The Gluten Free Kitchen

Organization Tips

If you live in a house that is not 100% gluten free there can be mix ups at meal time. It happens to the best of us. The best way to pair down on the problems is to eliminate as many of them as you can.

Buy gluten free tools

I know that this can get expensive very fast but if you are going to be making multiples of meals, or you use wood and bamboo separate cook tools is essential. Wood and Bamboo tools are great for cooking, especially if you have nonstick cookware and the floppy silicone just doesn't cut it. I love bamboo tools, but because they are made of porous materials no matter how many times you clean them there can be trapped gluten. In my kitchen we have 2 drawers on either side of the stove. One has "gluten tools" and the other "gluten free tools". Ideally we would also have separate measuring cups and separate kitchen aid mixers but small baby steps toward the ultimate goal is sometimes best. Until your kitchen is converted ALWAYS cook the gluten free items first, use separate spoon rests, avoid wooden tools, and ALWAYS clean your tools in the dishwasher. 

Key items to buy duplicates of early -

Serving Spoons

Strainers

Spatulas

Sifters

Pop Up Toasters (or buy a toaster oven with mini pans for toasting and roasting and clean it often)

Cutting Boards (especially wood or bread boards that catch the crumbs)

Clear out the pantry

That cornstarch that you may have used after scooping flour with the same tablespoon, or the baking powder that doesn't say it's made on gluten free equipment, toss it. Clean out that pantry that has been accumulating random containers and spices for years and organize it in such a way that you have all of your gluten free items separate from your gluten-full ones. In our house we have one shelf that has all of my husband's gluteny snacks and the untouchables like flour and Bisquick. Another option is to have a completely separate "pantry" for your gluten free items. This is a space issue for us but I would love to have two places to keep cooking ingredients. If I did I would have 2 containers of everything to use with my 2 sets of measuring cups and my 2 mixers. That is, of course, in a perfect kitchen.

Be compulsive about cleaning linens

Pot holders, towels, and rags are often teeming with gluten. You used the pot holder to pull out the pan with your husband's garlic bread. Your friends came over and ate hot dogs and wiped their greasy hands on the hand wiping towel. Your dish rags are used to clean everything. I keep a hamper in my kitchen and I have about 30 of those red and white $.79 towels from Ikea. Every time I use one to clean a counter that may have had crumbs on it, or use a pot holder to grab the pot of real spaghetti they immediately go in my handy hamper. It keeps things clean and safe.

Consolidate Recipies

We only have a few recipes left that are not exclusively gluten free. Among them are spaghetti, pancakes, and chicken and dumplings. Work as hard as you possibly can to make all of your recipes completely gluten free. Grandma's chili that is thickened with flour, exchange that with cornstarch. All those cream of chicken and cream of mushroom standards, learn how to make your own (Next week there will be recipes!) and adjust your amounts to cups instead of cans. It is possible to please everyone.

It's a slow process and it definitely takes work but making your kitchen gluten free is a great move. I'm still in the process so I know it's difficult! Stick with it and do it one step at a time.

Happy Eating!

Tori