Spices

[durrsakja]

I am pretty sure I got glutened by the single ingredient spices I used last weekend. Which brand do you guys use that you feel are safe? The brand I used are simple organics and after I called them they said that the facility is not gluten free so there is a chance for cross contamination.

[WinterSong]

McCormick always lists very clearly if their spices contain gluten. I go with them for most season mixes. 

 

I did contact La Flor recently about their cinnamon, and they assured me that it's gluten free. I had heard that some companies were adding flour to their cinnamon to prevent caking and cheapen production costs, and I was like   

[psawyer]

I trust McCormick.

[Adalaide]

I usually use McCormick. I have used some Simply Organics in the past and not had a problem with them. *shrug* As a matter of fact I think the rosemary in my spice bin is still Simply Organics. I'm not sure if you mean the same company when you say Simple Organics or if there is another company with a similar name.

 

One thing to double check is to verify that whatever you are using isn't leftover from before you were gluten free. Having double dipped in your spices previously would be an issue. I had to get all new spices because who gets a new spoon for every dip?

[WinterSong]

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but most single spices are gluten free naturally, are they not? 

 

I've mostly worried about season mixes up until this cinnamon thing. 

[dilettantesteph]

Here is an article about gluten free spices and cross contamination possibilities: Open Original Shared Link

 

I think that I reacted to several single ingredient spices.  I switched to fresh spices in the produce section and eventually started growing my own.  I am sensitive to very low levels of cross contamination.  Of course single ingredient non gluten spices will be naturally gluten free. 

 

I hope that you feel better soon.

[durrsakja]

Thank you all. I am not sure whether it was the spices or anything else but I am changing to a certified gluten-free brand just in case. It has been over a week and still not 100 percent but hopefully soon

[WinterSong]

Urg. I had recently bought a large container of black pepper from a lesser-known company, Galeo. I called them, and they told me that they don't add flour into their pepper but it is made on the same line as other products that contain gluten. 

 

HOW ON EARTH IS THERE GLUTEN IN PEPPER!!!

 

I don't think I've been reacting to it, but better safe than sorry. I think I'm going to buy a new teflan pan, too. 

[WinterSong]

Scratch my last sentence. I have been having a small reaction to something lately but can't figure out what. I was hoping that it's not another intolerance, but since I use a little bit of pepper every day I'm hoping that switching to a trusted brand will solve my problems for me. 

[Ashcat]

I use Penzey's spices exclusively as I like their quality and taste. I emailed the company and received this reply. Would you consider this safe for most except the super sensitive?

 

Thank you for taking the time to write. None of our spices or blends contain any sort of gluten in them, the label indicates everything that is in that jar/bag.  The only product that does contain gluten is our Beef Soup Base.  All of our soup bases are produced at a different site, so as a general rule of thumb we recommend to stay away from all of our soup bases as we can not guarantee that there is no cross contamination. 

 

As a company, we can not claim that we are a gluten free facility as we do not specifically test for gluten and we have a test kitchen on site that does contain flour.  The blending and packaging room is completely separate from the kitchen, but legally we can not advertise our blends as being "gluten free".

 

I use better than boullion for my bases as I'm vegetarian and love their no-chicken base that's delicious and it appears to be safe from what I've read. Has anyone had any problems with it?

[psawyer]

Ashcat, I would consider that safe. Period.

[ItchyAbby]

I exclusively use Penzey's, too.

[Kate79]

I use Penzey's spices exclusively as I like their quality and taste. I emailed the company and received this reply. Would you consider this safe for most except the super sensitive?

 

Thank you for taking the time to write. None of our spices or blends contain any sort of gluten in them, the label indicates everything that is in that jar/bag.  The only product that does contain gluten is our Beef Soup Base.  All of our soup bases are produced at a different site, so as a general rule of thumb we recommend to stay away from all of our soup bases as we can not guarantee that there is no cross contamination. 

 

As a company, we can not claim that we are a gluten free facility as we do not specifically test for gluten and we have a test kitchen on site that does contain flour.  The blending and packaging room is completely separate from the kitchen, but legally we can not advertise our blends as being "gluten free".

 

I use better than boullion for my bases as I'm vegetarian and love their no-chicken base that's delicious and it appears to be safe from what I've read. Has anyone had any problems with it?

 

 

Huh - that's not the response we've gotten from Penzey's before.  First, we were told at the actual store that they don't use gluten at all.  Then my husband called to confirm, and they told him that they DO use gluten in a couple of their products, and he was also told that everything is processed on shared equipment.  I still think their stuff is pretty safe, but interesting to get such different responses.

[heatman]

I think I'm reacting to La Flor spices (cumin and garlic salt to be exact). Has anybody else had this problem?