When you are looking for things that wow you, go for recipes that use fresh ingredients instead of packaged, and foods that naturally don’t contain or at least don’t rely on wheat. Anything you do to substitute a gluten food for a gluten-free imitation will be a disappointment every time.
Remember that Wheat didn’t exist in the Americas until the Europeans brought it. So all the old traditional Mexican and South American flavors are a great place to start. Think beans and corn and chilis and peppers and onions and jicama and potatoes and tomatoes. Unfortunately many of the Northern American recipes were lost to genocide centuries ago.
Many Indian recipes are naturally free of gluten as well. Curry is a staple in our household these days. A lot of Indian food is also vegetarian so that gives you a head start there as well.
We eat a lot of Asian inspired vegetable stir fries as well. I don’t know how strictly vegetarian you are but most fish sauce is gluten free. The San-J Tamari is one of my favorites but if you want a more traditional flavor Kikkoman makes a GF soy sauce as well, and La Choy soy sauce is also gluten free.
Good luck!!!
>When you are looking for things that wow you, go for recipes that use fresh ingredients instead of packaged, and foods that naturally don’t contain or at least don’t rely on wheat. Anything you do to substitute a gluten food for a ***gluten-free imitation will be a disappointment every time***.
Holy crap is this true.
Right now I am really focused on soy sauce/asian foods because that seems to be our biggest "pain point". Like you said, mexican and indian are easy wins. I've been able to do those with little to no modifications (although she still laments the loss of fresh flour tortillas).
A third recommendation for San-J is making me regret not trying it first. I haven't had La Choy since I was a child I think, is it decent or "just ok" as a soy sauce? Or should I just stick with San-J?
Fresh flour tortillas: [https://nurturemygut.com/gluten-free-tortilla-recipe.html/](https://nurturemygut.com/gluten-free-tortilla-recipe.html/)
They still aren't wheat tortillas, but they are soft and pliable and taste good -- and are, by far, the best GF "flour tortillas" we have tried (and we have tried a bunch.)
These take a few batches to get the consistency right. We have had to dial in the honey and salt amount to our taste. I have also added a bit of baking powder in when I really want some tortilla bubbles. We spent more money than we should have and got a Gorilla Grip 10" tortilla press, which we wrap in plastic wrap before we press the tortillas. .
Tapioca flour is inexpensive at an Asian grocery store, and Almond Flour is inexpensive at Sam's or Costco. We make a huge batch, separate them with parchment, and freeze them.
Now you have my curiosity.
A few quick questions on this recipe:
* You are pressing these tortillas like corn and not rolling like flour, correct?
* Do these tend to be on the thicker side?
* Why add honey? I've never added sweetner to my tortillas (I just do what my MIL taught me to do).
* Not a question, but a tortilla press is always a good purchase, I have three.
The consistency of the dough is similar to Play-dough -- and yes, you press them out. When you open the press, you have to do it carefully/slowly, or they rip, but unlike gluten dough, you can work and rework to get the consistency right. We then griddle them.
As for the honey, I think it's a taste thing -- or maybe to help them get spotty? We actually cut WAY back on it, but I haven't eliminated it all together. I do mix the honey in the hot water instead of adding it to the dough separately.
These walk a very fine line between gummy (when they are too thick or under-cooked) and dry/crumbly (when they are too thin or over-cooked). Again, we have played around with it. When we want them a bit thinner than I can get with a press, I take the pressed dough, put it on a silicone sheet, and roll it out a bit more.
Again, they aren't wheat tortillas, but they can make a pretty good background for burritos or quesadillas. Just plan on a few batches/some experimentation to get it right.
LaChoy is just caramel colored salt water. It isn’t brewed like real soy sauce, and doesn’t have much flavor.
Other than San-J, my recommendation would be kikkoman gluten free soy sauce. It’s brewed with fermented rice instead of fermented wheat like traditional soy sauce, but the umami is definitely there.
That is fair.
I need more, different, flavor profiles with the loss of things like dark soy sauce (which doesn't seem to have a gluten free version).
It's becoming a challenge to make things when I lost half of my pantry of ingredients. (Again, why does *everything* have wheat in it?!?!)
You want different flavor profiles? [Kikkoman’s got you](https://kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/category-family/gluten-free-products/?utm_source=paid+search&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=Branded+Campaign&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12713737606&utm_content=142562800000&utm_term=kikkoman%20gluten%20free%20soy%20sauce&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ri0BhAvEiwA8oo6F2DD3CR0DFowBAJBBOrolRiLQiHYtdNBFSa-A4kiGF8kXTJ7u4wHrBoCALwQAvD_BwE). I don’t work for them, I just REALLY like the brand.
Absolutely. We're all different. We live and die in the trial and error. But when it's done, there's no more error. Best of luck!
PS - If you're up for it, my GF partner cried (good tears) when I got a deep fryer and told her it's strictly GF. She can be normal and have a deep fried corn dog or some mozzarella sticks like the rest of us. Maybe an egg roll cause you like that kinda thing.
Air frying is great. But for breaded/battered things, the oil is a game changer. All of the Feel Good Foods stuff can be done in a fryer.
Plus, no "lemme check if the fryer is GF" from the wait staff.
I was so excited when I discovered that my fiancé's fryer has always been gluten free! (He only uses it for non-battered items, primarily vegetables for different types of fries/chips.) His parents got us an air fryer as an engagement gift so it's never seen gluten either. It's incredible what he can come up with that's safe for me with all the appliances that I can't use when I'm caring for my mom.
I really like both the coconut aminos (sub for soy sauce) and teriyaki sauce made by Coconut Secret. You can buy them on Vitacost and probably other sites.
San-J is good stuff. We use the lee kum kee gf soy now. Mostly because our Asian grocer carries it at a good price and it's a good product. Tamari is a little thicker and stronger in flavor.
I can get good gluten free oyster sauce and hoisin. The lee kum kee gf pad Thai sauce is pretty restaurant-like, in our opinion. Maybe if the canned Thai curries are gf, but yellow mostly is not. We've found frozen pho broth that's bangin... In general, gf Asian food is much easier than it used to be.
Good luck, and let us know if there are specific Asian ingredients you need suggestions for.
Funny you mentioned Lee Kum Kee. Last night it was the bottle I grabbed when making dinner. I have to say that it is far beyond the other lifeless stuff I've been tasting. It easily beat out the GF kikkoman and is much, much closer to our original glutenous sauce. I can work with this stuff.
Two quick comments -
For soy sauce, you can’t beat San-J gluten free tamari. It comes in regular, light sodium, and low sodium, and all of them have a much richer, deeper, more umami taste than traditional soy sauces, especially the gluten free ones.
Second, check out the r/glutenfreevegetarian and r/glutenfreevegan communities for really good recipes and resources.
Thanks for that. I will obtain a bottle of that and add it to my never ending list of sadness/disappointment.
Thanks for the sub recommendations, I am in need to rebuilding my recipes.
Edit: Holy crap, I have a bottle of this in the pantry. It is next in line for experimentation.
Sometimes you can’t replicate recipes. I have literally changed how I have eaten over the years . The cookbook that is GF is the Whole 30. It is also dairy free. They have a lot of different versions of it now since it has come out. Check the cookbook section or go online to the website !
As helpful as Tamari is, I couldn't get past the "garbag-y?" flavor.
I find that the closest to a true soy sauce is Kikkoman's GF Soy Sauce. I taste no difference. Honorable mention to LaChoy. Good if I can't find Kikkoman.
I use the kikkoman GF so sauce which I find is good. I also often cook with gochujang which is a great source of flavour (some are not GF check the label). But if you're struggling with the alternatives right now, I'd say avoid completely and focus on what is naturally gluten-free. Other Asian flavours are GF. Herbs and spices (double check the ingredients though) and rice, potatoes and veg.
