Dealing With The Holidays--Help Please!

[BeFree]

I have redone my kitchen to avoid cross contamination. Whenever I came across a dish or spoon that I cooked with that gave me a reaction, I just threw it out. I'm now left with a clean, safe kitchen.

This will be my first holiday season gluten-free. While my family will be understanding about me having to stay away from certain foods, they obviously won't be able to make over their kitchens for me. How do you deal with this when visiting family? Do you bring along your own dishes to cook with?

The last time I ate gluten I got violently ill. I don't want this to happen at the holidays.

[jswog]

I have redone my kitchen to avoid cross contamination. Whenever I came across a dish or spoon that I cooked with that gave me a reaction, I just threw it out. I'm now left with a clean, safe kitchen.

This will be my first holiday season gluten-free. While my family will be understanding about me having to stay away from certain foods, they obviously won't be able to make over their kitchens for me. How do you deal with this when visiting family? Do you bring along your own dishes to cook with?

The last time I ate gluten I got violently ill. I don't want this to happen at the holidays.

This will also be my first holiday season gluten free. As of now, my plan is to make up my own gluten free versions of the things that will be served (at home in my own kitchen) and just bring 'my' food along. I've already been discussing the menu with my mother-in-law and trying to figure out what I need to do to keep myself safe. Bottom line is that I don't expect anyone else to take care of me...that's my job and I'm the one who's going to do it best.

Good luck!

Jen

[AVR1962]

I am planning to make my own little meal and take it with me. Maybe I'll even make a gluten-free dessert for everyone to share. But I am not taking chances in someone else's kitchen. Unless they too are gluten-free, people do not understand how to avoid gluten CC in the kitchen.

[melikamaui]

I would bring my own food, dishes and utensils. That way you can enjoy the day and still eat yummy stuff without getting sick.

[BeFree]

I'll be staying with family for several days, rather than just attending one dinner. I know they will offer to cook for me. Should I just ask them to wash their dishes thoroughly before they cook anything (or rather, wash the dishes myself to be a bigger help!), or should I bring a few of my own pots and pans? I am new to the diet, but so far it seems that I am at least moderately sensitive to cross contamination. Will washing be enough? Probably not huh. I love this new diet and feeling healthy, but I'm overwhelmed with all of the questions and concerns about how to handle everything.

[jswog]

I'll be staying with family for several days, rather than just attending one dinner. I know they will offer to cook for me. Should I just ask them to wash their dishes thoroughly before they cook anything (or rather, wash the dishes myself to be a bigger help!), or should I bring a few of my own pots and pans? I am new to the diet, but so far it seems that I am at least moderately sensitive to cross contamination. Will washing be enough? Probably not huh. I love this new diet and feeling healthy, but I'm overwhelmed with all of the questions and concerns about how to handle everything.

We'll be gone for nearly two weeks and I'll be packing enough food to pretty well cover my needs for the whole time. Will you be driving or flying? We're driving, so packing extra food is pretty easy. I'll probably start cooking in the next week or two and freezing things that I will just need to nuke and have some quick, easy meals that I know are safe.

[BeFree]

We'll be gone for nearly two weeks and I'll be packing enough food to pretty well cover my needs for the whole time. Will you be driving or flying? We're driving, so packing extra food is pretty easy. I'll probably start cooking in the next week or two and freezing things that I will just need to nuke and have some quick, easy meals that I know are safe.

I'll be driving. I guess I will just need to bring my own dishes, stop at a grocery store when I get there, and set up my own space in the kitchen to cook my own food and wash my own dishes. It will be weird, but oh well! Gotta get used to the changes I guess!

[melikamaui]

When I stayed for 3 days with family recently I brought absolutely everything I needed with me. I had two suitcases on the plane. One big one, full of food, utensils, etc and a little one with the rest of my stuff. It worked out really well. No contamination and I had a great time.

[Strawberry-Jam]

Oh, it's not too hard to avoid CC, depending on how sensitive you are. I would clean the kitchen once you arrive and keep tabs on all gluten crumbs, making sure you wash your hands very often and always before eating, etc. Avoid scratched nonstick pans, wooden utensils, cutting boards, and colanders--basically, every type of thing you had to replace before in your own kitchen. But you can use normal pots, pans, plastic/metal utensils, etc., as long as you clean them well. Always be present in the kitchen when things are being cooked for you, and help if you can. Use foil a lot... like, if anything is going to be baked or roasted, line the pan with foil. I baked gluten-free cakes and so on in gluteny pans by lining them thickly with foil and greasing the foil liberally with soy-free shortening in order to avoid tears when taking my baked goodies out of the foil. Never had problems. Also use foil on grills and barbecues.

I had to watch my parents very carefully when I as first teaching them about CC, lest they use cooking spray with soy in it or put my bread next to their bread in the buffet line where crumbs would freely mix together as people served themselves. But they were really sensitive to my concerns and did their best to help me out... as long as I was present and conversing with them, things turned out just fine, as far as I know.

[Juliebove]

My daughter and I eat a limited menu. My parents always have raw veggies if not also a green salad. We fill up on that stuff. Their turkey is safe. We may or may not be able to eat the mashed potatoes. But my mom usually cooks brown rice for my SIL which is safe for us. I bring boxed gluten-free gravy. I make a cranberry salad and whatever else my mom wants me to bring. I don't eat dessert. And because my daughter is now on a low carb diet she probably won't either. But I might make something we all can eat. Like baked apples. We have a lot of diabetics in the family who shouldn't be eating dessert anyway. Unless it is something like that.

[BeFree]

"I would clean the kitchen once you arrive"

OK I think that just answered my question right there, my family's kitchen is large and kind of messy... Picturing cleaning it before I eat anything, I might starve LOL! I think I'll just invest a set of "travel dishes". And a giant roll of tinfoil.

[Strawberry-Jam]

Well, it's a good thing for a guest to do, cleaning the kitchen every once in a while. At least, that's what my mother taught me. I think I meant "before you start cooking" rather than "once you arrive" though... my brain does strange things sometimes...

[BeFree]

Yeah...I probably don't want to walk in the door and say, "We can't do anything until I clean the kitchen!" LOL

[anabananakins]

Yeah...I probably don't want to walk in the door and say, "We can't do anything until I clean the kitchen!" LOL

Hey, you're welcome to visit me with that attitude :-). I can promise you my messy kitchen is free from gluten, but man, I loathe doing dishes