Is It Absolutely Necessary To Buy All New Stuff?

[Byte Me]

Hi,

I have read quite a few posts here that mention getting new dishes, pots, pans, toaster, etc. and I was wondering if this is an absolute must? There's no way I could afford to do that, not all at once anyway. It would take several months.

I'm having a 'double' tuesday morning, but regardless of what the results say I'm still going gluten free as I am convinced I do have Celiac. I want to do it the right way, but am I wasting my time if I can't buy all new cooking stuff? I don't have a dishwasher, everything is washed by hand.. any ideas on how to make my old stuff safe enough to continue using?

This group is really great btw. I've learned more here reading all your posts than I have in reading about a billion different websites relating to celiac. thanks

[nikki-uk]

Although when my husband was diagnosed we didn't replace everything(our pots and pans are stainless steel)-if they've had gluten in them(rarely)I hand wash them,then put them in the dishwasher just to be doubly sure.

We did however replace anything with a non stick coating (gluten can get in the cracks and you can't scrub it )and definitelyget another toaster!

You get so many gluten crumbs in a toaster you are bound to get cross contaminated from sharing.

We bought just a little cheap one for my hubbie.

Another trick to avoid cross contamination in the oven or grill is to put your food on a layer of tin foil or grease proof paper.

[gfp]

I'd say nikki-uk has given good general advice, certainly toasters are trash but things like pans can be cleaned with time and effort.

However most people who go gluten-free usually start off trying very hard but still making mistakes, it really does take some time. Most of the people who post "3 weeks but no results" etc. usually fall into this category because they just don't realise where gluten might be coming from. This is probably hard to beleive right now... but I think it took me a good 6 months to a year to finally accept Iwas being glutened from things I thought were safe. I honestly don't think there is a shortcut to this.

In effect you just learn a bit at a time and so if you get rid of toasters and thoroughly clean everything else regualrly your pans and oven should eventually get gluten-free at the same time as you are learning more.

Wooden utensils should be thrown away though, they cost pennies

[debmidge]

I run a gluten-free and Gluten kitchen and found that marking the new wooden spoons with a dab of red nail polish at handle end helps keep them separated. New toaster is important : I have a gluten-free and regular toaster.

Color coded spatulas help too. White is for gluten, colors are gluten-free.

My problem isn't the cost of the items, but the space to store two sets of everything and the space to store foodstuffs when you have to buy large guantities to get discount on items or shipping. I guess you'd say indirectly it's the cost of the items as I'd have to get a bigger apartment to store them as needed.

I also dumped my blender and food processor and electric spritz maker as they definitely had gluten in them at some point. I don't have the room now to replace these items as that space is now taken up by the dedicated gluten-free bread machine and my gluten toaster.

We don't have a dishwasher either.

[gfp]

Forgot to mention.. one quick and cheap but not overly reliable method to check pans is to put in some oil and fry some very strong colored food dye, tumeric is a good cheap choice.

Take the pan, wash it and stick a bit of oil in and dip in a piece of tiolet roll or blotting paper.. if you can still see the dye then the food dye is adsorbed and so could anything else.

You can also use somethingf like bleach .. if you can still smell it then its still there!

Usually washing things 3 times is normal practice ...

If you get some pure alcohol (since gluten is soluble in alcohol) and use it to wash the pan...

Say this dissolves and gets rid of 80% of the gluten .. you wash it again and it gets rid of 80% of the remaining 20% ... and the third time it gets rid of 80% of the 4% remaining

Obviously don't smoke or do this near naked flames or near a hotplate which is on.

[kevsmom]

A new colander is a MUST, and they are pretty cheap. You should mark this too, or get a different color, so they don't get mixed up. There is no way to get all of the gluten out of all the tiny holes of the old one. There are plenty of gluten free pasta's - I like Tinkyada the best.

Good luck!

[Ursa Major]

I want to add that you do NOT have to buy new dishes. They should be fine if you wash them well. But a new toaster is a necessity (I bought one for $10.00), and you shouldn't use wooden cutting boards and wooden spoons that have been used for gluteny things, but need your own. The same goes for the colander.

Only scratched non-stick pots and pans need replacing. Stainless steel ones should be okay if you give them a good scrubbing (but only if you can get them really clean and shiny).

