When you come to eat bread that has the beracha Hamotzi, wash your hands even if they are clean, and you are not aware of any tuma. The beracha is “…asher kid’shonu b’mitzvosov v’tzivonu al netillas yodayim.” (ShA 1 – MB 5,6)
This washing must be with a keli. Both hands must be washed even if you will be eating with one. The left hand should serve the right by washing it first. (MB 4)
Bread that does not have the beracha Hamotzi does not require washing even though it is made from one of the five grains. (ShA 1 – MB 7)
If you make your meal out of pas haboh b’kisnin (bread mixed with sugar, almonds and nuts) you need to wash with a beracha. The food becomes Hamotzi and you need to recite Birkas Hamazon afterward. Let’s say you originally intended just to eat it as a snack, if you change your mind that it will be your meal, from then you need to wash with a beracha and say Hamotzi on it. (MB 8)
If you eat bread less than a k’baitsa, wash without a beracha. (ShA 2)
If you eat bread less than a k’zayis, still be machmir to wash. (MB 10)
If you eat the bread (less than a k’zayis) in a subordinate way (e.g. to remove a sharp taste) washing is not necessary. (MB 10)
The decree to wash before eating applies also to food wettened (and still wet) by one of the 7 liquids: wine, bee’s honey, olive oil, milk (including whey and melted butter), dew, (animal) blood, and water (including moist salt derived from salt water). Since some poskim hold that it is no longer required, wash without a beracha. (ShA 4 – MB 14.15.16.17.18.20)
A food which is not common to become wettened does not require netillas yodayim. (MB 12)
You must wash even if your fingers will not touch the wet part of the food. (ShA 4)
Vegetables that have been rinsed to remove the dirt require netillas yodayim. (ShaT 4)
Wash on wet food even if it is less than a k’zayis. (footnote of the author of MB)
You do not need to wash when dunking your finger into a liquid to taste it. (MB 12)
Melted wine, ice, and milk is considered mashkeh, any other melted liquids are not. (MB 14)
If you buy raw honey to fry with, the fried food does not require netillas yodayim. If the honey was already processed to be liquid, the fried food will require netillas yodayim unless the honey is now solidified to the point that it will not wet something else. (MB 14).
Melted butter in a hot pan before the food is put in is considered mashkeh. Therefore, if the food comes out of the pan wet with butter it will require netillas yodayim. (MB 16)
Are you allowed to wash netillas yodayim for any other food? Only if your intention is for cleanliness or to honor the beracha that you will recite. (Rama 5 – MB 23)
Cooked foods normally eaten with a spoon do not require netillas yodayim even if you by chance touch the food in the spoon with your fingers. However, wet foods normally eaten with the fingers require netillas yodayim even when eaten with a spoon or fork. (MB 26)
Drinks do not require netillas yodayim. Therefore if you cup water from a river with your hands, you don’t need to wash. (ShA 6 – MB 27)
Pickles that are still wet need netillas yodayim. (MB 26)
Whiskey is not considered mashkeh unless mixed with a majority of water. (MB 26)
If you washed without intention for netilla (e.g. for cleanliness) and you changed your mind now and want to eat bread – if you did not distract your mind from your clean hands there is an opinion that you can eat without washing again. Therefore wash again, but without a beracha. (Rama 7 – MB 29,32)
If your mind was distracted from the status of your hands, you wash again with a beracha. (MB 31)
If during your eating, you touched mamash dirty places on your body, you need to wash again with a beracha. (Rama 7 – MB siman 164:13)
In a wilderness or other place of danger you do not need netillas yodayim if you do not have any water. Wrap your hands with a cloth and eat. (ShA 8 – MB 36)
The more water you use the more wealth you will receive. Still, your kavana for this mitzva should be for the honor of Hashem. (ShA 10 – MB 38)
The beracha “al netillas yodayim” should not be recited before washing – your hands might be dirty. L’chatchila it should not be recited after the drying – the mitzva is over and done with. The beracha should be recited after the netilla, before the drying since drying is part of the mitzva. This is the minhag ha’olam. (ShA 11 – MB 41)
L’chatchila, finish the beracha before you dry your hands. B’dieved, you can still say the beracha as long as you havn’t yet said Hamotzi. (Rama 11 – MB 44)
Dry your hands well before eating, but do not dry them on your garment – that is kosheh l’shikcha. (ShA 12 – MB 45)
If you dunk your hands in a mikva instead of doing netilla, technically you do not need to dry them. You should still dry them if you will be disgusted by wet bread. (ShA 13 – MB 46)