Trying to substitute everything, especially at the start of the adjustment, can be more frustrating I've found because you focus more on what you're missing or the hassle of the adjustment. Focusing on naturally GF whole foods makes the process simpler and the food tastes exactly how it would anyway!
We do lots of mexican/latin food and indian food.
Asian cuisine is the focus since that is what the wife is craving. Plus, most of my "meat replacement" dishes for "american" food rely heavily on soy sauce (amongst other spices/ingredients) to help layer those umami flavors.
We quickly gave up on most GF "replacements". Those are some of the most depressing things ever, and I remember early "veggie meat" attempts. So, that is saying something. Soy sauce (and all the delicious sauces/marinades it is used in) is the one ingredient I seem to "need" to get things working/tasting correctly.
One of my frustrations with things like frozen GF stuff is that so much of it is also vegan/dairy-free. So that's a win for your wife when you want something easy like that! 😂
Soy sauce is the big trippy one for me too tbh as I also love Asian food. I manage at home with the kikkomans sauce but eating out is so much harder. I used to eat so much Asian food and only a few places note whether stuff is GF, so it's hard to know where is reliable. But that said, if there is an Asian restaurant near you that serves GF, you could ask them what sauce they use or how they substitute?
Your wife is lucky to have such a keen and considerate cook!
Bragg's liquid aminos is good for umami flavor. Trader joe's makes an amazing mushroom umami powder that we use in everything. And yes, maybe try a reduction to concentrate flavors.
Seconding Bragg's. Love that stuff.
In another comment, you mentioned having an Asian grocery store -- they may have mushroom powder as well. The kind we buy comes in a large silver and white bag (costs around $8 here, lasts all year even though we use it constantly) and contains nothing but mushrooms and salt, plus vitamin B and calcium.
This is the product: [https://mamawangspantry.com/products/mushroom-seasoning](https://mamawangspantry.com/products/mushroom-seasoning)
I am *aggressively* gluten-sensitive and I have never had a reaction to it. We use it as a salt substitute a lot, since it is about as salty as soy sauce, and we also mix it with tamari to approximate my old favorite mushroom soy.
If you make a lot of sauces/roux or if you used to coat/pan fry items, I would also recommend picking up some small bags of different GF flours (Bob's Red Mill is good for this; there are a bunch you can get in small quantities) and see which combinations you like best. GF flour is actually spectacular for getting a super crispy crunch out of fried items, believe it or not. We like to use chickpea flour for curries, 1:1 flour for soup roux, tapioca starch for something like gumbo, coconut flour for sweet/custardy things, etc. etc. This part is my husband's domain, though, for the most part. I'm a lazy saucier.
If you're having problems with baking and/or the science of it all, America's Test Kitchen has a series of books that are pretty comprehensive, although they aren't vegetarian-specific (to my knowledge.)
Also, respectfully -- I went through a grieving period when I realized I had to eliminate gluten from my diet, and a big part of that was admitting to myself that it was going to be a problem not just for me, but for my husband and daughter as well. Have you talked to your wife about this? Food was definitely not exciting for me for a while in general, even if it still tasted good, and even now food can be kind of scary sometimes (which obviously reduces the joy in it.) Sometimes it's not just taste; there's a big mental component to it as well.
>I am *aggressively* gluten-sensitive and I have never had a reaction to it. We use it as a salt substitute a lot, since it is about as salty as soy sauce, and we also mix it with tamari to approximate my old favorite mushroom soy.
I'm beginning to think that I may need to "make/doctor up" a sauce with either MSG or Mushroom powder to more closely approximate what I am looking for. Are there specific proportions you are using or is it more a "feeling/tasting" type thing?
>Also, respectfully -- I went through a grieving period when I realized I had to eliminate gluten from my diet, and a big part of that was admitting to myself that it was going to be a problem not just for me, but for my husband and daughter as well. Have you talked to your wife about this? Food was definitely not exciting for me for a while in general, even if it still tasted good, and even now food can be kind of scary sometimes (which obviously reduces the joy in it.) Sometimes it's not just taste; there's a big mental component to it as well.
This is absolutely a component to it. I love to go out and try new restaurants/foods. Now, my wife is totally hesitant on that front. I *totally* get the apprehension. The current running joke is that she will end up eating healthier because her only options will be salads (she often described herself as a "crap-itarian") when she finally feels comfortable going out (to a carefully selected place).
I've worked hard to cultivate a "food safe space" of sorts at home for her. There are just so many different flavors out there that I have been able to introduce her to. It has become a hobby of sorts taking traditional dishes, or new to her dishes, and making them veggie friendly. I am viewing it as a challenge to overcome.
Besides, eating great tasting food, that doesn't make you feel bad after, always improves the mood. I know it can be done, and frankly, she deserves that level of effort.
We just do it by feel/taste in a little bowl -- we don't make it ahead of time. It wouldn't be difficult to come up with an actual recipe for different sauces like that, though. I think, for us, we just prefer to have a little more control over it, even if it means we risk making it a little wrong sometimes.
And we do use straight-up MSG sometimes, too. One bag of it will last you a lifetime, so it's a good (cheap) investment. I recommend taking a bit out for a jar that you will use and then sealing the rest up in an airtight container until you're ready for some more.
It's commendable that you're being so attentive (and adventurous!) with your wife's needs. My heart goes out to you both, and I hope she finds a comfortable zone where she can both have her "known safety foods" and room for happily trying new things. As many others in this thread have pointed out, it doesn't have to be all salads (in fact, I have finally gained a few pounds back after losing a bunch at first, haha) and you are absolutely correct in that it can be done. Your wife is lucky to have someone like you on her side -- just be patient with her and remember that her fears don't have to be logical. They need time and support (which is what it sounds like you're giving her.)
All the best to the both of you. I truly hope your wife begins feeling better about food soon -- it's such a wonderful part of life, and we all deserve that joy.
Fair points on doctoring up the sauce. I'm always weighing how much effort up front is worth it when cooking with an eye towards making things more consistent.
Thanks for the kind words as well.
I use San-J Tamari. I found coconut aminos to be lacking in salt so definitely taste before serving. (I make a beef and broccoli from a paleo recipe and used coconut aminos. When I subbed tamari, it tasted like a salt lick lol)
This is the second recommendation for San-J I'm seeing. I am now regretting that it is the last bottle I haven't tried yet.
On the coconut aminos... I need to experiment with those more. They are so lackluster.
Get America’s Test Kitchen cooks Gluten Free cookbooks. They had Vol 1 and 2 last time I looked. Start with Vol 2. (Both their white flour and their substitute for whole wheat).
They test many variations of every recipe and explain what each variation causes what. Their recipes aren’t simple but they always work great.
Use Tamari instead of Soy Sauce, you'll get that deep flavor you want. It is a Japanese form of soy sauce that is the byproduct when making miso paste, it does not have added wheat (generally). San J is ok, but I prefer Kikkoman
Kikkoman makes tamari and soy sauce. The regular versions of these both have wheat, even the tamari. They do make GF versions of both, though. I had always been given the advice to use tamari instead of soy sauce because tamari doesn’t have wheat. Apparently that isn’t always the case. It just reinforces the main rule of GF food shopping which I’m sure you’re getting used to now: Always read the label.
I typically use Kikkoman GF soy sauce, unless I want a lighter, sweeter flavor. Then I use San-J tamari. I am keen to try some of the other brands in this thread, though. I haven’t tried the Kikkoman tamari, though, so I can’t comment on that.
I'm in the US.
Experimenting with GF flours to thicken sauces/stews, "breading" things for frying, and some possible baking is next on the chopping block. I am prepared for the impending disappointment/kitchen disaster.
