How upset would you be if a family member

[regentrude]

7 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

I honestly needed some ideas for what to make. Looking back maybe I could have made a rice dish or riced cauliflower dish. Homemade hummus. Maybe certain soups. 

If it's just gluten, all you need to do is avoid grains (actually, only certain grains, but if that gets too complicated, grain free food is gluten free.) So all vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, meats,  cheeses (unless highly processed with grain additives), plain yoghurt are all gluten free. Unless you specifically add grains, pasta or flour/wheat starch or use canned broth, any soup you make from scratch is gf. 

Edited December 17, 2018 by regentrude

[Lady Florida.]

5 hours ago, regentrude said:

What I don't get is people not asking about their guest's dietary restrictions (or knowing about them if we're talking friends and family ) and then making foods everyone can eat. What's the point of sharing a meal when certain people can't eat it??? How hard can it be to create a menu that has some safe foods for everyone?

It sounds like a no-brainer to accommodate a loved one doesn't it? Unfortunately that's often not the case. Maybe they're in denial, or maybe they just don't get it.

My friend whose daughter has a peanut allergy started hosting the family holiday meals because neither set of grandparents seemed to understand just how serious it was. Her allergy was such that "may contain" and cross contamination was a major issue. They refused to even try most of the time so she and her dh just started hosting and anyone who wanted to come was welcome. Once the dd got old enough to be able to know what she could eat, it became easier to go to their houses for meals. But my friend often says that her friends and total strangers (aka restaurant staff) did a better job with allergy concerns than her own family.

Quill, I can't vote because I can't decide if I'd be annoyed or not. We don't have any food restrictions among family members so the main issue would be why this person brought an entire separate meal. If we had a big crowd it probably wouldn't bother me. Considering the situation you mentioned with lack of space and a small number of people, I'd be annoyed but not furious.

Edited December 17, 2018 by Lady Florida.

[Ausmumof3]

I think if it’s a regular thing just shifting to a potluck so you don’t get annoyed is the best option.  Also so much depends on the intention.  Some people would do it in innocence just wanting to share the food they have or make things easier for you or because they can’t handle the amount of dairy in a lasagne but they don’t want to inconvenience you over food things.  Others would do it in a passive aggressive way to show that they didn’t approve of your meal and then Id be annoyed.

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 hour ago, regentrude said:

If it's just gluten, all you need to do is avoid grains (actually, only certain grains, but if that gets too complicated, grain free food is gluten free.) So all vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, meats,  cheeses (unless highly processed with grain additives), plain yoghurt are all gluten free. Unless you specifically add grains, pasta or flour/wheat starch or use canned broth, any soup you make from scratch is gf. 

No, it isn’t that easy. Some plain flavored yogurts contain starch that has gluten. Some cheese (like the pre shredded kind) have starch to keep them from sticking. Sometimes that starch is corn derived. Some  times it isn’t. Some  soup stocks contain gluten. I even saw some canned beans the other day that had gluten in them (as part of spices). Now I get gf versions of all of those and they aren’t hard to find. But it can be hidden in categories of foods where you wouldn’t expect to find it.  This is one reason why when someone tells me “I just avoided  grains- it’s fine.”, I still check.   (Not commenting on your brands since I don’t know what they are and of course you could be making your own stock etc. ). 

[Sherry in OH]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

It sounds like a no-brainer to accommodate a loved one doesn't it? Unfortunately that's often not the case. Maybe they're in denial, or maybe they just don't get it.

My friend whose daughter has a peanut allergy started hosting the family holiday meals because neither set of grandparents seemed to understand just how serious it was. Her allergy was such that "may contain" and cross contamination was a major issue. They refused to even try most of the time so she and her dh just started hosting and anyone who wanted to come was welcome. Once the dd got old enough to be able to know what she could eat, it became easier to go to their houses for meals. But my friend often says that her friends and total strangers (aka restaurant staff) did a better job with allergy concerns than her own family.

Quill, I can't vote because I can't decide if I'd be annoyed or not. We don't have any food restrictions among family members so the main issue would be why this person brought an entire separate meal. If we had a big crowd it probably wouldn't bother me. Considering the situation you mentioned with lack of space and a small number of people, I'd be annoyed but not furious.

 

Most food allergies and aversions I can handle.  I will make alternate dishes where I can or suggest the person bring something.  But, peanut allergies terrify me.

My family consumes so many nut products that I do not think it is possible for me to make or serve anything without possible cross-contamination.  I suppose it would be the same for someone with Celiac although the risk of inadvertently killing the person is much less.

 

 

[Carol in Cal.]

