Hi, New To The Disease

[katieanne]

Hi. I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease one week ago. Although my blood tests were normal, my biopsy confirmed Celiac Sprue.

Does anyone know much about cross contamination? My doctor gave me information on the Disease and I have done some internet research, but I didn't really take the subject of cross contamination serious until yesterday.

Since being diagnosed a week ago, I have stuck to a fresh fruit, meat and dairy diet. I haven't really looked for gluten free substitues because I want to get used to life without gluten. Anyways, since starting the diet, I have felt fabulous. This is significant because I have been sick with nausea and vomitting episodes since December. I have been feeling great until last night. I cooked pasta for my boyfriend and stir-fry for myself. Although I tried diligently to keep the food separated, I used the same spoon to stir the boiling pasta and my stir-fry.

Can contact with starchy water be considered cross contamination?

[Lisa]

Hi. I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease one week ago. Although my blood tests were normal, my biopsy confirmed Celiac Sprue.

Does anyone know much about cross contamination? My doctor gave me information on the Disease and I have done some internet research, but I didn't really take the subject of cross contamination serious until yesterday.

Since being diagnosed a week ago, I have stuck to a fresh fruit, meat and dairy diet. I haven't really looked for gluten free substitues because I want to get used to life without gluten. Anyways, since starting the diet, I have felt fabulous. This is significant because I have been sick with nausea and vomitting episodes since December. I have been feeling great until last night. I cooked pasta for my boyfriend and stir-fry for myself. Although I tried diligently to keep the food separated, I used the same spoon to stir the boiling pasta and my stir-fry.

Can contact with starchy water be considered cross contamination?

Absolutely!!!

[katieanne]

Absolutely!!!

Thanks! I guess the severity of this is actually setting in! Sadly, I am an absolute mess in the Kitchen! I am a great cook, but horribly unorganized! I am going to have to change more than my diet!

[Lisa]

Katieanne

I am delinquent in my welcome. There are some wonderful recipes on this site by some of the best cooks I know.

Welcome aboard.

Lisa

[jazminecat]

Thanks! I guess the severity of this is actually setting in! Sadly, I am an absolute mess in the Kitchen! I am a great cook, but horribly unorganized! I am going to have to change more than my diet!

Hi Katie - welcome! Next time, just use Tinkyada pasta for the boyfriend - he'll never know it's gluten free, and you won't have to worry about getting sick. Note too, that if he has eaten gluten, had a beer, had bread, etc, and you kiss, you can get glutened - so make him brush first.

[sfm]

Hi. I was just diagnosed with Celiac Disease one week ago. Although my blood tests were normal, my biopsy confirmed Celiac Sprue.

Does anyone know much about cross contamination? My doctor gave me information on the Disease and I have done some internet research, but I didn't really take the subject of cross contamination serious until yesterday.

Since being diagnosed a week ago, I have stuck to a fresh fruit, meat and dairy diet. I haven't really looked for gluten free substitues because I want to get used to life without gluten. Anyways, since starting the diet, I have felt fabulous. This is significant because I have been sick with nausea and vomitting episodes since December. I have been feeling great until last night. I cooked pasta for my boyfriend and stir-fry for myself. Although I tried diligently to keep the food separated, I used the same spoon to stir the boiling pasta and my stir-fry.

Can contact with starchy water be considered cross contamination?

I once accidentally "glutened" myself by serving my kids some pizza... you know the flour on the bottom of the pizza slice? Well, I ate my own dinner without washing my hands, and got very sick. I didn't realize how careful I had to be! Live and learn, right?

[missy'smom]

Welcome.

I never used to, but sometimes now, I prep like a chef and arrange my ingredients and set out the pans etc. before I get started cooking. It helps when I'm trying new recipies or just absent minded and trying to manage alot of dishes at once. Once in a while I catch myself test tasting(or almost)(with a little dab on my finger) a non gluten free dish that I'm making for my son or husband(this doesn't happen often). I never do this with a spoon. That's too obvious. But my finger slips under the radar!

