Steps for a Safe, Shared Kitchen – The War on Cross Contamination
The steps for a safe, shared kitchen – a kitchen where both gluten free and non-gluten free items are prepared – start long before cooking. Some families with a shared kitchen might believe that they only need to worry about cross contamination while the two different types of food are being cooked but, the truth is, that threat of cross contamination starts long before that.
In this post, I will share with you my tricks and tips for eliminating the chance of cross contamination to the best of my abilities. I may do some things that aren't entirely necessary and I might leave out something but I am giving you all the tips I can. If there's something you feel is needed on this list or something that is completely useless, just send me an ask and I will talk to you about it.
Steps for a Safe, Shared Kitchen:
The fight against cross contamination actually starts all the way at the grocery store. There is a chance that items have already been contaminated by the time you get to them but most grocery stores I’ve spoken to are careful to keep gluten free and non-gluten free items separated even before they are put on the shelf. Your job starts with your grocery cart. It may seem impossible for cross contamination to occur with closed containers but just remember: Nothing is impossible. There are two places that you need to make sure to keep your gluten free and non-gluten free items separated: In your cart and while being bagged.
It's fairly simple to keep items separated in your cart but many stores that don't have you bag your own groceries are horrible about shoving as many items in a bag as they can without making any effort to keep gluten free and non-gluten free items to separated. My advice is to bag your own groceries or, if that's not allowed, inform the cashier and bagger that you will be advising the bagging to be certain that nothing is put somewhere it shouldn't be. If they say this isn't allowed, speak to a manager. Being a little bit of a 'troublesome' customer is much better than getting the Celiac in your household sick.
Traveling Home in the Car:
Now that you have all your items bagged safely, you have to make sure they do not become mixed up while in your car. Cross contamination at this point has a very slim chance of occurring but it is better to be safe than sorry. It shouldn't be any more complicated than keeping gluten free and non-gluten free items on different sides of the trunk. If the Celiac in your household is especially sensitive, I would suggest using something like a board or even a bit of fabric to separate each side. It all depends on what you feel comfortable with.
I know it's getting a little repetitive but always, ALWAYS keep your items separated. Even if they are in seemingly air tight containers. If there is a rip or crack, it is possible for cross contamination to happen. As for storing your gluten free and non-gluten free items, it is very important that they aren't pressed right against each other in the same place. Personally, we have two separate shelving units in our kitchen, a large one for gluten free items and a smaller one for non-gluten free items. It started the other way around but because of the surprising amount of groceries we already had that were gluten free, we switched.
For places like the refrigerator and freezer, or if you only have one of set of shelves to use for storage, it isn't plausible to find a completely different place to put gluten free and non-gluten free items. In our freezer, we have a gluten free shelf, the same for our refrigerator. If you're putting gluten free and non-gluten free items on the same shelving unit, my advice is to always put the gluten free items on the higher shelf. If, for some reason, say, cracker crumbs or bread crumbs were to fall onto the shelf below, there would be a high chance for cross contamination if non-gluten free items are stored above gluten free items.
Cooking is where you have the highest risk for cross contamination. One misstep, one mistake, accidentally using the same utensil in a gluten free and non-gluten free preparation, it can all spell cross contamination. The first thing you need to think about before cooking is what pan, pot, cutlery or even appliance you're going to use. It's very important to have different pans, pots, cutlery and appliances for gluten free and non-gluten free items. It might seem to be overly cautious behavior but no cleaning process is perfect and if gluten free bread is cooked in a pan that non-gluten free bread was cooked in, cross contamination can happen.
I understand that not everything can be designated gluten free and non-gluten free but there are some very important pots, pans and appliances that you should have gluten free and non-gluten free alternatives for. These are the pans you bake bread in, cook pasta in, make baked goods in and toasters/toaster ovens. We learned the hard way that it is a monumentally bad idea to use the same toaster for non-gluten free bread and gluten free bread. Ideally, these pots, pans and appliances would kept in separate areas but, if you're like us and have a tiny kitchen, it's understandable if they are stored together. Just be sure to monitor the Celiac in your household. If they show signs of gluten ingestion, you might have to find a different place to store gluten free dishes.
As for the cooking process. This is where you have to be surgically careful. I would advise you to never cook gluten free and non-gluten free meals at the same time if it can be avoided. When we cook here, we strive to allow enough time to cook one meal then cook the other. Always cook the gluten free meal first and remove it from the area before cooking the non-gluten free meal. I know this isn't always feasible. If you HAVE to cook the two meals at the same time, it is very important to keep everything separated, as I’ve said numerous times before. The big exception to this is baking. Never, EVER bake gluten free and non-gluten free items together. In the confined area of a stove, there is no way to stop cross contamination, even if both dishes are covered completely. It is better to take extra time than risk making the Celiac in your home sick.
Even though it might not seem dangerous as long as the items aren't touching, never put gluten free and non-gluten free items on the same serving tray. We are fighting dreaded cross contamination and that is a sure fire to let it win. It will create more dishes and clutter on your table but you need separate serving plates and utensils if you're eating a shared, gluten free and non-gluten free meal. It's just as important to keep everything separated while eating as it was during every other step in this list. The only time that gluten free and non-gluten free items should be on the same plate is if someone that eats both gluten free and non-gluten free items has decided to indulge in them both. Otherwise, keep them apart.
I already touched on this earlier but you need to follow the same steps for storing left overs from a shared gluten free and non-gluten free meal that you do when you first bring the groceries home. It would be best to have separate storage containers for gluten free and non-gluten free items. For example, we have two, identical, large Tupperware containers that we used for baked goods. One is used for gluten free baked goods and the other for non. Once again, there might be a little more clutter but it's important to make certain that the Celiac in your household is not subjected to gluten. It can be very harmful.
So you've gotten through your shared meal with no problems. You have the food put away in their designated containers on their designated shelves and now your stare down the mountain of dishes you dirtied in order to make a safe meal for your family. It might seem like it doesn't matter. It might seem like you should just be able to put everything together in the dishwasher and let it do it's job.
Sorry, it's not that simple.
Dishwashers are a wonderful invention. But, have you ever pulled a dish out and seen there's still food residue on it? Yes, you can even run into cross contamination while cleaning your dishes. Dishwashers circulate hot water all around the dishes and I’m sure there are dishwashers that do a phenomenal job of cleaning and sterilizing dishes but there's always a chance that the food particles that circulated with the water have clung to the dishes. We don't use a dishwasher, and not only because we don't have room for one in our tiny kitchen. All our dishes are hand washed. We, personally, do them all together and we've not had a problem with contamination from the dishes but there are Celiacs sensitive enough that gluten free and non-gluten free dishes would need to be cleaned separately. It all depends on the sensitivity of the Celiac in your household.
I can imagine what you're thinking now. 'Does it really have to be this hard?!' I know it seems like a lot of work, and it will be at the start, but you'll get used to it. Celiac's that are 'glutened' can get very, very sick. Depending on the sensitivity of the Celiac, it can cause from mild discomfort to severe damage to their intestines. Between taking some extra time to keep your loved one safe and the risk of them getting sick, taking the extra time is always worth it.
As always, stay safe everyone and I hope you're having a great, gluten free day! Send me an ask if you have any questions!
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