A guide to gluten free products

One of the most frustrating & time consuming things about GF baking is making sure all the products are actually GF! Those with Celiac already know what a challenge this can be, as even products that you wouldn’t think contain gluten, actually do.

 For example, baking/cooking spray – some contain flour! Make sure it is labeled GF or read the label.

As always, it may make a difference if you are GF by choice or necessity. Even though there may be no ingredients listed that contain gluten, Unless it is labeled as GF, or the company’s website says it’s GF, it may have been manufactured & packaged in an area that also manufactures & packages products with gluten. Sometimes at the bottom of the ingredient list it will even say something like “may contain traces of wheat”. This means cross-contamination is a possibility. GF by choice may mean the product is acceptable for you. But GF by necessity may mean you would rather not take the risk.

Another example is vanilla – this is not clear cut. Many brands of vanilla extract are manufactured with alcohol, but it seems to be commonly accepted that the distilling process should remove any gluten. There are also alcohol-free vanillas. So, if you are GF by choice, there may not be enough gluten in vanilla extract to make a difference to you. If you are Celiac, that has to be a decision you make. I use Trader Joe’s Pure Vanilla Flavor Alcohol Free. If you are a purest in your baking, this is vanilla “flavor”, not “extract”, but I think it is very close to pure vanilla extract & has worked well for me.

I try to research products before I shop for them, so I am not standing in the grocery store googling products that may not be labeled as GF. Some companies make it fairly easy to determine if their products are GF on their websites. For example, Hershey’s website has a “What’s Inside” tab, that you can click on, then select “gluten free” & click on product groups.

 You may even want to keep a running list on your phone. Particularly for products you may only use occasionally & don’t always remember which brand you have used in the past.