[wonkabar]

My 3 year-old son has been on a gluten-free diet since March. I've tossed my wooden spoons and replaced our plastic collander with stainless steel. I didn't replace my cookware...I couldn't afford to replace all of my Calphalon. That being said, I've scrubbbed and scrubbed everything tons of times. I do have a couple non-stick pans, but I don't ever use them for anything I make for my little guy. I will eventually replace those. We have one skillet that has been scrubbed a gazillion times and has ONLY had gluten-free pancakes on it since March. If I'm using a baking stone/pan I just put a piece of foil on it. I've also scrubbed and scrubbed my cutting boards; I haven't cut bread or anything else gluteny on them in months.

I agree with the post that indicated this all takes time...and a lot of it. You can't tackle it all at once. My son has been on a gluten-free diet since March, and I just realized a week ago that I was still feeding him on the plastic toddler plates that are all scratched up! I call those revelations "duh!!" moments. Trust me, you'll have a lot of those, but it's all part of the learning curve! Good Luck!!

[Smunkeemom]

I got a new toaster for our gluten free goodies it was about $6 from the discount store, it works fine.

As far as pans, dishes, spoons, ect. I am still working on that, I have been buying a little at a time and putting them away, I just have to get a stock pot and a 12in. skillet and I will have enough to give away all my gluten stuff.

I haven't cooked gluten in the kitchen (other than hubby's poptarts) in like a year though, so it's not going to be hard to keep my new gluten free dishes gluten free.

[Guest Robbin]

Hi and welcome. I bought a cheap non-stick skillet at first at a discount store until I was able to get some good new ones, also I threw away the old wooden spoons and got new ones at the dollar store. It doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you do it in stages. I just used the skillet for eggs and gluten-free pancakes and used stainless steel for everything else. One mistake I made was forgetting about the cast iron skillet for cornbread--(A 'Duh' moment for me, too)-

Does anyone know if maybe scrubbing non-stick skillets with a soft cloth or brush and automatic dishwasher soap (with bleach) and boiling water in it will remove the gluten? If you are in a rural area or funds are nil, maybe that would work? Any thoughts?

[mommida]

I threw out the toaster and still haven't bought a new one yet. That's over two and a half years. I really don't care much for gluten free bread. I grill it on the stove or toast it in the oven for the rare times when I do eat it.

Everyone has given you great advice all ready.

L.

[tarnalberry]

The things you absolutely have to replace with new:

• toaster
  
• cutting boards that have had gluten on them
  
• wooden spoons
  
• non-stick pans with any scratches on them
  
• plastic collandars
  

Of course, I would encourage you not to use non-stick pans at all - for almost every purpose besides pancakes/crepes/tortillas/eggs, they don't provide the same results, and the chemicals in the non-stick pans aren't worth it.

Stainless steel can be washed, just make sure to wash well. Same with dishes and utensiles.

(I don't have a toaster either... don't really ever have bread...)

[ravenwoodglass]

The one thing I want to add is to replace your canopener. No matter how clean I thought I got it I was still having problems from using it to open gluten filled pet foods.

[Byte Me]

The one thing I want to add is to replace your canopener. No matter how clean I thought I got it I was still having problems from using it to open gluten filled pet foods.

I would never ever have thought of needing to replace the can opener... I'm so glad you mentioned that!!

I have one more question.. I have a smooth glass cutting board, it has absolutely no scratches on it that I can see or feel... is there a good chance that it will be safe?

Thank you so very much to all of you for all the input and support. It has really made me feel so much less panicky about this whole thing.

[jerseyangel]

Your glass cutting board sounds fine

[gfp]

Hi and welcome. I bought a cheap non-stick skillet at first at a discount store until I was able to get some good new ones, also I threw away the old wooden spoons and got new ones at the dollar store. It doesn't have to be expensive, especially if you do it in stages. I just used the skillet for eggs and gluten-free pancakes and used stainless steel for everything else. One mistake I made was forgetting about the cast iron skillet for cornbread--(A 'Duh' moment for me, too)-

Does anyone know if maybe scrubbing non-stick skillets with a soft cloth or brush and automatic dishwasher soap (with bleach) and boiling water in it will remove the gluten? If you are in a rural area or funds are nil, maybe that would work? Any thoughts?

Well bleach won't make any difference one way or the other but I guess once you get rid of the bleach you will have a pretty clean pan since cast iron is quite porous.

