New Celiac ( I Think ) Need Help!

[thecookingnerd607]

Alright Im struggling with some items

Should I be concerned with high quality olive oils?

Fresh cheeses? proccessed cheeses? helluva' good cheeses?

I dont drink much soda, but I love root beer. gluten-free soda?

Mayo, condiments?

Cocoa mixes?

What are items I shouldnt be concerned about?

My gluten-free (Edit: Har har, supposed to be girlfriend. Not gluten free) and a friend had some cocoa the other night, they used coffee mugs that I use also, A thourough cleaning should be fine?

Im ocd when it comes to cleaning stuff..... I would assume I cleaned my plates, bowls, and mugs well enough?

Lastly, I do have a stand mixer I use for mixing things. It was used to mix stuff w/ gluten. I have scoured my steel bowl very heavily. I would assume its ok? (Also cleaned attatchments etc)

Hopefully I will make a list of gluten-free items I need to keep about for cooking. This will make my shopping so much easier!

Sorry for the disorganized posts, I was out bowling all night! (woohoo)

[NoGluGirl]

Ugh, another 11 hour night of sleep. Still tired NoGluGirl, As far as the chinese good goes, if you miss it alot make some! A decent round bottom wok can be had for $20. Get yourself some gluten-free tamari sauce, sesame oil, and your ingredients.. I make huge batchs of diffrent dishes and freeze them for later. So far its working very well. I dont miss fast food. Havent had it in 4 years or so. Speaking of quick meals, Its probabbly time I buy a microwave Yep, Im the one insane american who doesnt own a microwave. Now that I thought of the gluten being in fresh meats. Most bulk boxes of chicken and pork have the meat resting in a water solution. As for beef products that are whole, and not processed I have never seen a water brine. They are usually cryo-vac'd. I used to purchase all my meats from large food vendors in bulk. I think Ill be doing that again.

Heh, I remember a few weeks ago when I started giving stuff away I wouldnt be using. I gave away about 25# of diffrent flours, cookie mixes, bread mixes, etc. etc. My friends were happy My task next week..... gluten free corndogs! Hrm, Im also going to need a new fish breading... I used to use crushed up frosted flakes.. sounds weird.. but it was yummy.

Emcolby: My gi doc, or my general doc. Didnt know much about celiac either.

Do we have any conventions or get togethers? where ideas / recipes are swapped? food is shared? Id love to go to something like this.

Dear thecookingnerd607,

I have some stuff for Chinese food. The trouble is I do not have everything. I am going all out! I am going to make Spring Rolls, Rangoon (both Crabmeat and Shrimp!) maybe some Dan-Dan noodles, wontons, wonton soup, almond cookies, rice, rice threads, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Lemon Chicken, Orange Glazed Chicken with Bean Curd and Vegetables, and let's not forget some other things! I also am working on Chocolate Chip Cookies and Ultimate Iced Brownies. I know I can do this!

I have a wok, but my brother might have ruined it, and I cannot afford another. I hope to God I can just thoroughly clean it and be okay. He is so annoying, as is the rest of my family. They do not take my disease seriously and they just stick things wherever. The gift wrapping ribbon was on the dining room table (which is covered in crumbs from gluten galore!) and he just stuck it in my wok! It has not been seasoned yet. It has only been used once so far for gluten free food. I am stuck living with my parents due to my poor health, and cannot work a regular job. I am trying to start a company, but I have not had a lot going yet. I was defrauded and lost everything and had to start all over.

I have spent the last eight months obsessively cleaning and cooking most of the day. That has got to stop! I am too tired to do anything else! I am going to start cooking all of my meals one day a week for several hours. I can do the prep before hand. That should make things much easier. I love those Ziploc containers! They are inexpensive, and they stack well. Plus, they are dishwasher safe!

As far as cheeses and stuff goes, be careful! The only things you do not have to worry about are fresh fruits, fresh veggies, and that is about it. Gluten can be put in anything! It sucks because it makes you feel paranoid. However, it is better to be safe than sorry. If you have a violent reaction like I do, you would prefer to avoid any contact whatsoever with the stuff.

Cookware is something you have to consider very often. Appliances are as well. If you cleaned your appliance and its attachments thoroughly enough, it might be safe to use. Honestly, it varies upon what material it is made of. How much it was used is also important. I won't use anything unless I know it has been at the very least thoroughly cleaned and it is not scratched up.

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

P.S. I tend to be obsessive compulsive about cleaning things as well.

[AndreaB]

The stainless steel bowl and attachments should be fine after a thorough cleaning.

I have a Bosch mixer that has a plastic type bowl and I cleaned it and it is just fine. It wasn't scratched up though.

As far as I know fresh meats are safe. That's what I've read elsewhere anyway. Prepackaged stuff like turkey or chicken may have maltodextrin or other things like self basting ingredients you need to watch for. Whole plain fryers (and various parts), beef, fish should be fine.

Most of your cheeses should be ok as well. There was a thread floating around at some time that was talking about the cheeses such as blue cheese. May or may not be safe. Cheddar, monterey...those type should be fine.

You need to watch deli meat because it may be cross contaminated, as well as deli cheese.

Your plates, mugs etc should be ok if they are not plastic.

I'm not sure about the pop but I think it is ok. If it's caramel color you are concerned about that should be safe. You may want to call the company and check though.

