Before I knew I had Celiac disease, I had a casual acquaintance over for a dinner party who had Celiac disease. My only previous experience with cooking for someone who was gluten free was with my mother who was told that eliminating wheat from her diet might help reduce the symptoms of her autoimmune condition. Cross-contamination was never an issue for my mother, so I didn’t know how serious the consequences of even a tiny bit of gluten could be.
When cooking for someone who doesn’t eat gluten (or wheat) there’s a pretty broad spectrum of needs you could be catering to. Not everyone who doesn’t eat gluten does so for medical reasons and there is even a diversity of needs within gluten free medical diets.
Here I will be writing about Celiac disease and the level of cleanliness and gluten removal required for safety for someone with Celiac. Regardless of whether you’re cooking for someone who has Celiac or not, the best thing you can do for someone is to ask what they need in order to eat your cooking and then to honestly evaluate whether or not you are able and willing to prepare food for them in a way that will keep them safe. Remember, sometimes a precaution can feel silly, but there is likely a very good reason for it!
Reasons Your Loved One Might Not Eat Gluten
Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: gluten is not inherently bad for you. Like most foods, wheat products (and other gluten-containing grains) give your body calories (which it needs to function) as well as different proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Like most foods, if you consume massive quantities of bread/wheat products your tummy is likely to hurt, but this isn’t a sign that gluten is to blame.
Not eating gluten is often labeled as a “lifestyle” these days, but to many people it’s a medical necessity. Here are some of the reasons someone may not be eating gluten.
- Preference: some people don’t enjoy gluten or have decided to experiment with eating less of it. Maybe you’re trying to cut down on carbs or diversify the types of grain you consume. If you have mysterious tummy troubles, it’s one of the top food types to eliminate from your diet to see if it helps.
- Non-Celiac autoimmune condition: when treating autoimmune conditions (conditions where the immune system attacks systems in the body) it’s fairly common to recommend dietary changes to reduce immune system activation. People who eliminate gluten for these reasons are often not affected by cross-contamination.
- Wheat or gluten allergy: some people are allergic to wheat, gluten, or other gluten-containing grains. It’s likely that their tolerance for cross-contamination is low. Be aware that some gluten free flour blends contain gluten-free wheat starch!
- Gluten intolerance/sensitivity: gluten intolerance is neither an allergy nor celiac disease. The mechanism is poorly understood, but symptoms can be similar to Celiac disease. Sensitivity to gluten contamination ranges, so be extra sure to ask!
- Gastrointestinal condition: changes in diet are an important part of treating a variety of gastrointestinal conditions. They can include IBS, Crohn’s, ulcertative colitis, etc. These conditions will not generally be sensitive to cross-contamination.
- And finally, Celiac disease
What is Celiac Disease?
In simple terms, Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition (a condition that causes the immune system to attack the body) in which the immune response is triggered by consuming gluten.
A more complicated explanation includes understanding the actual molecules involved. Gluten is actually two proteins, gliadin and glutenin, that are structured similarly. When we consume proteins, we break them down into their component parts for use in the body. For gluten, this means interacting with the protein tissue transglutaminase. Those with Celiac disease are genetically predisposed for the interaction between gluten and tissue transglutaminase to be too strong. In other words, the gluten can get stuck and the immune system notices this abnormal interaction and flags it.
Our immune systems are excellent at identifying when something in the body isn’t doing what it’s supposed to be doing (that’s how it notices viral and bacterial infections and fights them off) but sometimes it can be too good at its job. This is the case with Celiac disease (and other autoimmune conditions). This flagging of tissue transglutaminase leads the immune system to attack and eliminate this protein, which leads to damage to the intestinal lining and results in the intestines being worse at their job of digesting things.
You might be thinking, surely tissue transglutaminase is a protein that is important in digesting and processing gluten only! But the truth is that it isn’t. Although its name includes “gluten” in it, it actually interacts with a wide range of proteins and is important in tissues across the body. This is why the range of symptoms of Celiac disease is so broad and why there are many long-term health affects of Celiac disease, such as reduced bone density and a predisposition to a variety of cancers.