Real cast iron skillets are kinda expensive so I think I would be tempted to take a wire brush (the type you attach to a houshold drill) and really hack into it then clean it down with emery paper ... once you do this you will need to re-prove it by soaking it in oil and baking it at a high temperature in the oven.

Dishwasher soap is probably good but I would go for the real thing and use caustic soda because this literally breaks down organic matter, a good oven cleaner is quite high in caustic but make sure not to breath it in.

Of course, I would encourage you not to use non-stick pans at all - for almost every purpose besides pancakes/crepes/tortillas/eggs, they don't provide the same results, and the chemicals in the non-stick pans aren't worth it.

Stainless steel can be washed, just make sure to wash well. Same with dishes and utensiles.

(I don't have a toaster either... don't really ever have bread...)

I have a cast iron crepe pan I use for tortillas and pancakes too. The small non-stick I haveis mainly for eggs...

I also use oven cleaner on stainless steel pans, especially when they get burned on the bottom with good effect.

Warning .. do NOT use on cheap aluminum pans...!!!

[ajay]

I have a smooth glass cutting board, it has absolutely no scratches on it that I can see or feel... is there a good chance that it will be safe?

Well, as far as holding gluten, it's probably OK, but a glass cutting board can be really harsh on your knives! It tends to dull them faster.

[gfp]

Well, as far as holding gluten, it's probably OK, but a glass cutting board can be really harsh on your knives! It tends to dull them faster.

Yep they are also incredibly dangerous since the knife tends to bounce off them ... IKEA does a beech block for about $30 which is cheaper than a real kitchen knife, Id never consider using one of my kitchen knives on a glass block.

[penguin]

Remember to use seperate boards for veggies and meats. According to Alton Brown (my hero) wood is best for veggies, and plastic is best for meats, since you can put it in the dishwasher to sanitize and it won't hurt your knives.

[Idahogirl]

Just curious: if the gluten hidden in scrapes in a non-stick pan, cutting board or plastic colander won't come out by intentional and vigorous scrubbing, then how does it transfer onto food so easily?

Lisa

[gfp]

Just curious: if the gluten hidden in scrapes in a non-stick pan, cutting board or plastic colander won't come out by intentional and vigorous scrubbing, then how does it transfer onto food so easily?

Lisa

It doesn't need to be easy.... but in terms of non-stick then boiling oil might just help

As an analogy then lead doesn't come out of lead pipes very easily either but we no longer use them for drinking water.

[penguin]

Just curious: if the gluten hidden in scrapes in a non-stick pan, cutting board or plastic colander won't come out by intentional and vigorous scrubbing, then how does it transfer onto food so easily?

Lisa

My husband, the ever concise chemical engineer says that yes, gluten can get into teflon, but, it will wash out with enough washings. It's just a matter of getting to that enough stage

[Guest Robbin]

Thanks gfp for the advice on the cast iron, it sure is pricey and I haven't used it for myself since dx, so will try some of your ideas. I have a much-treasured collection of clay baking pieces I boiled and then re-seasoned that I haven't had a problem with cc, but the cast iron stuff had me stumped since they were used a lot.

btw-I first thought oh, geez, I am not that sensitive and this will not be a problem--but the longer I have been gluten-free (been for 5 months) the more sensitive I am getting and it makes you realize just how baaaaad you felt before.

[queenofhearts]

Interesting discovery today: this morning I made Bette Hagman's waffle recipe, first time I tried gluten-free waffles. The family loved them but I suddenly realized that oh my god, the waffle iron is probably like a gluten archive. (This was after I'd made them, unfortunately. ) I love my waffle iron, it was a gift from my inlaws & is this wonderful forties-looking model that weighs about 30 lbs... well I just have a weird attachment to it & I'm NOT going to buy a new one. So I just decided I'd have to clean the livin' bejeezus out of it. Talk about hard to clean! I tried all sorts of scrubbing powders, iron brushes, steel wool-- hopeless! Then suddenly I had the notion to stick the plates (it has removable plates) in the oven, turn on the self-clean feature, & cross my fingers. WOW! It took off every trace of what is probably at least half a century of gluten build-up! Now all I have to do is spend a few weeks putting the oily patina back on so everything won't stick to it.

I think I might try the same thing with my cast iron pans... has anybody tried this?

Leah

[eKatherine]

The traditional method of stripping the seasoning from a cast iron pan right down to the metal is to put it into a fire and leave it until the fire burns out. Sounds like you've got it down pat.