Gluten Free Cooking

Thoughts on which alternate flours to use often revolve around allergic reactions and celiac disease as the main reasons for gluten free cooking. But it should be noted that even without the foremost reason behind gluten free cooking which is for dietary purposes of those with celiac disease, other varieties of flour can also substitute the all-purpose flour that we are all very familiar with. These other flour varieties also provide for tasty flavors and savory baked goods and recipes. For gluten free cooking, here are some of the alternative flours that can be used with their own distinctive tastes and unique characteristics:

Arrowroot flour is a starch taken from the arrowroot plant and is a very good replacement for wheat flour and cornstarch and thus for gluten free cooking. It acts as a thickener for soups, stews and sauces. Though it is often more expensive, this wheat and gluten free flour produces a better surface luster and has a better neutral flavor to it. It also freezes easily making it better for storage without sacrificing its natural flavor and is really worth using in gluten free cooking.

With no relation whatsoever to wheat even though it has the word wheat on it, the buckwheat flour is related to the rhubarb plant. On its own, it is safe for gluten free cooking and has a powerful taste to it. That is why when most chefs use it, they mix it with other flours to neutralize its strong dominant taste. It is best used for gluten free cooking of crepes and pancakes.

Mostly used in Asian recipes, the white rice flour is another gluten free alternative to the all purpose flour and is good for gluten free cooking. The milled form of white rice flour has many uses especially in breading and coating of food to be fried because it crisps easily. This is usually used as the breading of tempura and other fried Asian food and is especially good for fried chicken and thus proves to be a great option for gluten free cooking.

Another good alternative is the brown rice flour which is high in fiber, heavy and contains bran and is good ingredient for gluten free cooking. This is more nutritious and tastes as good as white rice flour. Because of its distinctive taste, it is less applicable than the other alternative flours for gluten free cooking but it gives an extra flavor to muffins and cookies.

Potato flour is another good alternative to the all purpose flour in gluten free cooking and is different from potato starch. This flour has a heavy texture and is like the starchy vegetables and is good for gluten free cooking. Because of this, it is very good as thickeners for soups that have potatoes or the creamy clam chowder. It is also best in making potato bread.

Taken from cassava roots, the tapioca flour is another excellent flour alternative to gluten free cooking as a thickening agent to soups and sauces. Popular to South American recipes in the past, it slowly gained its way to American cuisine as professional chefs began experimenting with it in their creations.

Gluten free cooking does not have to sacrifice its taste and flavor compared to cooking with all purpose flour. The alternatives used in gluten free cooking will not only make your meals as delicious but they also are very nutritious and safe in promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Most people think gluten free cooking is not any different from everyday cooking. Well, basically the procedures are the same; it is just the selection of the ingredients that are tricky most of the times. Nothing compares to being extra careful with the food you eat. In cases of people who are gluten intolerant, simple mistakes can have disastrous consequences. The physical and medical repercussions of being careless in gluten free cooking cannot be taken for granted.

One of the most common mistakes people make, which could have been avoided had they been careful enough, is the usage of the materials and utensils used for gluten free cooking. When doing gluten free cooking make sure that you use different pots, pans and utensils so that you can avoid the residues of gluten embedded in them.  Also the use of the same food containers for both gluten free cooking and gluten rich cooking should be avoided at all times. Forgetting this may cause an inadvertent intake of gluten by gluten intolerant individuals or those with celiac disease.

Another common mistake is the mixing of gluten free and gluten containing ingredients in the same place such as pantries or shelves and cabinets. Gluten crumbs and residues may float around the area and fall on the ingredients that are gluten free.

Some of the mistakes also come in the preparation of the food which has to be gluten free and gluten free cooking requires extra care. Most people do not bother to look at marinades for meats and chicken and undeliberately soak them with marinades that may have included gluten carrying ingredients when manufactured. It is best to take a look at the labels first to see if they are gluten free or not. Better yet, do some research on the internet which of these food flavoring agents fit for gluten free cooking.

