Embracing a Gluten-Free Diet
From the gluten-intolerant and gluten-sensitive to the gluten-oblivious, Americans are obsessed with this elasticity-giving protein composite found in wheat, barley, rye, and brewer’s yeast. Food manufacturers, distributors and their advertising agencies are always looking for new ways to market to and attract consumers to their foods. In fact, you’ll see foods labeled gluten-free that never had gluten in the first place. An example of this is hard candy. It’s 100% processed sugar—no gluten, still not good for your body, but a fancy label to attract the attention of consumers looking to reduce gluten in their diets.
Although not everyone who avoids gluten is intolerant of it, about 1% of the population can’t absorb nutrients in gluten-containing foods and eating gluten literally makes them sick.
The best way to avoid gluten is to choose food that is naturally gluten-free, rather than seeking out gluten-free versions of traditionally gluten-rich foods like pasta, crackers, and wheat bread. Gluten-free baking isn’t as simple as swapping a cup of all-purpose pastry flour for a cup of gluten-free flour. There’s a whole world of gluten-free flours out there including buckwheat, sorghum, amaranth, teff, arrowroot, brown rice, oat, corn, tapioca, chickpea, coconut, cassava, potato, tiger nut and almond. All these flours have different properties and they don’t all react with other ingredients in the same way. Some people experiment and combine two to three flours to find a combination that works for both their taste buds and their diet.
If you choose recipes with a high ratio of flour to other ingredients, your baking project will be more like a science experiment in your own kitchen. Adding a small number of ground almonds, ground oats or coconut flour along with gluten-free flour typically creates a good outcome. These ingredients act as a moistener and also adds additional flavor. If a recipe calls for two cups of all-purpose flour it may be swapped out with one and a half cups of gluten-free flour and half a cup of ground oats. Typically, any recipe calling for more than a cup and a half of Alterna-flour should be supplemented with a binding agent such as xanthan, gelatin or guar gum.
The list below offers a wide range of options for making interesting side dishes, main dishes, and more. In addition to grains, this list includes the seeds that can be ground into flour or used whole in baked goods and other recipes.
- Amaranth, a staple of the Incas and Aztecs, is second only to quinoa for protein content among grains and seeds. Amaranth has a complex flavor that’s very nutty and earthy. It is often dry-toasted before being cooked and can be prepared like porridge or rice. The whole seeds can also be popped like popcorn.
- Buckwheat, despite its name, is not related to wheat. It is, in fact, an herb that is related to sorrel and rhubarb. Buckwheat has an assertive flavor and can be found in several forms. Hulled, crushed buckwheat seeds are known as buckwheat groats, and because of their high carbohydrate content, they are generally treated like a grain. Grayish green in color, groats have a mild, earthy flavor. They are often eaten as a staple like rice and are baked into puddings and porridges. Buckwheat’s triangular seeds can also be ground to make flour. Kasha is buckwheat groats that have been roasted. This process gives kasha a darker color and a noticeably earthier and roasty flavor that some people love, and others don’t.
- For many consumers, buying cornmeal used to mean picking up a container of Quaker, or perhaps (especially if you lived in the South) a stone-ground local variety. But at most supermarkets today, you’ve got a lot more options to sort through: fine-, medium-, and coarse-ground; instant and quick-cooking; whole-grain, stone-ground, and regular. Whether you are making cornbread, pancakes, polenta, or a rustic Italian-style cake, different recipes require different grinds and types of cornmeal. What you use can make a big difference. Make sure to read—and buy—carefully.
- Flaxseeds are similar in size to sesame seeds and have a sweet, wheaty flavor. They are naturally gluten-free and are sold in most supermarkets both whole and ground. Flaxseeds are one of the highest sources known for the omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is found only in certain plant foods and oils and must be supplied in our diet for good health. There are two types of flaxseeds: brown and golden. We prefer golden flaxseeds in a whole-grain gluten-free flour blend, as their milder, nutty flavor complimented the teff flour. Whole seeds have a longer shelf life, but many prefer ground flaxseeds in their whole-grain gluten-free flour blend and breads because they are used as flour rather than as a stir-in. As an added bonus, grinding flaxseeds improves the release of nutrients.
- Believed to be the first domesticated cereal grain, millet is a tiny cereal grass seed has a long history and is still a staple in a large part of the world, particularly in Asia and Africa. The seeds can be ground into flour or used whole. Millet has a mellow corn flavor that works well in both savory and sweet applications, including breads and pan-fried cakes. It can be cooked pilaf-style, pasta-style for a grain salad, or turned into a creamy breakfast porridge. To add texture to baked goods, try incorporating a small amount of millet into the batter.
- From the breakfast table to the cookie jar, oats are a nutritious cereal grass is a versatile part of the gluten-free diet. But be careful when buying oats; they’re often processed in facilities that also process wheat, which creates cross-contamination issues. It’s therefore critical to make sure you are buying oats that are processed in a gluten-free facility. Oats come in several forms: groats (see next item), old-fashioned rolled oats, steel-cut and instant.
- Labeled either oat berries or oat groats, this gluten-free whole grain is simply whole oats that have been hulled and cleaned. They are the least processed oat product (other forms are processed further, such as being rolled flat, cut, or ground). Because they haven’t been processed, they retain a high nutritional value. They have an appealing chewy texture and a mildly nutty flavor. Oats are usually thought of as a breakfast cereal, but oat berries make a great savory side dish cooked pilaf-style or can be cooked like risotto for a rich, satisfying main dish.
