5
I find that it really helps to have the right tool for the job. In this chapter I will introduce you to baking tools that you may have not used in the past, such as a bench knife or a probe thermometer. You can certainly start baking without them, but over time you may want to consider purchasing them. I keep only the essentials in my kitchen, but every tool I have gets a lot of use.
My pantry is one deep cupboard. With the exception of the overflow to the dining room as I prepared recipes for this book, my flours, sweeteners, flaxseeds, shortenings, and milk substitutes are all stored in that cupboard, my refrigerator, or my freezer. What you won’t find in my pantry is anything made with soy protein, wheat, or gluten. I have eliminated boxes of cereals, cookies, and other packaged foods that are filled with those food allergens—and you might be surprised how much space was freed up for all the new foods my family can safely eat.
I confess that I do keep cow’s milk and cheese in the refrigerator, for those in the family who can tolerate milk. The cheese products are isolated from everything else—they have their own special drawer—which brings us again to the topic of contamination, this time to the kind that occurs not in the factory but in the home.
No food allergy book would be complete without a discussion about contamination. Contamination occurs when there is cross-contact between allergen-free food and food allergens. Sometimes called cross-contamination, both terms mean the same thing: that an ingredient, meal, or dish that was intended to be allergen-free unintentionally contains traces of a food that you may be allergic to. The emphasis here is on the word unintentional. You may have prepared a sauce containing no food allergens, and then your spouse stirred the pot with a spoon that had been in contact with milk. The sauce is now contaminated with milk.
There are many ways that contamination can occur. Here are just a few examples:
You can see how easy it is for food to become contaminated, even when everyone knows the rules. I wash my hands a lot when I am in the kitchen, and I have an eagle eye for crumbs left on the counter. Determining the food safety procedures to follow in your home is just as important as planning the fire escape route.
Extra caution is required when eating away from home. In my experience, most friends and family members have the best intentions and do try to accommodate food allergies, but they often lack the vigilance to ensure that small traces of food allergens don’t make their way into a meal. Sometimes, a simple error in judgment can lead to a serious mistake. At a recent family event, my mother decided to throw cheese on the salad at the last minute, thinking it would make the salad more interesting. She was well versed in my son’s food allergies, but in that moment, my milk-allergic son’s well-meaning grandmother simply forgot that cheese was milk. She suggested that Patrick could pick the cheese out of his salad, but if you’ve been paying attention you know that wasn’t an option—no salad for him that night.
Likewise, restaurant staff can easily make mistakes. In my experience, most restaurant workers truly want to serve you a safe meal; problems occur due to lack of understanding and awareness. Notably, Massachusetts was the first state to enact food allergy legislation for restaurants, requiring training and menu notices. I grew up in Massachusetts, and I love going out to eat when I visit. The increased awareness has led to more menu options and greater attention to detail by restaurant staff. While more restaurants are taking food allergies and restrictions seriously, offering special menus, and training their staff to avoid cross-contamination, the more you know about the ingredients in the food you are ordering and how the chef prepares the dish, the better off you will be. While this book is focused on baking at home, there are an increasing number of resources available for the food-allergic family eating out. See Appendix E for more information. Meanwhile, let’s get back to your kitchen.
The simplest way to avoid contamination at home is to eliminate all of your family’s food allergens, but that may not be practical. Some of you may be juggling multiple conflicting food allergies, or family members may not be willing to live without a particular food—and I must point out that eating allergen-free can be expensive (more on that later). While this is by no means a comprehensive list, here are some tips to help avoid contamination and keep your family safe:
When my son was diagnosed with food allergies, in addition to weeding out food allergens from my pantry, I had to reassess all of the pans, baking dishes, and baking tools in my kitchen. Tempting as it might be, most of us can’t afford to throw out everything in our kitchen and start from scratch. Initially, I designated a few baking dishes just for allergen-free baking, and kept them in a separate cabinet. You may want to do the same. Over time I transformed my kitchen so that every baking tool I use is for allergen-free use only. Again, materials that work well for allergen-free baking are those that can be easily thrown in the dishwasher, don’t have gaps where small food particles can hide, and are made from nonporous materials such as glass, stainless steel, stoneware, and hard plastics.
