Separate Toaster? What actually needs to be dediated Gluten Free

WEBVTT
00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:02.879
Quick reminder before we get started on this episode.
00:00:03.040 --> 00:00:07.440
This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice.
00:00:08.160 --> 00:00:13.119
When you're first diagnosed with celiac disease, it can feel like you need to throw away half your kitchen.
00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:20.000
A new toaster, new pans, new cutting boards, new spoons, new colanders, and suddenly you're looking around.
00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:24.320
Suddenly you're looking around thinking, can I even use anything I already own?
00:00:24.480 --> 00:00:26.000
And the answer is actually yes.
00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:28.879
You do not absolutely need to replace everything.
00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:33.600
But there are some kitchen items that are really difficult to clean well enough to safely share.
00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:43.119
Today we're talking about what actually needs to be dedicated gluten-free, what can usually be shared safely, and how we can manage a mixed kitchen before our entire household went gluten-free.
00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:44.240
Let's dive in.
00:00:44.479 --> 00:00:46.880
Welcome to the Gluten Free Engineer Podcast.
00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:48.640
I'm your host, Kiri Saunders.
00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:53.840
In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything.
00:00:54.000 --> 00:00:56.320
But I was determined not to let it hold me back.
00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:07.680
With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks, and everything in between to rebuild a life I love.
00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:14.079
Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you.
00:01:14.319 --> 00:01:21.200
Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun, and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything.
00:01:21.519 --> 00:01:22.560
Welcome back to the show.
00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:25.200
Today we're talking about do we need a separate toaster?
00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:29.040
What items do we actually need completely separate if you're celiac.
00:01:29.120 --> 00:01:34.159
So when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease, the rest of the family hadn't been diagnosed yet.
00:01:34.319 --> 00:01:39.280
So initially we had gluten and gluten-free food in the same kitchen in our house.
00:01:39.519 --> 00:01:53.920
So this meant that I had to think about crumbs, I had to think about shared equipment, I had to think about condiments, I had to think about cooking surfaces, I had to think about specific utensils, and then eventually the rest of the family was diagnosed too.
00:01:54.159 --> 00:02:00.879
Since 2015, our house has been completely gluten-free, and it has made life so much easier.
00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:04.480
I can't stress that enough, how much easier it has made our life.
00:02:04.719 --> 00:02:10.560
But I do know firsthand that a mixed kitchen can be managed and it just requires some systems.
00:02:10.800 --> 00:02:16.639
We even had some mess ups too when we tried to do these systems, and I will talk about that as well and how that happened.
00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:20.159
So, most importantly, you do need a separate toaster.
00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:25.199
This is probably the most important item in your kitchen that needs to be completely separate.
00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:29.759
Pop-up toasters are crumb machines, they hold on to those crumbs.
00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:34.080
You can't realistically get every crumb out of those little cracks and crevices.
00:02:34.240 --> 00:02:36.719
You can't really even clean down inside of them.
00:02:36.879 --> 00:02:38.400
It's just not practical.
00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:47.039
Current Celiac Guidance continues to recommend a dedicated gluten-free toaster, although toaster bags can sometimes be used when traveling or in a pinch.
00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:48.400
I know we've done this before.
00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:50.159
My husband actually did this recently.
00:02:50.319 --> 00:03:02.560
He asked for some foil at this hotel from their breakfast area because they had the free breakfast, and he used the foil to wrap his item in it and then put it in the toaster that was in our room.
00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:10.479
And so you can do things like that in a pinch, but in your home, it's going to be a really good idea to have a dedicated toaster just for gluten-free items.
00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:14.319
And then there's other items in your kitchen that need to be separate as well.
00:03:14.479 --> 00:03:20.319
These are items that my dietitian recommended to me, and it's pretty general good practice guidelines.
00:03:20.560 --> 00:03:30.080
Cutting boards, especially wood or plastic ones, things that can get knife marks in it and little cracks and crevices that can trap food particles.