- Quinoa originated in the Andes Mountains of South America, and while it is generally treated as a grain, it is actually the seed of the goosefoot plant. Sometimes referred to as a “super grain,” quinoa is high in protein, and its protein is complete, which means it possesses all of the amino acids in the balanced amounts that our bodies require. Beyond its nutritional prowess, we love quinoa for its addictive crunchy texture, nutty taste, and ease of preparation. White quinoa is the most commonly found variety of these tiny seeds, but red and black varieties are increasingly available. White quinoa, the largest seed of the three, has a slightly nutty, vegetal flavor with a hint of bitterness; it also has the softest texture of the three quinoas. The medium-size red seeds offer a heartier crunch, thanks to their additional seed coat, and a predominant nuttiness. Black quinoa seeds, the smallest of the three, have the thickest seed coat. They are notably crunchy and retain their shape the most during cooking. These seeds have the mildest flavor, with a hint of molasses-like sweetness. You can usually use white and red quinoa interchangeably in quinoa pilaf recipes and other side dishes or salads. However, white quinoa is best for dishes like cakes and patties because it is starchier and will hold together better. Black quinoa is better off in recipes specifically tailored to its distinctive texture and flavor. Unless labeled “prewashed,” quinoa should always be rinsed before cooking to remove its protective layer (called saponin), which is unpleasantly bitter.
- Quinoa flakes are simply quinoa seeds that have been rolled flat into thin flakes. They are growing in popularity as an alternative to instant oatmeal for a nutritious hot breakfast cereal. They can also be used in baked goods and granola. Quinoa flakes can be found in the cereal aisle of your grocery store, near the instant oatmeal.
In the gluten-free kitchen, rice is a lifesaver.
Raw rice is gluten-free, which is great news for people trying to cut gluten out of their diets. There are many rice varieties on the market and many ways to prepare rice: as a simple side dish, an appealing salad, or a hearty main course when paired with multiple vegetables, or even as hearty rice cakes.
- Arborio, the variety of medium-grain rice, used to make risotto, was once grown exclusively in Italy. Now widely available, these stubby, milky grains have a high starch content, which is what enables them to make such creamy risotto.
- Prized for its nutty flavor and sweet aroma, basmati rice is eaten in pilafs and biryanis and with curries. Indian basmati is aged for a minimum of a year, though often much longer, before being packaged. Aging dehydrates the rice, which translates into grains that, once cooked, expand greatly. Experts don’t recommend American-grown basmati.
- Like brown rice, black rice is sold unhulled. But only black rice contains anthocyanins, the same antioxidant compounds found in blueberries and blackberries. These compounds are what turn the rice into a deep purple as it cooks. Note that black rice is especially easy to overcook. To keep it from turning mushy, boil it in an abundance of water (similar to cooking pasta).
- All rice (except wild) starts out as brown rice. Each grain of rice is made up of endosperm, germ, bran, and a protective outer hull or husk. Brown rice is simply rice that has been husked and cleaned. Considered a whole grain, brown rice has more fiber and vitamins than white rice, along with a firmer texture and a nuttier, earthier flavor. Keep in mind that the bran and germ contain oils that shorten the rice’s shelf life. Brown rice takes longer to cook than white rice because it requires more time to allow water to penetrate the bran. Brown rice comes in a variety of grain sizes: short, medium, and long. Long-grain brown rice, the best choice for pilafs, cooks up fluffy with separate grains. Medium-grain brown rice is a bit more sticky, perfect for risotto, paella, and similar dishes. Short-grain brown rice is the most sticky, ideal for sushi and other Asian dishes where getting the grains to clump together is desired.
- Native to Thailand and a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine, jasmine rice has an aroma similar to basmati rice, but the texture is stickier and moister and the grain size is much smaller. Compared with other varieties of long-grain rice, jasmine rice tends to cook up relatively soft and sticky, though it maintains a slightly firm chew. Because it clumps together when cooked, jasmine rice works well in stir-fries. It’s also nice in soups.
- Like brown rice, white rice has been husked and cleaned, but then it is processed a step further by removing the germ and bran. This makes the rice cook up faster and softer, and it’s more shelf-stable, but the process also removes much of the fiber, protein, and other nutrients, as well as flavor. Like brown rice, white rice can be long-, medium-, or short-grained. Long-grain is a broad category and includes generic long-grain rice as well as aromatic varieties such as basmati and jasmine. The grains are slender and elongated and measure four to five times longer than they are wide. Long-grain white rice cooks up light and fluffy, with a firm, distinct grains, making it good for pilafs and salads. Medium-grain white rice includes a wide variety of specialty kinds of rice including many Japanese and Chinese brands, used to make risotto and paella. The grains are fat and measure two to three times longer than they are wide. Medium-grain white rice cooks up a bit sticky, and when simmered the grains clump together, making this rice a common choice in Chinese restaurants. With the exception of sushi, Americans don’t eat much short-grain white rice. The grains are almost round, and the texture is quite sticky and soft when cooked. Avoid converted rice, which is parboiled during processing. This tan-colored rice cooks up too separate and the flavor tends to be a bit off.
- Wild rice is technically not in the same family as other kinds of rice; it’s actually an aquatic grass. North America’s only native grain, it grows naturally in lakes and is cultivated in man-made paddies in Minnesota, California and Canada. Its smooth grains have a remarkably nutty, savory depth and a distinct chew that make it an ideal choice for a hearty side dish or addition to soups. Cook wild rice at a bare simmer and check it often as it can go from chewy and underdone to mushy and “blown out” in a matter of minutes.
Thanks, America’s Test Kitchen, for the information on grains and rice.