1 hour ago, Sherry in OH said:

 

Most food allergies and aversions I can handle.  I will make alternate dishes where I can or suggest the person bring something.  But, peanut allergies terrify me.

My family consumes so many nut products that I do not think it is possible for me to make or serve anything without possible cross-contamination.  I suppose it would be the same for someone with Celiac although the risk of inadvertently killing the person is much less.

 

 

Yes, this was tough on us, too.

When DD was 5 or 6 she was in a 4 hours per week class/group for homeschoolers.  There was a teacher present, and parents took turns helping out.  One of the other kids had a bad peanut allergy, and his mom would show up half an hour before class and scrub all surfaces with bleach wipes.  She also got the teacher to ask that all parents prevent their kids from having any peanuts the morning of class or the day before in addition to not bringing any.

That all sounds reasonable, but it was tough for us.  DD and I both have asthma, and the bleach smell triggered us like crazy.  Plus she was at the low low low end of failure to thrive and didn't eat meat, so the only proteins she had in her diet were cheese (which was discouraged by her allergist) and peanut butter, argh.

I had a kind and clear talk with the other mom, asked her how to use the Epi pen in case I was there when her son needed it, and we agreed on no peanut butter in the morning or lunch, thorough face washing the night before and the morning of, and opening all doors and windows to thoroughly ventilate the classroom and get as much of the smell out of it as possible before arrival time.  But it was terrifying to know that this lovely little boy could stop breathing any time, and we were more than half an hour from the nearest hospital.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

4 hours ago, regentrude said:

If it's just gluten, all you need to do is avoid grains (actually, only certain grains, but if that gets too complicated, grain free food is gluten free.) So all vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, meats,  cheeses (unless highly processed with grain additives), plain yoghurt are all gluten free. Unless you specifically add grains, pasta or flour/wheat starch or use canned broth, any soup you make from scratch is gf. 

And this faulty belief is why, as a celiac, I cannot eat food prepared by others and typically take my own meals to cook outs, family dinners, etc. Even though it's well-intentioned, a simple mistake will make me sick for days. A friend made me rice crispy treats. Unfortunately, rice crispies are made with malt and malt contains gluten. She also sprayed the pan with cooking spray containing flour (another source of gluten). 

There have been many times when the only food I feel safe eating is potato chips (that I have opened myself to make sure they haven't been cross contaminated by hands that had touched bread, brownies, or other gluten containing foods).

Edited December 18, 2018 by The Accidental Coach

[Guest]

Quote

Quill, I can't vote because I can't decide if I'd be annoyed or not. We don't have any food restrictions among family members so the main issue would be why this person brought an entire separate meal. If we had a big crowd it probably wouldn't bother me. Considering the situation you mentioned with lack of space and a small number of people, I'd be annoyed but not furious.

 

One interesting facet in the OP instance is that the host has a couple of food restrictions (not life-threatening, but health decisions) and at least part of her decision to prepare a non-traditional menu was based on avoiding the problem foods. (Part of it is she simply likes to try new things and doesn’ want to feel married to the same recipes everyone served for fifty years.) So when her interferring family member brought what amounts to an entire different meal, it does sound rather rude to me. IOW, the host had the particular diet, while the guest could have flexed in her direction but, it sounds like, merely didn’t want to. The annoying relative, it sounds, had her own ideas of what a Christmas dinner should include and since host wasn’t making those things, she decided to “surprise” her by making and bringing them. 

It was clearly not a good decision and there was evident chips on shoulders. 

[regentrude]

3 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

No, it isn’t that easy. Some plain flavored yogurts contain starch that has gluten. Some cheese (like the pre shredded kind) have starch to keep them from sticking. Sometimes that starch is corn derived. Some  times it isn’t. Some  soup stocks contain gluten. I even saw some canned beans the other day that had gluten in them (as part of spices). Now I get gf versions of all of those and they aren’t hard to find. But it can be hidden in categories of foods where you wouldn’t expect to find it.  This is one reason why when someone tells me “I just avoided  grains- it’s fine.”, I still check.   (Not commenting on your brands since I don’t know what they are and of course you could be making your own stock etc. ). 

That's why I said "plain yoghurt" (i.e. no additives),  "highly processed" cheese, and "canned broth" and specifically talked about making soup from scratch. Which means making my own stock - canned stock is not "from scratch". As soon as you get processed stuff, you are right that one has to be super cautious.

Edited December 18, 2018 by regentrude

[ktgrok]

On 12/16/2018 at 7:25 AM, Quill said:

Well, sure. They are not quite the same thing. I was annoyed about the shrimp because we had a massive amount of traditional foods and it didn’t make sense to me that everyone would eat the shrimp when a huge spread was coming in less than an hour. 