After examining your own kitchen and eliminating the items that are unsuitable, you may find that you need to add a few items. You don’t need to spend a fortune. Unless you’re planning to be the next Martha Stewart, keep in mind that your baking dishes don’t have to match. The exception to this is cake pans, which really need to be the same size and material to ensure that your cake layers will stack properly. Look for baking dishes at yard sales (make sure they can be sanitized in your dishwasher) and on clearance at your favorite home goods store. I visit my local Pier 1 store regularly, and head to the clearance section; you’ll be amazed at the bargains you can find when there is only one left. Make a budget and prioritize. Here are a few items that I suggest every allergen-free baker have in the kitchen:
KitchenAid stand mixer: Luckily, I don’t live in an area that is prone to natural disasters, but if we did have to evacuate, this is the one item from my kitchen that I would take with me. I’m not going to say you must buy one—I baked for years using only a hand mixer—but I am strongly suggesting that you consider it. Yes, they are expensive; this is the one true luxury item on this list. Having a great stand mixer will free up your hands while you’re mixing batters, save you time, make baking a lot more fun, and likely be the last mixer you buy. More important, the KitchenAid mixer is very easy to clean; the stainless-steel bowl and beater blade can go right into the dishwasher. While I don’t usually subscribe to the concept of appliances as gifts, this is one you’ll be very happy that Santa brought you.
Seed grinder: I never had a reason to own a seed grinder until I needed to make flaxseed gel as a replacement for eggs. While you can use flaxseed meal to make flaxseed gel, I prefer grinding my own; this allows me to use high-quality flaxseeds, and unlike flaxseed meal, whole flaxseeds are unlikely to go bad if kept refrigerated. Seed grinders are widely available at kitchen stores and online. I purchased my Cuisinart model for less than $20 and I use it exclusively for grinding flaxseeds. I don’t recommend grinding flaxseeds in your food processor or blender unless you have designated those tools for allergen-free use only. If a seed grinder doesn’t fit in your budget, opt for flaxseed meal.
Kitchen scale: Some gluten-free flours are very heavy, whereas others are very light, and almost all gluten-free flour blends weigh more than wheat flour (see more). To ensure consistency and good baking results, you need to take the weight of your flour into account as you bake allergen-free. The simplest way to do that is to use a basic kitchen scale. I use an Escali scale, which runs about $25. Alternatively, see weight adjustments for gluten-free flour blends to learn how to adjust for the gluten-free flour blends I recommend.
Mini whisks: In addition to one large whisk for baking on the stovetop, I recommend having a couple of tiny whisks on hand. These will be indispensable when you are mixing egg replacer or flaxseed gel. You can pick these up at the grocery store for a couple of dollars apiece.
Bench knife: This is sometimes referred to as a bench, pastry, or dough scraper. I was introduced to a bench knife when I took my first baking class. Prior to that I made do with regular knives and spatulas. I didn’t know what I was missing until I used the right tool for the job. A bench knife is simply a flat blade with a large, flat surface and sharp scraping edge. You can find an inexpensive bench knife for less than $10. Be sure to choose one with a stainless-steel blade and a plastic handle so that it can go into the dishwasher.
Pastry cutter: A pastry cutter is a great tool to have in your kitchen if you plan to be making a lot of cookies or pies. It’s used to “cut” (rather than blend) fat into flour (see more). While a pastry cutter will make the job easier, an alternative is a pastry fork—a very wide-pronged heavy-duty, stainless-steel fork. I think both choices work equally well. And if you have neither a pastry cutter nor a pastry fork, use your hands.
Parchment paper: You will use parchment paper for lining cookie sheets and rolling out dough. Parchment paper comes in rolls (the most cost effective) and in pre-cut sheets. If you have a cookie sheet designated for allergen-free use only, it’s less critical to use parchment paper, but it does make clean up much easier. Do not substitute wax paper for parchment paper. Parchment paper is made to withstand temperatures up to 450°F, while wax paper is not.
