One of the greatest challenges of cooking gluten free is the switch from traditional food sources that use gluten. The most predominant of these is wheat. Wheat and wheat products are used in many prepackaged food items and many items you would not expect to find wheat in, have used wheat or wheat derived ingredients. A good example of this is canned tomato soup, at the time of this writing most brand names use wheat flour as a thickening agent. It is important in gluten free cooking to check the ingredients of every item you use.
Once you have learned which grains to avoid for gluten free cooking, you need to determine which items you can use to replace them. Several grains and starch sources are considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet. The most frequently used are corn, potatoes, rice, and tapioca. Other grains used for gluten-free diets include amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupin, quinoa, sorghum, sweet potato, taro, teff, chia seed, and yam. Various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are also used in gluten-free products. Contrary to its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat. Buckwheat is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours, so be careful to check the ingredient list first. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten-free (this is not the same as Graham flour made from wheat).
There are a handful of gluten free cooking authors who have some experience in gluten free cooking that use a wide and strange variety of gluten free grains and beans. Our experience is that if you use fava beans or quinoa in your desert baking items, no amount of sweetner will mask the flavor of those strong flavors. In fact, our drive to build this site and pursue gourmet gluten free food is because it has become common thought that gluten free items should not be expected to taste good. The other extreme we have found is bakery items that are so packed with sugar there is nothing to taste but sugar. Neither of these is acceptable for gourmet culinary attempts. Food should taste good, and gluten free foods are no exception. They should have rich flavor, good texture and all the elements you would find in any gourmet food.
Gluten Free Cooking
One of the greatest challenges of cooking gluten free is the switch from traditional food sources that use gluten. The most predominant of these is wheat. Wheat and wheat products are used in many prepackaged food items and many items you would not expect to find wheat in, have used wheat or wheat derived ingredients. A good example of this is canned tomato soup, at the time of this writing most brand names use wheat flour as a thickening agent. It is important in gluten free cooking to check the ingredients of every item you use.
Once you have learned which grains to avoid for gluten free cooking, you need to determine which items you can use to replace them. Several grains and starch sources are considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet. The most frequently used are corn, potatoes, rice, and tapioca. Other grains used for gluten-free diets include amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupin, quinoa, sorghum, sweet potato, taro, teff, chia seed, and yam. Various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are also used in gluten-free products. Contrary to its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat. Buckwheat is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours, so be careful to check the ingredient list first. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten-free (this is not the same as Graham flour made from wheat).
There are a handful of gluten free cooking authors who have some experience in gluten free cooking that use a wide and strange variety of gluten free grains and beans. Our experience is that if you use fava beans or quinoa in your desert baking items, no amount of sweetner will mask the flavor of those strong flavors. In fact, our drive to build this site and pursue gourmet gluten free food is because it has become common thought that gluten free items should not be expected to taste good. The other extreme we have found is bakery items that are so packed with sugar there is nothing to taste but sugar. Neither of these is acceptable for gourmet culinary attempts. Food should taste good, and gluten free foods are no exception. They should have rich flavor, good texture and all the elements you would find in any gourmet food.