00:03:30.319 --> 00:03:40.240
So we use dedicated cutting boards in our mixed kitchen, and like I said, current guidelines indicate it's cut it's still a common cross-contact hotspot.
00:03:40.319 --> 00:03:48.240
It's very, very likely you're going to get cross-contact from cutting boards, especially those ones that are porous, like wood or plastic or something like that.
00:03:48.479 --> 00:03:54.879
Another thing that I was told to do to make completely separate and/or throw away were their wooden spoons and utensils.
00:03:55.039 --> 00:03:56.879
Again, this is a porous material.
00:03:57.039 --> 00:03:59.840
It's hard to know what's worked its way into the surfaces.
00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:07.759
And so we kept those dedicated and separate, or I just really didn't use the wooden ones when we were cooking in the mixed kitchen.
00:04:07.840 --> 00:04:10.000
I would only use those for the gluten foods.
00:04:10.240 --> 00:04:12.240
Colanders are also a tricky one.
00:04:12.400 --> 00:04:18.079
That is something where you know gluten can get trapped in it, especially if you have a metal mesh colander.
00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:21.199
I feel like that can get underneath the weave of the mesh.
00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:25.920
Plastic might be a little bit safer, but again, talk to your doctor or dietitian about that.
00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:34.160
Both the Celiac Disease Foundation and National Celiac Association especially flag colander strainers as cross-contact concerns.
00:04:34.240 --> 00:04:37.920
So it's better to be safe than sorry and have a separate one for that.
00:04:38.160 --> 00:04:40.800
Now, the one thing that surprised me was nonstick pans.
00:04:40.879 --> 00:04:46.399
I was getting sick from nonstick pans early on, but our nonstick pants had been around for a while.
00:04:46.639 --> 00:04:51.120
So nonstick shouldn't, in theory, hold that gluten in there.
00:04:51.199 --> 00:04:59.680
But if they're a little bit older and there's, you know, the nonstick coating's starting to peel or get cracks in it, that's when it can start to have gluten in it.
00:04:59.839 --> 00:05:06.480
We switched to stainless steel pots and pans, and we have cast iron skillets too, which again that's porous.
00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:08.000
I'll talk about that in a second.
00:05:08.240 --> 00:05:14.480
And so those the stainless steel pots and pans have a lot lower risk of cross contact if everything's cleaned right.
00:05:14.879 --> 00:05:18.240
So the stainless steel is much better for a mixed kitchen.
00:05:18.399 --> 00:05:20.800
Now let's jump to that cast iron pans.
00:05:20.959 --> 00:05:26.160
If you're one of those people who likes to use cast iron pans, that again can have cracks and crevices in it.
00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:31.199
It's not like a you know smooth, slick surface if you really get a microscope out.
00:05:31.439 --> 00:05:36.959
Now you can reclaim a non cast iron pan if it had gluten in it before.
00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:39.680
We have reclaimed those before successfully.
00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:45.839
You really have to work hard to grind them down a bit and re-season them and make sure everything's cleared out of there.
00:05:46.079 --> 00:05:54.160
So use your best judgment on a cast iron pan that previously had gluten in it and whether you can get that successfully cleaned yourself or not.
00:05:54.399 --> 00:06:05.120
So one of the most painful things I had to get rid of when we had to switch all to gluten-free and we figured out we all had sea lac disease was my pampered chef stoneware casserole dish.
00:06:05.199 --> 00:06:08.879
That was like my favorite thing to cook our chicken casserole in.
00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:14.399
And I was realizing we were getting sick every time we're eating out of it because it's porous, it's stone.
00:06:14.560 --> 00:06:20.800
I absolutely love this thing, so I had to give it to a friend, and I eventually replaced it with a brand new one.
00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:25.040
But this was something I was really sad about and I really didn't want to give it up.
