Cross Contamination

[darkhorse]

I am done with all my testing and I am ready to be gluten free from now on. I have been gluten free for two weeks and after discovering hidden gluten in ketchup I am doing so much better.

I am in the process of setting up my kitchen to be mostly gluten free and dairy free as well as MSG, soy, corn light. My husband is not 100% gluten/dairy free although we only cook gluten/dairy free. I have replaced most of my baking ingredients, condiments, frozen products, and such. I have also begun replacing cooking utensils like wooden spoons, cutting boards and our nonstick wok. I am working on replacing all of our nonstick or scratched baking pans as well and I will be replacing our toaster (I'm not using it until we do) and microwave with each paycheck.

I used to be an avid baker and I made bread all the time. To accommodate this I bought wheat flour in 25 pound bags and stored them in a large plastic bin. I have tossed the remaining flour, but I wanted to use the bin since it is a nice airtight bin. I washed it by hand and then bleached it. I would like to use it to store brown rice since we have a similar one that we have always used to store white rice.

Do you think this is safe or should I chalk up the extra money to buy a new one? Also, is there anything else I should be aware of for CC that I have not thought of?

Thanks!

[Crayons574]

I would suggest getting a new bin if you can afford it. If you can't, I'd wash it out really, really, really well. It might just make you feel better if you had a new bin, instead of worrying if you left a trace of anything behind in the one you have now. You have certainly done a lot better of a job in two weeks than I did in a year. I knew nothing about spices, condiments, etc. until recently, but I believe it makes a huge difference. I think another important thing is to not only be aware of everything you are putting in your body, but everything you are putting on your body...and a big part of that is toiletries. That includes: especially toothpaste and chapstick, shampoo/conditioner, bodywash, lotions, face wash, face cream, etc.) As far as the products go, it's kind of a pain in the butt, but just google each products customer service number, call and ask if their product is gluten free. Otherwise, it sounds you are doing a great job at eliminating possible sources of CC. Good luck !!

[dilettantesteph]

I think that if it is not all scratched up, and you washed it out well, it should be fine.

[Roda]

name='darkhorse' date='May 30 2009, 04:38 PM' post='536776']

II am working on replacing all of our nonstick or scratched baking pans as well and I will be replacing our toaster (I'm not using it until we do) and microwave with each paycheck.

I think as the person stated above the bin should be alright if it is not scratched. I did the same thing with mine. I'm curious why replace the microwave? Unless it is old or you just want a new one, in my opinion it should be fine with a good cleaning. I don't lay anything on the rack always on a plate or something.

[mamaw]

Your micro should be fine if you clean it well. I would think about replacing a hand mixer if you use one & bread maker..

If you have a lot of gluten products why not donate them to a friend or food bank instead of throwing the items away. Surely you know someone who could benefit from your now useless things, same with toaster, pots & pans...

The verdict is still out on HBA products that one does not indigest. Super sensitive react to creams & lotions but for others if it is not going through the intestinal tract it does not cause problems. I think each person needs to decide for themselves. I use Aveeno hand cream & I do not have issues but another may. Again I don't put my fingers in my mouth.

I suggest getting rid of any porous utensils, no matter what the cost......

hth

blessings

mamaw

[taweavmo3]

Ack! Which brand of ketchup had gluten in it??? Thanks!

[darkhorse]

Thanks for your replies. I feel better about using the storage bin. I did clean it very thoroughly and it's not scratched. My concern was mostly that it had been used to store wheat flour for so long.

I am donating any food items that are in new, unopened condition. We tend to buy items in bulk, so anything my husband didn't want we donated to a food bank. I did toss any open items feeling that food banks wouldn't take them and my friends probably didn't want half used containers of random condiments. I felt the same for the leftover flour especially since there was not much left. I didn't have anyone that wanted a random plastic bag of flour... We also are donating our used appliances to Good Will so those aren't just being tossed. I am trying to be good where I can be.

As for non food items I am not as concerned because I don't tend to ingest body lotion. However, for things that go in my mouth like toothpaste and such, I did check them to make sure they were gluten free before continuing to use them. I am also very diligent about checking vitamins and supplements, but I am having confusion because of the dairy issue. Do they have to label vitamins the same way they have to label food items or are vitamins different? What I mean is, if a supplement like acidophilus contains dairy, does it have to say "contains milk" or is it exempt?

We had been wanting to replace the microwave for a while so that one was on the list anyway. I mentioned it because I had read that several people had gotten CC from microwaves and thought it would be a good thing to avoid. Does CC only happen in dirty microwaves or is that something I don't need to worry about?

Also, the ketchup was a super cheap store brand that I was reacting to pretty bad. I then tried the Heinz Organic, but found conflicting information on whether it was gluten free or not. I reacted to it anyway, so I ended up with Muir Glen because it doesn't contain corn or soy either. I haven't had a problem since.

[darkhorse]

Okay, new question... Do I need to replace cast iron cookware or can it be safely cleaned? I leaning more toward the replacing of it, but I ask because the cast iron cookware is DH's baby.

I seem to be pretty darn sensitive and I reacted to something in our dinner last night. After rechecking every ingredient the only thing I can figure is that DH used the cast iron griddle. I asked what else he cooks in there and he uses it for grilled sandwiches (non gluten free bread) and quesadillas (with flour tortillas). DH is not gluten free although he has cut down on gluten containing foods since I went gluten free.

I am pretty sure I am going to replace the skillet because of this incident, but we also have a dutch oven and a griddle. Should I replace those as well? Is there a method to clean them really well so they don't have to be replaced? Thanks!

[PattyBoots]

Please NOOOOOOO on the cast iron. I sure hope not, since that's just about all I cook in. I have a griddle, a grill pan, an 8", a 10", a 12" and a 16" skillet and a dutch oven. Although, come to think of it, about the only one that's been used for gluten-containing items is the griddle - grilled cheeses and quesadillas. The rest have just been meats and fried 'taters and the like. We always scrub them really, really, REALLY well in really, really, REALLY hot water, then give them a light coat of melted shortening before we hang them up.

I'm very new to this - no diagnosis, but I've always naturally been "gluten-light". Our starch of choice has always been potatoes (we're Irish for crying out loud!), with pasta a dim second. As in I don't think we've ever eaten pasta more than twice a month. Bread gets tossed here more than it gets eaten. But since, as an experiment, for the past five days I've been totally gluten-free, my guts have stopped roiling, my BMs are magical and I feel so, so, so much better!!!! My mother suffered with what was diagnosed as ulcerative colitis for nearly 50 years, and had at least half of her intestines removed over the years and so I suspect she was actually celiac. But since she's gone and I have no surviving maternal relatives, it's a moot point now. I'm self-insured (expensively, I might add) so I'm loathe to get an actual diagnosis for fear I might get dropped.

[Takala]

Cast iron:

Turn off smoke alarms.

Open windows.

Turn on fans.

Put clean cast iron in oven.

Set oven cycle to clean.

Burn off residue on pans.

Scrub pans out and reseason.

Turn smoke alarms back on.

As for the bin, I would not use plastic that contained wheat flour for storage of gluten free grains, but get another one. Unless the rice was left in sealed packages. I have found that gluten free flours need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer long term or they get either buggy or rancid more quickly than regular flours. A lot of times I will freeze new packages of gluten free flours or nuts for grinding into nut meals for a day, then move them to the storage refrigerator, to cut down on the bugs- being in a mild climate, it's always the human vs. the vermin and the vermin are very persistent here.