Your Guide to Cooking with Gluten Free Sauces

Following a gluten free diet can sometimes seem like a challenge. It certainly doesn’t have to be this way — you just have to know where to look to find high quality gluten free products.

The unfortunate reality about gluten is that it can be hidden anywhere. It’s not just bread and pasta that you have to watch out for, many of your favourite dressings and sauces contain the protein as well.

Given this, it’s wise that all coeliacs make the switch to gluten free sauces.

What sauces contain gluten?
To answer this question, we first need to establish what gluten is. Gluten is a type of protein that is found in many popular food sources — and sauces! For some people, consuming gluten invokes an unpleasant immune response, the symptoms of which typically include indigestion, bloating, and bowel discomfort.

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, and barley, which are three ingredients that you might not typically associate with sauce and dressing. In reality, these products often include hidden traces of gluten. For some coeliacs, even the smallest amount of the protein can provoke extreme gastrointestinal discomfort.

Generally speaking, there are a few key ingredients you should look for when checking whether a sauce contains gluten. These include malt, malt vinegar, flour, soy sauce, and food starch.

The easiest way to be sure that you are not at risk of consuming gluten is to buy sauces that are specifically gluten free. Doing so also reduces the risk that the sauce has been manufactured in a facility where cross contamination may have occurred. These products can usually be found in supermarkets, health food stores, and online.

How to use gluten free sauces
The great thing about cooking with gluten free sauces is there are very few changes you will have to make to your favourite recipes.

Unlike baking with gluten free flours, which may call for the addition of extra ingredients, or cooking gluten free pasta, which may require more or less boiling time, a gluten free sauce can be simply substituted for regular sauce and dressing products.

Try this delicious gluten free recipe!

Bacon Baked Beans
The only way baked beans can be improved — with the addition of bacon! Serves 12.

Ingredients:
● 250 g ground beef
● 5 strips of bacon, diced
● ½ chopped onion
● ⅓ cup brown sugar
● ¼ cup sugar
● ¼ cup gluten free tomato sauce
● ¼ cup gluten free BBQ sauce
● ½ tsp chilli powder
● 1 can butter beans, rinsed and drained
● 1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 190℃.
2. In a large pot combine the ground beef, onion, and bacon. Fry until the beef starts to brown.
3. Drain the mixture.
4. Stir in the sugars, tomato sauce, BBQ sauce, and chilli powder until blended.
5. Add the beans and mix to combine.
6. Pour the mixture into a baking dish and place in the oven.
7. Bake for approximately one hour — enjoy!