Rolling pin: Throw out your old wooden rolling pin (or set it aside for traditional baking only). A good rolling pin can make all the difference when you’re making crusts. I have a large silicone rolling pin, but my favorite is a mini silicone rolling pin. I find myself reaching for the smaller pin, which is intended to be used with smaller pastries, even when I’m preparing larger crusts and flatbreads—it’s just so easy to use.
Assorted bowls: As you work your way through the recipes in this book, you will find that having an assortment of bowls on hand will make the job much easier. Surely you already have many of these bowls in your kitchen, but you may need to evaluate what you have. The bowls I use frequently when baking include:
These, plus a large stainless-steel bowl or the stainless-steel bowl of your stand mixer, should be enough to get you started. Be sure to choose materials that are easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
Assorted baking dishes: My favorite baking dishes are nonstick stainless steel and stoneware. If you are baking for the first time, or you are inspecting your current collection of bakeware to assess whether it can be safely used without cross-contamination consider this list of must-haves:
If you have the pans listed above (plus a medium saucepan for baking on the stovetop), you will be able to make every recipe in this book (with some ingenuity). If you want to add a few more specialty pieces, I would suggest:
Cooling rack: Especially when you are working with gluten-free flour, it’s important that you remove your baked goods from their vessels shortly after removing them from the oven. A simple nonstick cooling rack will do the job. Cooling racks tend to have small crevices where food particles can hide. If you are also baking with wheat and other food allergens, I recommend that you designate one cooling rack for your allergen-free baking projects, to avoid contamination.
Measuring cups and spoons: There are two types of measuring cups. Measuring cups intended for wet ingredients are usually made from glass (so you can see from the outside as you are measuring) and have the lines below the top of the cup (to avoid spillage). Dry measuring cups are typically plastic or stainless steel, and the measurement goes to the very top of the cup. Either type can be used for both wet and dry ingredients, but I do prefer using dry measuring cups for flour and sugar; I find that the dry cups can be used to scoop out the required amounts without compacting the flour. You will also need a full set of measuring spoons. If you can find an inexpensive set of measuring spoons with a ½ tablespoon included, do buy that one; the ½ tablespoon can be used whenever 1½ teaspoons are called for and will come in handy when using egg replacer. Don’t try to use the “teaspoons” in your flatware set for measuring; they are often larger than a true teaspoon.
Probe thermometer: It’s nearly impossible to ensure that yeast breads are not underbaked or overbaked unless you have a probe thermometer. You may use the same thermometer you use to check the turkey, as long it goes up to 220°F. If you’re up for it, though, I’d suggest springing for a digital probe thermometer that can be left in the oven while baking. For less than $20 you can pick up a really nice model, some of which can be programmed and include a timer. In addition to using it to check for doneness, I use my probe thermometer to check the temperature of my proofing zone (see “Proofing Methods”).
Pastry mat, pastry board, or another smooth prep surface: When you’re working with thick batters, doughs, and yeast breads, it’s important to have a smooth surface that your dough won’t stick to. Some pastry mats have imprinted circles that designate the diameter of a crust; this is really helpful when you need to make your pie crust 11 inches in diameter to fit your 9-inch pan. You can find these for less than $10. My favorite rolling surface is a marble pastry board. Marble remains cool and is a great surface for rolling refrigerated dough, but it’s a bit pricey and not for everyone. A less expensive alternative is granite, which also works very nicely. If you have a marble or granite counter, even better—just make sure the surface is cleaned well before you start rolling. If none of these options are available to you, wax paper is the next best thing. Avoid using wood or any other porous material as your prep surface, to minimize the possibility of contamination.
For a while, your shopping list may sound as if it’s written in a foreign language. You may find your head spinning trying to recall whether it was the garbanzo bean flour or the sorghum flour that your family liked best in the dinner rolls. At times you may be overwhelmed by the many options in the specialty foods section of the store, and at other times you’ll be pulling your hair out trying to find the right ingredient to make one of the recipes in this book. You want to find the right items to fill your pantry with, and avoid wasting money on things you don’t need.
