Frequently Asked Questions:
F.A.Q. about recipes: |
How do you know what ingredients are safe?!
I always look for the "Gluten Free" label. If it does not have one I either call the company, look it up online or on celiac.org, or use ingredients that my trusted celiac & gluten free eaters are using. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL! If a product contains gluten, wheat, or is processed on the same machinery as gluten it "should" say it on the label. I say should because by law, this hasn't fully been regulated.
Help! Why didn't my recipe turn out?
"Where did I go wrong?" Check this list for possible reasons:
- Did you make any flour substitutions? Gluten free baking is SO temperamental. I've found it has to be pretty exact in order to work. Always make sure you follow the recipe as listed. Sometimes on a recipe I will offer substitutions if I've found they also work. Other than that, the recipe may not work with any changes to the flours.
- Did you measure your flour correctly? Visit this WEBSITE for some great tips.
- Did you substitute the eggs in any way? All my recipes that call for eggs are made with real eggs. I can't guarantee a recipe when substitutes are used.
- Is your yeast still active? If your breads, rolls, or other yeast-based baked goods are not rising correctly check your yeast's power. If you stir up your yeast with warm (105 degree) water and nothing happens or rises or the yeast collapses when barely touched your yeast may be the issue.
How do you come up with your recipes?
Most of the time I look at Gluten-Infested recipes that I would love to eat and then I go from there. I try to keep the ingredients simple and all natural so an overall healthier version is made.
Are those really your photos?
This question makes me smile because I'm not a very good photographer to begin with so that's nice that they don't think they're mine own. ;) So yes, unless the photos say otherwise, they are all mine.
What appliances do you use most frequently?
I use my Blendtec and Food processor a lot! If I had to choose between buying one or the other I would go with the Blendtec. Another helpful appliance is my Breadman Pro Bread Machine. It makes great gluten-free bread along with other things including jam! To cook all my beans (among other things) I use my Cuisinart Pressure Cooker.
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F.A.Q. about the Dirty Dozen:
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The Dirty Dozen list comes from the Environmental Working Group as a Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in produce. It comes from synthesized data collected from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration from 2000 to 2009. Produce is ranked based on a composite score, equally weighing six factors that reflect how many pesticides were found in testing of on each type of the produce and at what levels. Most samples are washed and peeled prior to being tested, so the rankings reflect the amounts of the chemicals likely present on the food when it is eaten. For more information click HERE.
F.A.Q. about GMO: |
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. A surprising amount of the food we eat EVERYDAY has been GMO-ed. The reason: farmers can grow it more conveniently. The problem: Our bodies do not recognize GMO foods as the regular version and often times will "attack" it. As we eat more and more GMO foods our body can even start attacking itself creating auto-immune diseases. A BIG reason why wheat has been increasingly harder to digest and more problematic for people in the past couple of years is because of GMO! Wheat has been genetically modified to have up to 20% more GLUTEN! As a general rule of thumb, stay clear of GMO foods to prevent your body from becoming allergic to that as well. For more information please click HERE.
F.A.Q. about GF Flours: |
What GF flours do you normally have on hand?
Staples for me are Brown Rice Flour, White Rice Flour, Gluten Free Oat Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch/Flour and non-GMO Corn Starch. I occasionally use Sorghum Flour and Almond Flour or Meal and I seldom use Coconut Flour and Soy Flour.
How do you store your GF flour?
I keep my flours in airtight containers in my fridge. This helps prolong their shelf life and keeps them tasting fresh. It takes up almost the entire bottom shelf in my fridge but it's worth it!
How is Brown Rice Flour compared to White Rice Flour?
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FAQ (General): |
How can I become more confident in my GF cooking?
This might seem like a silly answer but keep cooking! Practice makes perfect as they say and you can really learn a lot as you try and try again. Whenever I am making a recipe for the for the first (or second, or third) time I always keeps good notes on what worked and what didn't work. I always right down what might be better in a future batch as well. That way I don't make the same mistake twice!
Also, learn from others. There are some great gluten-free websites out there with TONS of recipes. Notice what they do to make things work and apply that to your baking.
Most of all, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Someone once said they were too afraid to experiment because they knew mouths had to be fed! If you're unsure about a recipe make it other than a meal time so hungry mouths aren't relying on you. Also make it in a smaller batch so instead of messing up 24 cookies, you only mess up 6!
Check out this great website for some helpful tips in the kitchen: 20 of the Most Common Cooking Mistakes
Also, learn from others. There are some great gluten-free websites out there with TONS of recipes. Notice what they do to make things work and apply that to your baking.
Most of all, don't be afraid to make mistakes. Someone once said they were too afraid to experiment because they knew mouths had to be fed! If you're unsure about a recipe make it other than a meal time so hungry mouths aren't relying on you. Also make it in a smaller batch so instead of messing up 24 cookies, you only mess up 6!
Check out this great website for some helpful tips in the kitchen: 20 of the Most Common Cooking Mistakes
Why the name "Don't Eat Wheat?"
Remember the classic game of Don't Eat Pete?
Well sometimes I feel it's the same way with wheat!
I'm always looking on labels, deciphering nutrition facts, and searching menu items to
make sure that that dreaded GLUTEN doesn't get into my food!
So while it's a funny name, we think it applies. well. Thanks for reading.
And good luck in your "game" of Don't Eat Wheat. :)