We already eat a bunch of naturally gluten free stuff (mexican, indian, mediterranean, etc). This is my attempt to "save" a food genre from the gluten chopping block for the wife. Since she isn't very impressed with gluten free pasta (still like 5 more brands to try!), italian is on the back burner for a good while.
I'm trying to "make a stand" and save her beloved stir fry (which I had perfected, but alas, with gluten).
Try Isibisi from Amazon for pasta. My non gf husband likes the taste of this better than wheat pasta, and it will hold up for baked dishes.I use Bob's Red Mill 1to1 baking flour for baking, and can generally use a normal recipe with the addition of an extra egg and 1/2 teaspoon extra baking powder. I use half cornstarch and half that flour for thickening. For Panko I use 4C brand, it's in a round tinlike box, it's the best I've found for the cost. Best of luck to you! I do have a blog with this info on it and it's where I store my recipes for myself.
Https://kitchnchik.blogspot.com
I’m a fan of Jovial pasta. For roux, I’ve been using the America’s Test Kitchen AP flour recipe, a little less by weight than the butter. I have a slight preference for flours without xanthan gum in my roux, though I do add it for baking. In general, though, most GF AP flours I’ve tried can make a decent roux. They don’t measure up by volume like AP flour, no matter what they claim.
Thanks for the pointers on the flour.
That is next on my experimentation list. I must admit, I am wary of the xanthan gum that seems present in most 1:1 offerings. I swear I can taste things like that after dropping most mass produced foods over the years.
I have. So far, it might be the best I have tried, but that isn't saying much.
I'm trying to avoid using ingredients/products that "wear me down", making me (and my wife) accept "good enough" as the bar to meet. My wife had this attitude towards vegetarian food prior to us getting together. I refuse to "settle" for subpar food, especially when I know better can be had. The result is her no longer eating her "meals of sadness" and enjoying food, I want to keep that trend alive.
For thickening, just switch to corn starch! It does need a bit of trial and error to get the right ratios of liquid to starch, as it doesn't thicken at the same rate as wheat flour. However, I make gravy that is indistinguishable from those made with wheat.
If you don't find a pasta that is enjoyable, (I find that pasta made from white rice flour is fine for me), do what many people do when looking to remove processed starches and use sliced or spiralled veg in place of pasta to serve tasty sauces over. It's different enough that it's not supposed to taste like wheat pasta, but gives a similar experience.
Unfortunately, sometimes I want/need a roux for a thickening agent. Cornstarch and I have a love hate relationship as a thickener, the difference between not enough and producing a jello like substance seems to be .02 micrograms and a fraction of a degree of temperature.
The only GF pasta that I like and tolerate well is Tinkyada white rice spaghetti. Only the white rice one, I personally do not like the brown rice versions.
If you make fresh tortillas with masa and make them thin they are a decent sub for flour tortillas especially when fresh. I have messed around and found a recipe that is pretty good- let me know if you want it. It has a different flavor profile from regular tortillas but hits the spot when using it to scoop up some beans and chile etc. the mission gf tortillas are good for things like wraps where you toast the outside of it. Or if you toast it on an open flame it’s also good for ripping pieces off to scoop up foods with. I feel like true burritos or anything that’s too wet just rip them up sadly.
There is a recipe I’ve tried that uses psyllium husk fiber and those were super bendable and pliable. You could probably use those for burritos.
The cook book “baked to perfection” by Katrina Cernelj has a ton of useful info about baking and I believe is where that last recipe is as well.
We do a lot of stir fry/asian cooking. Check out Wok Mei brand for GF oyster and hosin sauce. I also recommend Thrive Market as a great online source of ingredients. Can sort by GF.
My spouse also can’t eat gluten and I usually just eat the same thing. I’ve found a couple substitutions that I like just as much as the regular version.
Barilla gluten free pasta has been my favorite so far.
King Arthur measure for measure flour for baking. For most recipes I can use a standard gluten recipe and just sub the flour. This will not work for most breads.
I like the aminos, but it does not have the same consistency as soy sauce. Sometimes I combine GF soy sauce and aminos to get a flavor profile I like.
Kikkoman’s makes a gluten free soy sauce (as well as some others) and La Choy soy sauce is GF.
Check the labels and don’t assume all soy sauce has wheat.
Okay, i think i understand you. When i got diagnosed, my food was bland, but now, 2 years later, i am doing great. SO - i have this mindset, basically going "anything can be gluten free if you try hard enough." It definetly depends on where you live, but you need the basics, to make the good things :) SO - Gluten free pasta in Sainsburys tastes pretty good imo. If not that, rice noodles are good for stir-fry's. FREEE white flour is pretty universal. Schar is a good but more expensive brand. The soysauce is a valid point, i use my GF soysauce in everything pretty much, but i live in the middle of nowhere, the brand i use is not avalible in the UK. But you still have SALT!!! You still have spices, just make sure that theyre gluten free. YOU GOT HERBSSS!!!! And its definetly great to rely on vegetables. And rice. Fish, meat, eggs... Unless your wife doesnt eat those. 100% of my dishes contain vegetables now, prepared in many ways - stirfried, steamed, or just fresh, with a dip of some kind, baked, you get the point. I know that i told you what you already know, but sometimes, the more you think about it the more serious it is. Once you replace gluten things with gluten free ones, you will slowly realise that this is no rocket science, and you will get there eventually. (also tip for your wife, if they/she likes sweets. Schar makes GF off brand oreos, oreos make gluten free oreos (i only found those in america on online i think), Schar makes this bueno tasting thing, its SO GOOD.. Macarons, if done propely, are gluten free. If you get gluten free biscuits, you can make cheesecake....) Good luck on your journey guys!!! <3
With the wife being a vegetarian, most dishes are veggie centric while I make any animal proteins on the side for myself. You are preaching to the choir on seasoning/herbs. That is how I make things taste good. I have never been known to shy away from salt, seasoning, herbs, spice, etc.
I get what you are saying in terms of substitution, but it feels like your goal is to eat things that "taste good for being gluten free" and not simply "tastes good". (Let's face it, I have all sorts of products that just plain suck, with only a few winners in the pantry) My goal is to enjoy the food, not kind of enjoy it because "close enough".
I'm cool with completely starting from scratch with my recipes/dishes, as long as they taste good. The issue I am having is those gluten free replacements are not of the same quality/flavor/texture and I get to pay double for the privilege.
I'm particularly hung up on soy sauce since it is used as a base/ingredient in all sorts of vegetarian cooking (it is great for adding umami and depth of flavor). This becomes even more challenging with drastically different salt levels (why are so many reduced sodium?!?) and consistency.
There are many reduced-sodium soy sauces because most Americans eat too much salt, and they are trying to cut back, for health reasons. In your case, could you just sprinkle on more salt, if the taste isn't salty enough for you?
Yeah, i can tell that you seem like a really good and experienced cook! I am not that at all. I understand what you mean, but now my brain cant really think of much. One last thing i can say, maybe it might get you more ideas for dishes to try out? Have you looked into diffrent world cuisines? The first idea i had was something like ramen broth, then i realised your wife is vegetarian. But something like Miso soup? (if its gluten free, thats tricky sometimes) I know miso is quite flavourful. Or czech couisine - sauerkraut! Theres this dish, basically consisting of meat, dumplings (they are made from bread) and sauerkraut, but you can literally just put anything else with the sauerkraut. Its not everyones thing, but its flavourful! Maybe this will spark up an idea to look for such things, and then create your own dishes!
Kroger brand soy sauce is gluten free and pretty good. When I first went gluten free it was easier to find naturally gf foods instead of replacements, because the replacements always were a let down.
If you can find Kimlan Gluten Free Soy Sauce, the flavor profile beats San-J Tamari by miles. Might be a Taiwanese vs Japanese soy sauce style issue, but I much prefer Kimlan.
