Daily Halacha: Is It Okay to Drain Liquids on Shabbat?

Is it permitted to remove corn kernels from water using a fork on Shabbat?

One of the 39 types of forbidden work on Shabbat is borer, which means separating or sorting. However, using a utensil like a fork to remove food from liquid is not considered separation with a forbidden tool, even if the utensil helps you do it more easily.

So, if you want to eat the corn right away, it is permitted to remove the corn kernels from the water using a fork. This is allowed because the action is for immediate use, which is one of the key conditions that make separation on Shabbat permissible.
This ruling is based on Yabia Omer.

Is it permitted to pour out the liquid from a can of pickled cucumbers?

Yes. It is permissible to drain the liquid from a can of pickles, such as cucumbers. According to halacha, solid foods floating in liquid are not considered a mixture in this case, so the regular rules of borer don’t apply.
This halacha is explained in Chazon Ovadia.

These practical rulings help make Shabbat kitchen preparation smoother while keeping everything within halachic boundaries.

From “Ach Tov VaChesed – Daily Halacha” by Hidabroot