[hez]

Since I am the cook in the household our dinners are gluten-free. I am very sensitive and need to be careful. So, I do not mess with gluten. You will need to find what works best for you. Make sure you butter tub, mayo and other condiments are not contaminated by gluten. I have my own and just mark it with a sharpie!

Welcome to the board!

Hez

[momagn5]

I have to ask--did you also use one of his pans (a pan that was also used for cooking foods with gluten previously)?

This could also be your culprit!

Our celiac disease support group mentions this every month to those who also just joined our group. Any cooking item that has ever been in touch with gluten could possibly (not necessarily) put you at risk of cross-contamination.

There are ways to get rid of the gluten in them, but when I found out we had 5 cases in our house we tossed everything (cookbooks, plastics, non-sticks, toaster, bread machine, mixer,...) and went strictly gluten-free!!! I don't recommend this for everyone--I seriously freaked and now I'm paying the credit card bill for the spaz attack.

After all this, I found the support group. It was then I learned about substitutions/modifications for recipes (coulda/shoulda kept the old cookbooks with the family favs!), tricks for removing gluten from plastics and non-stick pans (something about a repeated boiling and cooling process), and a special wrapper for breads that can be used in the toaster (repeatedly even!).

Just be careful. Attend a support group if you can, helps you with the tricks of the trade. Also keeps you from going in debt when you don't need to be!

Oh...and yes, Tinkyada is the best!!! My hubby is not celiac disease and even he likes it best! Says you can't tell the difference between Tinkyada and "real" pasta. (He does 99% of the cooking for us and has come up with some delicious stuff!--I am so lucky, and thankful, to have him!)

[gfp]

Thanks! I guess the severity of this is actually setting in! Sadly, I am an absolute mess in the Kitchen! I am a great cook, but horribly unorganized! I am going to have to change more than my diet!

The two often go hand in hand

As for CC... Its a dead cert if you cook gluten... we are all humand and make mistakes and for you and I cooking is a frantic affair of creativity... (I can tell from yourt post ) ....

I can honestly say you'll do it again because you sound so much like me and I tried so hard to do it and failed....

As a illustration of this, I worked on and off in labs all my life... I'm trained and practiced handling dangerous chemicals and I thought if I can do this at work I must surely be able to do it at home... its not the same... I enjoy cooking and it relaxes me...

if I need some therapy its usually in the kitchen... but I cook in semi autonomous mode...

My girlfriend occaisionally cooks but we have gno gluten in the kitchen, nothing to contaminate pans or spoons or get mixed up in the dishwasher.. she has some cereal which she has a special bowl for which is washed with disposable paper towels...

Hope this helps but I think you need to talk hubby into being onboard... for a creative cook like you I doubt it should be difficult...

I agree with your generally stopping away from replacement products... I do the same but I do get gluten-free pasta because its a quick convenient meal and the good stuff with the right sauce can be great but I don't eat it a lot, too expensive for what it is..

Lots of people love coming over for me to cook, its very rare they realise its gluten-free... until they ask for bread or something because there are so many recipees so easily adapted ... I try and stick with cooking good stuff from scratch and then you can control each part...

edits:

In other words if you cook best disorganised... your hubby might prefer the same creative cooking to you compromising on the creativity and making seperate stuff?

[tarnalberry]

Welcome!

That's absolutely a source of contamination. My husband and I have a mostly-gluen-free kitchen. He has some instant oatmeal, granola bars, and bread (not for sandwiches) that he has, but anything cooked in the kitchen is gluten-free, and anything I make (for us, for family, for guests, etc.) is gluten free.

[JNBunnie1]

Yeah, you definitely got glutened (contaminated by gluten) with that spoon honey. Welcome to the club! I used to do that all the time. Now we just use Tinkyada, which is fabulous by the way. DONT try Deboles rice pasta, it's terrible. I usually wait until Stop & Shop has a sale on Tinkyada and buy a bunch. Oh, and did you use soy sauce in the stir fry? Most soy sauce has wheat in it. I just use garlic flavored olive oil spray.