CAN GLUTEN CROSS CONTAMINATION BE AVOIDED IN THE HOME KITCHEN?

8/13/2020

Have you ever known someone who has been afraid to go to the doctor’s office because they will tell them something is wrong with them? Naturally you have not been that person, right? But chances are you have heard this type of reasoning before. Yes?

Studies have shown that individuals with celiac disease may have increased anxiety after diagnosis.

“FOR IN MUCH WISDOM IS MUCH VEXATION, AND HE WHO INCREASES KNOWLEDGE INCREASES SORROW.” – King Solomon, Ecclesiastes 1:18

When you know what food to avoid it is the road to healing but that does not instantly make it care-free. For individuals with a gluten-free medically restrictive diet, the kitchen transforms from a gathering place for fellowship to a place of great anxiety. So, what can you do to ensure a safe kitchen for your gluten-free family member or guest to avoid gluten cross contamination?

How about we start with the basics?

1) EDUCATE YOURSELF

You cannot begin to protect your loved ones with a kitchen safe from gluten cross contamination if you don’t understand what gluten is. You know what I mean?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley (for a complete list of gluten containing foods, see page xx). Individuals diagnosed with celiac disease and other gluten intolerances can become very ill from ingesting gluten. For celiacs, even a crumb of glutenous food can cause damage to the small intestine. Celiac related illness is broader than the uncomfortable inflammation of the intestine, it can mean poor brain function, skin ailments, and interact closely with many auto-immune disorders including osteoporosis, Alzheimers, and diabetes.

While symptoms related to gluten contamination are often less severe than when expressly eating gluten, it can still harm gut health and prevent long-term healing. Not good.

The level of gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity varies from person to person. Experts classify celiac disease patients as not being able to digest gluten in quantities of over 25 parts per million. That means if you had a 50 gram slice of toast there could be only 0.00125 grams of gluten in, or on, that toast for a celiac patient to not have damage done for their small intestine.

This is a small amount of gluten but effects a large segment of the population. It is currently estimated, one percent of the general population is celiac, so chances are, you may be faced with cooking for an individual with celiac in your home. So keep reading!

2) CLEAN EVERYTHING IN YOUR KITCHEN

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In most cases, a thorough cleaning will clear away gluten. Hurrah! However, there are some cases in which this is not the case (see point number three). Now, when I say “thorough cleaning” what do you think I mean by that? Hmm? That’s right, I mean you need to clean everything. All counters, utensils, pots, pans, dishes, the sink (the drainage pipe), floors, the table. In short, everything.

“Really, clean EVERYTHING IN MY KITCHEN?” you ask.

If you are having a guest over for one meal, you do not have to scour every hidden corner of your kitchen. But at a minimum, you must be sure you wash everything that will be part of food preparation and service. This includes all countertops, tables, the sink, or anything else that could be touched during preparations, for example, the fridge handle.

Okay so now that you have that dish cloth in your hand it probably contains gluten. It is a good idea to throw it in the wash after. If you have someone permanently sharing the kitchen who is celiac, have DEDICATED GLUTEN-FREE DISH TOWELS and cleaning sponges. Consider colour coding your cleaning supplies.

Generally, dishwashers can be safely shared with gluten and gluten-free dishes even if you have celiac disease. But, if you are washing by hand, consider a separate plastic wash basin for gluten-free dishes because drains and sink traps are literal traps for gluten.

If you are sharing the kitchen with celiac patient(s) and gluten consuming person(s), consider ESTABLISHING A REGULAR CLEANING SCHEDULE IN YOUR HOME, because if you have not gathered it by now, clean surfaces are key to feeling safe while preparing gluten-free food in your kitchen. This schedule could be as simple as a quick wipe down of the handles and counter tops every night before hitting the sack.

3) DOUBLE UP OR NOTHING

Out of curiosity I checked around and found these gluten and gluten-free colour coded cutting boards! Just the thing you will need to set up your celiac friendly kitchen.

