Cooking Help

[divamomma]

I have a few recipes I would like to continue cooking once we switch to gluten-free. Please help me with a couple of substitutions!

When I make cream sauces and need to add 1 tablespoon of flour (or sometimes up to 1/2 c flour) what can I use as a replacement??

Is there a gluten-free cream of chicken soup?? What could possibly replace this?

Thanks!

[jerseyangel]

I have a few recipes I would like to continue cooking once we switch to gluten-free. Please help me with a couple of substitutions!

When I make cream sauces and need to add 1 tablespoon of flour (or sometimes up to 1/2 c flour) what can I use as a replacement??

Is there a gluten-free cream of chicken soup?? What could possibly replace this?

Thanks!

I use cornstarch to make a cream sauce--I whisk the cornstarch with milk over medium heat until it's thick and bubbly. Then stir in the butter, salt, pepper, or whatever flavoring you use.

Pacific Foods has a new line of cream soups--

Open Original Shared Link

[Mizzo]

I have a few recipes I would like to continue cooking once we switch to gluten-free. Please help me with a couple of substitutions!

When I make cream sauces and need to add 1 tablespoon of flour (or sometimes up to 1/2 c flour) what can I use as a replacement??

Is there a gluten-free cream of chicken soup?? What could possibly replace this?

Thanks!

I have not tried this but Lipton makes and instant cream of chicken soup that is gluten-free. It's the packets.

BTW Progresso makes a gluten-free cream of mushroom soup.

[Christi1996]

I have tried a few different flours to make a roux but I haven't yet settled on my favorite. Tapioca works but can develop a snot-like texture. Cornmeal works for gravy and such but it does have a corn-y flavor. Lately I have just been using flour blends because those are at the front of the cabinet.

As for the cream of soup I have used this recipe with great success Open Original Shared Link

That said, I don't cook that way as much anymore. Being forced out of eating gluten made me actually think about what I am eating more and I just get a much better variety.

[lizard00]

I generally use corn starch also to make sauces. Sorghum tends to flavor it too much for my liking. You could also use potato starch, but don't use potato flour. ICK!

Once I accidentally made a cream of mushroom soup. I think I sauteed the mushrooms in little pieces, make a roux and then added cream and milk until it was the consistency I wanted. You could probably do the same thing with diced chicken... just a thought.

[Eri82]

The product I have been most happy with in substitutes is gluten free pantry all purpose flour. They go ahead and mix the right amount of rice, pototo & tapioca, etc. so you don't have to. My husband made a lovely white sauce using it-just be careful, as it scorches easily. Because of this flour, I can go ahead and use my vintage cookbooks (20's-70's) and just use the flour for recipes calling for wheat flour. just DONT make oil-based pie crust with it-while it worked just great for shortening-based pie crust, I was sorely disappionted with the oil based one. Hope this helps!

[teacherkd]

In small amounts for thickening, I've found that corn starch substitutes pretty much 1:1 for wheat flour. For me, that's the easiest thing because it's readily available in the general grocery section. It's also already pretty much the thickener of choice in many Asian dishes.

Some caveats [copied and pasted from ChefTalk.com forum, dated 12/8/05]:

Appearance: flour makes a gravy opaque and can dull or lighten the color, while cornstarch (when used properly) yields a clear, shiny sauce.

Flavor: flour needs to be cooked enough to lose its raw flavor; cornstarch doesn't have much flavor on its own. And if you use a cooked flour (such as a long-cooked Cajun-style roux, or roasted flour), you ADD a roasty-toasty flavor you can't get with cornstarch.

Cooking time: Flour needs relative long cooking, both to lose its raw flavor and to unleash its thickening powers; cornstarch needs only a short cooking time to thicken. In fact, if you cook cornstarch too long, it lets go and the sauce thins out again.

Also, I've found that if you're using a corn starch slurry to thicken a pan sauce, corn starch can deaden flavors just a bit, so recheck and adjust seasonings accordingly before adding the slurry.

A couple of other things to look for:

1. Good, proper soy sauce is almost universally made with wheat, as is teriyaki. Cheap, imitation, low-sodium ["lite"] store brands often are not.

2. When buying gluten-free bread, yeah it is expensive, but you get what you pay for. Frozen loaves are, generally, of better quality. No matter what, you will likely find that it is much better when toasted than when not. Also, corn tortillas [check for gluten-free status first] are much cheaper and make an okay substitute for a sandwich/wrap.

3. Taco seasonings need to be checked. If possible, find a recipe to make your own to be safe.

[divamomma]

Thank you so much!

Now does anyone have a recipe for taco seasoning?? How about stuffing, like a "Stovetop" replica?

[Son'sMom]

Thank you so much!

Now does anyone have a recipe for taco seasoning?? How about stuffing, like a "Stovetop" replica?

I don't have a recipe for taco seasoning, but we have been very happy with McCormick's packaged Taco Seasoning. We have had no problems using it.

[Darn210]

We've used Ortega and I think Old El Paso both just fine . . . I don't remember which taco seasoning is made by which company, but ConAgra and Unilever and Kraft will list any sources of gluten in their labeling so generic "spices" or "natural flavoring" will disclose "(from barley)" or whatever if it is the source. Off the top of my head, the only packaged taco sauce that I have seen with wheat (disclaimer: I have not read every brand of seasoning mix) is the Taco Bell brand.

When I make gravy or a roux, I just use my gluten-free flour blend.

Thanks for the Pacific Foods update, Patti. I have not seen those . . . but now I will go looking for them.

[Tina B]

I use cornstarch to make a cream sauce--I whisk the cornstarch with milk over medium heat until it's thick and bubbly. Then stir in the butter, salt, pepper, or whatever flavoring you use.

Pacific Foods has a new line of cream soups--

Open Original Shared Link

White rice flour or white corn flour also work well.

[Juliebove]

I use sweet rice flour for thickening. I am not sure about the cream of chicken soup. I never used it since we can't have dairy. I would probably try to chicken some chicken broth with the sweet rice flour. Maybe add a bit of olive oil or Nucoa for mouth feel. You could probably make it out of gluten-free broth concentrate or boullion with cream and thickener.

[sb2178]

I've used white corn flour for a roux.

Mexican seasoning: 1 T cumin, 1 T chili powder, 1/4 t ground red pepper, 1 t oregano with salt and pepper to taste

That's the amount I'd use for about two cups beans.

[wahmmy]

It depends on what I'm making as to what flour I use. I'll use brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, arrowroot starch ... the list goes on. As for cream of chicken soup, or any "cream of," I use Watkins Cream soup and gravy base. For cream of chicken, I make one recipe of the thick cream gravy and one recipe of the chicken gravy from the Chicken soup and gravy base and mix them together. The beef, chicken and cream soup and gravy bases from Watkins are gluten-free. I am highly sensitive to gluten and my husband has celiac and both daughters are gluten sensitive and none of us have reacted to it. Watkins has those three flavors listed as gluten-free on their site. I've made the recipes for the cream soup bases etc. and they are probably healthier and def. less processed but I like the taste of the Watkins better.