Are You Serious

[bakingbarb]

Of course this is still very new for me and I still struggle with the whole thing and it's impact on my life. I have adjusted to thinking before I eat anything and my baking is still minimal. My name is bakingbarb and this isn't helping any. I am angry at life for this one, sorta. I feel better and I never ever forget that. But here is the thing and it is two different but related things....

My goal in life has always been to open a cafe, not a gluten free cafe. Yes I know there are gluten-free cafes but lets face it, that wasn't my goal. There are pastries that I have always made that cannot be made gluten free, it just isn't going to happen.

So on one hand I am ever thankful that I found out about this and for once I actually feel so much better (although I am still a bit tired and know that total healing isn't overnight), but on the other hand it is bittersweet.

Second thing is I keep reading on here, wooden spoons, cast iron skillets, new cookware. ARE YOU SERIOUS. Can you please explain to me with proof why on earth I would need to replace a cast iron skillet. There are ways to clean the damn things so that nothing is left on them and I find it hard to believe there is any flour in the cervices. So where is the proof because if you think the above stuff annoyed me this one really gets me. I require facts here and I am not seeing any. I guess why this gets me annoyed is because it is some what like getting a crowd worked up over something with half truth. You need to retire your cookware because you can get cc's. Really, prove it too me please.

Not trying to be argumentive, you can ask anyone that knows anything about me this is how I treat any food "fact".

[Jestgar]

Second thing is I keep reading on here, wooden spoons, cast iron skillets, new cookware. ARE YOU SERIOUS. Can you please explain to me with proof why on earth I would need to replace a cast iron skillet. There are ways to clean the damn things so that nothing is left on them and I find it hard to believe there is any flour in the cervices. So where is the proof because if you think the above stuff annoyed me this one really gets me. I require facts here and I am not seeing any. I guess why this gets me annoyed is because it is some what like getting a crowd worked up over something with half truth. You need to retire your cookware because you can get cc's. Really, prove it too me please.

Not trying to be argumentive, you can ask anyone that knows anything about me this is how I treat any food "fact".

Don't change anything and see if you get sick.

[Mango04]

You don't HAVE to do anything based on what you read here. People just post their personal experiences, and a lot of people don't heal completely until they rid themselves of all possible cc sources.

You can always try not replacing your cookware. If, after several months you are not better, you can then consider taking more extreme measures.

This is all just my opinion.

There is scientific proof (studies you should be able to find on this website) showing that it only takes a very minute crumb of gluten to harm a celiac.

I hope you find what works for you.

[Mango04]

Don't change anything and see if you get sick.

That's basically a much better way to saying what I was trying to say

[bakingbarb]

Don't change anything and see if you get sick.

Ya know what, you made me lol. What better advice is there.

[Jestgar]

I didn't believe either, until I realized my old pasta pot was making me sick.

I suppose eventually everything will cook out anyway, so if you really love your cookware, keep trying. It may be clean by the time you're done testing.

[kabowman]

Hey, I didn't change anything until I kept getting sick and was able to pinpoint the problem to specific pots and it cleared up when I changed. I had a very miserable camping vacation getting sick every night and spending it in the port-a-pottie before realizing it was my old non-stick skillet that we were using and realizing that was the problem.

I did change all wooden utensils and have a dedicated wood cutting board in the beginning though...

I also didn't clean the counter, almost compulsively now, until after getting sick on a crumb in the beginning. I thought it was crazy but hey, do what you gotta do.

[mamaw]

I scrub counters & floors then I use a germicide on them. I for one did not throw out my cookware. I had stainless steel so I cleaned & scrubbed them then I got out my hugh canning pot & boiled the hell out of them...my family thought I was crazy but it saved me alot of cash & I haven't gotten sick..

I did buy new wooden spoons & plastic measuring spoons & cups...

I think the cc issue depends on how sensitive you are to gluten.. .. what makes some sick may never effect the next person & vice virsa....And most of all it is a choice each one of us has to make......

mamaw

[DingoGirl]

Barb,

We NEED a great gluten-free pastry chef!!!!!!!!!!! You'll do it, I KNOW you will!

