Another 'just One Crumb' And Cc Question

[kathykoz]

Hi,

I have searched across the forum for an answer regarding one crumb in a jar of jam (or whatever) but haven't quite found my answer. If there is a gluten crumb in a jar of jam is the jam contaminated or would I be able to remove the crumb (and a good portion around it) and consider the jam to be safe? Does the gluten crumb sitting in the product actually affect the product or is it just the crumb(s) that I need to be leary of?? I was thinking that if I just removed the crumb with a TB or so of the jam that it was sitting on that I would be ok but now I'm starting to wonder if that is not the case. Thanks in advance for your answer.

[frieze]

the problem isn't the crumbs that you can SEE, but the potential smaller particles that you can not.

[T.H.]

the problem isn't the crumbs that you can SEE, but the potential smaller particles that you can not.

Yup.

The good news is that the gluten doesn't multiply like germs, or mix into a substance like a liquid might. It just drops there and sits tight. So if you dropped a crumb in the jam yourself from above, and it wasn't from a knife using the same jam, maybe you could scoop off the top of the jam and be okay. There could be gluten crumbs smaller than you can see, so you'd want to try to get the entire top cleaned off. And do it in such a way that you aren't pushing a spoon through contaminated jam, dragging a little gluten along with it to the clean jam underneath, and messing up the entire thing anyway. Might be tricky.

If the crumb is from someone using the jam, unless you know everywhere that gluten cc'd knife touched in your jam, you're running a risk of gluten cc.

[kathykoz]

Ahhh - thank you both. I didn't really think about the culprit knife or spoon that dropped the crumb possibly having gone well into the jam with other crumbs or particles along for the ride as well...just saw one crumb left by someone other than me and thought I had gotten it. I think I'll buy a jar of preserves that only I would like :^) Thanks again!

[Keela]

The quickest way around this issue is to train your family in the scoop then spread method. Use a spoon to scoop what you want out of the jar and drop it onto whatever you ate eating. Then use a separate utensil to spread on your food. If you want more use the spoon again. If you can trust the people sharing your jar you will never have this problem again. We use it at home, but I don't share with my coworkers... They just don't get it.

[kareng]

Get some tape at Walmart in pink or red. Put it on your personal jar of pb and jam. I even do it on my strawberry no one else wants just in case they have a friend over who wants it.

[mbrookes]

Keela, we do that too and call it "glop and smear".

We solved the Mayo problem by buying different brands. My husband likes Dukes and I like Helman's, so no problem.