A Few Questions

[ptkds]

I have a few questions that I have been curious about and I can't seem to find an answer to.

1. If I buy the Kraft Minute Tapioca, can I use that for Tapioca starch, or are they totally different things?

2. Is pure natural vanilla from Mexico gluten-free?? I have a HUGE bottle and I hate using the "fake" vanilla.

3. When we walk down the cooking isle where all the flour is, will we get glutened?? I know I can smell the flour, but I was just wondering if that is enough to make us sick. We have to go down there, so I don't know how to get around that.

4. Is cream cheese gluten-free?

Thanks for all your help!! I will figure this all out one day, I hope!

ptkds

[lorka150]

I have a few questions that I have been curious about and I can't seem to find an answer to.

1. If I buy the Kraft Minute Tapioca, can I use that for Tapioca starch, or are they totally different things?

2. Is pure natural vanilla from Mexico gluten-free?? I have a HUGE bottle and I hate using the "fake" vanilla.

3. When we walk down the cooking isle where all the flour is, will we get glutened?? I know I can smell the flour, but I was just wondering if that is enough to make us sick. We have to go down there, so I don't know how to get around that.

4. Is cream cheese gluten-free?

Thanks for all your help!! I will figure this all out one day, I hope!

ptkds

1. I am not sure what the sub would be, as I only use Tapioca flour/starch.

2. Does it just say 'vanilla'? I am not sure - they might have added something. Does it list anything?

3. Is it flying around? You have to injest it. I'm sure you're fine. I've never been glutened that way - be careful picking up bags of flour beside gluten ones - sometimes they leak.

4. Yes, but I don't know what brands, as I am casein free.

[GFBetsy]

I have a few questions that I have been curious about and I can't seem to find an answer to.

1. If I buy the Kraft Minute Tapioca, can I use that for Tapioca starch, or are they totally different things?

2. Is pure natural vanilla from Mexico gluten-free?? I have a HUGE bottle and I hate using the "fake" vanilla.

3. When we walk down the cooking isle where all the flour is, will we get glutened?? I know I can smell the flour, but I was just wondering if that is enough to make us sick. We have to go down there, so I don't know how to get around that.

4. Is cream cheese gluten-free?

Thanks for all your help!! I will figure this all out one day, I hope!

ptkds

1. No, Minute Tapioca is not a substitute for tapioca starch. Tapioca starch is a fine white powder, much like cornstarch in texture. Minute tapioca is small granules. It might be possible to grind the minute tapioca in a flour mill in order to make tapioca starch, but I think it would probably be much cheaper to buy the tapioca starch. Check oriental stores for cheap(er) tapioca starch.

2. The vanilla depends on the brand. Just the other day, though, I bought pure vanilla at costco (a Kirkland brand) and it said "gluten free" on the label. You might want to buy some vanilla that you know is gluten free, and give the stuff you are uncertain about to a neighbor or relative.

3. I don't think the smell of baking gluten will make you ill . . . I don't think smells contain proteins. (Someone else jump in and correct me if I'm wrong!)

4. Philadelphia cream cheese is owned by Kraft, which always labels their products clearly with the common names of gluten-containing ingredients. So if it doesn't say it, it doesn't have it. I believe that the Wal-Mart Great Value brand of cream cheese is also labeled as gluten free.

Keep on working at it . . . you'll soon have it all down!