I didn't change any cookware at all, just scrubbed and scrubbed, and never got sick from it. Even my colander - it was my grandmother's! I put that in a pot, scrubbed the heck out of it w/ a bristled brush, ran it through dw - never sick.

I am of the opinion that you CAN keep your cast iron skillet, but others don't agree. Jess's advice is good - keep using everything unless you notice problems.

However, one thing to think about is sharing that cookware w/ family members - you should really have your own certain pots and pans (I have ridges in my non-stick cookware, that stuff can harbor gluten). I live alone, so never had to consider any of that, but others do. Also - have a separate toaster - it's just much safer.

After you get over the shock and grief.....you'll have SO much fun realizing what you can bake that tastes really good.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... one thing to think about is sharing that cookware w/ family members - you should really have your own certain pots and pans (I have ridges in my non-stick cookware, that stuff can harbor gluten). I live alone, so never had to consider any of that, but others do. Also - have a separate toaster - it's just much safer.

I'm still glutening up for my blood tests, so cannot offer any personal experience here. But I think Susie has gotten to the heart of the matter. It seems like it should be possible to clean the heck (and the gluten!) out of just about anything -- ONCE. But who's gonna do it every single time? Not me, that's for sure.

So a reasonable approach might be this:

1. Anything that's ever been used for gluten, clean it REALLY thoroughly.

2. Anything that's a pain to clean REALLY thoroughly, either give it to the gluten eaters in your household, or keep it strictly for yourself -- don't share it.

3. Then see if you get sick!

The alternative, of course, would be that right after Step 1, the whole household goes gluten-free (at least at home).

[JNBunnie1]

Barb, if you want osme encouragement in gluten-free baking, check out GlutenFreeGirl's blogspot, just google glutenfreegirl. She even has a book out now, I love her. She makes cooking so much fun.

[bakingbarb]

You guys/gals are the best. I was ranting really and worried that I would make someone upset.

I guess this whole thing I just am having a much harder time dealing then I thought I would.

I scrubbed my pots with steel wool, my cast iron I cleaned (salt, oil, burning sorta, it kills it all and keeps it seasoned).

I guess I pretty much know what my stuff cooked because I am the only one that really cooks. But it all seems so much that I just am losing my mind over some of this.

The pastry part, It is all I ever wanted to do and I was planning for the next five years and that was in the plans. I was reminded of it this week and it sent me in a spin. I sell cheesecakes and make other pastries for what ever the occasion. My friends know I want to own a cafe so we were having a conversation about where I should do it at. I pointed out that I wasn't sure I wanted to bake for other people any more since I can't eat it and I didn't know if a gluten-free cafe would be a hit in the area. Of course area is subjective. So they pointed out some of my pastries that are favs and said I should do it anways. I honestly miss baking this type of stuff. It is in my heart and soul. Yes I am sure I could do a gluten-free cafe but my heart and soul isn't there yet.

So I am way down over this and then I started reading, get rid of this and that and it was like wow.

It has ruined my eating out with my best friend (my other half) and he is having a hard time also because it was what we did. Check out other peoples cafes and small time brewers and small cafes and resturants. We have thing on myspace just about traveling and eating out (although I get lazy and let it slide). We have a friend that has a small brewery, what do I do now, never go see him? The air is thick with the smell of grain there. We only get to see him there because he works so much and it is atmosphere too. So this is affecting a lot more then just my physical health. I cried again today because of this. ARGH I am not a cryer normally. I am trying to lol as much as possible because that helps.

[DingoGirl]

Oh Barb....this is even harder on someone like you. I know I grieved heavily - I detest baking, but I was a major foodie, lived in Monterey for seven years, worked in the wine industry for four of those, and ate out from one to three times a week, or more, and a few times at some of the country's finest restaurants. I am able to eat out again, have not had problems at all and it makes me SO happy. But that's another story, and something you'll get to.

