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Asian Flours And Starches

dws

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dws Contributor
dws
Posted

This subject has been posted before without much response, but I thought I'd give it a try. There is a Thai grocery near my house and they carry rice and tapioca flour as well as potato starch. One brand they carry is Erawan. The owners say a lot of celiacs buy the flours. Has anyone been able to find out about possible cc issues with this or other asian companies? I sent out an email to Erawan several days ago, but nothing but silence so far. The flour is cheap and close by for me, but if I can't confirm it is made and packaged in a gluten free facility, I won't use it. There are Thai procuded wheat flours in the store so its not like thailand is especially a gluten free country.

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Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

This subject has been posted before without much response, but I thought I'd give it a try. There is a Thai grocery near my house and they carry rice and tapioca flour as well as potato starch. One brand they carry is Erawan. The owners say a lot of celiacs buy the flours. Has anyone been able to find out about possible cc issues with this or other asian companies? I sent out an email to Erawan several days ago, but nothing but silence so far. The flour is cheap and close by for me, but if I can't confirm it is made and packaged in a gluten free facility, I won't use it. There are Thai procuded wheat flours in the store so its not like thailand is especially a gluten free country.

Oriental markets can be an inexpensive source for gluten-free flours. I looked them up online and it looks like they don't produce gluten flours at all? I would consider them safe and give them a try.

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Marilyn R Community Regular
Marilyn R
Posted

I buy my rice flour from an oriental store and have never had a problem with it, and I'm pretty sensitive. I've used it in a variety of recipes. I just wish I could master thai rice pancakes! :)

dws Contributor
dws
Posted
  • Author

Oriental markets can be an inexpensive source for gluten-free flours. I looked them up online and it looks like they don't produce gluten flours at all? I would consider them safe and give them a try.

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Yeah, I checked out their website too but could not tell if they produced it or if they were just distributors who obtained it from others who produce who knows what else. They are called Erawan Marketing Co. so they may just buy it from whoever is cheapest that week. I'm not against giving it a try though.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I've been afraid of flour that isn't tested for gluten since that Tricia Thompson study. I skip the oriental store stuff and pay the extra for Bob's Red Mill.

If you do decide to try imported flour, also beware of bugs. I bought imported red rice and a couple months later it was full of moths! Fortunately I had put it in a canister that seals well so they didn't infest the pantry.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

I've had the bugs in non-imported flours, so I wouldn't blame it just on imported ones.

FWIW, I don't seem to react noticeably to small amounts of CC but I most certainly do react to any substantial amount of gluten, and I've yet to ever have a problem with a flour I bought at an Asian market.

richard

dws Contributor
dws
Posted
  • Author

I've been afraid of flour that isn't tested for gluten since that Tricia Thompson study. I skip the oriental store stuff and pay the extra for Bob's Red Mill.

If you do decide to try imported flour, also beware of bugs. I bought imported red rice and a couple months later it was full of moths! Fortunately I had put it in a canister that seals well so they didn't infest the pantry.

Can you tell me more about the study you mentioned? Edit: That's ok, I looked on line and found it. The chances of cc can be high without testing. It's just a shame that some of these asian sources may actually be gluten free and produced in gluten free facilities but we just can't be sure since the info is just not there. Still no answer to the email I sent them. Probably not a good sign.

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love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

An added bonus to purchasing rice flour in Asian stores is that it is finer than regular rice flour and thus better for cooking and baking.

Darn210 Enthusiast
Darn210
Posted

An added bonus to purchasing rice flour in Asian stores is that it is finer than regular rice flour and thus better for cooking and baking.

Yes! Yes! Yes! . . . Cheaper (99 cents/lb) and finer ground. We prefer it to BRM. I buy Flying Horse brand. We haven't had any issues with it

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

When I first went gluten-free years ago, I purchased flour from the oriental market. Used it for about a year.Went for my yearly check-upwith tons of bloodwork. Came back I had high levels of lead... which I didn't have the year prior. Doctor questioned me & I told him what I was using. He stopped me & said rice flour & such from China are full of lead... Since that I have had no lead issues.Products from Thailand are"supposed"to be safe but I just don't take chances .. Cheap is not always better...

