providing they are plain.
is gluten-free cooking more difficult than ordinary cooking?
Old fashioned gluten-free cooking was difficult and dull, but the recipes in this book will show you that in most cases it is easier and more delicious than ordinary cooking.
Because manufacturers are not geared to the gluten-free dieter’s needs, their labelling can quite inadvertently lead to confusion. If a product lists any of the following substances on the label it may contain gluten, so do check carefully. A good maxim is: when in doubt, leave it out of your diet.
flour
special edible starch
modified starch
food starch
corn
starch
cornflour/cornstarch (unless pure maize)
thickener
rusk
thickening
cereal
binding
cereal protein
binder
edible starch
vegetable protein
New labeling regulations (EU) 2010 for gluten free ingredients
Some of the mystery has now been removed from labels on foods. There are new standards for food labeled ‘gluten free’. Many naturally gluten free foods become contaminated by other gluten-containing food/ingredients in production factories and packing factories. Manufacturers are now obliged to indicate on the ingredients labels where this might happen, with a warning. This does not just apply to gluten/wheat but nuts and seeds too. The word ‘may’ will feature. This doesn’t mean the food is definitely contaminated. Some manufacturers fear being sued and put on a warning to cover themselves. However there is still secrecy about how food is produced as manufacturers want to protect their formulas which cannot be patented. As an example – MSG (monosodium glutamate) can be made from several different sources. One of them is wheat. Some factories are ‘dedicated’ and use/pack only gluten free foods. Expect to pay more for these as they will not be contaminated.
how can you tell which commercial products contain gluten?
The following ingredients always contain flour from wheat, rye, barley or oats and therefore are not gluten free:
wheat bran
wheat flour
wheat berries
wheatmeal
wheat flakes
wheat protein
wheat starch (sometimes described as special gluten-free starch, although it is not 100 per cent gluten free)
wholewheat
cracked wheat
kibbled wheat
durum wheat
semolina
couscous
wheatgerm
pourgouri
burghul
pinhead oatmeal
oat milk
bulghar/bulgar wheat
granary flour
rye meal
rye flour
rye flakes
barley meal
barley flakes
barley flour
pearl barley
pot barley
* oats
* porridge oats
* rolled oats
* jumbo oats
* oat flakes
* oatbran
* oatgerm
* oatmeal
* Suitable for some coeliacs, if allowed. See here for details on use of oats.
‘Starch’ can mean anything from wheat flour to potato flour. ‘Cornflour’ can also cover a multitude of sins and can mean all sorts of starches mixed up (UK), unless made purely from maize.
You will find instructions on how to approach manufacturers for information here.
Here is a list of common products likely to contain gluten. Although it is a long list, don’t worry! Most of it is ‘junk’ food and is best avoided in any case.
baby foods*
