5 Gluten-Free Cooking Tips
<This is a contributed post> Be it for any purpose, more people are swearing off gluten and loving the results. It has amazing results for metabolism, therefore helps with concentration and fatigue as well in the long run.
But it’s not all rainbows and sunshine, because gluten is a huge part of every culture. It’s versatile, cheap, and intoxicating. And above all, we all grew up eating it and cooking with it. It seems it’s in every recipe, even ones you’d never think of. So here are a few tips to make it easier for anyone out there struggling. And now that we’re all in lockdown, it’s the perfect time to start experimenting.
Photo by Max Delsid on Unsplash
Don’t be Shy to Experiment
People who are recalculating their lifestyle and going against what they experience daily have to have minimal knowledge of basic cooking rules, as well as a dash of creativity and overall curiosity.
It’s a difficult thing to make a change in your lifestyle, and experimenting with different alternatives like more creative ways to cook fruits, vegetables, the proper use of spices, and more, helps make this new lifestyle truly your own.
Don’t Overthink Recipes
After looking for clever gluten-free recipes that include some ridiculous, seemingly unnecessary, very expensive, and hard-to-find ingredients, most people decide to recreate some favorites instead.
These include flour tortillas, pancakes, and any dish that includes gluten as a thickener. People realize in no time, that the only thing they need to do is buy a bag of gluten-free flour and do exactly the same thing as they would normally. So stop looking for overcomplicated new-age recipes, and stick to what you can do even in your sleep because a big part of experimenting while cooking is having the right reflexes and gut-feelings that come with experience.
Of course, sometimes you can get a curve-ball, as a lot of gluten-free options don’t act the same way as traditional flour, and this is where experimenting joins the game. But once you find the perfect flour, you won’t ever want to let go, and people won’t even know the difference.
Don’t Insist On Replacing Dishes That Contain Gluten
A big mistake most people make is insisting on making the perfect bread, pizza, pasta, the Italian dream in general when deep down we all know that without gluten, the greatest potential these have is being “good enough”. Maybe the day will come when someone can make the perfect loaf of gluten-free bread, but that shouldn’t be your burden.
Instead of being constantly frustrated about what you’re missing, try to make the most of what you have. Invent a few new dishes, play around with vegetables, spices, soups, because there’s a lot of food that doesn’t even need gluten and they have a lot of potential. A perfect buttery steak? A little salmon with a slice of lemon? A light salad? A jar of Nutella with a spoon? These are all recipes that don’t even need altering, just go for it!
Look for Inspiration Beyond Your Borders
And while on the subject of looking for dishes that don’t need altering, a great way to get inspired is looking at other cultures, especially Asian, Latin, and African cultures. The way they cook with spices, meats, and rice is amazing and doesn’t need to be altered to implement into your new lifestyle.
African jollof rice recipes, sushi, falafel, corn tortillas, fruit and vegetable dishes, a lot of cultures only rely on these very simple yet delicious and filling recipes. Every culture has something to “steal”, from the Russian borscht to Latin sauces, Japanese fish recipes, and Thai food in general.
Keep it Simple
And finishing off is just a piece of simple advice and a word of encouragement: don’t overdo it. It’s hard to switch lifestyles, especially while working, raising children, or even if you’re a student living by yourself, it’s never easy.
So don’t chase yourself down a rabbit hole of too many things to do. Learn little things that will help you get by, find shops where you can easily find a life-saving bite to eat, and little by little widen your horizon. Within a few months, you will realise that you can name the top ten shops that offer gluten-free options, and you can make jollof rice with tortilla and 5 different sauces in twenty minutes while watching your favourite show. It will soon become second-nature and even a fun activity.