One thing I want to say - the smell of grain in the air would not stop me from visiting a friend who owns a brewery (bring your own wine or gluten-free beer to have a toast?). There have been people who've said just the smell of gluten can sicken them, I wonder perhaps if that's psychological? - but I"ve walked into bakeries and never had a problem. Go there and visit, see how you feel.

You need to grieve this for a while....and then come up with your plan. I can see you developing, maybe, a STEALTH gluten-free cafe or bakery......just inventing things that are so incredibly delicious, no one can even discern there is no gluten. I have had some outstanding baked goods that knocked my socks off! It can be done....it'll just be a little trickier. But, the point is, removing gluten from even non-affected people's diets IS healthier for them - it could really catch on. If something's delicious, people will eat it - no matter what it contains or doesn't contain.

Just take ONE day at a time for now, and feel your way.

Rant and vent any time you want - that's what we're here for.

[gfpaperdoll]

re cafe, well you will have to check out some gluten-free places, there is an Australian place that opened recently in San Antonio, TX then there is the Wild Wood Art Cafe in Austin,TX, just a couple I am aware of. You do not have to advertise to the mainstream that it is gluten-free. I smile at Pei Wei all the time, I am sure that no one knows that the breaded meat is coated in potato flour . !!!

I have not been to any NY gluten-free bakeries but I hear that they are divine... There is a place in South Lake Tahoe, called Freshies, they do fish & chips, everything is gluten-free...

Also, do not know if you know this yet, but if you continue to cook with wheat flour it will make you sick, from breathing it in. But don't take my word for it, you can find out for yourself.

same thing with the cast iron skillet, I am from the South, so a skillet is about as prized as one of the kids, it took me over 2 years to finally get rid of mine... & I never cooked that much wheat stuff in it either & it is just me, & was wheat lite for 10 years before I found out about gluten. but you know I got sick just one too many times from cooking spaghetti sauce or something in it - no pasta, I was eating it over rice, or a stir fry, nothing like cooking a nice safe home cooked meal & then feel like hugging the bathroom tiles... I also noticed that I was not cooking in it, even before I threw it out, I would choose one of my two stainless steel skillets. So I would say, don't sweat it, you will get there when you get there, & then again, your skillet might not cause you a problem...

re baking have you thought about going more into the candies??? also, there are a lot of yummy things that can be made gluten-free, lemon bars, cheese cake, tarts, cookies, cookies, cookies, decorated cookies, cupcakes, cakes, oh my I make a fabulous gluten-free carrot cake with butter cream icing that my office raves over, wishing you success in whatever area you head into. Maybe this is something that is meant to be to guide you in a direction that will see you very successful, the good things never come about effortlessly...

[Matilda]

...

[Glutenfreefamily]

Do not let a thing like this ruin your dreams, when your handed lemons make lemonade. I love decorating professional cakes in my home for local customers. It was very hard for me to adapt to it and I struggled to find good recipes and Im still working on some but I changed my business. I dedicate to allergy, gluten free, and organic cakes. Surprisingly with my cards at local health food stores my business tripled. I did lose some customers since I had to charge a bit more for my products due to my increase in cost but it is possible. If that is your dream do it. There is a cafe and bakery out of plano texas another poster here has brought my attention to that is dedicated to gluten free.

I know the cost of replacing items sucks, but you feeling good and your health is worth how much?? It should be worth more than a few measly things.

[dandelionmom]

I didn't believe it either at first. I thought it was too extreme. Until I made my baby sick with a stupid wooden spatula. She's a total creature of habit and has to eat the same things for every meal so there were no other variables. The day I used the wooden spatula for her eggs is the day she got sick.

[cyberprof]

You guys/gals are the best. I was ranting really and worried that I would make someone upset.

I guess this whole thing I just am having a much harder time dealing then I thought I would.

I scrubbed my pots with steel wool, my cast iron I cleaned (salt, oil, burning sorta, it kills it all and keeps it seasoned).

I guess I pretty much know what my stuff cooked because I am the only one that really cooks. But it all seems so much that I just am losing my mind over some of this.