Most modern grocery stores have a section or an aisle designated for many of the ingredients you need, and you will find other ingredients in the traditional baking section. Plan a little extra time for your first few shopping trips, and be prepared to read labels. To keep things simple, I have organized this list for you in two categories—items to keep stocked in your pantry at all times (because you will be using them a lot), and items to buy as you need them (because they are used less frequently, in just a few recipes, spoil quickly, and/or are optional). In the cases where I have designated a brand name, it is because I prefer the product for allergen-free baking or it’s an item (e.g., shortening) that comes in many formulations and the product name mentioned is the only one (or one of just a few) that does not contain the top eight food allergens. Be sure to read every label and choose only products that are safe for your family. (See more on reading labels.) Store them in dedicated containers to avoid cross-contamination.
What to keep stocked at all times
Gluten-free flour blends: I recommend keeping one multigrain and one white gluten-free flour blend in your pantry at all times. With these flours you should be good to go for all of the recipes in this book. If you don’t have one of the single-grain flours that follow, you can adapt the recipe to use just a multigrain flour blend. See a complete description of the flour blends I recommend.
Single-grain flours: In some recipes I recommend combining a featured flour with a flour blend. These include oat, buckwheat, millet, and garbanzo (also known as chickpea) flours. When buying oat flour, make sure you opt for one that is labeled gluten-free. An alternative to garbanzo bean flour is garfava flour (a garbanzo/fava bean blend).
Starches: Even if you aren’t mixing your own flour blends, you will need a starch for making pie and tart fillings, and for some stovetop baking. I recommend keeping either corn starch or tapioca starch on hand for those occasions.
Xanthan gum: Xanthan gum comes in small containers or packets. You might be tempted to buy two or three at a time—don’t do that. One package will go a long way, and it does go bad. You will use this in almost every recipe. Alternatively, you may use guar gum.
Sugar: Nearly every recipe will require some form of sugar. The sugars you need most frequently are granulated cane sugar and light brown cane sugar. If you plan to make your own frosting, confectioners’ sugar is also a must-have. See “Sweetening Options” for a detailed discussion of sugar and sweeteners. I also recommend keeping turbinado (raw) sugar on hand, especially if you like sugar-topped muffins. In my recipes, when I refer to “sugar,” I mean granulated cane sugar, unless otherwise specified.
Honey and/or agave nectar: When not using crystal sugar, recipes will often require honey or agave nectar. You can make do with just one of these.
Baking powder and baking soda: These are traditional baking ingredients that you will find in the conventional baking aisle. You will use both of them frequently; do buy both.
Salt: You probably already have table salt at home, and yes, that same salt can be used for baking. Salt is primarily used as a preservative, but it does affect the taste. Unless you need to avoid salt for medical reasons, add it to your list.
Yeast: Quick-rising yeast is what I recommend for yeast breads. If you already have active dry yeast, you may use that instead (but it will increase prep time). Individual packets can be found in the refrigerated section at your grocery store. Larger jars will usually be in the baking aisle. (See more on using yeast and more to learn how to substitute active dry yeast for quick-rising yeast.)
Natural unsweetened cocoa powder: Unless you plan to bypass all of the chocolate recipes, be sure to add some chocolate items to your shopping list. Natural unsweetened cocoa powder is what I recommend for baking; this can be found in the conventional baking aisle.
Unsweetened baking chocolate: Also in the baking section of your grocery store, this is pure chocolate in solid form. It is sometimes sold as bars, but can also be found in disks or squares. If the label says 100% cocoa (or cacao) you know you have the right product. Read the label carefully to ensure it is not only milk-free but has been manufactured in a milk-free and/or soy-free facility, if you are allergic to these ingredients. In the recipes this ingredient is referred to as “unsweetened allergen-free baking chocolate.”
Semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are my favorite add-in ingredient for muffins, cakes, and cookies. Because milk is added to many chocolate products, contamination can be a concern; you will want to be sure to check with the manufacturer to make sure their product is right for you. Two brands I recommend for allergen-free families are Enjoy Life and Divvies. Enjoy Life Mini Chips and Mega Chunks have a very smooth taste. Divvies Bakery makes traditional-sized chocolate chips. I like keeping all three sizes in my pantry for different uses, but you can make do with just one of these. The real challenge will be not to eat them before it’s time to bake. Enjoy Life is one of few widely available brands that makes chocolate chips without soy lecithin. In the recipes this ingredient is referred to as “allergen-free chocolate chips.” See more information on chocolate. If you are craving butterscotch chips or other confectionary add-ins for your cookies, know that many contain milk or soy—check the ingredients. One butterscotch chip without the top allergens is made by Lieber’s; note that it contains soy lecithin (see more on labels and chocolate). White chocolate nearly always contains milk.
Flaxseeds or flaxseed meal: This is a must-have egg replacer. If you have a seed grinder, choose whole flaxseeds; otherwise opt for flaxseed meal. I prefer whole golden flaxseeds. See more on flaxseeds.
Ener-G Egg Replacer: When your baked goods require the extra leavening of an egg but you can’t use eggs, this is the product you will use. This specialty item combines starches and leavening agents, without using any of the top eight allergens. It can be found in most health food stores, or the gluten-free/allergen-free section of your grocery store. See more on egg replacers and how to use them.
Applesauce: Applesauce is on my short list of all-time favorite ingredients for baking allergen-free. This is such a simple yet versatile product. Applesauce can be used as an egg replacer, as a substitute for oil, and as a sweetener. I always have four or five jars of it in my pantry. Opt for unsweetened (for sure) and organic (if you can swing the cost), or make your own.
Apple cider vinegar: If I had to pick just one vinegar for baking, it would be apple cider vinegar. Like applesauce, the taste works well with most baked goods. Rice vinegar is also used in a few recipes, but apple cider vinegar can be substituted. (Balsamic vinegars are not suitable for baking.)
Lemon and/or lime juice: There are times when an acidic reaction will be needed, and those recipes will use a small amount of fresh lemon or lime juice. These fruit juices are also used in pie fillings. You can make do with one or the other, except when you are making an item that is specifically lemon (e.g., Lemon Tart) or lime. If you have a juicer (and a little bit of time) you may choose to juice your own fruits; otherwise choose one of these juices to put on your grocery list. It should be 100 percent juice. A few recipes also call for orange juice. If you’re like me, you already have orange juice in your refrigerator, or if you have the time, you can squeeze your own.
Earth Balance Natural Shortening: This stick-style product is found in the refrigerated section of your health food store (do not confuse this with the company’s similarly packaged Natural Buttery Sticks). The brand matters: Most margarines and shortening contain milk and/or soy proteins. You will use this frequently, so stock up. I usually buy four or five packages at a time. This product is a blend of oils, including soybean oil; if soybean oil is a concern, forgo this item and choose coconut oil or palm oil instead.
Coconut oil and/or palm oil: Two oils I really like baking with, that behave like shortening, are coconut oil and palm oil. These can be difficult to find, and (especially coconut oil) can vary tremendously in quality and taste. Spectrum Organic makes a shortening that is 100% organic palm oil, which I have used with great results. Two coconut oil brands that I use are Kelapo and Tropical Traditions. Look for these online, or opt for the Nutiva or Spectrum brands at your local store.
Grapeseed, sunflower, and/or safflower oil: In addition to shortening, another fat you will use frequently is oil. While melted shortening can sometimes be used instead, most recipes that call for oil will work best when an oil is used. You can get by with just one of these oils. Many people have a taste preference, but each of these has a relatively mild taste, and work equally well when baking. See more on oils.
Hemp milk: Many of my recipes use hemp milk. I choose original (or original unsweetened) for most recipes where I need a non-dairy milk and chocolate (or chocolate unsweetened) for chocolate recipes. You may also want to try vanilla (or vanilla unsweetened) hemp milk for a richer taste. If you prefer, rice milk can be substituted. These milks are usually found in the specialty or natural food section of your grocery store. Especially if you are also drinking hemp milk and using it on your cereal, it will go fast. See more on hemp milk.
