The Ultimate Coeliac Kitchen Audit: How to Gluten-Free Your Home

POV: you’ve just been diagnosed with coeliac disease, and overnight your kitchen suddenly feels like it’s become a danger zone.

OK, maybe danger zone is a little dramatic. 😂 But suddenly you're side-eying every crumb and gazing at the jars and packets in your cupboard thinking, can I still eat this?

Maybe you’ve been diagnosed for a little while now and haven’t been able to face what feels like the final step in cementing your gluten free future - so you keep spotting that bag of regular pasta in the cupboard... the breakfast cereal you used to love but can’t eat anymore... and let's not forget that frozen pizza stashed in the freezer that you know you can’t have!

So... it's time, my friend. Let’s audit your kitchen so you can feel safe in your own kitchen again!

Let's get this party started

I know this job sounds like a mammoth task, but it's one that I promise you won't regret! If you do this once properly, you’ll have a much lower risk of accidentally glutening yourself in your home again. 🎉🎉

And while we're looking on the bright side, you’ll be amazed how quickly you can check through the food in your kitchen once you know exactly what you’re looking for. If you’re still getting to grips with reading food labels, check out my blog on what BROWS are to get you started.

Ready to go?

Remember that you don't have to do this in one go: you could tackle one area at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed. Maybe you could do the fridge on day one, followed by your cupboards the next day, and then your freezer the day after that.

My favourite way to start is just to clear some space on your kitchen side, and remove every single food item from the space you’re tackling (e.g. the cereal cupboard), leaving it completely empty.

Don't miss anything out

Now check the back of pack on each of those foods for gluten-containing ingredients - even the foods you are sure are safe. Believe me when I say it’s the little things that can catch us out... I was eating gluten-containing mustard (Colman’s, FYI) for two weeks after my initial kitchen audit because I wrongly assumed it would be gluten-free. Don’t make my mistake!!

Time to start sorting

As you check each item of food, put the foods into these piles:

Keep

• Unopened gluten-free foods

E.g. butter, rice, tomato passata, or potatoes

Donate

• Half-used gluten-free foods that have potentially been contaminated*

E.g. butter, jam, chocolate spread, yeast extract, or baking powder

• Non-gluten-free foods

E.g. regular bread, pasta, or wheat flour

*A note on potentially CC'd (cross-contaminated) foods

As well as looking for gluten-containing foods (e.g. regular pasta, bread, or cereal), check for any half-used GF foods that may have been CC'd by you or others in your household.

It might sound a bit extreme, but anything that may have had a knife or spoon double-dipped in the jar/container after being used to spread or mix the food with gluten ingredients is a potential risk. It's so easy for someone to double dip a butter knife after spreading some on toast - or using a flour-contaminated spoon during baking to decant some baking powder.

IMO, if you're not sure if it's been CC'd, don't risk keeping it - it's just not worth it. Donate your half-used butter to a friend or neighbour and move on!

Time for a quick spring clean

After emptying each space, give it a quick clean it with hot soapy water, ensuring that the shelves have no traces of crumbs or flour residue left. It's also worth giving your cupboard and fridge door handles a quick clean so that you're starting fresh so to speak!

When you’re happy that the space is clean, you can put the gluten free foods from your "keep" pile back where they belong.

While you're having a kitchen clean-up, cleaning your oven, grill, and microwave is another great step you can take to prevent potential gluten cross contamination while cooking.

And don't panic - you don't need to throw away your entire kitchen! Most pots, pans, utensils and surfaces can simply be cleaned thoroughly with hot, soapy water before being used to prepare or serve gluten free food. :)

What do I do now with the food I can't eat?

If you're a fully GF household (or intend to be)...

... your next step is to donate, gift, or bin the foods from your "donate" pile.

I'm sure your local food bank would be so grateful for any unopened breakfast cereal, tinned goods, or other similar shelf-stable foods! Just check what your local food bank can accept first.

For your half-used GF foods, could these be taken into your office for your colleagues to use, or given to a family member or friend, to avoid unnecessary food waste?

If you share a home with gluten-eating housemates or family members...

... it's time to check out my guide to sharing a kitchen with normies!