Xanthum Gum

[foodiegurl]

I apologize if this has already been a topic.

I spent a couple of hours this weekend looking at gluten-free cooking books, and so now I realize you need to use this or guar gum as a binder, correct?

The thing is...what I read about xanthum gum, to me seems to be in the same category as an artifical sweetener, as in, is it not natural, and not even definitely safe. Is there an alternative? Is guar gum natural?

Any other thoughts on using xanthum gum? like telling me i am totally off base here

thanks!

anne

[Dyan]

YOu will need something. I have heard of people doubling the amount and using gelatin. I don't know about it's safety but you will only be using 1 or 2 teaspoons.

[Mother of Jibril]

From what I understand, xantham gum and guar gum are interchangable in recipes. Personally, I avoid xantham gum because it's produced using bacteria that are fed corn (ugggghh...). Guar gum is a starch from guar seeds, a naturally-occuring product. I get a little bit in my coconut milk and it doesn't seem to cause any problems. Here's some information about the two additives:

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

[luv2cook]

Personally, I prefer using guar gum in baked goods that rely on leaveners aside from yeast (worked great in some gluten-free cookies), and use xanthan gum in yeast breads and pastries. It's a preference thing for me. A friend of mine uses guar gum in everything, and likes it just fine. Of course, you can use gelatin as a binder too, as previously mentioned.

I feel it's a matter of preference, and some experimenting may help if you're able to do that. I buy my flours in bulk, and have learned a lot from playing with flour and celebrating success and failure in the kitchen.

The opinion also varies from author to author. Some books I've seen recommend that the

gums are interchangable and others do not recommend it.