Gorgeous Gluten Free Cookbooks

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If I cook gluten-free food how do I feed the rest of the family?

How do I know if I need to eat gluten-free food?

I’ve just been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and I don’t know where to begin! What do you suggest?

I’m a brick-layer by trade and used to buy a pie or hamburger for lunch. The doctor’s put me on a gluten-free diet and I just don’t know what I can eat for lunch. My wife gives me rice cakes at present – you should hear the ribbing I get from the other blokes!! Help!!

I’m on a gluten-free diet; what can’t I eat?

I cook exclusively gluten-free at our house because both my children are coeliacs. I often use rice but someone told me I shouldn’t use glutinous rice in my fried rice recipe because it isn’t gluten-free – is it?

My friend says she has Coeliac Disease and must eat a diet free of gluten. She visits me regularly and I make lunch for us. Mostly I manage OK but I use a little bit of flour to thicken my gravy. Just a little bit wouldn’t hurt would it?

I love bread but since being put on a gluten-free diet by my doctor I don’t eat it. I bought some at the supermarket but it was awful! Help!!

I have been given an Indian cookbook because many of the traditional recipes are gluten-free, but where can I buy Besan Flour and Potato Starch?

I work 14 hour days and I live by myself. I have just been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. I usually eat out in the city before I go home. My favourite restaurant serves Italian pasta; what can I eat now?

Your recipes sometimes use soy flour; I can’t eat soy. What can I replace it with?

I’m lactose intolerant and a coeliac. What can I use in place of butter or milk in your cake recipes?

If I cook gluten-free food how do I feed the rest of the family?

You have two options: you can cook two separate meals, one for you and one for the rest of the family. I don’t know of many people who choose this one because it’s time consuming and expensive.

Your second option and by far the best is to tailor the family’s eating patterns around the food intolerant in the household. A simple meal prepared from unprocessed fresh produce is ideal for us all. Gluten-free cakes, biscuits, pastry and bread can be made and then frozen ready for use when needed. In the same way gluten-containing baked goods can be made or bought and frozen, ready for use too.

How do I know if I need to eat gluten-free food?

If you suffer with abdominal bloating or pain, nausea, vomiting or any change in bowel habits you must visit your doctor and seek their advice. The symptoms of gluten intolerance vary greatly, indeed some people are asymptomatic – have no symptoms. The main message here is seek medical advice if you suffer with any uncomfortable or painful abdominal symptoms. It may be Coeliac Disease, it may be nothing or it may be something more serious. The main diagnostic tools for Coeliac Disease are a simple blood test and a Gastroscopy and biopsy of the small bowel.

I’ve just been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease and I don’t know where to begin! What do you suggest?

There are branches of the Coeliac Society in every state of Australia. You will receive technical and recipe support from the Society through their quarterly magazine and you will be given the opportunity to interact with others with the same problems. One of the first skills you will need to learn is the accurate interpretation of food labels. Australia and New Zealand’s mandatory food labelling laws are some of the best in the world. They make choosing gluten-free food and ingredients straightforward and simple. You can then make your gluten-free choices with confidence. Once you can clearly identify gluten-free food the rest of the process begins to fall into place. My book Is it gluten-free? would also be helpful.

There are lots of options but they do require a bit more effort than a pie or hamburger from the corner shop. Here are a few ideas –

Gluten-free bread sandwiches with your filling of choice. Bake or buy a loaf of gluten-free bread, slice it, freeze it and then thaw it as you need it.

Your choice of salad with canned fish or salami, cold meat etc. the list is endless.

Of course if your wife is a keen cook she could prepare meat pies, made with gluten-free pastry, and then freeze them. Your choices are only limited by your imagination.

Ignore the jokes of your workmates; it’s more important you keep well.

My first book, Gorgeous Gluten-Free will give you a good foundation of basic recipes upon which to build your collection of gluten-free recipes.

I’m on a gluten-free diet; what can’t I eat?

All foods made with wheat, rye, barley, oats and triticale (a wheat/rye hybrid used mainly in cereals) are forbidden. This also includes ingredients derived from these gluten grains. Mandatory labelling laws make it easy to identify these components in packaged foodstuffs and ingredients. The most important thing to remember is if you are in doubt - forget it or you may regret it! Is it gluten-free? would be an invaluable resource to help you identify common foods and their gluten-free status.

Glutinous rice is favoured in Asian cooking because it is easier to eat with chopsticks. It is a variety of rice and is therefore gluten-free and suitable for you to use. The word glutinous means gluey and sticky; it does not mean containing gluten.

Yes it will hurt; don’t do it!

What you must understand is gluten damages the lining of the gut in people who have Coeliac Disease. The problem is this damage is not always obvious, even to the person affected; nevertheless you will be harming your friend. Use 100% corn cornflour in your gravy instead of wheat flour. This cornflour is available at your supermarket and will be a very satisfactory replacement in your cooking whenever you need to thicken.

I love bread but since being put on a gluten-free diet by my doctor I don’t eat it. I bought some at the supermarket but it was awful! Help!!

The lament of everyone on a gluten-free diet – they want decent bread! Tastes vary and some people really do like the bread available on the supermarket shelf. But you can bake your own bread with the ingredients you enjoy, and the best way to achieve a delicious and versatile loaf is with a bread machine. Check the instruction manual of machines before you buy as not all can bake gluten-free bread. Slice after cooling then freeze. Voila! Tasty gluten-free bread on tap. See my Multigrain Bread recipe in Gorgeous Gluten-Free.

I have been given an Indian cookbook because many of the traditional recipes are gluten-free, but where can I buy Besan Flour and Potato Starch?

Besan Flour or Chickpea Flour can be bought at Asian grocers or health food stores. Potato Starch (Potato Flour) can usually be found in the International foods aisle of the supermarket, in Asian grocers and also in health food stores.

How about Japanese, Indian or perhaps there’s a steak house nearby? Keep it fresh and simple. Avoid sauces and dishes with pasta (sorry) and select dishes like grilled fish or prime cuts of meat served with salad or vegetables. Talk with the kitchen and discuss with them your needs. It will be trial and error but you will eventually find a restaurant you can rely upon. It’s difficult for the hospitality industry too. Take the opportunity to share with them your understanding of what it means to be on a gluten-free diet. With education and understanding comes change. I believe one day gluten-free food will be available on every menu just like say vegetarian food is now.

Your recipes sometimes use soy flour; I can’t eat soy. What can I replace it with?

Because I blend my own mixes for each recipe if there are any ingredients you cannot use just replace them with one of the other dominant flours in the mix.

For example:

White Rice Flour, Brown Rice Flour and Soy Flour – use the same measure of White Rice Flour instead of soy.

White Rice Flour, Almond Meal, Soy Flour – use the same measure of White Rice Flour if there is a nut allergy.

The end result will obviously be different in texture and colour but not to the detriment of the flavour.

I’m lactose intolerant and a coeliac. What can I use in place of butter or milk in your cake recipes?

Cows’ milk can be replaced with soy milk. Butter can be replaced with a non-dairy margarine or canola oil. Not all recipes will be as successful, particularly without butter, but many of the cakes will work quite well with canola oil. Use ½ cup canola oil to 125G butter.