It's easier to make your own stir fry sauces since the bottled GF ones (if you can find any) aren't very good. Certain Chinese rice wines and rice vinegars are GF, but not all, so you'd have to check.
For stir-fry sauces, I make my own mix of garlic, ginger, birds eye chili, honey, gf soy sauce, and a touch of both gf rice wine and sesame oil. Then mix with a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce when you cook with it.
If you want teriyaki, add a ton more honey +/ brown sugar.
Korean food can be also be made gluten free/ vegetarian quite easily, though the tricky part is finding a gochujang that is GF since most have wheat for thickening.
I will add Kimlan to my list of brands to try.
You just unlocked another things for me to check, I didn't think to check my shaoxing wine or rice vinegar. I haven't checked my gochujang yet either. I guess it's a good thing I haven't used it yet.
I haven’t found a GF shaoxing wine yet. If people here have a recommendation, I’d be grateful. I use Sempio gochujang. Their regular one isn’t GF, but they make a GF, vegan version. They also have a vegan one that is not GF. Not relevant here, but I’m not sure how the regular version is not vegan. An ingredient it has that the vegan ones don’t is a koji starter, but I thought that was vegan being a fungus. Everything else looks like it should be vegan, too, but not something to worry about if you get the GF version.
Trader Joe's makes a gochujang with rice, but it is labeled as "may contain wheat and soy" which I have personally never had a problem with, but someone more sensitive might
What helped me a lot with enjoying food & cooking again was branching into different countries cuisine. I found the best substitute, is cooking meals that traditionally don’t contain gluten so you don’t have to use the shitty replacements. Top two for me is Vietnamese and Indian, they both have a lot of traditionally vegetarian dishes as well.
Pinterest is a great place to find vege/gf recipes and it’s super easy to adapt keto recipes, it usually has the hard part of replacing the gluten figured out.
Be warned that you will want to consider replacing your cookware.
After my diagnosis, it had taken a few months of being gluten free for my sensitivity to gluten to become acute. My cookware was the culprit.
After I replaced all of the pots, pans, and baking sheets, I had no challenges from that point forward.
Cross-Contamination is real.
I hadn't considered this.
So far, she is doing well after eliminating gluten. Gradually, our pantry is transitioning to be gluten free. (*Really* bad timing on buying pasta from Costco...) I am used to preventing cross contamination, can't "poison" the vegetarian wife with animals.
I will have to pay extra attention to this though until we complete the transition.
America’s Test Kitchen has two cookbooks that have been enthusiastically recommended to me:
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18797098-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18797098-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook)
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25430814-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-volume-2](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25430814-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-volume-2)
and the combo:
[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54702294-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-collection](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54702294-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-collection)
Creating a shared folder with my boyfriend on IG with recipes in a folder has helped significantly with finding new recipes and planning my meals, and made it exiting to try new food.
Gf is Soy sauce is Tamari- Japanese made from only Soybeans. IMO it’s more flavorful than soy sauce.
Soy Sauce - Chinese made with wheat and soybeans
Soy sauce: San J and Kikoman make good gluten free tamari. I usually buy it online by the half gallon because we are partially Asian and go through a lot of it. I cook with low sodium versions, but have regular versions to add after cooking. I have high blood pressure, but my husband and one of out kids have POTS and need the extra salt.
If you want to add more depth of flavor to cooked dishes, add a couple of splashes of gf fish sauce and a ketchup packet while you are cooking. That's where the umami comes from.
When I bread things, I use corn starch or gf flour first, then egg, then bread crumbs or panko. I always add garlic powder to the flour, but you could also add different powdered seasonings or courser herbs to the bread crumbs.
It's harder to give tips when I'm not sure what kind of food you like to make.
I do a lot of Asian inspired food and usually just make my own dark soy sauce (basically molasses, gf soy sauce or tamari, sugar). For regular soy sauce I use the VH low sodium soya sauce (tastes like shit alone but I find most final dishes are way too salty with Tamari or regular gf soy so I opt for the low sodium version). For sushi I'll opt for San-J tamari since it taste better solo.
Kikkoman does a gf teriyaki sauce (super salty) that I use as a base and enhance with aromatics and add some palm sugar if I'm making teriyaki anything.
Lee Kum Kee has a gf oyster sauce that's great for stir fries and a good gf Hoisin that works well with pho and VH has one that's great for dipping fresh rolls into. VH in general is great. Lots of gluten free options and super affordable but I do find them to lean a little too sweet for me personally.
Tamari is a decent replacement for soy sauce, but it's a little fruitier, and not as salty. You may have to adjust for that.
Don't buy pasta made of beans. Other grains will be better. I like corn, quinoa, and rice, especially in a blend. The Barilla ones aren't too bad.
GF breads are better as toast than as bread. My personal favorites in the markets I frequent are Schar baguettes and ciabatta. I despise the stuff marketed as GF hamburger/hot dog buns, and most bread. I use 1/4 or 1/3 of a split baguette for sandwiches, and the toasted ciabattas instead of hamburger buns. Yeah, they're small, but you really don't want a giant GF bun.
You can use rice flour to make a roux for many sauces, and it works pretty well, but I find that it sometimes breaks when I'm reheating leftovers. I especially notice this on macaroni and cheese. I don't hear this much from other GF cooks, so maybe it's just something I'm doing wrong.
Bragg's aminos is a good soy sauce replacement.
Think of changing your diet to pressure foods and moving away from processed foods. This will make it easier to be gluten-free.
Pamela’s GF baking and pancake mix. I use that for so many things for my wife. It’s pricey but worth it because she isn’t in discomfort
Plus, I enjoy the recipes on the Pamela’s website
I think most soy sauces sold in grocery stores are gf now. Check the labels. If it doesn’t contain wheat it’s probably fine. But in order to label it as gluten free they would have to get it tested and certified, so they just eliminate wheat. La Choy had been gf forever. I usually use house brands.
Vegetarian & gf
Daiya Mac & cheese ( or the goodles brand) both have the least terrible tasting noodles
Daring Chicken
Red Lobsters Gf Biscuits
Use hashbrown patties as bread alternative
Rice noodles, seriously taste better than gluten free replacements
For the soysauce, use Tamari or Coconut Aminos
Vegan worschteshire sauce is surprisingly easy to make, can be made of.
Jackfruit, hearts of palm, Tofu, chickpeas are great naturally gf meat substitutes
Also fancy mushrooms : oyster, lions mane, beech, etc.
Speciality desert: most macarons(do read ingredients)
When you are looking for things that wow you, go for recipes that use fresh ingredients instead of packaged, and foods that naturally don’t contain or at least don’t rely on wheat. Anything you do to substitute a gluten food for a gluten-free imitation will be a disappointment every time. Remember that Wheat didn’t exist in the Americas until the Europeans brought it. So all the old traditional Mexican and South American flavors are a great place to start. Think beans and corn and chilis and peppers and onions and jicama and potatoes and tomatoes. Unfortunately many of the Northern American recipes were lost to genocide centuries ago. Many Indian recipes are naturally free of gluten as well. Curry is a staple in our household these days. A lot of Indian food is also vegetarian so that gives you a head start there as well. We eat a lot of Asian inspired vegetable stir fries as well. I don’t know how strictly vegetarian you are but most fish sauce is gluten free. The San-J Tamari is one of my favorites but if you want a more traditional flavor Kikkoman makes a GF soy sauce as well, and La Choy soy sauce is also gluten free. Good luck!!!
>When you are looking for things that wow you, go for recipes that use fresh ingredients instead of packaged, and foods that naturally don’t contain or at least don’t rely on wheat. Anything you do to substitute a gluten food for a ***gluten-free imitation will be a disappointment every time***. Holy crap is this true. Right now I am really focused on soy sauce/asian foods because that seems to be our biggest "pain point". Like you said, mexican and indian are easy wins. I've been able to do those with little to no modifications (although she still laments the loss of fresh flour tortillas). A third recommendation for San-J is making me regret not trying it first. I haven't had La Choy since I was a child I think, is it decent or "just ok" as a soy sauce? Or should I just stick with San-J?