00:06:25.120 --> 00:06:26.079
It just does that.
00:06:26.240 --> 00:06:34.000
Chicken curry casserole is so much better, it helps, you know, balance the moisture in it, and it's just delicious, and it holds the heat in it for a very long time.
00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.920
So that makes it really great for traveling to family events.
00:06:38.160 --> 00:06:40.800
Now, what are some of the things you don't need to replace?
00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:47.279
And it's some of these I kind of hinted on a little bit already, just from talking about what's safe.
00:06:47.360 --> 00:07:09.680
Um, but things you generally don't need to make brand new are stainless steel pans, um, your plates, your forks, your spoons, your knives, the ones that are made out of metal, um, glasses, especially ones that are made out of glass, ceramic dishes usually clean up just fine and don't have cracks and crevices, and any other smooth, non-porous items that are still in really good condition.
00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:17.360
So, any of those types of devices that get thoroughly washed is usually safe for a mixed kitchen.
00:07:17.600 --> 00:07:21.360
Now, I mentioned condiments earlier on in this episode.
00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:30.079
So, this one is where we were getting, or I was getting cross contact problems, and my oldest was getting cross contact problems before we made the house gluten-free.
00:07:30.319 --> 00:07:34.959
Think about your butter dish, your peanut butter, your jelly, mayonnaise.
00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:43.519
Someone puts a knife onto the butter, gets a slice of butter, puts it on their toast, and then go get another slice of butter.
00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:51.519
Well, now you have little crumbs on that knife from that regular toast, and now you put it onto the butter again, and then it leaves a little bit of crumbs.
00:07:51.600 --> 00:08:02.399
You can actually physically see this, so you can see actually decent-sized crumbs, and it only takes 20 parts per million to have a celiac person get damaged.
00:08:02.720 --> 00:08:13.120
So I know firsthand for this because we had problems with this, and what we had problems with was our youngest was a lot younger, and so he didn't fully comprehend the situation.
00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:23.439
We also had babysitters coming in and watching our kids, and some of them weren't very careful at making sure that this you know protocol was followed.
00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:33.840
So you not only have to figure you know, figure out your current family members, but you know, who else might come into your house that might be cooking or using the food items in your refrigerator.
00:08:34.000 --> 00:08:41.440
Current celiac guidance also specifically calls out shared condiments and double dipping as common surfaces for cross contact.
00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:45.600
So, one of the good solutions is squeeze bottles for certain things you can.
00:08:45.840 --> 00:08:50.159
Uh, separate containers clearly labeled gluten-free can really help.
00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:58.159
You know, putting like the masking tape on it and writing gluten-free on it can really help jolt people's memories and help them stick with the plan.
00:08:58.480 --> 00:09:00.559
So, appliances can get trickier.
00:09:00.720 --> 00:09:12.320
Um, an air fryer, this is a high risk of breaded gluten-containing foods being cooked inside and crumbs and circulating air can make it really difficult to make sure the food that you put in there stays gluten-free.
00:09:12.480 --> 00:09:14.480
So, I'd recommend using a separate one.
00:09:14.799 --> 00:09:16.799
Waffle iron is another example.
00:09:17.039 --> 00:09:25.840
Those are hard to clean, all those grooves in there, and some of them are a little bit more porous whenever that you know nice nonstick coating starts wearing off.
00:09:25.919 --> 00:09:27.759
So, you have to be really careful about that.
00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:34.240
Toaster oven is a bit more manageable than a pop-up toaster because you can clean it.
00:09:34.320 --> 00:09:45.120
You can use a clean tray, you could put aluminum foil barrier, so that's a little bit safer if you want to have a mixed device uh that can do gluten and gluten-free and still a toaster.
00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:46.720
And then your grill.
00:09:46.879 --> 00:09:59.919
So, this is something you need to be a little bit careful about because grills maybe many times their surfaces, a cast iron-based surface, and so this can have some porousness to it, and you could get cross-contact from a grill.
