My Parents Are Asking How To Prepare gluten-free Meals...

[GlutenGalAZ]

Hi. I feel silly asking this question due to the length of time I have been gluten free so far but I haven't really eaten at other peoples homes yet.

My parents are in the process of moving to the same city my husband and I live and would like to have us over for lunch and dinners instead of always eating at our house.

They were asking me about using their pots and pans since they are newer and haven't really been used that much here yet. I am not that familiar with eating at other peoples houses and using their cookware. My husband and I have a set of pots/pans that we use for gluten free stuff then a couple of pots that he can use for whatever he wants that are his since he is not gluten free.

I do know about cutting boards, wooden spoons but not as familiar with pots/pans.

For Example: My Dad was asking if he were to cook sausage in a pan and wash it really good can they use that pan to cook something gluten free in later?

My mom said that she got a set of cookie sheets that she is going to keep in a separate cabinet away from everything and if needed will get a pot and pan to keep to the side too. My husband and I have offered to just bring out pot/pan over when we are going to eat there but just wanted to get some input from you guys on what you do.

If anyone can help with the following:

1.) Pots/Pans

2.) BBQ's

Pointers??

Thank you!!!

[heatherjane]

I've only been gluten-free for a few months, but I know you need to be careful about scratched pots/pans that may have absorbed gluten. I visited my parents recently and they actually ended up going to Big Lots and bought a cheap cookware set that they use only for me when I'm at their house. That way, I don't have to stress about what they're using to cook my food, and I don't have the hassle of having to bring my own stuff.

I'm not 100% sure about BBQs, but at least make sure the grill is scrubbed / cleaned thoroughly. Obviously you would want to keep your food separate on one side if necessary, depending on what you're grilling. (My parents like to grill a lot of marinated chicken, which you don't always know what can be in the marinade.)

I'm sure you know about toasters, too. When I'm at their house, I just toast my gluten-free bread on a cookie sheet under the broiler.

Hope that helps some.

[Takala]

Some charcoal has gluten in it.

[GlutenGalAZ]

Thanks for the replies.

They are moving about 15 minutes away from us so it would be meals like Tacos, Different Meats (steak, hamburgers or chicken) Rice, Fries etc.... They do check everything with us in recipes and ask us how we make our meals so that is great.

With Pans (not the black non stick ones) is it pretty much if there is no residue of what was cooked in it (cleaned very well) then it is safe to use? I know the non stick ones are really iffy b/c if they get scratched then gluten can imbed in the scratch.

The BBQ would be propane. We normally put our own sauce on the meat after it is cooked and buns don't normally go on the grill. But wasn't sure if there was anything anyone has experienced to give a heads up on.

Thanks again for any input/pointers on cooking.

[Wenmin]

Barbeques are usually O.K. as long as the meats and sauce are gluten free: chicken marinated in Italian salad dressing with seasoning, chops,and ribs. Oscar Mayer beef hot dogs and Hilshire Farm beef smoked sausage are both gluten free. Barbeque sauce Cattleman's.

My parents cook for the whole family every weekend. I am the only celiac in the family. They usually try to make something I can have. If they make meatloaf, they take a small portion out for me before adding the bread crumbs. They bake this in a small disposable pan. Gumbo, they take a small portion out before adding the roux. They usually cook a fresh piece of meat with some type of vegetable, rice or potatoes, etc. They use their own pots and pans. I have never had a issue with residue from their cookware, except if they cook in the black iron pot. (most of their cookware is stainless steel).

Hope this helps!