The pastry part, It is all I ever wanted to do and I was planning for the next five years and that was in the plans. I was reminded of it this week and it sent me in a spin. I sell cheesecakes and make other pastries for what ever the occasion. My friends know I want to own a cafe so we were having a conversation about where I should do it at. I pointed out that I wasn't sure I wanted to bake for other people any more since I can't eat it and I didn't know if a gluten-free cafe would be a hit in the area. Of course area is subjective. So they pointed out some of my pastries that are favs and said I should do it anways. I honestly miss baking this type of stuff. It is in my heart and soul. Yes I am sure I could do a gluten-free cafe but my heart and soul isn't there yet.

So I am way down over this and then I started reading, get rid of this and that and it was like wow.

It has ruined my eating out with my best friend (my other half) and he is having a hard time also because it was what we did. Check out other peoples cafes and small time brewers and small cafes and resturants. We have thing on myspace just about traveling and eating out (although I get lazy and let it slide). We have a friend that has a small brewery, what do I do now, never go see him? The air is thick with the smell of grain there. We only get to see him there because he works so much and it is atmosphere too. So this is affecting a lot more then just my physical health. I cried again today because of this. ARGH I am not a cryer normally. I am trying to lol as much as possible because that helps.

Barb,

Hang in there!

I just want to say (can't help it) that if you are anywhere near Seattle, we could REALLY use a good gluten free bakery. Not to insult anyone but the two I've tried are pretty poor. I have baked with recipies from this site, from gluten free girl's blog (she's from Seattle too) Open Original Shared Link and from gluten free goddess's site Open Original Shared Link and I have to say my attempts were ten times better than what I bought.

Gluten Free Goddess has a recipe for carrot cake that is totally as good as any gluten-filled one. My kids and hubby adore her gluten-free brownies and say that they're better than my pre-diagnosis homemade brownies. They BEG for them. And I'm by not a pro.

Of course, I am not trying to tell you what to do but if you decide to open a bakery, I'll be the first in line! And if you read gluten free girl's blog as I have it might help you find some joy in the gluten-free cooking world.

Good luck!

[Joss]

Barb you made it sound that it was all our fault and we were making it even more difficult than it needs to be. I think you need to realise that this is a normal part of a grieving process, so don't worry and don't apologise. Just be thankful that there IS a place where you can scream and most people, but not me, will not mention it. The only reason I mentioned it is so you understand that I too feel this way. I am on such a steep learing curve. My naturopath put me on a gluten-free diet, as did my doctor, but until I came here a couple of weeks ago I had no idea that I was doing things so wrong. Doctors just say stop eating grains and leave it at that. I was shocked when I realised that I actually have never been gluten free. I didn't realise that I had to worry about minute traces of gluten. I still used the same toaster and often used the same knife. I used a BBQ sauce too that listed gluten in its ingredients and I never washed my hands well after giving my cat her biscuits. I find it scary too. Luckily for me I have my own set of cookware as I am vegan. I also have my own kitchen space too.

Now it is your choice whether you follow any advice on the matter. Heck nobody, not even your doctor, can make you follow a gluten free diet, or take extreme precautions. There are time when I get really defiant and eat bread. However I don't whinge and whine about the pain I feel after doing this. I just think about what a silly thing it was to do and I don't readily do it again for sometime. Now I am at the stage where I am ready to accept that I cannot do this again ever.

Whenever I bake I get a lot of flour all over the place and I guess I breathe a lot in too. You can try baking and see if this affects you. If it does then you might consider writing a book instead, or paying someone else to help you in your endeavours. Are there any face masks you can use to avoid this? What price are you willing to pay to acheive your dream?

You need to give this careful consideration. It's your life and only you can decide what to do.

Here in Australia, I ordered a toasta bag that I can use in our toaster. I don't have enough room to have a separate one, so for me this is the best option. I don't eat a lot of bread and I can only stand gluten-free bread if its toasted

Joss

[tarnalberry]

I guess this whole thing I just am having a much harder time dealing then I thought I would.

