Wow $ Of Xanthum Gum

[Texas Celiac]

I started my gluten-free diet 3 weeks ago. I went to the market today and bought my flours and xanthum gum for baking. WOW!!! I spent a fortune. I had been warned that xanthum gum is not cheap, but I paid $13.00 for 12 oz. Can I get this any less expensive? The only flour that I could find in bulk was brown rice and white rice. Corn starch, potato starch, gluten-free baking mix, and sorghum flour were all prepackaged.

Texas Celiac

[plantime]

I think what you paid for the gum is just about average. The advantage is that it takes very little, so what you bought will go a long way. I cut the cost of my food by going to mainly meats, fruits, and veggies, and very little ready-made and bread-type foods. Sometimes I miss the breads and cookies, but never bad enough to actually make some!

[mamaw]

Hi Texas Celiac

yep, that's about the price here in Pa too for the gum. I guess you found out on your own how expensive this stuff is..... I don't know how rice flour can be so costly. Be sure to put your brown rice in the freezer or refridge.... I buy all my flour prepackaged..I have been using Betty Hageman four bean flour one for one in my old reg. recipes so I have been able to make my favorites.

mamaw

[lorka150]

you use so little it goes a long way. i have had mine since christmas and i'm not even half done... and i bake about six different baked goods a week with it.

[Texas Celiac]

Well that is good to know that the xanthum gum goes along way.

Should I put all of my flours in the refrigerator or freezer, or just the brown rice?

I bought white rice flour

potato starch

tapioca starch

of course the xanthum gum

Thanks

Texas Celiac

[lorka150]

out of the four you listed, the only one i keep in the freezer is the rice (the others in the pantry). i also keep soy, amaranth, flax in the freezer.

[lpellegr]

If you have an Asian grocery store nearby you can get rice flour, tapioca flour, etc much cheaper and usually ground finer - the rice flour's not so sandy-textured. At 3 1-lb packages of white rice flour for $1, I stock up there instead of paying $4 for a pound and a half in a regular store. And the cost of xanthan gum hurts, but it does last a while. Just don't do what I did and spill most of it the first time you use it.

[Nancym]

I bought a package of xanthum gum years ago, still have most of it. I don't bake or use it all that often though.

[Texas Celiac]

Thanks for the info!! I will have to look and see if there is an Asian grocery store close by. That is considerably cheaper!!

[sandeehier]

... Just don't do what I did and spill most of it the first time you use it.

And almost as bad as the cost of spilling it is the sticky mess - They don't call it GUM for nothing!

[Elizabeth-Elindel]

we actualy use Guter gum instead of Xanthum. It costs about $10 less is what I've found. We just use it in the same quanitys, ect. as Xanthum gum.

[Texas Celiac]

That is not the same as guar gum, is it?

[ken3112]

We use a binder made from soy protein, rice flour and maize. It has mineral salts in it and really binds up burgers and sausages. We make our own on a small kitchen setup. Has anybody tried this?

[Elizabeth-Elindel]

Knowing my spelling skills... YES, it is the same as guar gum. My bad.

[debmidge]

in NY metro area the Xanthan gum pricing is the about same as what you paid in TX. i've seen 12 oz for $12 and $13 depending on what store I'm in. I've purchased mail order at about same pricing. My next question is, "why is it so expensive?"