I know the mom would never have planned to host it herself because her health is too unpredictable. I think she got nostalgic at the last minute and wanted the meal to be traditional, so she commandeered it. 

lol, this one threw me for a loop because in my family of origin, where my dad was a commercial fisherman and my uncle owned a seafood market, shrimp IS traditional holiday food! 

[regentrude]

1 hour ago, The Accidental Coach said:

And this faulty belief is why, as a celiac, I cannot eat food prepared by others and typically take my own meals to cook outs, family dinners, etc. Even though it's well-intentioned, a simple mistake will make me sick for days. A friend made me rice crispy treats. Unfortunately, rice crispies are made with malt and malt contains gluten. She also sprayed the pan with cooking spray containing flour (another source of gluten). 

Why is the belief "avoid grains" faulty?  Of course it works. Unless you have friends who don't have a clue what their ingredients are. Avoiding grains means, of course, avoiding malt which is derived from barley.  Duh. And yes, anybody using processed stuff needs to check ingredients. I assume flour would be listed on the cooking spray. So the problem is not the rule "avoid grains" but clueless people.

Edited December 18, 2018 by regentrude

[regentrude]

8 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

No, not duh because when you reach for a RICE product you aren’t expecting barely on the ingredient list and you probably would t know unless you read labels. So either read labels or memorize every safe product... and good luck with that since ingredients change sometimes. 

Vegans can’t even agree if Oreos are ok to eat. The whole beet sugar vs sugar cane. 

In processed stuff, there is always a bunch of ingredients you would not normally expect. So yes, one needs to read the labels. Especially when cooking for people with celiacs! Alternatively, use natural ingredients you can recognize and make stuff from scratch.

The sugar: It's not strictly beet vs cane, it's the processing of cane sugar with bone char. Organic cane sugar is vegan. (Some vegans don't consider sugar the hill to die on and don't care)

Edited December 18, 2018 by regentrude

[Jean in Newcastle]

8 minutes ago, regentrude said:

That's why I said "plain yoghurt" (i.e. no additives),  "highly processed" cheese, and "canned broth" and specifically talked about making soup from scratch. Which means making my own stock - canned stock is not "from scratch". As soon as you get processed stuff, you are right that one has to be super cautious.

If I ask, as a guest, what a dish is made of, I get answers like chicken stock, chicken, vegetables (perhaps with individual names). I don’t know from that who has made stock from scratch, who might have used bouillon cubes (which often contains gluten) and who might have bought pre-made stock. And as a guest, I am uncomfortable giving my host the third degree. But I am also uncomfortable with being sick for three days.

I am not interested in arguing with you on whether you can cook safely for me.  Since you don’t know me, that’s kind of a moot point.  What I am interested in is explaining here how it is socially awkward to go to dinner parties.   Honestly, I prefer less intimate gatherings like potlucks. I can bring one or two dishes that I can eat and limit myself to those. Or I eat at home and just socialize without eating. It’s hard to do that without giving offense if it is a sit down cooked dinner.   

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

Right. 

At any rate, I know very few people that cook from scratch. At least on a frequent basis. 

Hmm. Interesting. I cook from scratch on a very frequent basis. When I’m hosting guests, way moreso. 

[Catwoman]

35 minutes ago, heartlikealion said:

No, not duh because when you reach for a RICE product you aren’t expecting barely on the ingredient list and you probably would t know unless you read labels. So either read labels or memorize every safe product... and good luck with that since ingredients change sometimes. 

Vegans can’t even agree if Oreos are ok to eat. The whole beet sugar vs sugar cane. 

 

I don’t know why the vegans are arguing about Oreo ingredients when there is such an obvious and simple solution. Send all of the Oreos to me and I will eat them, and there will be no Oreos for the vegans.

Problem solved.

You’re welcome. 🙂

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, Catwoman said:

 

I don’t know why the vegans are arguing about Oreo ingredients when there is such an obvious and simple solution. Send all of the Oreos to me and I will eat them, and there will be no Oreos for the vegans.

Problem solved.

You’re welcome. 🙂

Funny tangent: I don’t really like Oreos, so it is one cookie I don’t mind having in the house because I don’t find them tempting. (Well, sometimes if there are hormonal inbalances involved and that’s the closest thing to chocolate available.) 

BUT! Those white fudge covered Oreos that appear this time of year? Oh my golly goodness! I cannot buy those very often because I will eat all 12 without even blinking. Something about the contrast of that white coating against the Oreo - it’s heavenly. 

Same thing happened when my SIL made Oreo cake pops one year. Same thing, I guess. Something about the Oreo combined with some creamier counterpoint. Mmm! 

