient, because the cooking is negligible, and one has no interest in it.
An added factor is that ice cream is general pasteurized, so that there are no major ingredients that have not already been cooked, and therefore the issue will only be bishul achar bishul. This is especially the case for ice cream, which is solid, though the issue of something that becomes liquid as it cooks might apply.