What Does Any of That Mean for Cooking
Okay, that was a lot of information that didn’t talk at all about what you’re actually going to have to change in your kitchen. I’ve found that having some understanding of what’s actually going on in the body can make it a bit easier to anticipate what can be unsafe and how we can make it safer, and now that we have that let’s move on.
Current research says that for those with Celiac disease, the maximum amount of gluten exposure that will not result in negative health outcomes is 20 parts per million (i.e. 20 gluten molecules per one million molecules).
Since we cook in a kitchen and not a laboratory, it’s very difficult to ascertain whether or not we’re accomplishing the required level of safety. Both kitchen equipment and the food that we prepare are potential sites of gluten contamination. This guide will walk you through how to consider all of the potential factors and thoroughly prepare to cook for someone with Celiac disease.
Overt and Covert Gluten
When I talk about sources of gluten in the kitchen to my friends, I say that there are two types of gluten: overt gluten, like you would find in a loaf of bread, and covert gluten, which might be lurking in your cutting board from when you sliced said loaf of bread.
It’s fairly easy to avoid overt gluten if you’re looking for it. Bread, bread crumbs, flour, these are foods that you don’t want to be feeding someone with Celiac disease unless you’ve confirmed that they were made with gluten-free flours.
Covert gluten is a lot harder. It can be found in some of your kitchen equipment, in products like soy sauce or bouillon, on foods that were processed in the same facility as gluten products, and sometimes even in places like skincare products, although we won’t have to worry about those while cooking.
Covert gluten that is not an explicit ingredient in a food item is called cross-contamination.
In this article, I’ll walk you through locating potential sources of both overt and covert gluten, both in the kitchen and when shopping for food, and how to avoid them.
How To Remove Gluten from Kitchen Equipment
If you have a kitchen and make food in it regularly, odds are that a fair bit of gluten-containing food has touched your counters, utensils, pans, and basically anywhere else you can think of. This makes your average kitchen a minefield for someone with Celiac (or someone hoping to cook for someone with Celiac). Here, I’ll talk about how to remove that gluten so you can keep the food you’re making free of cross-contamination.
When thinking about how to clean surfaces that have been exposed to gluten so the gluten doesn’t transfer to the food you’re preparing, it’s important to remember that gluten is a protein.
Gluten can’t be killed like bacteria
When we wash with hot water and soap, one of the things we’re doing is trying to kill bacteria. Bacteria is a living organism and heat and soap will kill it. A protein can’t be destroyed by hot water and soap in the same way, it can only be washed away.
This means that any porous surface that has come into contact with gluten can’t be used safely when cooking for someone with Celiac disease. This includes sponges, cutting boards, wood utensils, some plastic utensils, and nonstick kitchen equipment.
Gluten can’t be burnt off
One of people’s first instincts after learning that gluten cannot be killed like a bacteria is to ask if it can be destroyed with fire or extreme heat. While it is technically possible, the temperatures required are too high to be achieved realistically in a typical kitchen. Proteins typically turn to ash at over 900oF.
Note: Sometimes you will see references to the temperature at which gluten denatures. Denaturation is NOT the same as destruction and only alters certain aspects of the protein. Think of denaturation like taking a crinkled up twist-tie and straightening it out. The twist-tie is still a twist-tie, regardless of what shape it is. Gluten (and any protein) is the same.
Gluten can be destroyed by an enzymatic cleaner
Enzymatic cleaners are designed to deal with messes that are primarily protein-based. The most common use for an enzymatic cleaner is removing pet odors which are generated when smelly compounds interact strongly with other materials.
Because gluten is a protein, look for an enzymatic cleaner with a protease (specifically targets proteins) in it, such as this cleaner.
Note: if the surface you’re trying to clean is porous, the enzymatic cleaner may not reach all of the gluten. See the section below on porous items for more details.