[Arcadia]

3 hours ago, Quill said:

One interesting facet in the OP instance is that the host has a couple of food restrictions (not life-threatening, but health decisions) and at least part of her decision to prepare a non-traditional menu was based on avoiding the problem foods.

... IOW, the host had the particular diet, while the guest could have flexed in her direction but, it sounds like, merely didn’t want to. The annoying relative, it sounds, had her own ideas of what a Christmas dinner should include and since host wasn’t making those things, she decided to “surprise” her by making and bringing them. 

 

My in-laws don’t believe in seafood allergy, in particular shrimp allergy because they like shrimps. They would purposely bring shrimps to family functions and try to feed their grandkids with shrimp allergy shrimps 😞  My husband has mild shrimp allergy and he is thankful his parents can’t afford shrimps and only buy shrimps for festive occasions like New Year’s Day gathering.

The guest sounds mean in your scenario rather than just rude. It would be similar to bringing very tempting food to my diabetic elderly aunt’s home when she is hosting a family gathering and telling her that those food are better.

[Tanaqui]

Quote

That's why I said "plain yoghurt" (i.e. no additives),  "highly processed" cheese, and "canned broth" and specifically talked about making soup from scratch. Which means making my own stock - canned stock is not "from scratch". As soon as you get processed stuff, you are right that one has to be super cautious.

 

I would not expect the plain yogurt I buy at the store to have gluten contamination - or, indeed, any additives at all, but certainly not that one. And you might say that a container of plain, unflavored yogurt from the store is technically a processed food, but I would never think of it that way. Even if I made my own yogurt, I'd use the starter from a live culture yogurt I bought at the store.

I mean, now I'll expect that my yogurt might be filled with gluten, because I've read this thread, but if I hadn't? Never in a million years.

[gardenmom5]

4 hours ago, regentrude said:

That's why I said "plain yoghurt" (i.e. no additives),  "highly processed" cheese, and "canned broth" and specifically talked about making soup from scratch. Which means making my own stock - canned stock is not "from scratch". As soon as you get processed stuff, you are right that one has to be super cautious.

most commercial yogurt is full of additives.  even "plain" commercial yogurt has a ton of additives. (i only use plain greek yogurt)  have you read the label for sour cream, or a carton of whipping cream?  they're full of stabilizers.

3 hours ago, regentrude said:

Why is the belief "avoid grains" faulty?  Of course it works. Unless you have friends who don't have a clue what their ingredients are. Avoiding grains means, of course, avoiding malt which is derived from barley.  Duh. And yes, anybody using processed stuff needs to check ingredients. I assume flour would be listed on the cooking spray. So the problem is not the rule "avoid grains" but clueless people.

because most people don't realize how pervasive "grains" are in foods.  to say "avoid grains" is naive about the depth of what is required.  even foods most people would think are plain and don't contain "gluten" - contain gluten. you have to know how to read a label.  just becasue it doesn't say "wheat" on the label, doens't mean it doens't contain wheat. that modified food starch?   can contain gluten.   

those labels - it's not just what it contains.  was it manufactured in a factory that also processes grains?   many labels will now say that so people know the risk of cross contamination is there.  

[regentrude]

9 hours ago, heartlikealion said:

At any rate, I know very few people that cook from scratch. At least on a frequent basis. 

Pretty much all my friends do almost daily. And definitely if they cook for guests.

[regentrude]

9 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I am not interested in arguing with you on whether you can cook safely for me.  Since you don’t know me, that’s kind of a moot point.  What I am interested in is explaining here how it is socially awkward to go to dinner parties.   

As I explained upthread, I would never presume a person with severe reactions should take my word for it and would always encourage them to bring safe food.

My comments were directed to the poster who was preparing gf food for a person who had agreed to that arrangement. I fully understand why you would not trust anybody to be meticulous enoughto make food that is safe for you- honestly,  I wouldn't either. I am not arguing with you on that point at all.

[ktgrok]

47 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Pretty much all my friends do almost daily. And definitely if they cook for guests.

In a lot of circles "from scratch" would still include packaged broth, or canned beans or whatnot. 

[Junie]

21 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

In a lot of circles "from scratch" would still include packaged broth, or canned beans or whatnot. 

Dd8 once gave me the "what for" because I made homemade pad thai (instead of a box kit) and I used a box of rice noodles.

Apparently "homemade" to her means nothing purchased from the store: flood the backyard to grow rice, harvest it, make homemade rice noodles...

[marbel]

10 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

In a lot of circles "from scratch" would still include packaged broth, or canned beans or whatnot. 

 

Yeah, I consider a soup "from scratch" even if I used packaged broth and canned beans, but I know to check for ingredients, and ask/verify.