When making soups and stews, many ingredients are put to add flavor, sheen, texture and taste to them. Most of these added ingredients are powdery and flour based. In this case, make sure that whatever powdery substance you mix in your soup or stew are gluten free and are not wheat or barley-derived.

Maybe another fallacy a lot of people believe in is that when food is exposed to heat, whatever impurities in it will be burned away. Wrong! In the case of gluten, it is not a germ or bacteria which are thought to under extreme heat. Gluten is a protein and it is a composition of the food itself and cannot be broken down or killed by heat. This is especially common when putting breading or coating on food that are to be deep fried. Rest assured, if you are not careful enough with what you coat your chicken, gluten will still be there when the cooked fried chicken is served.

The use of a common dipping dish is also another one that most people do not mind. Remember that gluten can be found on small pieces of crumbs. These may remain in the dipping dish and may cling to the food of the gluten intolerant when he dips his food into it.

The best safety precaution against the effects of gluten is simply knowledge; knowledge on what to do and knowledge on what to avoid. The decisions that we make everyday regarding the food we prepare ultimately affects the way gluten free cooking becomes successful and effective. So, be vigilant, learn, apply what you know and adhere strictly to the safety precautions.

Having a family member with a celiac disease can bring in many difficulties in your day to day cooking activities. Preparing family meals may be challenging enough and doing gluten free cooking everyday poses unique challenges by itself altogether. Not only do you have to consider the availability of the ingredients for your gluten free cooking recipes but you also have to consider the taste and the costs. Preparing these meals need careful attention for the slightest mistake can lead to terrible consequences to the gluten intolerant family member.

When cooking gluten free meals, here are some of the things to avoid:

The first and foremost ingredients you should avoid are the wheat, barley or rye based products. Mostly, these are foods that have the words attached along such as wheat bran, wheatgrass, barley flour, barley malt, rye flour, pumpernickel flour, almost all flours and almost all kinds of oats. Buckwheat, corn flour and rice flour are safe for your gluten free cooking as well as gluten free oats.

You also want to avoid hydrolyzed vegetable protein, modified food starch, vegetable starch gelatinized starch, natural flavorings and soy sauce. However, there are manufacturers of such ingredients that produce alternatives to these that do not contain gluten and are fit for your recipes for gluten free cooking. Be sure to carefully check the labels to see if they are safe and are gluten free.

Try avoiding pasta as much as possible. However, there are alternative pasta manufacturers who supply gluten free pasta that is okay for your gluten free cooking. Make sure that the ingredients such as tomato sauce, cheese and others are gluten free as well. Also, make sure that the processed food such as salami or ham that you may want to include are certified gluten free.

Here are some substitutes suggestions for your gluten free recipe that may include ingredients which are normally rich in that protein you want to avoid. For instance, if your recipe requires flour, use cornstarch, bean flour, sorghum or amaranth instead. It may take a little trial and error at first but in the long run, your gluten free cooking will be worth the while.

For breadings and coatings, avoid the wheat based breading and use the seasoned cornmeal or cornflour instead. Crushed potato chips may also be good alternatives as breading for your fried chicken.

Soups usually call for thickeners and unfortunately, most of these are also gluten rich. Corsnstarch and arrowfoot flour as well as tapoica starch are good alternatives to make your gluten free soup thick. For sweet recipes, try adding dry pudding mix.

Bread crumbs are also essential in some recipes but sadly, most ready made bread crumbs are made from wheat or wheat based flour. However, there are now many available alternative ready made bread crumbs that are made especially for gluten free cooking. You may also use crumbs of gluten free bread.

Having gluten intolerance does not mean you have to sacrifice the taste and flavor of your food because of the ingredients that you will avoid. Being creative with your gluten free cooking not only keeps you safe but also satisfies your discriminating taste.

Gluten free diets are the real answers to people with celiac disease. Since no medications are available to counteract the effects of gluten intolerance, a gluten free diet is the only alternative. However, buying gluten free meals may not be as easy as most people think. They best possible alternative to this is to do your own gluten free cooking.

