How Careful Do You Need To Be In The Kitchen?

[LoriG]

I am the only gluten-free person in the house. Right now we share pots/pans/cooking utensils/colanders. I have my own toaster and use a cutting board that is washed in the dishwasher. Everything is washed there really! Can gluten hang onto these utensils? How do I make my kitchen safe?

[nmw]

Your own toaster and cutting board are a good start. You must have your own colander. You should have your own pots, frying pan and cooking utensils if you are using non-stick pans and plastic utensils. Gluten is tenacious and hides in the small scratches in these items. In addition, it is desireable, if room allows, to have your own prep and storage areas for gluten-free food.

[kenlove]

I second nmw's comment. Cross contamination can be a major issue. My wife has pretty much given up on making anything with gluten although she will have her own noodles at time which she makes in her own pot and uses different spoons etc. If she makes them at the same time she will even put a barrier between the burners so no water splashes between the pans. If it does, I know within minutes and usually cant eat then or break out with dh. She has been looking for a gluten-free pasta that she likes. Also she no longer bakes with any gluten flours. She's been putting up with me for 32 years so I guess this is just something else she's had to contend with. it's pretty obvious that not all spouses are as understanding as she is but its important they learn to be. I'm convinced that it can only help them and their health to be gluten-free as well.

Ken

I am the only gluten-free person in the house. Right now we share pots/pans/cooking utensils/colanders. I have my own toaster and use a cutting board that is washed in the dishwasher. Everything is washed there really! Can gluten hang onto these utensils? How do I make my kitchen safe?

[Lisa]

I am the only gluten-free person in the house. Right now we share pots/pans/cooking utensils/colanders. I have my own toaster and use a cutting board that is washed in the dishwasher. Everything is washed there really! Can gluten hang onto these utensils? How do I make my kitchen safe?

Hey Lori,

I too am the only gluten free person in the house. My daughter pops in for lunch many days and my husband loves his french bread. They are very careful of their crumbs and do the best they can for me. If my husband wants dinner, it is gluten free. My kitchen is 95% gluten free.

I have my own colander and I have no wooded spoons. Your pots and pans should have no scratches where gluten can hide. A good wash or run in the dishwasher seems to work well for me.

I also keep my rices, flours, pastas, etc in a Tupperware container and they stack in my pantry.

If I do have a "community" condiment (I try to get squeeze condiments), I put a dot-sticker on the jar and my family knows not to double dip. That's mostly for large jars of mayo that I use for salads.

Sounds like you are doing a great job so far.

[LoriG]

Hey Lori,

I too am the only gluten free person in the house. My daughter pops in for lunch many days and my husband loves his french bread. They are very careful of their crumbs and do the best they can for me. If my husband wants dinner, it is gluten free. My kitchen is 95% gluten free.

I have my own colander and I have no wooded spoons. Your pots and pans should have no scratches where gluten can hide. A good wash or run in the dishwasher seems to work well for me.

I also keep my rices, flours, pastas, etc in a Tupperware container and they stack in my pantry.

If I do have a "community" condiment (I try to get squeeze condiments), I put a dot-sticker on the jar and my family knows not to double dip. That's mostly for large jars of mayo that I use for salads.

Sounds like you are doing a great job so far.

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I am really not getting better all that fast and decided I really need to start paying attention to the small details like the kitchen and soaps/shampoos etc. I am afraid I am making mistakes and don't know where! I didn't think about the colander. Doesn't the dishwasher clean that spotless? How can gluten hang around on plastic things? I get the pots with scratches, but not the other stuff. I usually like to know the "why" behind things.

[kenlove]

Hi, I wouldn't say we have to look at things on the molecular level but there are many ways you could suffer from cross contamination.

There are a lot of variables too. I'm still extremely sensitive to any gluten after being diagnosed in 06. paying attention to the small details pays off in less problems and accidental glutenings. Our dishwasher no matter how careful we pre-wash, does not get all the holes of the colander. So we have 3 of them. Even a trace amount of a noodle can cause problems for me. Any crumbs left on the counter that might get into something I use can cause troubles, so we eliminate the problem with no more breads. Another often over looked issue is licking envelops. Not everything is in the kitchen. Took me a few months and help from forum members to find out that I was getting sick from paying bills. Literally and figuratively! I've not had trouble with shampoo and toothpaste but only because we threw out the ones that mentioned wheat and oats on the labels. Having a 100% gluten-free kitchen for me and 90% for my wife has helped a lot. There is no more flour or grains in the house that can cause me trouble once they get into the air.

Good luck

ken

Thank you for all of the suggestions. I am really not getting better all that fast and decided I really need to start paying attention to the small details like the kitchen and soaps/shampoos etc. I am afraid I am making mistakes and don't know where! I didn't think about the colander. Doesn't the dishwasher clean that spotless? How can gluten hang around on plastic things? I get the pots with scratches, but not the other stuff. I usually like to know the "why" behind things.