Rotisserie Chickens From Supermarkets

[Franceen]

Well, I've eaten all flavors of the rotisserie chickens from COSTCO and checked the labels - and they were ok and they WERE ok (pre-roasted whole chickens and hot in a package and ready to eat).

Tonight hubby and I were rushing thru Giant Foods to get stuff for my 93 yr old father who I cook for every night. I was STARVING - it was 8PM and I hadn't eaten since Noon.

I grabbed one of those chickens and told hubby we could eat it at my father's.

I got there and just HAPPENED to glance at the ingredients list (good habit, thank god) and it had "WHEAT STARCH" (part of the glaze probably). I was SO PISSED and HUNGRY. My husband said "take the skin off, you'll be fine" and I refused telling him that the glaze soaks into the meat when roasting and that GLUTEN will be IN THE MEAT!!! He disagrees. But I did not engage. Instead came home and ate COSTCO-bought packaged Baby Back ribs by "Curly's" which are GOOD and OK!!

I had big argument with dear hubby about WHY THEY HAVE TO USE WHEAT STARCH, or ANY STARCH when they make pre-cooked food. We don't use it at home!!!! He says, they use it to make it LOOK GOOD, LAST LONGER ON SHELF, AND HAVE A TEXTURE THAT PEOPLE LIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Corn starch works too!!! But they have to use WHEAT STARCH in SO MUCH STUFF).

Gosh, this makes me angry. Maybe I'll write the FDA, or a Congressman or Senator or SOMEONE and complain. Hubby says, "MOST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD DO NOT HAVE YOUR PROBLEM" - I said it's a growing number and he said "BS". This is making me angrier. So I'll stop writing about it.

Franceen

DH undiagnosed officially, but responds to gluten-free WONDERFULLY

[Lister]

im sorry to hear that your husband is not so escepting and willing help with your problem. jeez if my girlfriend said anything i said was bs i would be really pissed to

[Franceen]

im sorry to hear that your husband is not so escepting and willing help with your problem. jeez if my girlfriend said anything i said was bs i would be really pissed to

Thanks very much for the vote of confidence! It really is not "BS"!!! and I know that.

But he has absolutely no allergies, sensitivites - he only dislikes one thing: eggs! He eats EVERYTHING ELSE!

Oh Well, we should all be so lucky (I suspect he has celiac too, given his bathroom habits - and he's German too where they have a high celiac rate in the population).

[tarnalberry]

Yep, it gets used - helps browning too, I think. Anyway, it's one of those reasons why you always have to read the labels before buying. Sudden recipe changes are another reason. :-)

[nettiebeads]

Well, I'm glad you stuck up for yourself!! Maybe you can keep a nutrition bar (gluten-free of course) in the glove box or your purse when you're out for a long time. At least here you can vent safely here with people who understand the stress this disease puts on you in trying to stay healthy, but less the stress when you do get glutened! People who don't want to understand diet restrictions that WE don't choose to have really get me irked. The employee kitchen is just off of my office and those people sit and eat EVERYTHING in sight w/o any problems!! Gets to me at times, but most of the time I can tune it out. Hope this week is better for you.

Annette

[eKatherine]

You certainly have a right to be annoyed at your husband. But I wouldn't be mad at the company. Yes, I'd love it if they didn't put wheat in things that don't need wheat, but people who care about whether there's wheat in a product are a very small percentage of the population. Almost everybody goes out and buys whatever without reading the product labels. For a big company, it make a lot of sense to cater to the majority. Getting our business won't affect their business is the decision they've made. Other companies have decided differently, but oh, well.

C'est la vie.

[wolfie]

I would be frustrated with DH too. It is very frustrating that wheat is in so many things that seems unnecessary.

[Guest nini]

over the past three years I can't count how many times hubby and I have argued over issues involving this disease and diet... some people just don't get it... I think for the most part he trys to get it, but food is so emotional to so many people that it really brings up strong feelings. I can't even buy the store made rotisserie chickens other than at Whole Foods, because I'm allergic to the hormones and antibiotics in most commercially prepared poultry. Whole Foods uses organic chickens for their rotisserie chickens, so as long as I stick with the plainly spiced ones, I'm fine. I would be angry at hubby too... but rather than fight about it, when you are calmed down, calmly try to explain WHY you got so upset...

[tarnalberry]

I make it a point to never argue with someone about whether or not I *can* eat something. The point is, standing it that room, over that quesitonable item, that I _won't_ eat it. They can argue with me about whether it's safe or not, but I've already made the decision to be conservative, play it safe, and not take the risk, and hence, not eat the item. So argue about it's status all you want, but I'm not eating it. They can disagree with my decision, but I've already made it, so it doesn't much matter. If they want to argue with me over the decision of what food I will or will not eat... well, that's a little five-year old of them.

[Franceen]

Oh gosh, you guys and gals are SO understanding and I'm so glad for this forum to be able to vent my feelings.

Hubby was caught reading the labels (he thought I wasn't nearby) on some prepared mashed potatoes and put one in cart and one back on shelf. I looked at them when he wasn't nearby and he chose a gluten-free one and put one back that had "modified wheat starch"!!! I think he feels bad but his ego will not allow him to admit it. I know he understands CC issues - he's a very smart person and always surprises everyone with how much he knows about all kinds of topics.

I think he was reacting more to the PERCEPTION of wasting money rather than my illness. That would be just like him. He probably thinks (and is right) that I should have read the label before buying - and he's right, but we all make mistakes and get into a rush posture at times.

C'est la vie!!

Thanks all!

Franceen

DH, undiagnosed, neg bloodwork, no endoscopy

gluten-free since 12/05 with great results

Dapsone free since 3/05

No other allergies

[jkmunchkin]

Ughhhhh I'm so sorry this happened to you. I actually had the same thing happen with a rotisserie chicken at Sam's Club a few months ago. I got home late from work but had to go there to grab something, was starving and grabbed the chicken. I read the ingredients and it looked ok, but then when I got home I took another look and hadn't even noticed the seasoning ingredients and the first one was wheat starch. I was so upset and mad at myself. But having your husband yell at you about it had to be that much worse. I mean you were already hungry and upset. I hope he apologized.

[angel-jd1]

I have never been able to be brave enough to even try the store bought rotisserie chickens. I watch how they are cooked and it screams cross contamination to me! They stick 8-10 chickens in a huge rotisserie, some may be plain, lemon pepper, garlic etc and they are ALL in the same thing cooking and spinning and dripping on each other! If one of those flavors aren't safe, then that makes the entire bunch not safe in my opinion.....maybe other stores do it differently, but this is how I have seen it done in my area and I just can't risk it.

-Jessica

[Franceen]

I think COSTCO only makes one type: Plain roasted. So if that is gluten-free then they all are.

But you are right about CC, if they make all those flavors.

It's the "Honey Roasted" that got me this time - but from Giant Foods (Virginia) and they make about 6 flavors.

Franceen

[Lisa]

I believe that Tyson Cooked Chichen (pre-cooked) is gluten free. Don't swear by me, but ....I think richard said they were gluten free. I have had them with no issue. But always, read labels.

Lisa