[Timotheus]

Hi everyone...first post....

My girlfriend has been absolutely wonderful about dealing with celiacs and not taking it out on me, so I really want to help her the best I can....

I was thinking that using the same pots, pans, bowls, etc. involves the risk of cross-contamination when I make my food (some containing gluten)......

Without a dishwasher, is hand washing safe enough to continue this? Or should there be strictly seperate pots/pans/bowls/etc?

Thanks everyone.

[missy'smom]

Welcome!
If you're cooking with teflon or cast iron, then yes, you need separate pans. Something like All-Clad then you can use the same ones as long as you both use a scouring pad(I use the kind without soap in it) and scrub and rinse really well. We have a dishwasher but I sometimes wash by hand too and have had no problems. You'll need separate collanders and strainers. We use the same cutting boards but don't cut gluten containing items on it. We don't cook with alot of gluten in our home but it is there and we have found what works and what doesn't. It doesn't work well for me to make quesadillas for myself and DS(who's not gluten-free) at the same time-it does work for me to make one for him in the am when I'm not preparing food for myself. I've gotten sick from rinsing and patting dry instead of thoroughly washing and drying my hands after touching his tortilla and then touching mine. We also have a small counterspace between the fridge and stove-separate from the other countertops-that we reserve for non-gluten-free sandwichmaking, toast etc. and that's where our old-non-gluten-free toaster lives.

[aikiducky]

My husband eats gluten and we don't have a dishwasher. We use the same cutlery and plates and glasses etc. but we both have our own teflon pans, because it's one less thing to think about. I mostly just cook stirfrys for myself so I'm good with one pan, not a major investment I thought.

Pauliina

[Sharon Marie]

aikiducky, on Jun 8 2007, 09:35 AM, said:

My husband eats gluten and we don't have a dishwasher. We use the same cutlery and plates and glasses etc. but we both have our own teflon pans, because it's one less thing to think about. I mostly just cook stirfrys for myself so I'm good with one pan, not a major investment I thought.

Pauliina

[Sharon Marie]

Here is a good post on cross contamination, I hope it is helpful.

Cross-contamination is when gluten-free food comes into contact with food that does contain gluten. Unfortunately, there are many ways for cross-contamination to happen in homes and restaurants. Here are a few safety tips to help prevent gluten accidents:
• Don’t prepare gluten-free foods on the same surface used to prepare foods with gluten unless the surface has been thoroughly cleaned. (In restaurants, ask the chef to wipe down the grill before preparing your order.)

• Make sure utensils have been thoroughly cleaned after preparing gluten-containing foods. Even better, have separate sets of utensils for gluten-free food preparation.

• Don’t use the same toaster for gluten-free bread and regular bread. If your home isn't entirely gluten-free and you can only have one toaster, try to make it a toaster oven and get extra trays from the manufacturer for gluten-free toasting.

• Don’t use the same sifter for gluten-free and regular flours. Clearly label the gluten-free sifter to avoid mistakes.

• Don’t deep-fry gluten-free foods in the same oil used to fry breaded items. This is a particular risk in restaurants. You'll need to ask whether breaded and unbreaded items are fried in the same oil.

• Watch out for crumbs in spreadable condiments (such as jellies, butter, cream cheese and dips) being shared in a household. Either have a duplicate container for the celiac person, or make sure the non-celiacs always dip into the container with a clean knife. (In my house, we put a clean knife out with each condiment, and my husband and stepdaughter use the clean knife to put some of the condiment first onto their plates, and then they use their own knives for spreading it onto their bread.)

• Avoid using gluten-containing flours in kitchens where gluten-free food is prepared. Wheat flour can stay airborne for many hours and contaminate surfaces, utensils, and uncovered gluten-free food. In general, foods prepared in any place that is not gluten-free are at risk for contamination (for example, when equipment is inadequately cleaned after producing gluten-containing foods).

Also you need to ask food handlers to wash their hands before preparing a gluten free meal.
Hands are a great way to cross contaminate!