Safe Preparation tips for gluten free dishes in a busy kitchen

Here are a few facts

Coeliac disease is not a food allergy or an intolerance, but an autoimmune disease caused by a reaction to gluten.

Gluten is a protein found in grains, wheat, rye and barley.  Some people with coeliac disease are also sensitive to oats.  Gluten is also found in many favourite foods such as fish fingers, sausages, veggie sausages/burgers, gravies, sauces, stock cubes, soy sauce, salad dressings, soups and vinegar.

Tips to avoid cross contamination in your busy kitchen 

Gluten-free food can be contaminated by food that contains gluten during preparation. Sources of contamination include:-

• breadcrumbs or flour on work surfaces or chopping boards
• utensils used for spreading butter, chutney, etc. onto bread
• using the same spread that is used for normal bread (will likely be contaminated with breadcrumbs)
• not washing hands between handling bread and gluten free bread.
• Contamination on meat being cooked on chargrill where bread rolls have been toasted – have a designated area for toasting buns
• Correct storage of gluten free products (store above foods containing gluten to ensure no cross contamination)

To avoid cross contamination when preparing a gluten free meal in a kitchen containing gluten – clean and sanitise work surface, use a clean chopping board and clean utensils and wash hands before preparing the food. If you use a lot of gluten free bread using a purple colour coded board may be useful.

If your kitchen is small and it is difficult to 100% guarantee that you can provide gluten free food, even though the dish has no gluten in the ingredients (for example, you have a lot of flour in the air as you make pizzas), just tell your customers this so they can make an informed decision.