Fresh flour tortillas: [https://nurturemygut.com/gluten-free-tortilla-recipe.html/](https://nurturemygut.com/gluten-free-tortilla-recipe.html/) They still aren't wheat tortillas, but they are soft and pliable and taste good -- and are, by far, the best GF "flour tortillas" we have tried (and we have tried a bunch.) These take a few batches to get the consistency right. We have had to dial in the honey and salt amount to our taste. I have also added a bit of baking powder in when I really want some tortilla bubbles. We spent more money than we should have and got a Gorilla Grip 10" tortilla press, which we wrap in plastic wrap before we press the tortillas. . Tapioca flour is inexpensive at an Asian grocery store, and Almond Flour is inexpensive at Sam's or Costco. We make a huge batch, separate them with parchment, and freeze them.
Now you have my curiosity. A few quick questions on this recipe: * You are pressing these tortillas like corn and not rolling like flour, correct? * Do these tend to be on the thicker side? * Why add honey? I've never added sweetner to my tortillas (I just do what my MIL taught me to do). * Not a question, but a tortilla press is always a good purchase, I have three.
The consistency of the dough is similar to Play-dough -- and yes, you press them out. When you open the press, you have to do it carefully/slowly, or they rip, but unlike gluten dough, you can work and rework to get the consistency right. We then griddle them. As for the honey, I think it's a taste thing -- or maybe to help them get spotty? We actually cut WAY back on it, but I haven't eliminated it all together. I do mix the honey in the hot water instead of adding it to the dough separately. These walk a very fine line between gummy (when they are too thick or under-cooked) and dry/crumbly (when they are too thin or over-cooked). Again, we have played around with it. When we want them a bit thinner than I can get with a press, I take the pressed dough, put it on a silicone sheet, and roll it out a bit more. Again, they aren't wheat tortillas, but they can make a pretty good background for burritos or quesadillas. Just plan on a few batches/some experimentation to get it right.
I am totally willing to experiment. (and hiding the failed experiments from the wife)
LaChoy is just caramel colored salt water. It isn’t brewed like real soy sauce, and doesn’t have much flavor. Other than San-J, my recommendation would be kikkoman gluten free soy sauce. It’s brewed with fermented rice instead of fermented wheat like traditional soy sauce, but the umami is definitely there.
La Choy sucks imo
but still not as bad as Kame I usually get Kikkoman Tamari
but still not as bad as Kame I usually get Kikkoman Tamari
I would describe it as “just ok” but it is a DIFFERENT flavor profile from Tamari so it wouldn’t hurt to have it in your kit.
That is fair. I need more, different, flavor profiles with the loss of things like dark soy sauce (which doesn't seem to have a gluten free version). It's becoming a challenge to make things when I lost half of my pantry of ingredients. (Again, why does *everything* have wheat in it?!?!)
You want different flavor profiles? [Kikkoman’s got you](https://kikkomanusa.com/homecooks/category-family/gluten-free-products/?utm_source=paid+search&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=Branded+Campaign&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12713737606&utm_content=142562800000&utm_term=kikkoman%20gluten%20free%20soy%20sauce&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4ri0BhAvEiwA8oo6F2DD3CR0DFowBAJBBOrolRiLQiHYtdNBFSa-A4kiGF8kXTJ7u4wHrBoCALwQAvD_BwE). I don’t work for them, I just REALLY like the brand.
Thanks for the link. There are a few products I need to find/order and try.
I commented above but as a non-GF partner, I far prefer Kikkoman and LaChoy over San-J.
Right on. At this point I'm trying everything and declaring winners/losers (mostly losers).
Absolutely. We're all different. We live and die in the trial and error. But when it's done, there's no more error. Best of luck! PS - If you're up for it, my GF partner cried (good tears) when I got a deep fryer and told her it's strictly GF. She can be normal and have a deep fried corn dog or some mozzarella sticks like the rest of us. Maybe an egg roll cause you like that kinda thing. Air frying is great. But for breaded/battered things, the oil is a game changer. All of the Feel Good Foods stuff can be done in a fryer. Plus, no "lemme check if the fryer is GF" from the wait staff.
I was so excited when I discovered that my fiancé's fryer has always been gluten free! (He only uses it for non-battered items, primarily vegetables for different types of fries/chips.) His parents got us an air fryer as an engagement gift so it's never seen gluten either. It's incredible what he can come up with that's safe for me with all the appliances that I can't use when I'm caring for my mom.
I would never consider LA Choy soy sauce. Someone suggested it when I first went gf in 2011. It was terrible. Stick to San J or Kikoman.
I really like both the coconut aminos (sub for soy sauce) and teriyaki sauce made by Coconut Secret. You can buy them on Vitacost and probably other sites.
San-J is good stuff. We use the lee kum kee gf soy now. Mostly because our Asian grocer carries it at a good price and it's a good product. Tamari is a little thicker and stronger in flavor. I can get good gluten free oyster sauce and hoisin. The lee kum kee gf pad Thai sauce is pretty restaurant-like, in our opinion. Maybe if the canned Thai curries are gf, but yellow mostly is not. We've found frozen pho broth that's bangin... In general, gf Asian food is much easier than it used to be. Good luck, and let us know if there are specific Asian ingredients you need suggestions for.
Funny you mentioned Lee Kum Kee. Last night it was the bottle I grabbed when making dinner. I have to say that it is far beyond the other lifeless stuff I've been tasting. It easily beat out the GF kikkoman and is much, much closer to our original glutenous sauce. I can work with this stuff.
Two quick comments - For soy sauce, you can’t beat San-J gluten free tamari. It comes in regular, light sodium, and low sodium, and all of them have a much richer, deeper, more umami taste than traditional soy sauces, especially the gluten free ones. Second, check out the r/glutenfreevegetarian and r/glutenfreevegan communities for really good recipes and resources.
Thanks for that. I will obtain a bottle of that and add it to my never ending list of sadness/disappointment. Thanks for the sub recommendations, I am in need to rebuilding my recipes. Edit: Holy crap, I have a bottle of this in the pantry. It is next in line for experimentation.
Another great alternative for soy sauce is Bragg coconut aminos. I actually like this better than sanj
Sometimes you can’t replicate recipes. I have literally changed how I have eaten over the years . The cookbook that is GF is the Whole 30. It is also dairy free. They have a lot of different versions of it now since it has come out. Check the cookbook section or go online to the website !
As helpful as Tamari is, I couldn't get past the "garbag-y?" flavor. I find that the closest to a true soy sauce is Kikkoman's GF Soy Sauce. I taste no difference. Honorable mention to LaChoy. Good if I can't find Kikkoman.
I use the kikkoman GF so sauce which I find is good. I also often cook with gochujang which is a great source of flavour (some are not GF check the label). But if you're struggling with the alternatives right now, I'd say avoid completely and focus on what is naturally gluten-free. Other Asian flavours are GF. Herbs and spices (double check the ingredients though) and rice, potatoes and veg. Trying to substitute everything, especially at the start of the adjustment, can be more frustrating I've found because you focus more on what you're missing or the hassle of the adjustment. Focusing on naturally GF whole foods makes the process simpler and the food tastes exactly how it would anyway!
We do lots of mexican/latin food and indian food. Asian cuisine is the focus since that is what the wife is craving. Plus, most of my "meat replacement" dishes for "american" food rely heavily on soy sauce (amongst other spices/ingredients) to help layer those umami flavors. We quickly gave up on most GF "replacements". Those are some of the most depressing things ever, and I remember early "veggie meat" attempts. So, that is saying something. Soy sauce (and all the delicious sauces/marinades it is used in) is the one ingredient I seem to "need" to get things working/tasting correctly.