I felt no side effects from using oriental rice flours so I didn't know the damage I was causing to myself until the high lead level ...only found through blood work....

auzzi Newbie
auzzi
Posted

Erawan Brand is perfectly fine. It is widely sold in Australia: and to do that, they have to declare gluten, manufacturing lines and contamination ...

These are the ones that I use ..

Tapioca starch

glutinous or sweet rice flour

Rice Flour

Potato starch

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

When I first went gluten-free years ago, I purchased flour from the oriental market. Used it for about a year.Went for my yearly check-upwith tons of bloodwork. Came back I had high levels of lead... which I didn't have the year prior. Doctor questioned me & I told him what I was using. He stopped me & said rice flour & such from China are full of lead... Since that I have had no lead issues.Products from Thailand are"supposed"to be safe but I just don't take chances .. Cheap is not always better...

I felt no side effects from using oriental rice flours so I didn't know the damage I was causing to myself until the high lead level ...only found through blood work....

Thanks for the info - I was unaware of this. Thankfully I do not use white rice flour often, anyway, as it is so low in nutritional value and so many flours work better in baking. It is excellent for crispy things such as tempura but often falls flat unless combined with other things when baking.

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

I was totally dumb-founded when doc told me I had high lead levels...but I'm so glad this doc loves to run lots of blood work... I agree way better flour available...

love2travel Mentor
love2travel
Posted

I was totally dumb-founded when doc told me I had high lead levels...but I'm so glad this doc loves to run lots of blood work... I agree way better flour available...

I can imagine! It would not be something you would ever think of. I am glad you mentioned it here.

Bubba's Mom Enthusiast
Bubba's Mom
Posted

When I first went gluten-free years ago, I purchased flour from the oriental market. Used it for about a year.Went for my yearly check-upwith tons of bloodwork. Came back I had high levels of lead... which I didn't have the year prior. Doctor questioned me & I told him what I was using. He stopped me & said rice flour & such from China are full of lead... Since that I have had no lead issues.Products from Thailand are"supposed"to be safe but I just don't take chances .. Cheap is not always better...

I felt no side effects from using oriental rice flours so I didn't know the damage I was causing to myself until the high lead level ...only found through blood work....

:angry: It seems like there should be some restrictions in place to keep China from shipping their toxic things here! Kids toys and jewelry..and now food too? :o

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

When I first went gluten-free years ago, I purchased flour from the oriental market. Used it for about a year.Went for my yearly check-upwith tons of bloodwork. Came back I had high levels of lead... which I didn't have the year prior. Doctor questioned me & I told him what I was using. He stopped me & said rice flour & such from China are full of lead... Since that I have had no lead issues.Products from Thailand are"supposed"to be safe but I just don't take chances .. Cheap is not always better...

I felt no side effects from using oriental rice flours so I didn't know the damage I was causing to myself until the high lead level ...only found through blood work....

Wow, that's good to know. It's sad but after the melamine thing and the arsenic in imported apple juice, I am a little afraid of food from China. Not to say US food is always safe, but there seems to be more monitoring here.

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

I agree junk from China is just that JUNK

dws Contributor
dws
Posted
  • Author

Erawan Brand is perfectly fine. It is widely sold in Australia: and to do that, they have to declare gluten, manufacturing lines and contamination ...

These are the ones that I use ..

Tapioca starch

glutinous or sweet rice flour

Rice Flour

Potato starch

That's encouraging. Might just have to give it a try.

auzzi Newbie
auzzi
Posted

The Erawan brand is Thai not mainland Chinese .. and the Tung Chun Soy Sauce & Canned Food Co Ltd has been in Hong Kong since 1876 ..

Lead levels are a world-wide problem.

High levels of lead have been detected in European, American, and most First World croplands due to it's use in petroleum products especially from combustion engines, the wide-spread use of lead paints that breakdown over time, and the use of processed "biosolids" {polite word} in agriculture. And then there is the lead levels in the birds, animals and fish that we eat ..

mamaw Community Regular
mamaw
Posted

Auzzi

You are correct Lead is worldwide... But for me I do an extensive screening yearly for lead,mercury & so on.The only thingI changed in my living habits was the flour ........And I did mention that I hear products from Thailand are safe but I choose to not use these as well...

Things coming from China (toys, food) are not safe & I would rather just not use these things for my family than down the road find out I caused harm to a family member because I took the less expensive way out... not to say that the US does not have issues as well.. And also for economy reasons I try to buy US made goods...

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