Foreman Cross-Contamination?

[alissar]

Hello,

Last night, I made Nathan's Hot Dogs (which said gluten-free on the label) on my foreman. I had sliced cheese from the deli on top and Busch's original baked beans as a side. I ate fruit the rest of the day. I had a horrible reaction last night and woke up very swollen today with a bad stomach ache. I can't figure out what contained gluten. I only recently found out I have Celiac and used to cook brats, etc that contained gluten on my foreman. To clean it, I always wipe it down. Could I get contamination simply from using it?

Thanks!

[Darissa]

Do your grates on your foreman come out? I take mine out and wash them in hot soapy water after each time I use it. We don't grill anything that contains gluten on the grates, but just to clean it well. Since you had used it prior to your dx of celiac disease, I would wash them very good.

Also, you said sliced cheese from the deli. They use the slicer's at the deli on all the different meats/cheeses which can contain gluten. It is very possible that your cheese was CC. A good time to go to the deli is when they first open in the morning, before they slice anything else on the slicer, because normally they clean the slicers at night when the deli is closed. Talk to the manager at the Deli and tell them your concerns and see what they say or suggest. We have had too many problems getting items from the deli, so we don't anymore, but I do know that someone else that goes first thing in the morning, and it works better for them.

Good luck! Feel better!

[alissar]

Thanks for your response! I have another question about the CC at the deli ( I had never thought of that!). Would I be able to see actual specks of other meats/cheeses, etc. on my cheese, or can CC occur even with juices from the meat/things I can't see? For instance, if I were to cut a piece of meat that contains gluten with a knife, then not wash the knife, and although the knife has no particles I can see on it, could I still get sick from it should I use it again?

[StephanieGF]

Is the Foreman non-stick? I have heard (from here) that non-stick is very hard to de-gluten. Something to do with the small scratches in the surface. You may have to replace it or get new plates it they can be replaced. It never hurts to call the company and ask.

[Darissa]

Thanks for your response! I have another question about the CC at the deli ( I had never thought of that!). Would I be able to see actual specks of other meats/cheeses, etc. on my cheese, or can CC occur even with juices from the meat/things I can't see? For instance, if I were to cut a piece of meat that contains gluten with a knife, then not wash the knife, and although the knife has no particles I can see on it, could I still get sick from it should I use it again?

Regarding the slicers at the deli, The CC can occur even if you can not see it. My friend that goes to the deli often has a working relationship with the Deli Manager and she puts in her order the night before, and the manger cuts her meats/cheese in the morning right before opening since everything is clean. Maybe you could work out something like this.

Just an FYI, since we don't use the deli, we use the Hormel Natural's lunch meats in the refrigerator section. They are in a brown box, sliced thin. They have smoked ham, honey ham, smoked turkey, roastbeef and others. They are only about 2.50 for an 8 oz box at our Walmart. Our Fry's (which is Krogger, does not carry them). They say gluten free right on the back of the box. For Cheese, we use Kirkland cheese from Costco or Kraft Cheese in the packages.

ALso, the other poster had a good point regarding your grates on your george foreman. If they are sctrached up, than there is a possibility that you can not entirely clean them. My grill was farily new, and had hardly been used prior to going gluten free, so it was easy to clean because the grates were completly intact.

Good luck!