I scrubbed my pots with steel wool, my cast iron I cleaned (salt, oil, burning sorta, it kills it all and keeps it seasoned).

gluten isn't a microorganism that can be 'killed'. it is a very sturdy, large molecule which has been shown to survive temperatures upwards of 600F. that is one of the reasons why people often recommend replacing cast iron, because it is not a smooth surface that can be uniformly cleaned and high temperature cannot breakdown the molecule (not something achievable by conventional means, anyway). but it is, as always, your call.

[mommida]

Getting diagnosed Celiac changes your life.

You find out who your friends are.

You find out who you are. Can you take someones's advice and act on it? OR Do you have to learn by your mistakes?

There are stories out there about the gluten free eateries. Customers so happy, they cry. Families being able to go out to a safe place to celebrate, and not end up sick.

If you were a good baker before, you will be a good gluten free baker too. It will take some time and some very serious flops, but you will learn how to make "masterpieces" again.

I think everyone can remember thinking "these people" on this forum.....

to find out "my people" on my Celiac Forum....

L.

[Carol the Dabbler]

... if you continue to cook with wheat flour it will make you sick, from breathing it in.

All I know is what I've read, but apparently some celiacs (even professional bakers) can bake with wheat flour with no problem. The place where I read that didn't mention any special precautions (like dust masks) either. But everybody's different, and I've also heard of some celiacs who can't even be in the same *room* where somebody else is baking with wheat flour, without getting really sick. My inclination would be to err on the side of caution -- stay completely away from the stuff till you're completely healed. Then you can either experiment on purpose, or just see what types of accidental exposures it takes to set you off.

I can see you developing, maybe, a STEALTH gluten-free cafe or bakery......just inventing things that are so incredibly delicious, no one can even discern there is no gluten.

Hey, if I heard (five years from now) that someone had been running a gluten-free bakery in my town for the past five years, but they didn't tell anyone it was gluten-free for fear of turning off the non-celiacs -- I'd be pretty steamed, let me tell you! I mean, I could have been eating their stuff all along, but here I've been avoiding it because I didn't know!

I'd agree that it would be a bad move to call it "The Gluten-Free Bakery" or even to put up a huge gluten-free sign. BUT it's only fair to your fellow celiacs to let them know! So put up a discrete-yet-highly-visible sign saying something like "ask about our gluten-free products."

... there are a lot of yummy things that can be made gluten-free, lemon bars, cheese cake, tarts, cookies, cookies, cookies, decorated cookies, cupcakes, cakes, oh my I make a fabulous gluten-free carrot cake with butter cream icing that my office raves over...

I agree -- stick with (or at least start with) specialty items. If you try for gluten-free cream horns, you're fighting a real uphill battle. But people are already used to a less-gluten-dependent texture in a lot of things (dare I mention brownies!?), so start with those and branch out from there.

[lonewolf]

I just want to say (can't help it) that if you are anywhere near Seattle, we could REALLY use a good gluten free bakery. Not to insult anyone but the two I've tried are pretty poor.

Cyberprof - I think we've been to the same places. People rave about the food from them, but I thought everything tasted like the "flops" that I used to throw away. If only I had business sense and a bit bigger reperatoire of items, I'd open a bakery. I think Barb is from Texas, but maybe she'd like to move here...?

[JNBunnie1]

Cyberprof - I think we've been to the same places. People rave about the food from them, but I thought everything tasted like the "flops" that I used to throw away. If only I had business sense and a bit bigger reperatoire of items, I'd open a bakery. I think Barb is from Texas, but maybe she'd like to move here...?

Speaking of which, I read about a restaurant that's completly gluten-free in Texas, maybe you should Google it Barb. I told my boyfriend our next vacation is in Texas. Maybe it will help give you some hope!

[cyberprof]

Cyberprof - I think we've been to the same places. People rave about the food from them, but I thought everything tasted like the "flops" that I used to throw away. If only I had business sense and a bit bigger reperatoire of items, I'd open a bakery. I think Barb is from Texas, but maybe she'd like to move here...?

Baking Barb IS from the Pacific Northwest, from her location profile. So, Lonewolf, maybe we'll get lucky and she'll start a bakery in/near Seattle!