by info@gfreecuisine.com
25. May 2009 12:07
Every now and then, it's a good thing to reassure people about which ingredients are gluten-free. We have many wonderful experts on this topic, but I usually turn to the web site at Gluten-Free Living magazine for a quick, straightforward answer. Ann Whelan and her staff spent years doing this research and the results are based on scientific evidence. See http://glutenfreeliving.com/ingredient.php. For more discussion on gluten-free ingredients, see Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide (2008) by Shelley Case, another well-qualified expert on the matter. When I'm looking for a specific brand, I consult http://www.clanthompson.com, a subscription-based service that lists hundreds of gluten-free brands and the one that I use for GfreeCuisine.
Here is a summary of the truth on some of the most-often discussed ingredients, which continue to resurface under what I call “gluten-free urban myths.”
Vanilla is made from distilled alcohol; the distillation process removes the gluten from the alcohol. So, use vanilla as much as you like. It does wonderful things for gluten-free baking.
Distilled vinegar has always been gluten-free, except for malt vinegar which is made from barley and is not distilled. Vinegar is usually made from corn, not wheat. But even if wheat is used, distillation removes the gluten. Ann Whelan cleared up the vinegar questions ten years ago in these articles: “Is Vinegar Safe for Celiacs,” Gluten-Free Living, September/October 1999, “Are Natural and Artificial Flavorings Safe?”, Gluten-Free Living, November/December 1999, and “Don’t Worry about Vinegar,” Gluten-Free Living, Vol. 8, #3. I use vinegar liberally in my cooking—apple cider, balsamic, champagne, sherry, and distilled--- because it has lots of wonderful flavor
Sticky rice is simply a form of white rice and is gluten-free. It is sometimes called “glutinous rice” because of the sticky substance that surrounds the grains when they're cooked. But this is not the same “gluten” that we find in wheat and related grains. Sticky rice is often served in Asian restaurants and the only way that it could contain gluten is if it was cross-contaminated with other ingredients such as wheat-based soy sauce. In fact, we use a form of sticky rice in baking called “sweet rice flour.” It is this very stickiness that gives baked goods such as pie crust such wonderful suppleness and pliability. So, use it and enjoy it.
Ketchup is and always has been gluten-free.
Blue cheese is rarely made on bread, but uses bacteria and enzymes to produce those deeply-flavored blue lines. Boar's Head and Sargento are definitely gluten-free and I use them frequently in my recipes at http://www.GfreeCuisine.com A touch of blue cheese does wonders for a tossed salad.
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