Kitchen Cc

[alissar]

I don't know what I would do without this forum! I seem to be the queen of accidentally getting glutened. Well, I am about 4 mo. gluten-free but I still get sick all the time and normally I can pinpoint what I did wrong (one of those," are you kidding me, that contains gluten?" moments). Well, this past week I have been getting sick again and for once, I was unable to figure out what mistake I was making (to the point that I ordered an Elisa food intolerance test to see if something else is affecting me). Well, today I had an epiphany that I never had thought about before...my very own kitchen. I am a college student and have very old non-stick pots and pans that I use to cook with. Has anyone reading this actually gotten sick from using old pots and pans? I have a lot of student loans and will replace them if I have to, but if CC from pots/pans hasn't affected anyone than I will try to save my money. This whole gluten-free diet is SO much more complicated than I had ever imagined! Thanks!

[GlutenFreeManna]

Yep, I had to get all new pans. Since you're a college student get one good pan to start before you buy a whole new set. You will have to keep you roommates from using it (if you have roommates). You can cover cookie sheets with foil or parchment paper to make them safe. Get your own gluten free dedicated colander too and watch out for knifes and cutting boards used on bread in the past. If you can ask to have a section of the kitchen (like maybe a small section of counter) where only no gluten foods are prepared it would be even better. Also be aware if you share food with your roommates they may cc things like peanut butter, mayo, open bags of chips, etc.

[ljgs]

I did buy new pots and pans and cutting boards for my newly diagnosed teenage daughter, but not utensils. Wouldn't a good run through the dishwasher make knives and other utensils safe??? I understand that gluten can hide in cookware scratches, but I don't understand how gluten can stay on a knife or fork once it's washed. Also, wouldn't a few washings eventually get rid of the gluten even in scratches? My daughter doesn't react much to gluten but I wonder if she's still getting intestinal damage and I wouldn't know it.

[Skylark]

Common sense applies here. Things without cracks or a porous surface that can retain gluten are perfectly safe, including utensils, knives, plain metal pots and pans, and dishes. Basically, if you can scrub it clean you're good to go. Get rid of anything that's chipped or cracked (the bacteria cracks can harbor are a bigger issue than gluten).

I'm not sure what you mean by "non-scratch". Hard-anodized aluminum is not porous and should not absorb gluten. If you're talking about teflon, you might need to replace them.