I don't know where you're at, but if you are in the US Trader Joe's have lots of GF options.
One of my frustrations with things like frozen GF stuff is that so much of it is also vegan/dairy-free. So that's a win for your wife when you want something easy like that! 😂 Soy sauce is the big trippy one for me too tbh as I also love Asian food. I manage at home with the kikkomans sauce but eating out is so much harder. I used to eat so much Asian food and only a few places note whether stuff is GF, so it's hard to know where is reliable. But that said, if there is an Asian restaurant near you that serves GF, you could ask them what sauce they use or how they substitute? Your wife is lucky to have such a keen and considerate cook!
Bragg's liquid aminos is good for umami flavor. Trader joe's makes an amazing mushroom umami powder that we use in everything. And yes, maybe try a reduction to concentrate flavors.
I will add Bragg's to my list. I've seen Trader Joe's pop up a few times in this sub, I will have to dedicate a trip to them.
TJ + Aldi are both excellent for GF specialty items
Seconding Bragg's. Love that stuff. In another comment, you mentioned having an Asian grocery store -- they may have mushroom powder as well. The kind we buy comes in a large silver and white bag (costs around $8 here, lasts all year even though we use it constantly) and contains nothing but mushrooms and salt, plus vitamin B and calcium. This is the product: [https://mamawangspantry.com/products/mushroom-seasoning](https://mamawangspantry.com/products/mushroom-seasoning) I am *aggressively* gluten-sensitive and I have never had a reaction to it. We use it as a salt substitute a lot, since it is about as salty as soy sauce, and we also mix it with tamari to approximate my old favorite mushroom soy. If you make a lot of sauces/roux or if you used to coat/pan fry items, I would also recommend picking up some small bags of different GF flours (Bob's Red Mill is good for this; there are a bunch you can get in small quantities) and see which combinations you like best. GF flour is actually spectacular for getting a super crispy crunch out of fried items, believe it or not. We like to use chickpea flour for curries, 1:1 flour for soup roux, tapioca starch for something like gumbo, coconut flour for sweet/custardy things, etc. etc. This part is my husband's domain, though, for the most part. I'm a lazy saucier. If you're having problems with baking and/or the science of it all, America's Test Kitchen has a series of books that are pretty comprehensive, although they aren't vegetarian-specific (to my knowledge.) Also, respectfully -- I went through a grieving period when I realized I had to eliminate gluten from my diet, and a big part of that was admitting to myself that it was going to be a problem not just for me, but for my husband and daughter as well. Have you talked to your wife about this? Food was definitely not exciting for me for a while in general, even if it still tasted good, and even now food can be kind of scary sometimes (which obviously reduces the joy in it.) Sometimes it's not just taste; there's a big mental component to it as well.
>I am *aggressively* gluten-sensitive and I have never had a reaction to it. We use it as a salt substitute a lot, since it is about as salty as soy sauce, and we also mix it with tamari to approximate my old favorite mushroom soy. I'm beginning to think that I may need to "make/doctor up" a sauce with either MSG or Mushroom powder to more closely approximate what I am looking for. Are there specific proportions you are using or is it more a "feeling/tasting" type thing? >Also, respectfully -- I went through a grieving period when I realized I had to eliminate gluten from my diet, and a big part of that was admitting to myself that it was going to be a problem not just for me, but for my husband and daughter as well. Have you talked to your wife about this? Food was definitely not exciting for me for a while in general, even if it still tasted good, and even now food can be kind of scary sometimes (which obviously reduces the joy in it.) Sometimes it's not just taste; there's a big mental component to it as well. This is absolutely a component to it. I love to go out and try new restaurants/foods. Now, my wife is totally hesitant on that front. I *totally* get the apprehension. The current running joke is that she will end up eating healthier because her only options will be salads (she often described herself as a "crap-itarian") when she finally feels comfortable going out (to a carefully selected place). I've worked hard to cultivate a "food safe space" of sorts at home for her. There are just so many different flavors out there that I have been able to introduce her to. It has become a hobby of sorts taking traditional dishes, or new to her dishes, and making them veggie friendly. I am viewing it as a challenge to overcome. Besides, eating great tasting food, that doesn't make you feel bad after, always improves the mood. I know it can be done, and frankly, she deserves that level of effort.
We just do it by feel/taste in a little bowl -- we don't make it ahead of time. It wouldn't be difficult to come up with an actual recipe for different sauces like that, though. I think, for us, we just prefer to have a little more control over it, even if it means we risk making it a little wrong sometimes. And we do use straight-up MSG sometimes, too. One bag of it will last you a lifetime, so it's a good (cheap) investment. I recommend taking a bit out for a jar that you will use and then sealing the rest up in an airtight container until you're ready for some more. It's commendable that you're being so attentive (and adventurous!) with your wife's needs. My heart goes out to you both, and I hope she finds a comfortable zone where she can both have her "known safety foods" and room for happily trying new things. As many others in this thread have pointed out, it doesn't have to be all salads (in fact, I have finally gained a few pounds back after losing a bunch at first, haha) and you are absolutely correct in that it can be done. Your wife is lucky to have someone like you on her side -- just be patient with her and remember that her fears don't have to be logical. They need time and support (which is what it sounds like you're giving her.) All the best to the both of you. I truly hope your wife begins feeling better about food soon -- it's such a wonderful part of life, and we all deserve that joy.
Fair points on doctoring up the sauce. I'm always weighing how much effort up front is worth it when cooking with an eye towards making things more consistent. Thanks for the kind words as well.
The umami powder is the best seasoning ever.
I use San-J Tamari. I found coconut aminos to be lacking in salt so definitely taste before serving. (I make a beef and broccoli from a paleo recipe and used coconut aminos. When I subbed tamari, it tasted like a salt lick lol)
This is the second recommendation for San-J I'm seeing. I am now regretting that it is the last bottle I haven't tried yet. On the coconut aminos... I need to experiment with those more. They are so lackluster.
I use coconut aminos to add sweetness alongside tamari. They work well in tandem.
San-J also has a ton of different pre-made sauces that I enjoy and different levels of sodium tamari.
Shake some MSG in with the coconut aminos. Its sold as Accent in the spice aisle.
Get America’s Test Kitchen cooks Gluten Free cookbooks. They had Vol 1 and 2 last time I looked. Start with Vol 2. (Both their white flour and their substitute for whole wheat). They test many variations of every recipe and explain what each variation causes what. Their recipes aren’t simple but they always work great.
Use Tamari instead of Soy Sauce, you'll get that deep flavor you want. It is a Japanese form of soy sauce that is the byproduct when making miso paste, it does not have added wheat (generally). San J is ok, but I prefer Kikkoman
Interesting, I haven't seen a Kikkoman Tamari in my area. I will have to find/order some and do a comparison.
Kikkoman makes tamari and soy sauce. The regular versions of these both have wheat, even the tamari. They do make GF versions of both, though. I had always been given the advice to use tamari instead of soy sauce because tamari doesn’t have wheat. Apparently that isn’t always the case. It just reinforces the main rule of GF food shopping which I’m sure you’re getting used to now: Always read the label. I typically use Kikkoman GF soy sauce, unless I want a lighter, sweeter flavor. Then I use San-J tamari. I am keen to try some of the other brands in this thread, though. I haven’t tried the Kikkoman tamari, though, so I can’t comment on that.
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I'm in the US. Experimenting with GF flours to thicken sauces/stews, "breading" things for frying, and some possible baking is next on the chopping block. I am prepared for the impending disappointment/kitchen disaster. We already eat a bunch of naturally gluten free stuff (mexican, indian, mediterranean, etc). This is my attempt to "save" a food genre from the gluten chopping block for the wife. Since she isn't very impressed with gluten free pasta (still like 5 more brands to try!), italian is on the back burner for a good while. I'm trying to "make a stand" and save her beloved stir fry (which I had perfected, but alas, with gluten).
