Step Four: Get Cooking!

"You have to eat to cook. You can’t be a good cook and a non-eater. I think eating is the secret to good cooking" – Julia Child

Gluten-free cooking is only as complicated as you choose to make it! How about fresh, grilled chicken with basmati rice, onion and peppers, served with a crisp salad? How about fresh carrot and coriander soup served with gluten-free quick bread? How about gluten-free peanut butter cookies? Even if you are a complete novice in the kitchen, all of the above are great ways to begin honing your skills and eat well as you learn!

There are essentially three ways to approach gluten-free eating ...

One – cook from scratch using naturally gluten-free foods as much as possible.

Two – cook your favorite foods at home using gluten-free substitutes in your regular recipes (and perhaps gluten-free pre-prepared foodstuffs occasionally to speed up the process).

Three – avoid cooking and eat gluten-free ready meals, frozen dinners, and processed foods such as canned soups instead.

The choice of approach is ultimately yours but many people find that the transition to gluten-free eating often leads them to the kitchen as they begin to realize that the only way to know for sure what they’re eating is to prepare meals for themselves using fresh and trusted store cupboard ingredients.

It’s a common myth that it’s expensive to cook meals from scratch and even more so to cook using gluten-free ingredients. The truth is that while you may incur some extra expenses through the need to restock your pantry and replace some kitchen utensils, all of those expenses will quickly be recouped as soon as you get into the swing of preparing quick and easy gluten-free meals at home. Foods that are naturally gluten-free are generally not expensive but when gluten-free substitutes are used in foods that normally contain gluten, costs can rise by comparison. This means in terms of affordability and also in gaining the maximum health or weight-loss benefits, a diet centered on naturally gluten-free foods is the way to go. For example, fresh meat and fish are often on offer at supermarkets and this provides the opportunity to stock up by buying extra and freezing what you don’t need for another day. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive in local grocery stores but with a little leg work or internet research you may be able to find much cheaper sources in your area in the form of fresh produce markets. Depending on where you live, local farm shops are often a valuable source of fresh produce at a fraction of supermarket prices, provided you get used to the idea that fruits and vegetables come in all shapes and sizes, not just the uniform shapes you find on display on supermarket shelves!

Gluten-Free Substitutions

The one item that most individuals diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity dread "giving up" is bread. Whether it’s toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch or burgers in a bun for an on-the-go meal, most people find bread is a regular feature in their everyday diet. The same can be said of many other flour-based foods such as pizza dough, pancakes, muffins, cakes and cookies, all typically made with wheat flour and therefore off the menu – or are they? The answer is, no. Practically any food that can be made with regular flour can also be made with gluten-free flour so giving up gluten does not have to mean giving up everything you enjoy.

Gluten-free bread:

Any grocery store that stocks gluten-free products will undoubtedly have a wide range of gluten-free breads on offer. It might take a little trial-and-error to find the right brand for you but once you do, you can carry on having your toast and sandwiches whenever you choose without giving it a second thought.

You can also make your own gluten-free bread at home. There are gluten-free recipes for just about every kind of bread imaginable and once again it’s a matter of trial-and-error to find the flavors and textures that best suit your needs. A blend of gluten-free flours is the most common substitution for regular flour with white and brown rice flour, sweet sorghum flour, and tapioca starch providing a popular mix. Xanthan gum and guar gum are added to the dough to give it a sticky, workable texture in the absence of gluten to bind it all together. Lots of gluten-free breads can be made quickly and easily with no lengthy kneading necessary but you may find yourself enjoying the end product so much that you invest in a bread maker in order to try out an even greater variety of tasty gluten-free bread recipes.

Gluten-free pizza dough:

Readymade gluten-free pizza bases are available to buy in stores stocking gluten-free products and they can also be frozen, making them a handy stand-by for a quick and easy homemade pizza with any topping you choose.

Like bread, pizza dough is also very easy to make at home. A blend of brown rice flour, millet flour, sorghum flour, and potato starch creates a base that suits most preferences but the bonus of making your own is that you can experiment with different recipes and make it as thin or as deep as you like.

Pancakes:

Gluten-free pancake mixes are generally available in supermarkets with a gluten-free range in stock and they are widely available on-line. However, making your own mix at home couldn’t be simpler. All you need is your favorite gluten-free flour mix, some eggs and milk and you’re ready to cook up a stack whenever you need a pancake fix!

Muffins:

You can buy ready-to-eat muffins in gluten-free bakeries and gluten-free muffin mixes are also available. However, like pancakes, it may be simpler than you think to make your own mix at home and store it in airtight containers ready to use whenever you want to bake up a batch. A blend of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, amaranth flour, and quinoa flour with potato and tapioca starch is a popular combination in many gluten-free muffin recipes but once you discover how easy it is to make your own, you’ll find yourself experimenting with lots of delicious combinations and flavors.

Cakes and cookies:

As with muffins, gluten-free cakes and cookies can be found in bakeries or in the gluten-free section of your local health food store or supermarket. Of course, making your own is the most cost effective way to satisfy your sweet-tooth and with a growing number of gluten-free recipe books dedicated to baking, you might be surprised by just how easy it is to make all of your favorite treats at home.

Gluten-Free Baking Tips

Gluten-free flours are generally denser than regular flours and this means that weight-for-weight measurements are best when substituting recipe ingredients. For example, one cup of almond flour weighs more than one cup of regular wheat flour so it’s best to weigh the contents of the cup in the original recipe and then substitute with the same weight in gluten-free flour.

The coarser grind of most gluten-free flours can also lead to a drier texture and for this reason additional liquid may be required to create a moist end product. Fruit juices are ideal for this purpose and they can add subtle differences in flavor to give your baking a unique twist. However, using recipes designed especially for gluten-free baking is the best way to get the results you want first time around!

Eating Out

More and more restaurants are becoming aware of the need for gluten-free options on their menus – no doubt helped by the growing number of celebrities switching to a gluten-free diet! However, for sufferers of celiac disease and those with NCGS, the potential for cross-contamination in a busy kitchen is an obvious cause for concern. For example, providing a salad without croutons is not a gluten-free option if the chef who prepared it also prepared several other salads with croutons in the same preparation area. This can make eating out seem like too big a risk to take for individuals who are very sensitive to even tiny amounts of gluten but the good news is that there are restaurants out there that truly understand what it means to be gluten-free in every step of the food preparation process.

The following establishments are currently "gluten-free friendly" and although not exclusively gluten-free, they are proud of their accommodating standards. However, ensuring that the foods you eat are safe for you is ultimately your responsibility so be prepared to explain your needs carefully and ask questions whenever you have any doubts. A phone call before you book is the easiest way to get a feel for whether the staff will genuinely be interested in understanding and meeting your needs.

A few eating establishments with gluten-free options in the US:

• The Old Spaghetti Factory
• Pizza Fusion
• Outback Steakhouse
• Legal Sea Foods
• Cheeseburger in Paradise
• BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse

There are many more and an internet search for gluten-free restaurants in your area will help you to narrow it down and set you on your way to eating out safely.