I was planning on mushroom soup for a group that included someone with celiac. I knew I could use cornstarch instead of flour; that's easy enough. The recipe didn't call for broth. But until I checked the label, I did not know that soy sauce contains gluten. So I bought gluten-free soy sauce; that was easy enough to find in my area. My friend approved the recipe and all was fine.  

Still, it's not unusual for people to bring their own food.  Even people without allergies, celiac, etc. I knew a woman who had endured a severe eating disorder and as a result had a very restricted diet. She brought all her own food, always. 

[regentrude]

35 minutes ago, Ktgrok said:

In a lot of circles "from scratch" would still include packaged broth, or canned beans or whatnot. 

Completely agree. My point was control over ingredients. So, to me (and that's just my personal opinion, I know people use different interpretations), canning a vegetable is just a way to preserve it.  I consider canned tomato a preserved vegetable for scratch cooking, but  a pasta sauce from a jar that has a spices and other ingredients mixed in "not scratch".  So canned beans, if it's just beans, yes; canned refried beans with added ingredients, no. Does that make sense? And I realize definitions vary wildly and there's no point in arguing; in the context of the discussion, my point was about control over ingredients.

Edited December 18, 2018 by regentrude

[Sherry in OH]

13 hours ago, Carol in Cal. said:

Yes, this was tough on us, too.

When DD was 5 or 6 she was in a 4 hours per week class/group for homeschoolers.  There was a teacher present, and parents took turns helping out.  One of the other kids had a bad peanut allergy, and his mom would show up half an hour before class and scrub all surfaces with bleach wipes.  She also got the teacher to ask that all parents prevent their kids from having any peanuts the morning of class or the day before in addition to not bringing any.

That all sounds reasonable, but it was tough for us.  DD and I both have asthma, and the bleach smell triggered us like crazy.  Plus she was at the low low low end of failure to thrive and didn't eat meat, so the only proteins she had in her diet were cheese (which was discouraged by her allergist) and peanut butter, argh.

I had a kind and clear talk with the other mom, asked her how to use the Epi pen in case I was there when her son needed it, and we agreed on no peanut butter in the morning or lunch, thorough face washing the night before and the morning of, and opening all doors and windows to thoroughly ventilate the classroom and get as much of the smell out of it as possible before arrival time.  But it was terrifying to know that this lovely little boy could stop breathing any time, and we were more than half an hour from the nearest hospital.

 My children have been in classes with children with nut allergies.  No nuts the day of class, brush teeth and wash hands and faces before class, fine.  That was outside my home.   I would not be comfortable hosting someone, especially a child, with a life-threatening peanut allergy.  Not because we don't like the person or don't want to associate with him/her but because I would be afraid that the child would come into contact with nut residue.  I would much rather meet at the person's house or in a neutral location.  

[Tanaqui]

Junie, you and your daughter will be glad to know that you don't actually have to flood the backyard to grow rice! Rice tolerates wet conditions better than other grains, but it can grow without being flooded. So now she can make scratch rice to her heart's content!

[Carol in Cal.]

22 minutes ago, Junie said:

Dd8 once gave me the "what for" because I made homemade pad thai (instead of a box kit) and I used a box of rice noodles.

Apparently "homemade" to her means nothing purchased from the store: flood the backyard to grow rice, harvest it, make homemade rice noodles...

Wait, you forgot the assigned lab report comparing different kinds of rice environments and their results.  Not a good homeschooler at all.  

[Junie]

8 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Junie, you and your daughter will be glad to know that you don't actually have to flood the backyard to grow rice! Rice tolerates wet conditions better than other grains, but it can grow without being flooded. So now she can make scratch rice to her heart's content!

Good to know!  😉

 

[Carol in Cal.]

7 minutes ago, Tanaqui said:

Junie, you and your daughter will be glad to know that you don't actually have to flood the backyard to grow rice! Rice tolerates wet conditions better than other grains, but it can grow without being flooded. So now she can make scratch rice to her heart's content!

Side note—remember the ‘green revolution’ wherein people would get 2 or 3 rice crops in the same land where they used to get just one?  It turned out very badly down the road.  The annual flooding was crucial to pest control, by drowning lots of insects.  So avoiding that required increasing quantities of expensive and petroleum-based pesticides, as well as petroleum-based fertilizers because the soil got so worn out.  Flooding had helped with that, too, since it dropped a fresh load of silt mixed with insect bodies onto the soil each year.  