[lovegrov]

Generally speaking pots and pans are OK as long as cleaned well. As for a grill, clean well or cook your food on aluminum wrap. Natural charcoal and Kingsford don't have wheat binder (Kingsford did but got rid of it).

richard

[mattathayde]

Some charcoal has gluten in it.

thats why natural coal is the way to go

to the OP, you will get 2 answers to this

a) no a piece of cookware that gluten is used in is never safe

washing it well w/ a dish washer at the end should be fine

i am a follower of the later. my parents are not gluten-free, not sure if they really have celiac disease or not but when i come how my mom cooks for me and i am fine and i have gotten to be pretty sensitive to cross contamination AFAIK.

a BBQ should be fine as long as they are not cooking stuff with gluten on it and even if they are burning off all the junk on the rack then pressure washing it should get it off (if it doesnt come off from that its not going to come off on your food)

in general for things like toaster ovens just use foil to be safe, on cookie sheets unless your baking stuff like cookies throw foil down on it (also helps with clean up and since AL is recyclable no worries).

for the uncoated pans use an abrasive cleaning (scotch brite/SOS pad/etc) and that should get everything off (your removing metal slightly so it will surely remove any residue)

it really comes down to, if you get sick still from eating this way, then you need to reevaluate it, if you are not having issues then its not really anything to worry about. yes the "proper" way is to have separate everything but honestly that is not realistic monetarily for most people so if it works it works

-matt

[heathen]

Find a good "all-purpose" gluten free cookbook--like the Gluten Free Gourmet line. I usually can find a fairly good selection at the larger chain bookstores. All of these cookbooks tend to have at least the first quarter of the book dedicated to helping cooks understand what it means to be gluten free, what foods to avoid, even some of the biology behind the disease. I find it very helpful--and i'm sure your parents will as well--and they will have yummy ideas, too!

[mattathayde]

^^^

"1000 gluten free recipes" is a great book too, it has pretty good foods that are not to hard

-matt

[wildwood]

^^^

"1000 gluten free recipes" is a great book too, it has pretty good foods that are not to hard

-matt

My daughters gave me this book for Mother's Day and it looks as though it has some really good recipes. I cannot wait to try some of them. For the most part the recipes I have looked at use easy to find ingredients that happen to be gluten free.

[mattathayde]

My daughters gave me this book for Mother's Day and it looks as though it has some really good recipes. I cannot wait to try some of them. For the most part the recipes I have looked at use easy to find ingredients that happen to be gluten free.

try the corn bread, it is pretty close to the betty crocker pouch, at least probably as close a you can get with gluten-free

-matt

[wildwood]

try the corn bread, it is pretty close to the betty crocker pouch, at least probably as close a you can get with gluten-free

-matt

Thanks, I will.

[GlutenGalAZ]

Thank you for the replies.

After posting this I found out that my mom bought some gluten free cookbooks and the Elisabeth gluten-free Book to learn more, so that was neat to find out.

My main concern is the pots/pans... because my husband and I don't normally eat over at other peoples houses I haven't come across that situation yet.

The other week when we were going over this with my parents we were thinking at least for the time being to just bring our pots or pans over if we were going to eat at their house till we figure it out.

They are only 10-15 minutes away so we wouldn't be using toasters or toaster ovens just pots/pans so at least its not a big deal to have to deal with.

Thanks again and if anyone else has any pointers or what they do, please post

[loco-ladi]

My "in-laws" recently moved in with myself and my husband so its alot simular to your current problem....

I would first invite your parents to cook with you at your home so they can see first hand what they are getting into.... start with the grocery shopping trip and the whole reading of the labels to the setting of the table.... they may decide its best to keep eating at your place after all

[TrillumHunter]

I think you are very fortunate to have such devoted and caring parents. Lots of folks on here really struggle with family issues. I hope you can encourage their kindness.

If they are willing to keep a cookie sheet and a pan separate, I think you are way ahead of the game. I would focus on naturally gluten-free meals to begin with for now. Grilling season is perfect for that. One way to get a grill squeaky clean is to super heat it. Start the grill on high and close the lid. Let is heat for 5-10 minutes. When you open it the grate will be extremely hot and very clean. There's usually no reason even to scrape.

I hope I can be as a good of a mom when my kids become grown ups!