Remember how I mentioned some things probably cannot be just cleaned? There are several items you need to buy in duplicate. Use one solely for gluten-free use, the other for gluten and label them clearly. This applies to both kitchen gadgets and food. If you are hosting a celiac guest, it is unnecessary to re-outfit your kitchen, but use the list below as a guide of what appliances to avoid in the meal's preparation. These hard to clean items include:

· Wooden cutting boards and utensils, wood is porous so gluten proteins can easily hide in them-thar cracks. If you are in love with wooden cutting boards, you do not have to say farewell just yet. Instead, try colour coding your cutting boards. If you know a woodworker, you could even request that the words “gluten-free” carved into the board.
· Colanders and strainers, it is super easy for gluten to get trapped in those tiny drain holes.
· Toasters, waffle irons, etc., alternatively consider using a toaster oven for safe gluten-free toast.
· Plastic mixing bowls and utensils that at are old and scratched.
· Whisks and beaters, gluten can easily get trapped in the many hard to clean places.
· Cooling racks. Unless you never cool your products directly on the rack, gluten can easily hide in various bumps and cracks.
· Non-stick cookware, especially if scratched
· Cast iron and baking stoneware, gluten can become easily trapped in the porous surface. In addition, proper care of cast iron dictates you should not wash thoroughly.
· Muffin tins, unless you faithfully use muffin cups
· BBQ grills, it is super common for cross contamination to occur on one of these, due to grilling hamburger buns, brushing wheat-containing BBQ sauce on ribs, grilling glutenous weiners, and more. The grills are an appliance you likely cannot splurge on to have a duplicate. So why not buy a grill mat for gluten-free items? The added benefit of a grill mat is they are super easy to bring with you anywhere, be it a family campsite or backyard BBQ with friends. It is a good idea when someone else is the grill master to provide them with a second set of grill tongs and spatula so they do not flip your gluten-free bun on your gluten-free grill mat with dirty tongs that have been touching glutenous hamburger buns all day.

Found these gluten collapsible and colour coded colanders, which is a great idea because if you are going to be investing in multiple cutting boards, colanders, utensils, etc you are going to need ever space saving gadget there is! Check product out.

BETTY BOTTER BOUGHT A BIT OF BETTER BUTTER, AND IT WAS GLUTEN-FREE

When utensils are dipped in a condiment jar, spread on bread, and dipped back into a jar, the condiments are contaminated with crumbs. To ensure a safe kitchen, buy condiments in squeeze bottles or transfer them into ones. I suggest waiting until you leave the grocery store before transfering your jelly to a squeeze bottle. Har, Har. If squeeze bottles do not strike your fancy, you will need to buy duplicate condiments and label the gluten-free one very clearly. A few of the common foods you should consider buying in squeeze bottle form, or duplicates of, are:

· Butter, if you are hosting a gluten-free guest, cut their butter off of a fresh stick or consider butter packets.
· Cream cheese and any other spreads
· Honey
· Jam and Jelly
· Mayonnaise
· Mustard
· Peanut butter and any other nut butters

4) RISE ABOVE IT ALL

Once you have a safe kitchen for prepping and cooking, it is necessary to keep ingredients, prepared food, and leftovers safe from contamination. Choose dedicated top shelves of the fridge, pantry, cupboards, etc. for gluten-free foods and dedicated cooking utensils. That way any crumbs falling to the lower shelves will be gluten-free crumbs, not gluten crumbs.

A word to the wise, label your shelves as “dedicated gluten-free” to remind everyone not to put their glutenous food in this space.

5) BAKE & SERVE SEPARATELY

Ovens are another danger zone where cross contamination can occur. If you do not clean your oven frequently, crumbs will collect on the bottom as well as in the warmer drawer. Racks are another place where gluten can cling. Consider cleaning your oven regularly, including vacuuming your warmer drawer. Bake your gluten-free food first, then your glutenous, then clean again. If gluten contamination is an especially large concern for the celiac in your life, consider baking gluten-free items with a covering, such as a lid or foil, and with a conventional oven not convection where the fan will stir up any gluten particles resident in the oven.

When serving food, serve the gluten-free food first. This helps ensure gluten crumbs do not drop into gluten-free foods. But it is also a good idea for celiacs to use separate serving utensils. Consider colour coding so these don’t get used for wheat products.

If you are gluten-free and at a pot blessing or another buffet scenario, ask the host if you can go first to help ensure there is no accidental gluten cross contamination through the switching of spoons in dishes.

And there you have it, five simple but thorough steps to safely serving the celiac in your life. Your family support is invaluable in their journey.

Have a blessed day friend.

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