Gluten Does Wash Off (Mostly)
If an object is non-porous then sufficient application of water and soap can physically wash the molecules off. It is essential that the sponge or washing implement be completely free from gluten, otherwise you will be adding gluten molecules to replace the ones you’re removing.
A dishwasher can provide enough high power application of water to adequately clean non-porous items, especially if the dishwasher is lightly loaded. If you’re trying to remove gluten from kitchen equipment, I recommend only loading the dishwasher with the equipment you want to use to minimize the risk of a crumb of gluten becoming lodged in between dishes, etc. during the wash cycle.
When washing an item by hand, use a brand new sponge. Sponges have lots of holes in them for gluten to hide in. If you wash with a gluten contaminated sponge then you’ll be washing gluten molecules off while applying new ones.
What is a non-porous surface?
I just said that non-porous surfaces can be cleaned. What does that mean?
Some surfaces in your kitchen have pores, microscopic holes that things can get lodged in. Things like gluten molecules.
You can identify surfaces that are non-porous by examining the material they’re made of. Stainless steel, glazed ceramic, and food-grade silicone are all safe. See porous items below for a look at what can’t be safely cleaned.
Kitchen Equipment That Can’t Be Cleaned
Porous Items
Wooden spoons and cutting boards are the primary porous items that you should look out for. Wood has plenty of pores for gluten to hide in and should not be used for gluten free cooking unless they are brand new.
Cutting boards in general are not safe because knives create crevices that gluten can hide in.
Plastics are iffy, they might be okay and they might not. I err on the side of caution and keep separate gluten free plastic utensils.
Both cast iron and non-stick pans aren’t safe.
Items With Cracks and Crevices
There are some kitchen items that are, in theory, able to be cleansed of gluten, but are still almost impossible to clean adequately. Toasters and pasta makers are great examples of this. I recommend skipping these types of items entirely.
Other Items to Avoid
- The grill. No one knows what’s crusted onto those grill bars, and the wire brush certainly isn’t going to remove the gluten from those burger buns your uncle burnt last summer. If it’s grilling you crave, try using a cast iron griddle. They’re portable and can be used on the stove top and on the grill.
- Frying oil that has been used to fry items containing gluten isn’t safe! Saving oil for deep frying is economical and fairly common, but know that if you’re going to be deep frying for someone that has Celiac disease you should use fresh oil.
- Jams, nut butters, etc. that are opened and may have been contaminated by crumbs or a dirty utensil.
Food Shopping for Someone With Celiac Disease
Covert gluten can be found in many different foods. Sometimes, gluten is present in a different form, like in soy sauce or beer. Other times, wheat/barley/etc. may not be an ingredient, but the food contains a byproduct of these grains, such as malt vinegar in Worcestershire sauce (malt is made from germinated grains, typically wheat) or yeast extract in bouillon (yeast extract is often a byproduct from brewing beer, so the yeast were fed wheat). Finally, even if a food contains no glutenous ingredients, it could still be processed in a facility with an item containing gluten, rendering it unsafe because of the likelihood of cross-contamination.
I will not lie to you, shopping for someone with Celiac (or as someone with Celiac) can be difficult and very frustrating. Here are some of the most important methods for deciding if something is safe for someone with Celiac.
These tips are primarily for someone shopping in the United States.
Processed vs Unprocessed Foods
The less processing a food item has undergone to get to you, the better. It’s hard to put gluten inside a cucumber on purpose, let alone accidentally. Most produce is safe, as are unmarinated meats. Dried beans and rice can be processed in a facility with gluten, but both of these foods are typically washed thoroughly before cooking, making them fairly safe.
Look For a Gluten Free Certification
There are several organizations that perform 3rd party testing and certify food products gluten free. The Gluten Free Certification Organization is very common, but there are several others. All have slightly different standards and testing paradigms, but all are rigorous. Look for these labels:
Look For a Label That Says “Gluten Free”
In the United States, any item that is labelled gluten free must not contain gluten in accordance with FDA regulations (see the FDA Q and A on this issue here). The FDA uses post-market monitoring to enforce compliance.
