The One Where I Glutened the Food
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Mar 22 2012

The One Where I Glutened the Food

My sister went to great lengths to make sure food was safe for Jon and me when we visited this past week.  She either cooked the entire meal gluten-free, or made sure there were no issues with cross-contamination if she did have anything with gluten for those that aren’t following the gluten-free diet. 

Tuesday night’s menu included tacos, refried beans, corn and salad.  She had soft corn tortillas, hard corn shells and flour tortillas (not GF) available to build tacos.  Kelly wasn’t feeling well, so my mom and I took over serving the food.  I was carefully building my salad, Jon’s dish and then BAM – I stuck the spoon for the taco meat right onto Hannah’s non-gluten-free flour tortilla and back into the pan.  I realized my faux pas as soon as I did it.  Couldn’t I just rewind & undo what I had just done? 

MP900390587 thumb The One Where I Glutened the Food

The reason I think it is important to share this story is to show that even a person who is very experienced with the gluten-free diet is capable of making a mistake.  Fortunately I caught what I did and then knew that the meat was “off limits”.  When gluten-free foods & non-gluten-free foods are made in the same kitchen, there is always a potential for cross-contamination.   I think that it is easy to get complacent as time goes on, and it takes something like this to send an important reminder about steps you should take to prevent future similar occurrences.

Here are some steps to help prevent cross-contamination when cooking both gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods:

1.  Use separate sides of the stove, utensils, etc for GF and non-GF food.

2.  Make gluten-free food first and consider reheating later on.

3.  If making the gluten-free food first isn’t an option, make sure to serve the gluten-free food first.

4.  If you must use the same colander for gluten-free & non-gluten-free pasta, drain the gluten-free pasta first.

5.  Slow down & think through each step.

I have been following the gluten-free diet for over 6 years and I still made a mistake.  Anyone can make a mistake like this – whether you’re new to the diet or have been following it for years. 

If your kitchen isn’t 100% gluten-free, have you made similar mistakes?

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Article Written by:

Kimberly Bouldin is a gluten-free wife, runner & blogger with two children in Columbus, Ohio. After her celiac diagnosis in 2006, she has made it her mission to embrace an entirely new approach to nutrition in a gluten-free world, exploring options that run the gamut from "made from scratch" homemade bread to sampling and reviewing the gluten-free prepared foods that are continuously being introduced to the market. While navigating the waters of becoming gluten-free, Kim shares her experiences and passes along valuable product reviews in addition to helping other moms of celiac kids develop healthy menus that are kid-friendly and palatable. Kimberly is a valuable resource for those who are newly diagnosed, as well as for the more seasoned gluten-free veterans. Follow @KBouldin on Twitter

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  • Joan

    In the beginning, right after my diagnosis, I was having a lot of trouble trying to keep both in my kitchen and made a lot of mistakes as outlined above. My wonderful husband said he didn’t mine if we went 100% gluten free. So we did. He is the best.

    • http://glutenfreeislife.com/ Kimberly Bouldin

      Joan,

      That is awesome! :) How sweet of your husband to make things much easier for you!

      Kim

  • http://www.allergictoair.com Jessica

    I *thought* I was making GF/EF/PNF/TNF gooey butter cake for our 4th of July celebration last year. It turned out better than expected and everyone, even the non-food allergy people enjoyed it. I went to make some pizza crust the next day and pulled out the very same canister of flour, only to realize I had used WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR! I’m in the habit of double checking my flour now!

  • Carol Engstrom

    What about cooking gluten Free and non-gluten free in the same oven. I’ve never seen that addressed.

    • http://glutenfreeislife.com/ Kimberly Bouldin

      If you are doing it at home, under your control, it is fine. I always put gluten-filled food on the rack under the gluten-free food if they are both in the oven at the same time.