<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Let's Get Organized
-------------------
by Kathy Wagerson
Getting organized in the kitchen can be a little overwhelming for a
newly diagnosed celiac. You should start by reviewing your herbs and
spices. Do any of them have a wheat filler? (Curry, cinnamon,
mustard, paprika, and turmeric are possibilities.) Also review
flavorings, baking powder, and vinegars. When in doubt, throw it out
(or save it for your non-celiac family members.)
Next, you need to make it easy for all family members to keep track
of which items are gluten-free (GF) and which ones aren't, so the GF
products don't become cross- contaminated with traces of gluten. One
method is to place bright stickers on all GF products. Another is to
remove non-GF items from baking and cooking cupboards and store them
away from the main kitchen area.
There are a number of gluten-free flours and thickening agents
available for you to used instead of wheat flour. Your new member
packet contains a list of these items, and explains how each can be
used. It also contains a chart showing various combinations and
quantities of flours you can substitute for one cup of wheat flour.
You might find it convenient to fasten this list and chart to the
inside cupboard door where you keep these products. You can add your
own notations to the list as you gain experience in baking with these
flours.
Some of the GF flours and thickeners have a longer shelf life than
others. Those with a shorter shelf life should be kept in the
freezer to maintain good flavor. I keep my flours and thickeners as
follows:
Shelf Freezer
----------------------------------- ----------------
rice flour corn flour brown rice flour
sweet rice flour cornstarch rice bran
potato starch flour xanthan gum rice polish
tapioca flour/starch guar gum soy flour
methylcellullose
Betty Hagman is the author of The Gluten-Free Gourmet and More From
the Gluten-Free Gourmet. She describes a GF mixture used in many of
her recipes. I keep a canister containing the GF mixture in my
cupboard. To make the GF mixture, combine:
2 cups white rice flour
2/3 cup potato starch flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour/starch
Note that white rice flour and brown rice flour can be used
interchangeably except where the color is important.
Potato flour is not the same as potato starch flour. Potato flour is
a heavy flour that can often be replaced with GF potato buds or
mashed potatoes.
When adding xanthan gum as a binder in recipes, be sure to mix it in
well with the flours. A general rule of thumb is:
for cakes: 1/4 teaspoon per cup of GF flour
for breads: 1 teaspoon per cup of GF flour
for pizza crust: 2 teaspoons per cup of GF flour
When making up GF breads, cakes, etc., I find it handy to prepare two
batches of the dry ingredients and then save one of them for another
day. This cuts out a lot of prep time every other time you bake.
Save your stale GF bread and your baking mistakes; these can be used
to make stuffing. To make them into bread crumbs, dry them in single
layers in your oven, with the temperature at 200 degrees, then put
them in a blender or food processor and grind them into crumbs. The
crumbs can then be stored in the freezer for future use.
You can make a pie crust with stale GF cookies, flavored rice
crackers, or crushed GF cereal. Just add sugar and melted
margarine/butter, shake, and spread out in a pie pan. Add a little
sugar and cinnamon to achieve a taste like graham cracker crumbs.
Try to set up and plan several meals each week. Plan a crockpot meal
for days when you are especially busy. Prepare the ingredients the
night before and store them in the refrigerator. Put the crock on
the base in the morning, set a timer, and your meal will be ready and
waiting for you at dinner time.
I recommend using fresh mushrooms over canned ones; they add much
more flavor and body. You can just slice them and then store them in
the freezer until they are needed.
Save leftover gravies, or make double, and then freeze them in
one-cup portions. These work great in casseroles and soups. Freeze
single portion meals for lunches and dinners. These work well if
gluten meals are being served and you don't feel like cooking double.
Make ahead GF cream soups and sauces; store these in the freezer in
one-cup portions also. Freeze chicken broth/stock in ice cube trays
and transfer them to plastic bags. You can then use them right out
of the freezer like bullion cubes in gravies, soups, sauces,
casseroles, or in the boiling water for rice.
You can substitute rice in casseroles that call for noodles: 1-1/4
cups of rice replaces 8-12 ounces of noodles. Add the rice to the
pan after the spices are added and 1-2 cups of water (depending on
the other liquids used in the recipe). Cover and cook for 20 minutes
on low heat; stir 2-3 times to keep from sticking. Add water and
other liquids as needed.
I also like to bake ahead and freeze pizza shells, hamburger or
sandwich buns, frosted cupcakes, etc. When the mood strikes, or the
need (such as a party) I have GF foods at my fingertips. Along with
the pizza shells I also freeze shredded cheese; it can be applied to
the shells frozen. If you shred the cheese yourself, you will need
to add about a tablespoon of cornstarch to the cheese and shake it up
thoroughly to prevent it from clumping together.
After you've gotten your kitchen organized, you'll need to think
about organizing all those GF recipes you'll be collecting at celiac
meetings and exchanging with other celiac friends. Assemble your
favorite "loose" recipes in one place and categorize them. Separate
the ones you've tried (and liked) from the ones that you have not yet
tried. I try to date them and note where (or whom) I got them from.
There are a number of ways you might try organizing your recipes:
* Place them on index cards and keep them in a card file.
* Place them in a three-ring (loose leaf) binder.
* Use six or eight spiral notebooks, one for each major category.
* Use four or five inexpensive photo albums with clear plastic
covers that pull away; affix the recipes under the plastic
covers.
* Mark the categories on the flaps of an accordion-style pocket
file holder and then insert loose recipes into the appropriate
category pockets.
Whatever system you use, remember to leave lots of room for expansion
and growth! As you read a cookbook, mark the index when you find a
recipe that sounds good and is GF. Mark it with colored ink or a
highlighter so that it's easy to find again.
I like to keep frequently used recipes at my fingertips. I place
these in a magnet with a clip and I keep them on the refrigerator.
When I use one of the recipes, I put it on the top of the stack and
then move the magnet onto my range hood for easy reference.
Whenever I use a recipe, I make notes right on it including the date
I tried it, how I liked it, and what changes I might want to try
making to the recipe the next time I use it.
Try to keep GF staples on hand for an emergency: cornstarch, milk
substitutes, corn cooking oil, GF chocolate bits (I have my own
definition of "staples"), GF flours, GF cereals, GF noodles, and
possible GF box mixes for breads, brownies, muffins, cakes, etc. Set
up a quick cook pantry, selecting the foods your family likes best.
Stock only a few cans of each item. If you don't have room in the
kitchen, try the floor of a closet or a shelf. These stores will
come in handy in weather emergency or perhaps just before payday.
Being diagnosed with celiac sprue doesn't have to turn you and your
kitchen inside out. Being gluten-free is not the end of the world.
I have found it's the beginning of cooking and baking healthier foods
that I would have never tried otherwise. The satisfaction of making
these foods myself has been rewarding beyond measure. Good luck and
get organized!
|