Condiments should be fine unless they have gluten ingredients in them. Vinegar is not a problem.

I haven't heard of a problem with cocoa. Just get in the habit of reading labels and you should be ok.

Everyone is different as far as cross contamination levels that bother them so that will be trial and error. If you run across a product that bothers you, don't eat it again. Many things are run on the same lines as gluten foods. Even though a thorough cleaning is done before a gluten free run, the beginning of the batch (and we don't know what packages those are) have cc issues and you can get sick.

Olive oil should be fine as well. The only thing I've heard with that is that some of them have hidden soy oil in them. Don't know which brands or anything though.

If I missed anything be sure to ask again. I don't have all the answers and sometimes you'll find them by searching the board or asking questions by posting another topic such as "which foods are safe....?"

[Karen B.]

----snip----

I have a wok, but my brother might have ruined it, and I cannot afford another. I hope to God I can just thoroughly clean it and be okay. He is so annoying, as is the rest of my family. They do not take my disease seriously and they just stick things wherever. The gift wrapping ribbon was on the dining room table (which is covered in crumbs from gluten galore!) and he just stuck it in my wok! It has not been seasoned yet. It has only been used once so far for gluten free food. I am stuck living with my parents due to my poor health, and cannot work a regular job. I am trying to start a company, but I have not had a lot going yet. I was defrauded and lost everything and had to start all over.

----snip----

What's your wok made of? If it's cast iron, reseasoning it is not that bad. If cast aluminum, I think a good scrubbing should work. I have a wok but I generally stir fry in my stainless steel skillet. Not traditional but it works.

[Karen B.]

Have any of you found that going gluten-free is like learning to drive? At first you worry about everything and gradually you exhaust your worry muscles and learn to relax about a lot of it? Especially now that labeling is better.

Relaxed doesn't equal careless but as you get to know more about what to worry about, you also learn more about what not to worry about. It really does get better, something I wasn't sure I believed in that first year.

[NoGluGirl]

What's your wok made of? If it's cast iron, reseasoning it is not that bad. If cast aluminum, I think a good scrubbing should work. I have a wok but I generally stir fry in my stainless steel skillet. Not traditional but it works.

Dear Karen,

My wok is carbon steel. I had not seasoned it just yet. It should be alright. I just need to know if Brillo pads are safe. I cannot find anything on their site. Thanks for the information! Now I am less freaked out!

I am certainly obsessive-compulsive about gluten. I am scared to death of it. I have a very violent reaction. I avoid it at all costs! By the way, skillets are great substitutes for woks, actually. They can be used for stir fries as well as a wok. Honestly, though, the wok is probably the most versatile piece you could buy!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[thecookingnerd607]

Dear Karen,

My wok is carbon steel. I had not seasoned it just yet. It should be alright. I just need to know if Brillo pads are safe. I cannot find anything on their site. Thanks for the information! Now I am less freaked out!

I am certainly obsessive-compulsive about gluten. I am scared to death of it. I have a very violent reaction. I avoid it at all costs! By the way, skillets are great substitutes for woks, actually. They can be used for stir fries as well as a wok. Honestly, though, the wok is probably the most versatile piece you could buy!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

Carbon steel wok is great, Ive got a hammered wok Ive made omelletes in it before. I would just use a fine steel wool and hot running water to wash it. If you have a gas stove available burning a high temp oil on the wok is the best seasoning method. Otherwise a few hours in an oven with oil rubbed on it often is good too.

[NoGluGirl]

Carbon steel wok is great, Ive got a hammered wok Ive made omelletes in it before. I would just use a fine steel wool and hot running water to wash it. If you have a gas stove available burning a high temp oil on the wok is the best seasoning method. Otherwise a few hours in an oven with oil rubbed on it often is good too.

Dear the cookingnerd607,

I wish I had a hammered wok, too! However, the one I got is pretty nice, but it has no lid. I really need a lid for when I steam dim sum. You can use woks for omelettes, crepes, and many other things! They are wonderfully versatile. I need to find a plain steel wool pad somewhere. I do have a gas stove, so I will season it that way. What oil would you recommend? I hear peanut oil is widely used, but I have heard many use soybean oil. Canola is another favorite. Which oil did you use to season yours?

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[thecookingnerd607]

Peanut oil. To clean a wok you can use a bamboo whisk or a plain old sponge. Never anything abraisive or any soaps.

Dear the cookingnerd607,

I wish I had a hammered wok, too! However, the one I got is pretty nice, but it has no lid. I really need a lid for when I steam dim sum. You can use woks for omelettes, crepes, and many other things! They are wonderfully versatile. I need to find a plain steel wool pad somewhere. I do have a gas stove, so I will season it that way. What oil would you recommend? I hear peanut oil is widely used, but I have heard many use soybean oil. Canola is another favorite. Which oil did you use to season yours?

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl

[NoGluGirl]

Peanut oil. To clean a wok you can use a bamboo whisk or a plain old sponge. Never anything abraisive or any soaps.

Dear thecookingnerd607,

I thought that is what you are supposed to use. Dad said that he used peanut oil on ours. I knew you could not use anything abrasive to clean it. That would be disastrous! Thanks for the info!

Sincerely,

NoGluGirl