Cooking gluten-free
To cook appetizing gluten-free meals, it’s a good idea to be aware of what function the flour is performing in your recipe before you attempt to replace it. Wheat flour can perform multiple functions: thickening, binding, adding flavour, changing texture, and absorbing moisture. No alternative to wheat flour can do all these things in the same way as wheat flour. The most difficult behaviour to replicate is gluten’s binding ability.
For this reason it is commonly advised that you mix several flours or starches when substituting for wheat. Different mixtures are suggested: no one mixture is ideal in all cases, and experimentation and customization are advised.
Many, if not all, gluten-free products do not have preservatives, so it is important that they be kept frozen or used soon after purchase. Do not store cooked gluten-free breads, cakes or confections for days at a time, or they will rapidly degrade and mold. Foods containing a significant proportion of potato starch, a common ingredient in gluten-free breads, are particularly susceptible to spoilage.
You must also be aware of the presence of gluten on the surfaces and utensils you use. Flour gets in the air and can’t be cleaned. So avoid cooking one thing that is non-gluten free and gluten free in the same area when using flour. Also make sure you thoroughly clean all surfaces and utensils you use for both. Remember, you can never be too careful when it comes to your health.
Base meals around whole foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as meat, chicken, or fish, eggs, potatoes or rice, and plenty of fresh vegetables, salad and fruit.
When cooking gluten free, it is simplest to look for dishes that require the least customization. A pasta dish may only require the substitution of a rice pasta, for instance. Soups may only require a substitution for thickening (rice flour, cornstarch, or potatoes also thicken soup). Gravies and sauces can be made using arrowroot starch or sweet rice flour instead of wheat flour. Recipes calling for bread crumbs may be translated into gluten-free by using leftover gluten-free breads and crackers, and even baked items, processed into crumbs. Cooked rice or potatoes may also be substituted in many recipes calling for bread crumbs.
Sandwiches can be made with corn tortillas (grilled tuna melts, Mexican-style quesadillas, turkey and cheese, refried beans) — though the ingredients label of commercial tortillas should be checked, as some commercial firms include wheat flour in apparently “corn” tortillas — and also with salad leaf wraps (Boston and Romaine lettuce wrapped around filling such as egg salad, tuna, turkey, ham and Swiss, etc.), and moistened rice paper wraps.
Cuisines from cultures that rely less on wheat can simplify menu planning. Many Indian, Asian, Mexican, South American, Middle-Eastern and Pacific Fusion recipes use no gluten containing ingredients.
Cakes, cookies and brownies can be made with a mix of alternative flours; including nut meal. Nut meal/flours can lower the carbohydrate content in a recipe, and up the protein that is often lacking in alternative starches and gluten-free flours. Other higher protein gluten-free flours include quinoa, buckwheat, soy, and amaranth.
Pies require a gluten-free crust, and possibly a new thickening agent for the filling. Use packaged gluten-free cookies to create a crumb crust.