[KungFuPanda]

On 12/16/2018 at 2:24 PM, Arctic Mama said:

.... what’s wrong with starting dessert?  I’m usually half an hour behind many family members in finishing, waiting for me makes me feel pressured to finish faster 😞

 

I’ve always found it more polite to let people free range or only do cake once the birthday person is done, and let everyone else get pieces whenever they’d like afterward.  Then nobody is waiting awkwardly or feels like they’re holding everyone else up.

 

Is this some horrible breech of eating protocol I’m committing, unknowingly?

 

I think dessert can easily wait for an hour or more. Nobody is hungry after dinner so there’s no reason to rush it. I don’t get how anyone would feel awkward knowing pie exists and they don’t have it yet. I am a notoriously slow eater though, and tend to be full after dinner. 

On 12/16/2018 at 4:04 PM, HeighHo said:

You are putting words in my mouth.  If you have opinions, kindly post them as your own. 

Poverty does not equal poor. Ordinary 'food' that is empty of nutrition is not on my list.  You may call it disdain, but I call it survival, as does my medical team. Thanks for sharing your opinion.

 

 

How does putting mayonnaise on vegetables cancel out their nutritional value? Coleslaw is mainly cabbage with carrots, vinegar, sugar, and mayo added. Yes, you’ve added fat and sugar but that doesn’t mean your body won’t get the nutritional benefits. I can see the argument for not eating the same foods EVERY day, but having picnic fare at a few picnics a year is perfectly healthy. 

Now, if something is medically wrong with you, and you need to adjust accordingly, then it’s polite for a host that knows about this to make sure there is safe food for you. However, if the other guests are healthy and don’t suffer from food allergies or aversions it’s really not bad nutritional judgement for them to eat coleslaw with their pulled pork bbq. 

On 12/17/2018 at 2:37 AM, Jean in Newcastle said:

Actually with the Celiac part of things I only eat foods where I can verify it’s safety. So a carton of premade potato salad would be easier for me to check because I can grab the container and read the ingredients. I can’t trust other people to necessarily know about all the ingredients in homemade foods especially if it includes condiments or non whole foods of some kind. I was terribly sick for three days at the beginning of November because someone told me that some banana bread was gluten free. It wasn’t. 

So for this Christmas my SIL told me to “bring what you can eat “. 

 

What kind of gluten is going into homemade potato salad? Is this from cross-contaminated condiments or is it hidden in another ingredient? I’d buy new mayo/mustard before declaring my potato salad gf, but if it’s in another  ingredient I’d really appreciate knowing before I unwittingly gluten someone. 

21 hours ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

I've hosted tons of meals over the years for people I knew well and people I've just met.  I have never once invited anyone without asking, "Do you have any dietary restrictions I should be aware of?"  I consider that part of being a hostess too. How could my home be truly welcoming if I haven't asked?  I've accommodated Hindu/vegetarian, Mormon/no caffeine, shellfish allergies, nut allergies, dairy allergies, diabetics, vegans, vegetarians, no salt, no sugar, gluten free, strawberry allergies, and kosher diets. 

I’m taking a break from hosting some people until this Keto phase is over. 🤣I rode out Adkins and I’ll ride this out too. I don’t mind accommodating allergies or even strong aversions, but when people opt out of any kind of starch and want to fill up on entirely on meat that really throws your ratios (and your budget) and creates an odd menu. I get not wanting a completely starch-based meal, but demonizing entire food categories, including random fruits and vegetables, gets the side-eye from me. 

[regentrude]

8 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

What kind of gluten is going into homemade potato salad? Is this from cross-contaminated condiments or is it hidden in another ingredient? I’d buy new mayo/mustard before declaring my potato salad gf, but if it’s in another  ingredient I’d really appreciate knowing before I unwittingly gluten someone. 

Some people use canned broth in their potato salad. Which often contains wheat-derived yeast extract.  Some broths are gluten free.

[KungFuPanda]

Just now, regentrude said:

Some people use canned broth in their potato salad. Which often contains wheat-derived yeast extract.  Some broths are gluten free.

I once was gifted an entire case of chicken broth because it contained unlisted yeast as an ingredient. The friend who purchased it had to call the company to learn this. This was over a decade ago. Do they list it now?

I also did not know that people used broth to make potato salad. I’m not sure how I feel about intentionally making potato salad non-vegetarian (and potentially non-kosher). Still, I’m definitely curious about what kind of difference it makes. 

[BarbecueMom]

19 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

What kind of gluten is going into homemade potato salad? Is this from cross-contaminated condiments or is it hidden in another ingredient? I’d buy new mayo/mustard before declaring my potato salad gf, but if it’s in another  ingredient I’d really appreciate knowing before I unwittingly gluten someone. 