Moreover, a gluten free diet does not only benefit those with celiac disease. Even people without this ailment can also benefit gluten free meals though most just do not realize this. Here are some benefits of gluten free cooking for both people with gluten intolerance and those without.

A lot of people think that bread would not be the same without the common flour used in baking. For some, the thought of giving up bread may be difficult to consider but with buckwheat, rice flour and gram flour, one can enjoy the benefits of bread without actually giving it up. The taste may not be exactly the same, but each type of bread has its own distinctive taste and it is just a matter of getting used to each.

Those who do their own gluten free cooking not only save a lot on costs compared with buying ready-made meals, but also may enable you to eat a much wider variety of food that they did before. Some of the benefits from gluten free diet include the improvement of health when you no longer take food that your body cannot digest. You also get to discover healthy foods that you were not aware of in the past.

For those who suffer from joint pains, fogginess of thought, loss of balance, arthritis and other neuralgic ailments a gluten free diet may be the best solution. Most of us do not realize that these disorders are sometimes linked to over consumption of gluten containing foods. This does not mean that you have to have celiac disorder to experience them. Even people without celiac disorder can experience these and they may be linked to gluten in the food we eat. Doing your own gluten free cooking can make you decide better which food you want to take that are healthy and safe.

Also if you have a family member who suffers from Downs Syndrome, one of the best diets you can provide is the one made of gluten free ingredients. Doing gluten free cooking for them not only keeps them healthy but also makes them feel special because of the personal touch in each meal that you prepare.

Cooking gluten free meals also helps improving the digestive system which can aid in the recovery of some stomach ailments as well. Gluten rich foods are hard to digest and can cause some stomach and digestion related problems. Gluten free meals can help in avoiding these stomach related disorders.
The benefits of gluten free cooking not only extends to those with celiac diseases, but also to those without this ailment. By and large everyone can greatly benefit from the advantages of gluten free cooking.

As a new gluten free cook, you may have some difficulty adapting to the changes in the kitchen especially to the ingredients and their various combinations. If you have been cooking gluten free for a long time, it may not take you a long time to get acquainted to gluten free cooking. Even if you have enough experience in the kitchen, there are still some things you need to know in preparing gluten free meals.

The first thing you need to remember in gluten free cooking is to reorganize to avoid cross contamination. Make sure that you use squirt bottles for condiments such as mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and jelly instead of using knives and other utensils to avoid dipping into bottles. Also mark the containers carefully to differentiate the gluten free ingredients from non gluten free ones. Avoid using the same appliances, tools and utensils for gluten free and non gluten free foods such as chopping boards and wooden spoons.

Take careful note of where you put gluten free food and ensure that they are not jumbled with other food. Reserve areas in your pantry and inside your refrigerator for your gluten free cooking ingredients and designate which containers shall be used solely for them. It is also wise to make and put dry ingredients of your gluten free recipes in separate Ziploc bags for future use.

Use separate cooking pans, pots, strainers and utensils for your gluten free cooking. As much as possible, use Teflon utensils while cooking gluten free and if possible, replace old ones, for they may already have scratches and grooves on their cooking surface that may retain gluten residue. Good Teflon pots, pans and utensils do not retain residue after washing.

Once all the kitchen hardware is organized, be sure that you are aware of which food is safe for your gluten free cooking. An intensive knowledge of the food items that contain or may contain gluten is very essential so it is wise to do a lot of research about this and take the time to look at the labels of the food packs you buy to ensure that they are gluten free.

Although some seasoned chefs may not need it, for a beginner it is better to have a good gluten free cookbook. This will act as your guide for the proper and correct ways in doing your gluten free cooking because these books are written by specialist cooks who are specialized in gluten free cooking. It is better to look at some reviews and articles on the internet to help you decide which cookbook will be good for you.

We all know that it is better to be safe than sorry. Being extra careful in the kitchen will be a big help in avoiding unwanted incidences of gluten caused conditions to our family members.