00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:02.080
So, you need to be especially careful with it.
00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:09.279
You can try to clean it really well, or you can have a specific side for gluten-free items and another side for the gluten items.
00:10:09.360 --> 00:10:11.440
Uh, you could also do a foil barrier.
00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:15.519
So, this one you could do, but you do have to be a little bit careful about it.
00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:18.159
I want to give you a simple decision framework.
00:10:18.240 --> 00:10:20.320
I want you to ask yourself, is it porous?
00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:24.559
If the answer is yes, then it needs to be, you need to have a dedicated gluten-free version of it.
00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:26.480
Is it scratched or full of grooves?
00:10:26.559 --> 00:10:28.960
Then yes, we need to have dedicated here as well.
00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:30.559
Does it trap crumbs?
00:10:30.879 --> 00:10:34.320
Then the answer is yes, we need to have a dedicated gluten-free one here.
00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.320
Is it really difficult to wash?
00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:38.879
Again, we need to have a dedicated one here.
00:10:39.120 --> 00:10:42.480
Is it smooth, intact, and easily washed with soap and water?
00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:48.000
If the answer is yes, then usually you can share that item with gluten versus gluten-free.
00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.720
Now, why did we end up going gluten-free in our house?
00:10:50.879 --> 00:10:54.399
Well, we went gluten-free in our house, like the whole house.
00:10:54.720 --> 00:11:05.519
Once we were realizing that the oldest was also getting cross-contacted and sick, you know, when it was just mom, I just kind of just rolled with it and was like, whatever, I'll be all right.
00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:06.960
Um, I shouldn't have said that.
00:11:07.039 --> 00:11:08.399
Really, I shouldn't have said that in my brain.
00:11:08.480 --> 00:11:23.360
I was telling this to myself, but once I saw my oldest child getting so sick from the cross contact in our kitchen, that's when my husband and I decided that we were going to take the whole house gluten-free and everybody was going to eat gluten-free in the house.
00:11:23.519 --> 00:11:28.879
Now, the ones that weren't diagnosed yet, they could eat gluten when they weren't in the house, but nobody was bringing gluten into our house.
00:11:29.200 --> 00:11:32.799
This made things so much easier and so much easier to manage.
00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:36.799
So, if this is possible for you and your family, have a talk with your family.
00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:41.919
This will lower the stress levels for you, and it's just going to make things so much easier.
00:11:42.000 --> 00:11:44.799
It's something I encourage you to explore if you can.
00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:46.720
It's something you don't have to do.
00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:52.480
You can do the protocols we talked about in this episode, but it will make life a lot easier.
00:11:52.720 --> 00:12:10.879
So, to recap, we don't need to replace everything, but definitely dedicate a toaster, cutting board, uh, wooden utensils, colanders, non, you know, scratch, nonstick stuff, porous stone, waffle iron, air fryer, and then you can usually share the things that are smooth and don't have cracks and crevices.
00:12:11.120 --> 00:12:21.200
And just make sure that you are protecting yourself, protecting your family, those that have celiac disease so that they can have a much better, more fulfilled life by feeling great.
00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:24.639
Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten Free Engineer.
00:12:24.799 --> 00:12:30.480
If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey.
00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:38.639
For more tips, recipes, resources, and even links to my YouTube channel, head on over to theglutenfreengineer.com.
00:12:38.960 --> 00:12:44.480
It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun, and full of flavor.
00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:48.320
And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode.
00:12:48.559 --> 00:12:50.639
And we will see you next week.
00:12:51.120 --> 00:12:55.679
The Gluten Free Engineer Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only.
00:12:55.840 --> 00:13:01.840
I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten free lifestyle.
00:13:02.000 --> 00:13:04.480
This podcast does not provide medical advice.
00:13:04.720 --> 00:13:10.559
Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional for medical questions, concerns, or advice specific to your health.