The salt and pepper containers.  Lots of people, while baking or cooking, leave the salt container open and the lid off the pepper grinder while mixing flour and other ingredients.  When I make cookies or breads or gravy/sauces, I usually have them open nearby and can’t close it if I’m whisking with my other hand.  And the flour (GF flour here) goes a bit airborne when whisking.  If that poofy wheat flour cloud settles on the salt, it’s not safe for Celiac anymore.

[Carol in Cal.]

12 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

I once was gifted an entire case of chicken broth because it contained unlisted yeast as an ingredient. The friend who purchased it had to call the company to learn this. This was over a decade ago. Do they list it now?

I also did not know that people used broth to make potato salad. I’m not sure how I feel about intentionally making potato salad non-vegetarian (and potentially non-kosher). Still, I’m definitely curious about what kind of difference it makes. 

I don’t use broth in my potato salad and everybody loves it.  (Except me.  I hate potato salad, but DH loves it so sometimes I make it anyway.)

[unsinkable]

11 hours ago, Quill said:

Funny tangent: I don’t really like Oreos, so it is one cookie I don’t mind having in the house because I don’t find them tempting. (Well, sometimes if there are hormonal inbalances involved and that’s the closest thing to chocolate available.) 

BUT! Those white fudge covered Oreos that appear this time of year? Oh my golly goodness! I cannot buy those very often because I will eat all 12 without even blinking. Something about the contrast of that white coating against the Oreo - it’s heavenly. 

Same thing happened when my SIL made Oreo cake pops one year. Same thing, I guess. Something about the Oreo combined with some creamier counterpoint. Mmm! 

What you don't ever want to do is pop some popcorn, melt some white chocolate (or candy coating), chop up some Oreos and mix it all together.

Don't ever do that.

 

[73349]

18 hours ago, regentrude said:

If it's just gluten, all you need to do is avoid grains (actually, only certain grains, but if that gets too complicated, grain free food is gluten free.) So all vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, meats,  cheeses (unless highly processed with grain additives), plain yoghurt are all gluten free.

It's all fun and games until I turn over a container of nuts or raisins and find "may contain wheat" or "processed in a facility that also processes wheat." :/

On the other hand, some cringe-inducingly highly processed foods are okay. At Thanksgiving, DS couldn't have any of the lovely homemade pies, but he could eat jellied cranberry sauce with Cool Whip, and he was just as happy.

[unsinkable]

1 hour ago, Junie said:

Dd8 once gave me the "what for" because I made homemade pad thai (instead of a box kit) and I used a box of rice noodles.

Apparently "homemade" to her means nothing purchased from the store: flood the backyard to grow rice, harvest it, make homemade rice noodles...

Where I'm from, we flood the backyard to make the hockey rink.

[Tanaqui]

Yes, it's good to flood for rice for that reason, Carol, and also because you can raise fish at the same time!

[gardenmom5]

53 minutes ago, regentrude said:

Some people use canned broth in their potato salad. Which often contains wheat-derived yeast extract.  Some broths are gluten free.

broth?  in potato salad?   blech.   I detest commerical potato salad,  so I just never eat it.  now I know why.

my own is fairly simple - but my key ingredient is my grandmother's homemade pickles (I make them - there isn't one on the market remotely close) - and I will add extra pickle juice  (vinegar, sugar, and spices) if I need more liquid than the mayo provides.

now i know why mine is so much better.  😉

Edited December 18, 2018 by gardenmom5

[unsinkable]

2 minutes ago, happysmileylady said:

But, is it a from scratch hockey rink if you use the hose to flood the yard?  Or do you need to tap into an underground spring to do that.  

Haha...the hose is more "from scratch" than those slackers who just wait for their ponds to freeze over!

Scary story...when my DH was a kid, he and his brothers would chop a hole in the ice on their pond hockey rink and use that water to flood/smooth the ice. He knows NOW how stupid it was but back then, it was common (other kids with pond rinks did it, too).

When he told me, I got such a flood of fear, my arms and legs went numb.

[regentrude]

25 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

broth?  in potato salad?   blech.   I detest commerical potato salad,  so I just never eat it.  now I know why.

my own is fairly simple - but my key ingredient is my grandmother's homemade pickles (I make them - there isn't one on the market remotely close) - and I will add extra pickle juice  (vinegar, sugar, and spices) if I need more liquid than the mayo provides.

now i know why mine is so much better.  😉

Actually, I use a small amount of (homemade) vegetable stock in mine. The potatoes are boiled in the skin, peeled and cut while hot, and then a bit of broth is poured over them while they are still hot. The potatoes soak up the flavors better this way. Then I add lots of herbs if it needs to be vegan, or herbs and plain yoghurt for a vegetarian version, or a whole bunch of other veggies and beets for the special Christmas version. Never mayo.