Try Isibisi from Amazon for pasta. My non gf husband likes the taste of this better than wheat pasta, and it will hold up for baked dishes.I use Bob's Red Mill 1to1 baking flour for baking, and can generally use a normal recipe with the addition of an extra egg and 1/2 teaspoon extra baking powder. I use half cornstarch and half that flour for thickening. For Panko I use 4C brand, it's in a round tinlike box, it's the best I've found for the cost. Best of luck to you! I do have a blog with this info on it and it's where I store my recipes for myself. Https://kitchnchik.blogspot.com
Thanks for the recommendations. I will certainly take a look at the site as well.
I’m a fan of Jovial pasta. For roux, I’ve been using the America’s Test Kitchen AP flour recipe, a little less by weight than the butter. I have a slight preference for flours without xanthan gum in my roux, though I do add it for baking. In general, though, most GF AP flours I’ve tried can make a decent roux. They don’t measure up by volume like AP flour, no matter what they claim.
Thanks for the pointers on the flour. That is next on my experimentation list. I must admit, I am wary of the xanthan gum that seems present in most 1:1 offerings. I swear I can taste things like that after dropping most mass produced foods over the years.
Have you tried Barilla's GF pasta? I like that the best, but (disclaimer) after about 10 years of being GF they all taste okay by now.
I have. So far, it might be the best I have tried, but that isn't saying much. I'm trying to avoid using ingredients/products that "wear me down", making me (and my wife) accept "good enough" as the bar to meet. My wife had this attitude towards vegetarian food prior to us getting together. I refuse to "settle" for subpar food, especially when I know better can be had. The result is her no longer eating her "meals of sadness" and enjoying food, I want to keep that trend alive.
For thickening, just switch to corn starch! It does need a bit of trial and error to get the right ratios of liquid to starch, as it doesn't thicken at the same rate as wheat flour. However, I make gravy that is indistinguishable from those made with wheat. If you don't find a pasta that is enjoyable, (I find that pasta made from white rice flour is fine for me), do what many people do when looking to remove processed starches and use sliced or spiralled veg in place of pasta to serve tasty sauces over. It's different enough that it's not supposed to taste like wheat pasta, but gives a similar experience.
Unfortunately, sometimes I want/need a roux for a thickening agent. Cornstarch and I have a love hate relationship as a thickener, the difference between not enough and producing a jello like substance seems to be .02 micrograms and a fraction of a degree of temperature.
The only GF pasta that I like and tolerate well is Tinkyada white rice spaghetti. Only the white rice one, I personally do not like the brown rice versions.
I got a massive jug of kikkoman on Amazon and I just refill my tamari bottle.
If you make fresh tortillas with masa and make them thin they are a decent sub for flour tortillas especially when fresh. I have messed around and found a recipe that is pretty good- let me know if you want it. It has a different flavor profile from regular tortillas but hits the spot when using it to scoop up some beans and chile etc. the mission gf tortillas are good for things like wraps where you toast the outside of it. Or if you toast it on an open flame it’s also good for ripping pieces off to scoop up foods with. I feel like true burritos or anything that’s too wet just rip them up sadly. There is a recipe I’ve tried that uses psyllium husk fiber and those were super bendable and pliable. You could probably use those for burritos. The cook book “baked to perfection” by Katrina Cernelj has a ton of useful info about baking and I believe is where that last recipe is as well.
Luckily, she likes corn tortillas. Thanks for the cookbook recommendation. I need to "relearn" some of the "cooking science" it feels like.
Katrina also has the website "The Looy Whisk" [https://theloopywhisk.com/](https://theloopywhisk.com/) where she shares a lot of really good recipes.
We do a lot of stir fry/asian cooking. Check out Wok Mei brand for GF oyster and hosin sauce. I also recommend Thrive Market as a great online source of ingredients. Can sort by GF.
My spouse also can’t eat gluten and I usually just eat the same thing. I’ve found a couple substitutions that I like just as much as the regular version. Barilla gluten free pasta has been my favorite so far. King Arthur measure for measure flour for baking. For most recipes I can use a standard gluten recipe and just sub the flour. This will not work for most breads.
I like the aminos, but it does not have the same consistency as soy sauce. Sometimes I combine GF soy sauce and aminos to get a flavor profile I like. Kikkoman’s makes a gluten free soy sauce (as well as some others) and La Choy soy sauce is GF. Check the labels and don’t assume all soy sauce has wheat.
Okay, i think i understand you. When i got diagnosed, my food was bland, but now, 2 years later, i am doing great. SO - i have this mindset, basically going "anything can be gluten free if you try hard enough." It definetly depends on where you live, but you need the basics, to make the good things :) SO - Gluten free pasta in Sainsburys tastes pretty good imo. If not that, rice noodles are good for stir-fry's. FREEE white flour is pretty universal. Schar is a good but more expensive brand. The soysauce is a valid point, i use my GF soysauce in everything pretty much, but i live in the middle of nowhere, the brand i use is not avalible in the UK. But you still have SALT!!! You still have spices, just make sure that theyre gluten free. YOU GOT HERBSSS!!!! And its definetly great to rely on vegetables. And rice. Fish, meat, eggs... Unless your wife doesnt eat those. 100% of my dishes contain vegetables now, prepared in many ways - stirfried, steamed, or just fresh, with a dip of some kind, baked, you get the point. I know that i told you what you already know, but sometimes, the more you think about it the more serious it is. Once you replace gluten things with gluten free ones, you will slowly realise that this is no rocket science, and you will get there eventually. (also tip for your wife, if they/she likes sweets. Schar makes GF off brand oreos, oreos make gluten free oreos (i only found those in america on online i think), Schar makes this bueno tasting thing, its SO GOOD.. Macarons, if done propely, are gluten free. If you get gluten free biscuits, you can make cheesecake....) Good luck on your journey guys!!! <3
With the wife being a vegetarian, most dishes are veggie centric while I make any animal proteins on the side for myself. You are preaching to the choir on seasoning/herbs. That is how I make things taste good. I have never been known to shy away from salt, seasoning, herbs, spice, etc. I get what you are saying in terms of substitution, but it feels like your goal is to eat things that "taste good for being gluten free" and not simply "tastes good". (Let's face it, I have all sorts of products that just plain suck, with only a few winners in the pantry) My goal is to enjoy the food, not kind of enjoy it because "close enough". I'm cool with completely starting from scratch with my recipes/dishes, as long as they taste good. The issue I am having is those gluten free replacements are not of the same quality/flavor/texture and I get to pay double for the privilege. I'm particularly hung up on soy sauce since it is used as a base/ingredient in all sorts of vegetarian cooking (it is great for adding umami and depth of flavor). This becomes even more challenging with drastically different salt levels (why are so many reduced sodium?!?) and consistency.
Ocean's Halo makes a flawless gf, no-soy sauce. My partner who lived in China swears by it.
Another brand added to the experiment list.
There are many reduced-sodium soy sauces because most Americans eat too much salt, and they are trying to cut back, for health reasons. In your case, could you just sprinkle on more salt, if the taste isn't salty enough for you?
Yeah, i can tell that you seem like a really good and experienced cook! I am not that at all. I understand what you mean, but now my brain cant really think of much. One last thing i can say, maybe it might get you more ideas for dishes to try out? Have you looked into diffrent world cuisines? The first idea i had was something like ramen broth, then i realised your wife is vegetarian. But something like Miso soup? (if its gluten free, thats tricky sometimes) I know miso is quite flavourful. Or czech couisine - sauerkraut! Theres this dish, basically consisting of meat, dumplings (they are made from bread) and sauerkraut, but you can literally just put anything else with the sauerkraut. Its not everyones thing, but its flavourful! Maybe this will spark up an idea to look for such things, and then create your own dishes!
