15 November 2021

The ABCs of Gluten-Free Cooking

A for Learning to cook at home

When you embark on gluten-free cooking, it truly is an adventure! The composition of basic foods shows that gluten is omnipresent in our daily lives: wheat, starch, breadcrumbs, spelt, wheat bran, semolina...

From the morning, it comes to meet you. In your breakfast cereals, in the hastily purchased ready meal for lunch, in snacks and so on.

In light of this observation, it's necessary to relearn how to cook at home. Whether it's to make a pizza, bake cakes or bread without gluten.

Of course, you will need to adopt new habits. At first, it will take you a bit more time than before.

Don't worry. It is possible to simplify menus.

Example of a balanced gluten-free day of meals

Breakfast: buckwheat flakes with plant milk and fresh cut fruits
Lunch: tomato, cucumber, green bean salad, hard-boiled egg
Snack: fruits, nuts (almonds, hazelnuts...) + dark chocolate
Dinner: broccoli, rice, chicken breast, plant yogurt

B for Banning cross-contamination

Celiac disease requires a strict diet.

It is therefore also crucial to monitor for contamination.

The kitchen must be reorganized with a dedicated area for gluten-free products as well as utensils used for preparing your gluten-free meals.

For example, using parchment paper to line your pans is also recommended and thorough cleaning is necessary.

This ensures your gluten-free meal preparations.

C for Choosing the right gluten-free flours

Celiac disease requires a strict diet.

Replacing wheat flour is not an easy task.

Gluten-free flours to discover

To start, choose rice flour, buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, etc. These are the easiest to find in general stores.

And then you venture a bit further, exploring others: tigernut, teff, chestnut, or others.

Experimenting with flour blends

Each has its specificity, glycemic index, texture, and way of behaving!

You will need to try out, experiment with the flavors of each, and make mixes too!

It's fun, you'll see!

D for Diversifying your gluten-free diet

The positive aspect of gluten-free cooking is that it encourages diversity!

To replace wheat-based products, you will need to incorporate legumes, quinoa, and other foods that you had neglected in favor of unhealthy eating.

However, be careful not to systematically replace wheat-based products with just one type of product. This is to avoid the risk of developing a new food intolerance.

For example, if you avoid gluten and dairy, do not exclusively consume rice-based products (cakes, cookies, milk, cream).

This could bore you, but more importantly, and I insist, you could develop a new food intolerance!

So, go look for new foods and have fun in the kitchen!

E for Experimenting with gluten-free substitute products

For several years, manufacturers have been offering gluten-free products to make your daily cooking easier: flour mixes, pasta, breakfast cereals, quick solutions for snacks or appetizers.

They cannot, under any circumstances, constitute a daily solution.

A little organization and you won't need industrial products!

F for Letting your creativity shine in gluten-free cooking

Gluten-free cooking stimulates creativity because it's rare to have all the ingredients for a recipe on hand.

No tapioca starch? No guar gum? No ground hazelnuts?

Adapt your recipe with cornstarch or potato starch, ground flaxseeds, or almond flour.

We can revisit our old recipes, don't be afraid!

Support, advice, and recipes for a healthy and fulfilling gluten-free diet.