Edited December 18, 2018 by regentrude

[marbel]

LOL there are so many ways to make potato salad!  I've never heard of using broth, but I wouldn't rule it out.  I have recipes that use mayo, some that don't, some that include all sorts of other vegetables, and some that don't deserve to be called "salad" because the only vegetables are the potatoes themselves!   

[regentrude]

21 minutes ago, marbel said:

LOL there are so many ways to make potato salad!  I've never heard of using broth, but I wouldn't rule it out.  I have recipes that use mayo, some that don't, some that include all sorts of other vegetables, and some that don't deserve to be called "salad" because the only vegetables are the potatoes themselves!   

My grandmother's traditional Christmas salad, which we made only at Christmas, is a potato salad that also contains pickled red beets, celery (back home celeriac root, here I use fresh celery stalks), pickles, apples, onion, walnuts, and, for the fish eaters, pickled herring. It is a violent shade of pink and absolutely delicious. I make a 10 lb batch (starting with 5 lbs potatoes) and it is gone after a 2-3 days with only 3 of us eating.

Edited December 18, 2018 by regentrude

[KungFuPanda]

Great. Now I want potato salad. I like mine savory and never sweet. I tend to sprinkle the vinegar when the potatoes are hot, include hard boiled eggs, celery, onions, dill pickle relish and LOTS of fresh dill. I like to use whole grain mustard and a mayo-sourcream blend. Just to be contrary, I like my coleslaw on the sweeter side. I also sometimes put eggs in tuna salad but never chicken salad.

My grandmother makes a mashed potato salad, but I’ve never seen anyone else do that. 

[Carol in Cal.]

1 hour ago, Tanaqui said:

Yes, it's good to flood for rice for that reason, Carol, and also because you can raise fish at the same time!

This is true, and fish poop is some of the best fertilizer around.

A friend of mine who uses Salatin’s methods scored a hot tub shell from a person on her husband’s mail carrier route.  The person’s hot tub pump had failed and they decided to get rid of it rather than repair it.  So my friend dug enough of a hole in her backyard to half bury it, to keep the temperature stable, filled it up with water, and raised big koi in it.  Every so often she would sell them and start over (usually when they were about 15 inches long, so, valuable), and the water would go on her fruit trees and the sludge at the bottom would enrich her compost heap.  It was brilliant and essentially free.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

 

What kind of gluten is going into homemade potato salad? Is this from cross-contaminated condiments or is it hidden in another ingredient? I’d buy new mayo/mustard before declaring my potato salad gf, but if it’s in another  ingredient I’d really appreciate knowing before I unwittingly gluten someone. 

🤣

For most recipes, probably none.  But there can be gluten in some store-bought mayos - usually in the form of malt or malt vinegar.  (Though again - there are a lot of store bought options that don't have any.).  Also, as you stated, the cross contamination issue.  Someone uses a knife to spread mayo on sandwiches - dipping into the mayo bottle again as they go for a new slice of bread - now there are bread crumbs in the mayo. 

[Catwoman]

Am I the only one who can’t stop thinking about potato salad?

I usually only think about it during the summer, but for some crazy reason I want some right now. 

I wonder why..... 😉 

And I want all of the potato salad, even the ones with the broth, even though I had never heard of using broth in potato salad before now.

 

 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

3 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

<snip>

What kind of gluten is going into homemade potato salad? Is this from cross-contaminated condiments or is it hidden in another ingredient? I’d buy new mayo/mustard before declaring my potato salad gf, but if it’s in another  ingredient I’d really appreciate knowing before I unwittingly gluten someone. 

<snip>

Vinegar; malt vinegar contains gluten. Certain types of mustards have gluten in them. As a celiac, I tend to ask which type of each was used. I cannot assume that plain or apple cider vinegar was used. 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, regentrude said:

Actually, I use a small amount of (homemade) vegetable stock in mine. The potatoes are boiled in the skin, peeled and cut while hot, and then a bit of broth is poured over them while they are still hot. The potatoes soak up the flavors better this way. Then I add lots of herbs if it needs to be vegan, or herbs and plain yoghurt for a vegetarian version, or a whole bunch of other veggies and beets for the special Christmas version. Never mayo.

I don’t like mayo at all so this is the only type I would ever eat, which my mom always called “German Potato Salad.” My paternal grandmother was German, so this is what my father thought potato salad was supposed to be. (My mother’s family was English and Irish.) 

There’s a funny story in my parent’s early-marriage lore in which my mother made green beans and my father asked if she had any vinegar (as a condiment). She couldn’t imagine why he was asking for vinegar, having had no such tradition.