Kroger brand soy sauce is gluten free and pretty good. When I first went gluten free it was easier to find naturally gf foods instead of replacements, because the replacements always were a let down.
If you can find Kimlan Gluten Free Soy Sauce, the flavor profile beats San-J Tamari by miles. Might be a Taiwanese vs Japanese soy sauce style issue, but I much prefer Kimlan. It's easier to make your own stir fry sauces since the bottled GF ones (if you can find any) aren't very good. Certain Chinese rice wines and rice vinegars are GF, but not all, so you'd have to check. For stir-fry sauces, I make my own mix of garlic, ginger, birds eye chili, honey, gf soy sauce, and a touch of both gf rice wine and sesame oil. Then mix with a little cornstarch to thicken the sauce when you cook with it. If you want teriyaki, add a ton more honey +/ brown sugar. Korean food can be also be made gluten free/ vegetarian quite easily, though the tricky part is finding a gochujang that is GF since most have wheat for thickening.
I will add Kimlan to my list of brands to try. You just unlocked another things for me to check, I didn't think to check my shaoxing wine or rice vinegar. I haven't checked my gochujang yet either. I guess it's a good thing I haven't used it yet.
I haven’t found a GF shaoxing wine yet. If people here have a recommendation, I’d be grateful. I use Sempio gochujang. Their regular one isn’t GF, but they make a GF, vegan version. They also have a vegan one that is not GF. Not relevant here, but I’m not sure how the regular version is not vegan. An ingredient it has that the vegan ones don’t is a koji starter, but I thought that was vegan being a fungus. Everything else looks like it should be vegan, too, but not something to worry about if you get the GF version.
Trader Joe's makes a gochujang with rice, but it is labeled as "may contain wheat and soy" which I have personally never had a problem with, but someone more sensitive might
What helped me a lot with enjoying food & cooking again was branching into different countries cuisine. I found the best substitute, is cooking meals that traditionally don’t contain gluten so you don’t have to use the shitty replacements. Top two for me is Vietnamese and Indian, they both have a lot of traditionally vegetarian dishes as well. Pinterest is a great place to find vege/gf recipes and it’s super easy to adapt keto recipes, it usually has the hard part of replacing the gluten figured out.
The Kikkoman GF is the only one that tastes the same to me. Can’t tell the difference.
Be warned that you will want to consider replacing your cookware. After my diagnosis, it had taken a few months of being gluten free for my sensitivity to gluten to become acute. My cookware was the culprit. After I replaced all of the pots, pans, and baking sheets, I had no challenges from that point forward. Cross-Contamination is real.
I hadn't considered this. So far, she is doing well after eliminating gluten. Gradually, our pantry is transitioning to be gluten free. (*Really* bad timing on buying pasta from Costco...) I am used to preventing cross contamination, can't "poison" the vegetarian wife with animals. I will have to pay extra attention to this though until we complete the transition.
If your cookware is in good condition, a thorough cleaning is all you should need. If there are a lot of scratches, then replace
coconut aminos tamari soy sauce
America’s Test Kitchen has two cookbooks that have been enthusiastically recommended to me: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18797098-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18797098-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook) [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25430814-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-volume-2](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25430814-the-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-volume-2) and the combo: [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54702294-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-collection](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54702294-how-can-it-be-gluten-free-cookbook-collection)
Creating a shared folder with my boyfriend on IG with recipes in a folder has helped significantly with finding new recipes and planning my meals, and made it exiting to try new food. Gf is Soy sauce is Tamari- Japanese made from only Soybeans. IMO it’s more flavorful than soy sauce. Soy Sauce - Chinese made with wheat and soybeans
Soy sauce: San J and Kikoman make good gluten free tamari. I usually buy it online by the half gallon because we are partially Asian and go through a lot of it. I cook with low sodium versions, but have regular versions to add after cooking. I have high blood pressure, but my husband and one of out kids have POTS and need the extra salt. If you want to add more depth of flavor to cooked dishes, add a couple of splashes of gf fish sauce and a ketchup packet while you are cooking. That's where the umami comes from. When I bread things, I use corn starch or gf flour first, then egg, then bread crumbs or panko. I always add garlic powder to the flour, but you could also add different powdered seasonings or courser herbs to the bread crumbs. It's harder to give tips when I'm not sure what kind of food you like to make.
I do a lot of Asian inspired food and usually just make my own dark soy sauce (basically molasses, gf soy sauce or tamari, sugar). For regular soy sauce I use the VH low sodium soya sauce (tastes like shit alone but I find most final dishes are way too salty with Tamari or regular gf soy so I opt for the low sodium version). For sushi I'll opt for San-J tamari since it taste better solo. Kikkoman does a gf teriyaki sauce (super salty) that I use as a base and enhance with aromatics and add some palm sugar if I'm making teriyaki anything. Lee Kum Kee has a gf oyster sauce that's great for stir fries and a good gf Hoisin that works well with pho and VH has one that's great for dipping fresh rolls into. VH in general is great. Lots of gluten free options and super affordable but I do find them to lean a little too sweet for me personally.
Tamari is a decent replacement for soy sauce, but it's a little fruitier, and not as salty. You may have to adjust for that. Don't buy pasta made of beans. Other grains will be better. I like corn, quinoa, and rice, especially in a blend. The Barilla ones aren't too bad. GF breads are better as toast than as bread. My personal favorites in the markets I frequent are Schar baguettes and ciabatta. I despise the stuff marketed as GF hamburger/hot dog buns, and most bread. I use 1/4 or 1/3 of a split baguette for sandwiches, and the toasted ciabattas instead of hamburger buns. Yeah, they're small, but you really don't want a giant GF bun. You can use rice flour to make a roux for many sauces, and it works pretty well, but I find that it sometimes breaks when I'm reheating leftovers. I especially notice this on macaroni and cheese. I don't hear this much from other GF cooks, so maybe it's just something I'm doing wrong.
Thanks for the heads up on your roux issues. I will be sure to look out for that.
Bragg's aminos is a good soy sauce replacement. Think of changing your diet to pressure foods and moving away from processed foods. This will make it easier to be gluten-free.
Tamari is soya sauce with no gluten
Kikoman makes a great gf soy sauce. We use it all the time and it tastes pretty close.
La Choy I believe (blue label) is soy sauce that is specifically gluten free. Their other sauces usually are too - teriyaki, etc.
Pamela’s GF baking and pancake mix. I use that for so many things for my wife. It’s pricey but worth it because she isn’t in discomfort Plus, I enjoy the recipes on the Pamela’s website
I don't think it's been mentioned but golden mountain seasoning sauce is great
On the label it specifically states there is wheat in the sauce, are you sure? Is there a particular type?
The one I have says gluten free on the label, so there might be different versions?
I think most soy sauces sold in grocery stores are gf now. Check the labels. If it doesn’t contain wheat it’s probably fine. But in order to label it as gluten free they would have to get it tested and certified, so they just eliminate wheat. La Choy had been gf forever. I usually use house brands.
Vegetarian & gf Daiya Mac & cheese ( or the goodles brand) both have the least terrible tasting noodles Daring Chicken Red Lobsters Gf Biscuits Use hashbrown patties as bread alternative Rice noodles, seriously taste better than gluten free replacements For the soysauce, use Tamari or Coconut Aminos Vegan worschteshire sauce is surprisingly easy to make, can be made of. Jackfruit, hearts of palm, Tofu, chickpeas are great naturally gf meat substitutes Also fancy mushrooms : oyster, lions mane, beech, etc. Speciality desert: most macarons(do read ingredients)
Lea & Perrins and French’s Worcestershire are GF