Anyone Use A Rice Cooker To Steam Other Stuff?

[superfob]

Hi,

I'm planning on going gluten free after a couple weeks (when my biopsy is done). I am wondering if anyone out there uses a rice cooker to steam other food items (its extremely useful!). The reason I ask is that I am going to be living with other gluten eaters and sometimes the rice cooker will be used to steam gluten containing foods. Is it ok if I just wash the rice cooker after it has been glutened?

Also, another question I have is....is using separate pots necessary? We have some stainless steel/metal pots, some of them are scratched - I'm assuming that as long as I clean them really well before using I can use them without problems? I am planning on getting a new non-stick pan.

Another question is, what do people usually do for plates/utensils when living with other people who eat gluten? Can I just clean all the dishes together - non-gluten and gluten, and then before eating, just make sure I rinse off the plate that I am personally using?

Thanks!

[NorthernElf]

As far as plates & pots go - I use only one set in my mixed household BUT I have a dishwasher. We were at a hotel with a kitchenette for a tournament this winter & I am sure I got glutened from the dishes/pots there because washing in a sink just doesn't do the same job....I would be interested to hear what others say on this one. FWIW, I brought my own baking dishes and food there (roasted some potatoes)....didn't get real sick but was more of a CC illness, which I find adds up over time & exposure to become a big glutening.

[ravenwoodglass]

I would get a new rice cooker for your own use. The steamer baskets are like colanders and if it has been used for gluten foods a residue can be left in the holes.

[SGWhiskers]

I had a vegetable steamer that I cooked rice, veggies, oatmeal, and gluten pasta in before going gluten free. I scrubbed and cleaned that thing forever. I kept getting glutened. I finally decided there must be gluten embedded in the mineral deposits on the heating element. I soaked and scrubbed with vineger to get the mineral deposits off, but I never got rid of it all. I'm very sensitive to cross contamination, but I would recommend getting your own to avoid this type of problem.

[Emilushka]

I wrap everything I steam in aluminum foil. Even then, sometimes sauces boil over. Rice cookers are so cheap (under $20 around here) that it makes sense to not take the risk of cross-contamination.