Coconut milk (or coconut milk beverage): Whether you opt for the very rich coconut milk found in a can or one of the newer coconut milk beverages found in the aseptic boxed containers or the dairy case, I recommend having coconut milk available for your allergen-free baking. Unless you need to avoid coconut, choose one of these products. If you like whipped cream, opt for the canned version, and skim the cream off the top. See more on coconut milk.
Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract is a common ingredient found in the traditional baking aisle. It is used in nearly all of the recipes in this book. Only a small amount is needed for each recipe. When you’re ready to experiment, other flavored extracts, including orange and lemon, are great to add to your pantry and lend a nice taste to frostings and glazes.
Cinnamon: Another common baking ingredient, ground cinnamon brings flavor to your baked goods. A little bit goes a long way.
Buy as you need it
Individual flours and grains—If you choose to mix your own gluten-free flour blend, you will most likely need brown rice flour and potato starch (not potato flour), in addition to the tapioca starch mentioned earlier. Other flours you may want to experiment with or add to a flour blend include sweet rice flour, amaranth, quinoa, sorghum, and teff. In addition, brown rice will be needed for Brown Rice Pudding; this is the same rice you would serve at dinner.
Rice milk: While I don’t often turn to rice milk for my recipes, I do use it occasionally, and it can be substituted for hemp and/or coconut milk, if that is your preference. See more on rice milk.
Cornmeal: This is an optional ingredient used for dusting the crusts of baguettes and English muffins, but it will make those baked goods look and taste more authentic. See more on cornmeal.
Quick-cooking gluten-free oats: These will be used in cookies and bars. If you bake these recipes frequently, you may want to move this item to the “keep stocked at all times” list. Opt for gluten-free oats, to ensure no cross-contamination with wheat.
Cereals: A couple of recipes in chapter 11 require a crisped rice cereal. A gluten-free and allergen-free version of crisped rice cereal is Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Gluten Free cereal. The same company makes a fabulous corn flake cereal. If you are using these as breakfast cereals, go ahead and stock them; otherwise, buy them as you need them.
Sweeteners: Two sweeteners used less frequently in my recipes are Sucanat and maple syrup. Raw sugar or light brown sugar can be substituted for Sucanat (see more about Sucanat).
Fruit: Fruit is used in many recipes, including tarts, pies, crumbles, and jams. I tend to choose my baking projects based on what fruit is in season—in summer, it’s berry tarts and blueberry muffins; in the fall, it’s apple pie and cranberry bread. When I have a hankering for blueberry muffins in the winter, I use frozen fruit from the grocery store or fruit that I have frozen from the season’s harvest. When buying frozen fruit, look for whole unsweetened options. I also buy fruit (especially berries) organic, whenever I can. There is no reason why allergen-free foods need to be organic; it’s simply my personal preference. I find that my family’s already sensitive gastro-intestinal systems thrive better on organic foods. Cost may be a consideration for you here.
Seeds: Sunflower seeds are a fantastic replacement for peanuts. In fact, “nut” butters made from sunflower seeds, which can be found off the shelf at the grocery store, are becoming the standard peanut butter replacement for food-allergic families as well as those with children in peanut-free classrooms. Likewise, hemp seeds are terrific in trail mixes and in recipes like the Rocky Oat Bars.
Vegetables: You may be wondering why vegetables are on a list of baking ingredients. A few of the recipes in this book use zucchini, carrots, jalapeño peppers, and sweet potatoes. These are best when fresh ingredients are used; buy them as you need them.
Olive oil: In addition to the oils mentioned earlier, I like to keep light olive oil in my pantry. While olive oil has too strong a presence for cakes and cookies, it works extremely well with some yeast breads and pizza dough. That said, any of the other recommended oils can be substituted for olive oil in my recipes.
So Delicious Coconut Milk Creamer: This new product is a fabulous thick milk that I use in Creamy Coconut Frosting. Like the coconut milk beverage mentioned above, this creamer is a fortified version of coconut milk. You may use this infrequently, and you can always opt for a non-dairy milk in its place.
