Starting Gluten-Free Kitchen

[HeyMeema11]

Hi all,

I am a mom of a newly diagnosed teen with celiac and I have a few questions and would truly appreciate if you all know how to help me.

1. Our daughter has a stainless steel Thermos, but the insert screw-on cap with the spoon rest and gasket are plastic. I have scrubbed it many times with our old sponge and was wondering if I can use the new "no-gluten sponge" I have now to clean these parts or if it's no longer safe for her to use (like our Tupperware)

2. Same question but with a stainless steel water bottle

3. Have you had to clean under your microwave? I know the inside can moisten particles that can gluten her food and was wondering if the same can happen if I'm boiling pasta for her

4. Do you use dish soap or disinfecting wipes to remove gluten in your kitchen? The wipes are hard to find and expensive but have not found research on whether they denature gluten more or less effectively than dish soap.

5. If my "gluten free" sponge falls in the sink, is it to be replaced?

6. Can gluten dishes and gluten free dishes be washed with the same sponge if they are all going in the same dishwasher?

7. Can dishes recently used for a gluten free meal rest in the sink at all before I clean them with my "gluten free" sponge, or is there now too much gluten on the bottom of the dish for my sponge to remain "gluten free"?

Thank you all for any help you have to share!

[trents]

HeyMeema11, welcome to the forum!

It is refreshing to see a parent so committed to doing what is safe for their celiac child.

A lot of your questions can only be answered once you get a feel for how sensitive your daughter is to trace amounts of gluten. Generally speaking, you needn't worry about non porous materials like glass, metal and hard plastic as long as they are washed and rinsed very thoroughly after use for gluten containing food prep and handling. There might be more concern with wooden and cast iron items.  Tupperware containers may pose a problem because we sometimes get them overheated when rewarming to the point where the plastic melts and traps food. As far as dish rags also used for washing gluten exposed cookware, my feeling would be not to worry about that as long as things are rinsed well after washing. 

In my mind, there is more concern over cross contamination in the storage and preparation of food than in the cleansing of it if other household members are still consuming gluten. The best way to keep the celiac member safe is to rid the kitchen entirely of gluten sources and have the whole family go gluten free. With very sensitive celiacs, many families find that is the only way to be consistent in keeping their celiac loved one safe. Some very sensitive celiacs get reactions from breathing wheat flour dust in the air when there is baking activity going on or even the fumes from the oven or they get enough exposure to cause a reaction when a family member puts away the dishes after touching wheat bread, that kind of thing. Or at least we get anecdotal reports of things like that happening.

What you don't want to do is unnecessarily generating a phobia in your daughter or resentment in other family members by taking extreme and unnecessary precautions. 

This is my take as one who is not a super sensitive celiac. You may get different input from others who are.

[RMJ]

I’ll answer questions 4 and 6.

4. Disinfecting wipes will not do a better job removing gluten than dish soap.  Gluten is not denatured by cleaning, it has to be physically removed. 

6. If dishes are going to go into the dishwasher, yes you can wash gluten and gluten free dishes with the same sponge first. 

I don’t understand question 3 “clean under your microwave.”  Do you mean under the plate upon which you put things?

Hope this helps.

[HeyMeema11]

2 hours ago, trents said:

HeyMeema11, welcome to the forum!

It is refreshing to see a parent so committed to doing what is safe for their celiac child.

A lot of your questions can only be answered once you get a feel for how sensitive your daughter is to trace amounts of gluten. Generally speaking, you needn't worry about non porous materials like glass, metal and hard plastic as long as they are washed and rinsed very thoroughly after use for gluten containing food prep and handling. There might be more concern with wooden and cast iron items.  Tupperware containers may pose a problem because we sometimes get them overheated when rewarming to the point where the plastic melts and traps food. As far as dish rags also used for washing gluten exposed cookware, my feeling would be not to worry about that as long as things are rinsed well after washing. 

In my mind, there is more concern over cross contamination in the storage and preparation of food than in the cleansing of it if other household members are still consuming gluten. The best way to keep the celiac member safe is to rid the kitchen entirely of gluten sources and have the whole family go gluten free. With very sensitive celiacs, many families find that is the only way to be consistent in keeping their celiac loved one safe. Some very sensitive celiacs get reactions from breathing wheat flour dust in the air when there is baking activity going on or even the fumes from the oven or they get enough exposure to cause a reaction when a family member puts away the dishes after touching wheat bread, that kind of thing. Or at least we get anecdotal reports of things like that happening.

What you don't want to do is unnecessarily generating a phobia in your daughter or resentment in other family members by taking extreme and unnecessary precautions. 

This is my take as one who is not a super sensitive celiac. You may get different input from others who are.

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply! I've been looking for answers to my questions all over the internet, as our daughter is still feeling sick and nauseous a month after a full kitchen redo, deep scrub, and diet change. 

I appreciate your taking the time to write such a thorough response and will definitely take your advice to heart. 

[HeyMeema11]

1 hour ago, RMJ said:

I’ll answer questions 4 and 6.

4. Disinfecting wipes will not do a better job removing gluten than dish soap.  Gluten is not denatured by cleaning, it has to be physically removed. 

6. If dishes are going to go into the dishwasher, yes you can wash gluten and gluten free dishes with the same sponge first. 

I don’t understand question 3 “clean under your microwave.”  Do you mean under the plate upon which you put things?

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for answering questions 4 and 6! I have been all over the internet searching for answers and I really appreciate your taking the time to help me! 

As for number 3, we have an overhead microwave that hovers over our stove. We've been boiling gluten pasta for 20 years with the steam rising from the pots to the underside our microwave. I was wondering if this built-up reside (and there's quite a bit of sticky orange gunk) could moisten and fall into her gluten-free pasta or if there's no real worry of that.

I thank you again for your replies and hope I've clarified a bit better! 

 

[RMJ]

Microwave over the oven - that makes sense!  Hard to know if it’s an issue or not because it’s both hard to know what the orange gunk is, and whether it can detach.  I definitely wouldn’t want steam to condense there and drip into her pasta. 

[LCAnacortes]

One of the things I kept doing to myself was cross-contaminating what I was eating once I started on the gluten free path.  I put my gluten-free bread into the family toaster - without thinking that through. I did other stupid stuff like using the relish that had been used for hamburgers or tuna fish sandwiches which made it contaminated.  Anything where you can double dip - mayo, chip/vegetable dip, salsa etc. All of that is contaminated so there should be version that is used by the person that is gluten free.  Also - we know that celiac is hereditary so mom and dad should be tested. One of them is celiac too.