Is It Possible To Wash Gluten Off Nuts?

[Wheat Wacker]

I posted a few months back, I have a unique Situation. I'm a Tug Boat Captain working in Egypt, and I travel frequently, don't really have a home.

Obviously I face a pretty complex situation. thanks to some ideas from earlier post I have a pretty good system on board now. Basically I have all my own cooking equipment and do 100% of my own cooking. Thought I have taken every precaution I can think of and I'm fairly certain that I eat 100% gluten free, I still have symptoms. Was Diagnosed in Mar-10 and it's taken a while to really become aware of how vast the enemy really is.

I have narrowed down what I eat to two categories Raw, Fruits, vegetables, and meats that are washed and shouldn't contain gluten in any way shape or form. And packaged goods stating there gluten free or Brands I have researched and should be gluten free. Pretty basic.

Here's my questions?

1.If Gluten eaters heat bread in the microwave, then I heat my dinner in a plastic tupperware in the same microwave, is there some way cross contamination is happening through the air? I usually leave a corner cracked on the tupperware to allow it to vent?

2. It's hard to get anything I want to eat here, but it is possible to get bulk nuts through our food supplier? The problem is I'm worried about cross contamination? From the bag they come in or the scoop used to package them or the oven they where roosted in. Is it possible I can rinse the nuts thoroughly with water then allow them to dry to rinse any trace/chance of gluten off of then? IS this safe would it work. They Get Pistachios' Cashews, and mixed almonds, walnuts, misc nuts. It would be a huge addition to my diet to have these food assessable?

Thanks for any advice, you all have been really help full so far.

Dylan

[lovegrov]

The microwave would not concern me at all. I don't know about the nuts.

richard

[bridgetm]

I agree; the microwave wouldn't concern me. Although I am always cautious of putting my bread or whatever I'm heating on a napkin or something to keep it from coming into contact with anything that has spilled. Before I was gluten-free I would just toss it in.

I have no idea about the nuts, but now I am curious.

[GFinDC]

I just got sick from something last week, and am pretty sure it was walnuts. I have been thinking of washing them off and drying them in the oven or a frying pan on the stove to see if it fixes the problem. But so far I haven't tried it because I am in a very busy time at work and not sure I want to take the chance. I have read posts by some people on the board who wash their whole grains and dry them and then grind them into flour. Honestly I think it would work pretty well, just isn't a good time for me to try it so the walnuts are staying in the refrigerator for now.

I think a lot of the potential for cross contamination can come from shared packaging machinery. If you have ever seen them do it on TV, they use a big machine to dump the stuff through a chute into a bag and then seal it. And those packing machines can handle a lot of different size items, so they tend to be shared use.

I do find Planters nuts are generally safe as long as you read the label for allergens. The ones that got me are not Planters. Planters will use soy to cook some nuts, which is bad thing for me though. So I always check the labels on things to catch those things (when my brain is working).

I didn't notice if you are eating rice and quinoa? Those both seem to work pretty well for me. Quinoa does need to be washed well before cooking, 3 times actually. It has a soap-like coating on the seed that can irritate some people and it needs washed off. I put it in a screen colander and set that in a large pan full of water. Pick up the colander several times in each change of water and swish it around good. I let it set for a few minute to dissolve the coating also. By the 3rd time the water usually is mostly clear. So I give it a final rinse and good to go. Some people are very sensitive to that coating though and don't tolerate quinoa. I like it because it has more flavor than plain rice and more nutritional value. When you cook quinoa the little seeds unfold into a small curly que, which is normal.

And just to finish off this book, they lived happily ever after! :0

Fair skies and following winds Captain!

[T.H.]

I'd say it's really unlikely you'll be able to wash the nuts off very well. Although you could try with soap and water, and wash every nut, maybe?

We had some contaminated pistachios (didn't know it at the time. They were just plain pistachios). For the recipe we made, they had to be washed, then soaked for 8 hours in water, and washed a couple more times with water. We did that - didn't scrub each nut or anything, but rinsed them multiple tims - and both my daughter and I were both very ill from them. Obviously, that's not definitive, but at least I can say that rinsing or soaking with water wasn't enough to de-gluten plain pistachios.

[dilettantesteph]

I'd say it's really unlikely you'll be able to wash the nuts off very well. Although you could try with soap and water, and wash every nut, maybe?

We had some contaminated pistachios (didn't know it at the time. They were just plain pistachios). For the recipe we made, they had to be washed, then soaked for 8 hours in water, and washed a couple more times with water. We did that - didn't scrub each nut or anything, but rinsed them multiple tims - and both my daughter and I were both very ill from them. Obviously, that's not definitive, but at least I can say that rinsing or soaking with water wasn't enough to de-gluten plain pistachios.

Interesting. I've found soap necessary for grains. Nuts have a lot of nooks and crannies. If the level of contamination is high to begin with, washing might not work. Can you get nuts in the shell? They are time consuming to shell, but at least you will be pretty sure that they are safe.

I'd watch out for your processed gluten free foods. I am very sensitive and can't eat those.

[kareng]

I'm a bit confused. Where is the gluten coming from on these nuts? If most nuts are processed with other nuts.... I have been eating nuts and nut butters and I don't think they have any gluten hiding in them. I know there could be a flavored or covered nut that has odd ingredients in the coating. I do get some honey roasted and spicy peanuts but they don't have any gluten listed in the ingredients.

[Wheat Wacker]

Thank you all for the advice. The issue with the nuts is that I have know Idea where they come from? But it's pretty common here to see shops that sell a variety of different Items in bulk. The pistachios and Cashews come salted, the mixed nuts come plan. I just worry that there are to many unknowns and chances for them to get contaminated. I figured if the scoop used to package them contaminated them maybe a quick rinse would ride them of any excess product. I guess it would almost be a precaution as they may be gluten free? I just don't know. That's the hardest thing about this whole deal, you never know for sure. I just need a laser that you shine on food and it tells you if it's safe or not? or better yet a laser that you shine on food that transforms gluten. Until then it's back to do with out, do with out, do with out. sick of that and hard boiled eggs.

I was eating Quinoa, I love it but it's not available here, I brought some with me. I didn't know it needed to be washed and wondered about the foam that formed when I cooked it. Maybe that's been contributing to my symptoms? not sure? I will wash it as was suggested.

Thanks Dylan