A Few Things Chefs Get Wrong About Gluten-free Food and Celiac Disease

Please don't forget that we often have other digestive problems as well so remember putting a lot of pepper, salt, or other extremely spicy flavorings increase the incidence of being sickened. In my case, bland is better, so you should ASK the patron how they need it prepared, and what NOT to put into it, like a lot of pepper, salt, chile pepper, etc. Basically I DON'T go to restaurants anymore because they just cant seem to get it right. I'm tired of getting sick from eating in restaurants or getting prepared food. I'm a career woman who doesn't have much time or temperament to cook, but an forced to out of safety. I would love to be able to patronize restaurants again, without it shortening my life each time! Thank you.

I have a gluten free cookie business . If you are baking at home you have to be so careful to not put a measuring cup or spoon that has been used in a glutinous flour and/or for that matter tree nut product (lots of issues there) in a container of your gluten-free flour mix. When I bake I do not use any glutinous products in my commercial kitchen and also have a 24 hour air exchange in case someone cut bread, etc in the kitchen that I rent. Many bakeries are offering gluten-free products and putting them in the same cases as glutinous products (illegal) and are not having a designated space or 24 hour air exchange for the gluten-free products. Also, the law is that your products are supposed to be LAB Tested to show your product is under the legal limit of 20 ppm. Many people are not aware of this. Thanks for posting the article - good insight for many.

And by the same token well-meaning writers can perpetuate the drama by not being specific enough.

The article doesn't really clarify the whole baking in a "dedicated" oven thing, which is not exactly a responsible move. You can bake gluten-free items in an oven that previously baked something with mere breadcrumbs... provided the container containing gluten-free items was not compromised. Baking directly on a contaminated surface, however, is another matter... as is baking in an oven where non-gluten-free flour (which hangs in the air) is frequently involved in the final, baked product.

Failure to mention common oversights such as un-disclosed binders such as modified food starch can also be problematic. (Sure, in the U.S. we have certain standards, but what about when using ingredients from Asian countries, whose labeling and testing standards are not as rigorous as ours?)

Vagueness such as these are what cause business owners to either freak out about gluten-free diners or to want to fib about their procedures. When writing about serious issues, please do not over-generalize for the sake of brevity.

I have a gluten free cookie business . If you are baking at home you have to be so careful to not put a measuring cup or spoon that has been used in a glutinous flour and/or for that matter tree nut product (lots of issues there) in a container of your gluten-free flour mix. When I bake I do not use any glutinous products in my commercial kitchen and also have a 24 hour air exchange in case someone cut bread, etc in the kitchen that I rent. Many bakeries are offering gluten-free products and putting them in the same cases as glutinous products (illegal) and are not having a designated space or 24 hour air exchange for the gluten-free products. Also, the law is that your products are supposed to be LAB Tested to show your product is under the legal limit of 20 ppm. Many people are not aware of this. Thanks for posting the article - good insight for many.

Curious what laws are you referring to, can you tell me where I can see these for myself? Are they enforceable? I have never heard of any laws saying you can't put items in the same display case.

The level of confusion amongst well-meaning professionals is amazing. School kitchens are some of the worst offenders with little understanding of cross-contamination issues. Also spelt (einkorn) and oats can be a problem for some coeliacs, as a rule I would avoid using any of these grains in gluten-free diets. Thanks for an informative article.

Apart from all this there are also problems with commercial sauces etc such as ketchup, balsamic vinegar, mustard and others which may contain gluten and the other additives such as MSG, aspartame and others which many celiacs (and gluten sensitive people) also react to.

Something I have seen a lot, especially in Italian restaurants, is they will advertise the dish as gluten free but only the base (the pasta, the bread, the pizza crust) will be gluten free. When you ask them to check to make sure the pasta sauce is gluten free or the pizza toppings are gluten free, they come back and find out that none of the toppings are gluten free or the pasta sauce has bread crumbs in it. I have been to so many restaurants like this where they advertize a gluten free menu because they went out and bought gluten free pasta or bread but nothing that goes with it is actually safe. I wind up talking to the chef and get this attitude of "well its a fake disease anyway". We always leave, but its never a good thing. Wish these places would close. Be careful out there.

After reading your article the first thing that came to my mind was what about Oats. So thank you Esther for adding spelt and oats to your response.

Here is a couple more , flour from Afghanistan , spelt, kumnat, atta...

And by the same token well-meaning writers can perpetuate the drama by not being specific enough.

 

The article doesn't really clarify the whole baking in a "dedicated" oven thing, which is not exactly a responsible move. You can bake gluten-free items in an oven that previously baked something with mere breadcrumbs... provided the container containing gluten-free items was not compromised. Baking directly on a contaminated surface, however, is another matter... as is baking in an oven where non-gluten-free flour (which hangs in the air) is frequently involved in the final, baked product.

 

Failure to mention common oversights such as un-disclosed binders such as modified food starch can also be problematic. (Sure, in the U.S. we have certain standards, but what about when using ingredients from Asian countries, whose labeling and testing standards are not as rigorous as ours?)

 

Vagueness such as these are what cause business owners to either freak out about gluten-free diners or to want to fib about their procedures. When writing about serious issues, please do not over-generalize for the sake of brevity.

Your concern is addressed numerous times. To wit: "...the next step is to avoid cross-contamination when preparing, cooking and serving gluten-free food."

"Do you cook gluten-free pasta in the same pot of water as regular pasta? Do you make gluten-free pizza in the same prep area or oven as regular pizza? Do you thicken soup, or sauce, or gravy with flour? Do you put croutons on salads? Do you cook regular and gluten-free foods in the same oven or grill? Do you use the same water to boil regular and gluten-free pasta?...If so, you are adding gluten to otherwise gluten-free food. That's a big no-no!"

And again: "To make sure you get it right, know the culprits wheat, barley and rye, be vigilant and watch for cross-contamination. Also, be sure to design and adopt a list of best practices for your particular kitchen that will guarantee a gluten-free dining experience for your patrons with celiac disease."

I'm sorry if you fee that these points were not specific enough for you. Because every kitchen is different, I'm offering important points for consideration by chefs, not a step-by-step how-to guide.

After reading your article the first thing that came to my mind was what about Oats. So thank you Esther for adding spelt and oats to your response.

Spelt is a kind of wheat and contains gluten. Gluten-free oats are currently regarded as safe for most people with celiac disease.

Many don't realize that malt is made from barley