Gfcf Baking What Am I Doing Wrong!? :(

[highrentsmile]

Ok, everytime I make a gluten free, dairy free, soy free, baked good it comes out with a terrible chemical taste! I suspect it is the oil I am using or the type, I can't figure it out. When I used non dairy margarine in a Gluten Free Pantry Cake mix it worked great, but now I found out I am sensitive to the chemicals in the dairy free margarines. Anyhow, I made a Namaste Cookie Mix today using melted Spectrum Shortening instead of oil in the batter. I tasted the dough after it was mixed and it tasted terrible! It had a horrible chemical taste! I cooked them anyway, and no luck, they came out smelling and tasting chemically. My husband says I am crazy because he can't taste anything... am I? lol I am hoping maybe I am using the wrong type of oil or with the wrong heat variables or something. I can't afford to botch up anymore mixes This weekend I have to make GFCFSF chocolate cupcakes and a birthday cake. I have a mix, called Tastefully Gluten Free, and it calls for oil again and I wanted to try a Namaste Cake mix. What oil is best for baking cakes and cookies? And, what brand? What should I use to grease the pan and is parchment paper easier? Please, Help!

[celiac-mommy]

Before I switched to Smart Balance oil (which has soy) I just used canola oil which always worked great. I try to use as 100% natural as possible when I'm cooking anything. I love the Namaste spice cake and I've used the canola oil for that too with great results. We're only gluten free, so I'm not sure where to start with hints on any recipes.

I also use parchment paper for all my baking. If you're baking a cake, oil the pan lightly so the parchment will stick and then lightly oil the parchment. For cookies, just straight parchment-no oil.

[Ursa Major]

I will use lard (melted) for a lot of my baking, because of intolerances to most oils. It all comes out tasting great. You may also want to try non-hydrogenated coconut oil. There is a casein free butter out there, I think it is called 'ghee', but have never tried it (I have no idea where to find it).

[Mom23boys]

First, never taste the batter of a Gluten-free Casein-free mix before you bake it!! Especially if it has bean flours in it, it is going to taste odd!! Plus, they all tasted off to me for quite a while. Even now, I usually only use bean flours in certain things with stronger taste. I use canola oil and do ok with it.

Many people do use ghee and rave about the results. We do not use it in our house. I just don't trust them to get all the protein out -- some do, we don't. IMO it is kind of like the gluten tests saying that results below a point are OK. Use your best judgement for your body.

[Takala]

You may have more taste buds than the average person and taste things differently, I don't, but I know some people that do are called "supertasters" because they can taste things other people can't.

I didn't eat dairy for a long time so I got used to using olive oil in everything. And it works, even in baking. There are different types of olive oil which are stronger or milder. Now, if I make cookies, I'll use butter, but coconut oil would also work, or half coconut oil half mild olive oil.

I got the idea from some Jewish recipes which don't use dairy and it works... honey and orange are also used a lot, which tends to mask the flavor. My husband says he can't taste it in cake.

I don't like mixes, to me, most of them do have some sort of wierd, funky taste. Mix a spoon of the mix with just a little water, and taste it first and see if that is where the problem is originating from. And you could heat up some of the suspect shortening, let it cool but still be soft, and taste that, and then try frying a tiny doughball in it of both the mix and then some rice or other gluten free flour, compare tastes, and seeing if it's the shortening. (from your description, I suspect that it is.)

[JNBunnie1]

I agree with an earlier poster, gluten-free doughs and batter taste really icky, they never taste good before being cooked. I use the spectrum shortening, I love it. If you'e only recently started with the gluten-free baking, give yourself a little time before diving in. Things will taste different, there's no two ways about it. But they can still be good, you just have to stop expecting the wheat taste. I personally am none too impressed with the Namaste products, what I have tried of theirs has been just ok for me. I definitely prefer scratch baking or the Bob's Red Mill stuff. What I've tried of the Gluten Free Pantry stuff has been lovely as well.

For the chocolate cupcakes, the idea of half mild olive oil and half coconut oil is a very good one. And next time you make cookies, I would try not melting the shortening, and using a scratch recipe. Just use a pastry blender to mix in the shortening instead of melting it, I think it would taste better.