Heating near oven or fire-May one place food very close to his oven, stove top, or electric plate?

No cooking prohibition:[1] It is forbidden to heat a food near a fire or other source of heat if there is a cooking prohibition involved in heating up the food [as explained in Halacha 1].

Near side of Oven:[2] If there is no prohibition of cooking involved [such as that the food is fully cooked, and if it contains liquid the liquid is still warm], then by an oven whose inner walls are not covered with tinfoil, [i.e. not Gerufa or Ketuma], it is disputed[3] as to whether one may warm food next to it, and it is initially proper not place the food next to the oven even if all the other five Chazara conditions are fulfilled[4], although the custom is to be lenient.[5] However, if the inner walls of the oven are covered [i.e. Ketuma], then one may even initially place food even directly near the wall of the oven even if the Chazarah conditions are not fulfilled, so long as there is no cooking prohibition involved.[6]

Near open fire on stove top:[7] If there is no prohibition of cooking involved [such as that the food is fully cooked, and if it contains liquid the liquid is still warm], then it is permitted according to all to place the food near an open fire if one places it from a distance from the fire. However, it is forbidden according to all to place it in very close approximation to the fire.[8]

Near Blech and electric plate: If there is no prohibition of cooking involved [such as that the food is fully cooked, and if it contains liquid the liquid is still warm], then if the fire is covered by a Blech, then one may place food even directly near the Blech even if the Chazarah conditions are not fulfilled.[9] [Likewise, it may be placed near an electric plate which does not have adjustable settings even if the Chazarah conditions are not fulfilled, so long as heating it on Shabbos does not contain a cooking prohibition.]

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[1] Admur 253:20 “However, this allowance is only as long as there is no prohibition of cooking involved here at all, such as that the food is fully cooked and dry [and does not contain fat], or is a fully cooked liquid which is still warm.”

[2] Admur 253:20 regarding a kirah oven, which is the status of our ovens today, as explained in Halacha 4A-B

Placing food next to a Tanur and Kupach oven: By a Tanur oven of back then and by a Kupach oven which has been fueled with olive waste or wood, one may never place food even near the oven on its outside, if that area is Yad Soledes. [See Rama 253:2 “By a Tanur there is no difference regarding returning on it or near it”; Omitted from Admur regarding Chazarah. Opinion of Admur: It is explained in Halacha 4 that even before Shabbos it is forbidden to place food even near the oven. Now, although there it was only referring to if the food was not cooked to the point of Ben Drusaiy, while here it refers to fully cooked food, nevertheless it is forbidden as is implied from Halacha 20 in which Admur specifies that the allowance to place food near an oven is by the Kirah oven and Tanur of today, and does not make mention of a greater novelty that it is even permitted by a Tanur oven. However, Tzaruch Iyun why Admur did not make mention in Halacha 15 that even to place a food near the Tanur is forbidden.]

[3] Admur ibid “All the above restrictions are with regards to returning the pot onto the oven or inside it, however it is permitted to even initially place the pot next to the [Kirah] oven, on the outside of it, even if the actual food is touching the walls of the oven from the side, and even if it was fueled with olive waste and wood and it’s coals were not covered or swept as we are not worried that one may come to stoke the coals. However, there are those which prohibit to place a pot near a Kirah oven if their coals are not swept or covered and have been fueled with olive waste or wood, even if [at the time one removed it] one had in mind to return it or to place it next to the oven, and [even if] it is still in his hand. The custom is like the first opinion, however in a situation that there is not really much need for one to do so it is proper to suspect of the latter opinion [and not place food near a Kirah which has been fueled with olive waste or wood, if it has not been swept or covered].”

[4] Final ruling of Admur ibid, as rules 2^nd opinion in Admur ibid

The reason: This is because of a decree that [if one were allowed to do so then] he may come to stoke the coals, as even though with regards to placing food near an oven before Shabbos we are not worried that one may come to stoke the coals, nevertheless concerning placing it there on Shabbos they were stricter. [Admur ibid]

[5] Admur ibid that the custom is like the first opinion

[6] Admur ibid “All the above restrictions are with regards to returning the pot onto the oven or inside it, however it is permitted to even initially place the pot next to the [Kirah] oven, on the outside of it, even if the actual food is touching the walls of the oven from the side”

The reason: The reason that this is permitted is because this does not appear like one is initially cooking the food on Shabbos, as it is not usual to cook a food outside of the Tanur or Kirah and it thus has the same laws of placing a food next to a bonfire as will be explained in 318. [Admur 253:20]

[7] Admur 318:24 “Any [food or liquid] which does not have a cooking prohibition [applicable to it], is permitted to even be boiled near a bonfire. For example a liquidly food which was completely cooked and is still hot to the point of Yad Soledes, or even if it is not [hot anymore to the point of] Yad Soledes, but it has not completely cooled down [which] according to the custom explained in the laws of cooking [which is] that it has become accustomed to be lenient [by precooked liquids even if it has cooled below Yad Soledes but is still warm], or [another example] even if [the food] has completely cooled down but it is a food which was baked or roasted [and is thus dry] [in which case we hold] that there is no [prohibition] to bake or roast an already baked or roasted food even if it has completely cooled down, [then in the above cases it is allowed to even boil these foods near the fire]. Nevertheless, [the Sages] only permitted [placing even precooked foods] opposite the bonfire however to place it on the fire itself, or even very close to the fire is forbidden. Rather one must distance it a little bit [from the fire].”; Shabbos Kehalacha Vol. 1 page 423

[8] The reason: The reason for this is because there is suspicion that he may come to forget that it’s Shabbos and will come to stoke the coals. Requiring him to slightly distance it [from the fire] serves for him as a notice and reminder and he will no longer come to [forget and] stoke the coals. [Admur ibid]

[9] Admur ibid “All the above restrictions are with regards to returning the pot onto the oven or inside it, however it is permitted to even initially place the pot next to the [Kirah] oven, on the outside of it, even if the actual food is touching the walls of the oven from the side”

The reason: The reason that this is permitted is because this does not appear like one is initially cooking the food on Shabbos, as it is not usual to cook a food outside of the Tanur or Kirah and it thus has the same laws of placing a food next to a bonfire as will be explained in 318. [Admur 253:20]