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Should I Cook Pasta For My Family?

KeriB

By KeriB
in Coping with Celiac Disease

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KeriB Newbie
KeriB
Posted

Does anyone know if it is safe for me to cook wheat pasta for my family? Our concern is in breathing in the steam from the pasta - is there a possibility I can have a reaction to the gluten in the steam? Thanks everyone!

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luvs2eat Collaborator
luvs2eat
Posted

My husband makes wheat pasta all the time. I've never had a problem w/ it.

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

I think most people would be OK . . . although some people are extremely sensitive. That being said, there are a lot of good gluten free pastas out there (we use Tinkyada) that would satisfy everyone. We have a mixed household here but when I cook, I cook gluten free. The time and effort to cook two separate meals (let alone the chance for cc because I accidently used the wrong spoon to stir) more than justifies the extra cost of the few specialty ingredients that I have to use from time to time. Most of the time I don't even need any specialty ingredients . . . pasta night would definitely be an exception :P

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

The only way you would react to steam is if you have an allergy to inhaled wheat. You have to eat the gluten to have a celiac reaction.

You'd have to be careful with the cooking water and I find it hard to get all the traces of pasta off colanders. I'd be afraid to use the same colander to strain gluten-free and regular pasta.

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

I occasionally cook wheat pasta for my husband. I got a separate pan to cook it in and use an old colander that is now just for wheat pasta. I'm very careful about not getting cc from it and so far have had no issues. He is a big eater and wheat pasta is cheap. Being on a limited budget, I'll continue to do this unless I develop issues.

Mack the Knife Explorer
Mack the Knife
Posted

You should be fine as long as you use different pots, colanders, wooden spoons, and serving utensils

WheatChef Apprentice
WheatChef
Posted

You should be fine as long as you use different pots, colanders, wooden spoons, and serving utensils

and then burn them afterwards because once you put any of those into the same dishwasher as your "safe" plastic or wood items then you've potentially contaminated them too.

Edit: Sorry, went a bit over the top here venting frustration of my current situation which is certainly a not properly shared kitchen. Don't mean to spread paranoia.

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psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

and then burn them afterwards because once you put any of those into the same dishwasher as your "safe" plastic or wood items then you've potentially contaminated them too.

This seems a bit extreme. We had a mixed kitchen for several years and everything went in the same dishwasher. If you eat gluten-free at a safe restaurant, it is a good bet that they, too, have just one dishwasher and share plates and utensils. I do agree on the colander, though--keep it separate.

StacyA Enthusiast
StacyA
Posted

I cook two pastas all the time.

I make sure I have two different spoon rests on different sides of the stove so I don't accidentally get my spoons confused (I did that once, too). And we have two different colanders. My nutritionist - who has celiac's - said she uses the same strainer - but I would not be comfortable with that.

We have designated gluten-free pans. However we have one big pan that I cook wheat pasta in and gluten-free soup in - it's a steel pan that I scrub good between uses. I don't mix teflon pans because of potential scratches.

I have a shared dishwashwer and have never had a problem. I also wash pans in the same water in the sink - with the same dishcloth - I just make sure to rinse them really good.

Once I forgot and bit into a wheat noodle to see if it was done. I immediately realized my mistake, spit it out, and rinsed my mouth a hundred times. Amazingly - no symptoms - not that I would ever suggest trying it - but that shows that inhaling steam is probably not a risk.

There are risks with mixed kitchens - but there are also ways to greatly minimize the risks.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

and then burn them afterwards because once you put any of those into the same dishwasher as your "safe" plastic or wood items then you've potentially contaminated them too.

Are you trying to make people crazy?

I get a little frustrated on this board because of posts like this. You're not going to CC your dishware in the dishwasher. We're not talking about something where a single molecule will kill you.

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

You should be fine as long as you use different pots, colanders, wooden spoons, and serving utensils

I'm a bit anal about getting cc so my dishes are pretty well clean before they go in the dishwasher. I have a separate scrubber for hand washing pots and pans. I also use paper towels and not a dish cloth. I don't allow other family members to do dishes or pack the dishwasher because I don't know how careful they will be. Every once in a while I find my husband putting dishes in the dishwasher and remind him not to.

It sure was a hassle at first and now it is routine.

codetalker Contributor
codetalker
Posted

That being said, there are a lot of good gluten free pastas out there (we use Tinkyada) that would satisfy everyone.

I would suggest the same thing. Use gluten-free pasta for everyone.

WheatChef Apprentice
WheatChef
Posted

Might possibly have been overly dramatic there due to having coincidentally been glutened that morning from a safe meal stored in a tupperware container who's exposure to gluten was being washed in the same sink/dishwasher as heavy glutened containers/dishes (caked on).

Edited.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Might possibly have been overly dramatic there due to having coincidentally been glutened that morning from a safe meal stored in a tupperware container who's exposure to gluten was being washed in the same sink/dishwasher as heavy glutened containers/dishes (caked on).

Edited.

Bummer. Sorry to hear you got sick! I can see where sink water from heavily glutened dishes would be a problem. Most folks get caking off dishes before they go in the dishwasher and you have clean water spraying on dishes so CC is not going to be the same kind of issue as with a sink.

i-geek Rookie
i-geek
Posted

I would suggest the same thing. Use gluten-free pasta for everyone.

Yep. Our favorite is Ancient Harvest corn-quinoa pasta. I order it by the case from Amazon. Tinkyada has a good taste but husband and I couldn't get used to the texture. Ancient Harvest is very close to standard wheat pasta and cooks up in about the same amount of time. My parents liked it as well (and my father appreciated not bloating up from a pasta dinner for the first time in years).

kayo Explorer
kayo
Posted

We have switched to Tinkyada as a household. I have found the trick to Tinkyada is to cook it less than what the package says to get that great al dente pasta feel. For example, we often make the penne style pasta. The package recommends 16 minutes and I find 10 minutes is perfect.

I also found a noodle in the Asian market that is made from sweet potato that tastes just like a rice noodle but has a bouncier texture. Instead of cooking it you bring a pot of water to boil, shut it off, add the noodles and let them soak for 10 minutes.

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