Gluten-free baking mixes: In chapter 12, I will show you how to use gluten-free baking mixes (with allergen-free substitutions) to make some super-easy baked goods. It’s unlikely that you will make them all next week, so buy them as you need them. If you’ve been longing for some simple, mix-in-one-bowl brownies, then you may want to stock up on Pamela’s Products Chocolate Brownie Mix, or if buckwheat pancakes get you excited, you’ll want to keep Orgran Buckwheat Pancake Mix in your pantry. I recommend trying the baking mixes and then buying the ones you like best in bulk. Check the labels and only buy baking mixes that will work for your particular food allergens. See more on gluten-free baking mixes and brands.
Now that you have your shopping list, let’s talk about where to buy these products. While gluten-free and allergen-free foods are becoming more available in mainstream stores, some items can still be hard to find. If you can’t find a store in your area that sells what you need, you will be able to find it online. Don’t be afraid to purchase food through the mail. With the exception of chocolate (which many manufacturers will not ship from late spring to early fall to avoid melting), food can be delivered to you safely, and it’s often less expensive to buy that way.
Once you start buying allergen-free and gluten-free products, you will undoubtedly notice that your grocery bills have gone up. While baking your own allergen-free bread will be cheaper than buying allergen-free bread off the shelf, the ingredients you will be using are still more expensive than their traditional counterparts. That is the reality that we food-allergy families have to deal with. We can’t just buy the cereal or cookies that are on sale this week; we need very specific ingredients that we can trust. I’m confident that as more large food vendors recognize that there is a growing market for allergen-free food, the prices will come down. In the meantime, we need to feed our families, and most of the food vendors that cater to our needs are small businesses that need to turn a profit. I, for one, am very grateful for them.
So what can you do about keeping costs down? I’ve given you a lot of suggestions on brands to consider buying throughout this book, but always check to make sure they are safe for your family. Once you have tried a few products and know what your family likes best, you’ll want to look for the best bargains. Here are a few tricks that have worked for me:
My son was ten years old when his food allergies were diagnosed. I was working full-time outside of the home. Patrick and his older brother were home alone after school. If you have boys, you know that when they reach the age of ten they are growing fast. On top of that, my boys were playing sports and needed lots of extra calories. They were hungry. An afternoon snack was important. Patrick was used to grabbing cookies, cereal, snack bars, and yogurt—whatever he wanted—from the pantry or refrigerator after school. Clearly, I needed a system to ensure that he knew what was safe and what was off limits for him.
Initially I didn’t eliminate wheat from my home; some family members were not quite on board with eating wheat-free, and I was still in the process of searching for and testing the best allergen-free foods. So I reorganized my pantry. I cleared an entire shelf and designated it “Patrick-safe,” labeling it so everyone in the family knew that these were foods that Patrick could eat and everyone else shouldn’t eat. I purchased storage containers and designated them for allergen-free foods. When I bought an allergen-free treat, it was for Patrick only. This system worked well for us because my boys were responsible, and my son had no inclination to cheat on his diet—he had been miserable for so long that he was highly motivated to avoid his food allergens.
Over time, the balance has shifted so that nearly everything in my kitchen is allergen-free. If I buy wheat rolls for hamburgers because we’re having a cookout, the wheat ingredients go in a special corner in the kitchen (and don’t stay around for very long). Because milk is the allergen that my son reacts to most severely, the refrigerator is my biggest area of concern. Most of us only have one refrigerator, making it impossible to designate that space allergen-free. I have one drawer designated for cheese—whether it’s slices of American cheese or tubs of cream cheese, anything with milk it in get stored in that drawer, always well wrapped. Sandwich meats are in a separate drawer, isolated from the cheese. Cow’s milk is on the left side of the refrigerator; hemp milk is on the right.
The method you choose for organizing your own kitchen may depend on the specific allergens in your family, the severity of the allergies, and the age of your food-allergic family members. For small children, some families use a food-allergy version of the “yuck” stickers (typically used for cleaning materials) on any package that contains an allergen. Others teach their children not to eat anything unless a parent has approved it. As your children get older, you will want to teach them about reading labels and choosing their own safe products. You may need to invent your own system to put your mind at ease. Whatever approach you use, it is vital to think about eliminating any possibility of accidentally eating a food allergen.
