Cooking and Baking for Gluten Allergy
If you are cooking and baking for guests with a gluten allergy then you need to set a specific regime. Coeliac disease is a severe reaction to gluten and the person with the allergy will be really ill if they consume even tiny amounts of gluten. Cross contamination is a big risk but with logical planning then you keep your guests safe, whether this is for a single meal, a short stay.
Work area
Set aside a work area that is specifically gluten free. Nothing with gluten is worked on there or even placed there. If you are short of space then keep your main worktop gluten-free and perhaps your table as the gluten area.
Cooking utensils
Use separate cooking utensils for gluten-free and food containing gluten. Place them in a logical zone in your work area so that they do not get mixed up.
If using a brush for glazing etc, a silicon brush is easier to clean.
Baking
If you are baking gluten-free and traditional bread then work on the gluten-free first.
If you do have to use the main work area for baking bread that has gluten then
- Totally clear that work surface of anything that can be cross contaminated.
- Do the food preparation.
- Totally clear, everything off the worktop and then clean the work surface thoroughly, rinsing off and drying with a cloth that you know is clean of anything containing gluten
Bake the gluten-free bread/cakes in the oven first and do not bake at the same time as food containing gluten. Gluten is not “killed” by standard oven temperatures. Gluten is not destroyed until temperatures are in excess of 300ºC
The danger foods
Always read the label and look for what ingredients are potential allergy risks. Thankfully labelling regulations says that these should be in Bold text. When you start reading labels
- Wheat, barley and rye all contain gluten. Bread is the obvious one and as a home-made item or from a baker is not labelled.
- Pasta. There are some good gluten-free products available.
- Sauces and thickeners. Flour and is often use as a thickener. Cornflour/corn starch is gluten-free but read the label.
- Soya sauce. While soya beans themselves are gluten-free, most soya sauces contain gluten. Gluten-free versions are available.
- Semolina is made from durum wheat and so contains gluten. This also excludes couscous which is made from semolina
Gluten-free flour
Cornflour/ corn starch
Maize flour, Corn flour, Masa harina
Polenta is made from corn meal and is naturally gluten-free
Buckwheat/Sarrasin