If you have a coeliac person or someone on a gluten-free diet in your house you may be concerned about cross-contamination of gluten which can be a problem. So one of the most common questions that are asked by people unfamiliar with gluten-free diets is does a dishwasher actually remove gluten from the dishes’ safety?
Generally, it is safe to use a dishwasher to clean dishes that have been used with gluten foods on them. These dishes will subsequently be safe for coeliacs to use in most cases, however, it is recommended that you periodically clean the filters in the dishwasher which is where most of the gluten-free food is likely to end up.
The reason that cleaning with dishwashers poses very little risk is that most dishwashers use of a substantial amount of water to clean the dishes which means that even if there is a tiny bit of gluten present within the dishwasher it is likely to be diluted to a level that is insignificant as far as creating any allergic reactions is concerned.
The only exception to this would be situations where people have not removed access food from the dishes before placing them in the dishwasher resulting in there being significant chunks of food still on the plate. This obviously means that they are not cleaned properly anyway and need to be recleaned.
Is The Hot Cycle On Most Dishwashers Enough To Destroyed Gluten?
The temperature in most domestic dishwashers is a little over 100F which is not a high enough temperature to cause the gluten to degrade significantly. So temperature alone cannot be relied upon to remove gluten in most cases.
How Can I Make My Kitchen More Gluten-Free?
If you are asking a question like do dishwashers remove gluten it usually means that you were concerned about cross-contamination of gluten in your kitchen. So what can you do to make it safer for people on gluten-free diets to avoid any allergic reactions?
If you are in a situation where you will be living on an ongoing basis with a coeliac we generally recommend that you take a few basic steps which will help to reduce the chances of having any problems.
The first precaution we recommend is that you purchase separate margarine spreads for gluten and non-gluten people in the household. This is a common problem for some people because margarine tends to get contaminated with the bread that they applied to which means you will end up with crumbs within the margarine containers over time which can be problematic for some coeliacs.
This concept can also be applied to any regularly used sauce or condiment where people are putting knives in and out of the jars on a regular basis and applying them to both gluten-free and gluten-containing foods. This includes things like jams and spreads generally.
The second step that we commonly recommend that you undertake is to get either a separate toaster or one with space for four slices of toast in it so that you can designate an area that is for toasting gluten-free read-only. This will generally reduce the chances of you having issues with the contamination of bread.
I generally don’t think it was necessary, however, to have separate sandwich maker appliances because they are relatively easy to wipe clean before use whereas toasters have a lot of intricate parts which are not easily reached and not regularly cleaned which means gluten can hang around in these areas indefinitely.
The other thing that we recommend that you do is make a conscious effort to increase the number of gluten-free ingredients that are within the kitchen. What we mean by this is that if there is a gluten-free option available, which has no significant drawback from a cooking or flavor perspective, it should be purchased in preference to a gluten-containing product.
For example, soya sauce is a common ingredient in kitchens that can be purchased with and without gluten but there is no significant taste difference between the products. This reduces the chances of accidentally contaminating a dish of food for a coeliac person.
How Do You Tell If A Product Is Gluten Free?
If you are purchasing products specifically for a coeliac it is really important to make sure that you understand what products are gluten-free. There have been an increasing number of products available on the market which are specifically labeled as gluten-free on the front of the label.
If you see that then you can be 100% certain that the product will be gluten-free, however, just because a product is not labeled as gluten-free doesn’t mean that it isn’t.
To maximize the choice for coeliacs it is important to learn how to read the ingredients label which in most countries require allergens which include gluten, milk, soy, and nuts to be specifically stated on the label. In most cases, manufacturers will either highlight the individual ingredients which contain wheat in bold and in some cases, they will also provide a general statement at the bottom of the label that states which allergens are present in the product.
However, there are one or two exceptions to this which are useful to know. The first is that any product that contains dextrose, glucose, or anything with “ose” on the end of it that is derived from wheat will be declared on the ingredients. How despite this it can be considered gluten-free because the level of processing that these products undertake to produce the product is sufficiently high to remove the gluten.
The second thing to be aware of is many manufacturers will, for legal reasons, put on the label “This Product May Contain Gluten” on the basis that products are made on the same equipment as gluten-containing products. Generally, the statement is there to cover any potential legal action if a problem arises but in reality, they are safe to eat.
Do You Have To Have A Designated Gluten-Free Area Within Your Kitchen?
While having a designated gluten-free area in a kitchen is absolutely ideal it is not something that is absolutely essential. Gluten and gluten-free products can be prepared in the same area without causing any significant problems provided that you wipe the preparation areas thoroughly if there are cases where gluten has been present.
You do not need to use any specific cleaning products to clean the boards. Regular products like spray and wipe will do just fine for removing gluten. The only thing that you may become aware of is that gluten crumbs can get trapped in sponges over time which poses a relatively minor risk, so if you are really concerned you may consider having two sponges in your kitchen at any one time.
The first sponge for removing the bulk of the gluten from a kitchen bench and the second sponge to give a second wipe over the area to make 100% sure that it is gluten-free.
I personally live with two coeliacs in my house and honestly, I have never had any issues with cross-contamination of gluten so while these precautions are best practice they are not absolutely essential for preventing cross-contamination.
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