I always make sure I check the labels anyway, just in case. I don’t know how often testing is occurring, as the manufacturer isn’t required to test their product for gluten contamination (see the link above for more information).
Read the Ingredients
In the US, most ingredients lists have an allergen warning at the bottom. This is very helpful but can sometimes exclude ambiguous items. Here are some suspect or outright glutinous ingredients.
- Malt or anything that includes malt
- Yeast extract
- Brewer’s yeast
- Starch of an unspecified type
- Oats – always be suspicious unless they are marked gluten free
When I’m examining an ingredients list I look for an allergen list as well as any note about the facility that the product is manufactured in or a “may contain” designation. If any of these three categories mention wheat or gluten then I will not purchase the item.
I consider it a warning sign if there is no “may contain…” or “manufactured in a facility that also processes…” because I don’t know anything about the facility that produced this item. It could be made in a facility that also processes wheat, but there’s no way for me to know. On the other hand, if there’s a “may contain” list that excludes gluten and it isn’t on the allergen list, then I feel safe consuming the item even if it isn’t explicitly labeled gluten free.
When In Doubt
When in doubt, ask the person you’re cooking for if they would be comfortable eating the food item in question.
Step-by-Step (or the tldr)
1. Communicate with the person you’re cooking for
This might feel silly or annoying, or you might be hoping to surprise them with a beautiful home-cooked meal. Trust me when I say that your attentive care in trying to make them safe is worth more than the surprise. There’s always next time once you’ve figured out how to make cooking for them go smoothly!
If you’re feeling silly or self-conscious for asking, know that you’re supporting your loved one. People with dietary restrictions can feel like they are a burden for asking their friends and family to take precautions. By taking the first step you are making them feel safe!
2. Figure out what you want to make and what equipment you’ll need to use in the kitchen
Make sure that any gluten ingredients in the recipe are easily replaced by gluten free ingredients. It’s also always a good idea to run the recipe by the person you’re cooking for. Sometimes ingredients secretly have quite a bit of gluten in them.
3. Identify what equipment is safe to use
This is non-porous materials like stainless steel, food-grade silicone, and glazed ceramics.
4. Identify what equipment isn’t safe to use
This is porous items like cutting boards (especially wood ones), plastics, wood utensils, and nonstick cookware.
5. Clean your equipment or buy new equipment
Wash equipment you can make safe with a brand new sponge. Don’t set it down anywhere that might have gluten while using it.
Alternately, run equipment you can make safe through the dishwasher with an extra rinse cycle if available.
Purchase new equipment if needed.
6. Go shopping
Look for foods with gluten free certifications such as GFCO (see the section on food shopping for someone with Celiac for more examples and seals of approval). If you purchase items with these certifications, you can rest assured that you are cooking safely.
Check allergen labelling rigorously. Remember that if there is no allergen warning the food could still be made in a facility that also processes foods containing gluten and so may not be safe.
Be wary of bulk food containers. There is very high likelihood of cross-contamination with any bin nearby and so they should be treated as contaminated, even if labelled safe.
7. Clean surfaces that might come in contact with food
Mainly countertops. If there will be a lot of contact with the counter (as with pasta, for example) then consider using an enzymatic cleaner or laying down a protective surface, such as parchment paper or a new cutting board.
8. Prepare food!
You’ve made it! Making the kitchen safe is more than half the battle.
Make sure you’re washing your hands frequently if you are touching areas that may have been exposed to gluten.
If you think you may have contaminated a surface, play it safe! Re-wash any equipment that may have become contaminated during cooking before you use it again.
9. Eat the food!
Celebrate victory! Share a delicious meal with your loved one. Make sure to check in afterwards to see if they felt okay afterwards, just in case.
Don’t be discouraged or annoyed if they feel unwell, instead try talking through your procedure with them to see if you can figure out how contamination occurred and see if they would be comfortable trying again.
That’s all! Happy cooking!
