5 Tips for a Gluten-free Food Storage

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One of the most popular questions we are asked is how to have a gluten-free food storage.  While both Debbie and I are not gluten-free, we do have extended family members who are and there is no reason to get frustrated while creating a gluten-free food storage.  After doing our own research, trying products, and consulting some REAL gluten-free experts we discovered while some of the foods are not the same, the principles of building a good food storage are the same.  We  would really like to thank Betsy Thomas (co-author of the cookbook “Life Tastes Good Again”, popular gluten-free instructor in Utah) for sharing her practical knowledge (how a busy mom of SEVEN can save money and time cooking gluten-free for a crowd and how she works her food storage) and recipes with us as we prepared this article!

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basics

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START WITH THE BASICS: Whether you are gluten free or a regular eater, our first advice is always to start with the basics.  The basics are what sustains life and are usually the cheapest to purchase.  Plus, a lot of the basic food storage items already are gluten free, for example: beans, rice, powdered milk, etc.  In addition, vegetables, fruits and meats are also all gluten free.  Normally we would also say wheat, but for those that are gluten free, we suggest storing the basic items needed to make your own gluten-free flour mix which are rice, potato flour, potato starch, cornstarch, xanthan gum, and gluten-free oats.

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BULK

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BUY IN BULK. All of those basics are cheapest bought in bulk.  To get the best deals on the gluten-free basics, try Winco or Whole Foods for basics like potato flour, potato starch and cornstarch. (My friend told me that you can ask the store for a discount if you buy an entire 25 lb. bag.)  If you want to buy online, you can visit Honeyville Grains (they carry potato flour, potato starch, and cornstarch but not xanthan gum) with only $4.99 flat rate shipping.  If you’re looking for xanthan gum, the cheapest I was able to find was online at Amazon (don’t be tempted by other websites, the ones I looked at charged $10 for shipping which ruined the price).  You can buy a 25 lb bag of Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oats from All Bulk Foods.

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SCRATCH

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LEARN TO COOK FROM SCRATCH USING THE BASICS.  Just like regular baking, it’s always less expensive and better tasting to cook at home.  Many food storage companies sell gluten-free mixes just like they sell regular mixes but you will always save more money by making your own mixes and cooking from scratch.  For example, if you make your own gluten-free flour mix instead of purchasing a #10 can of it from Thrive (catch our full review of Thrive’s gluten-free flour mix HERE, you could save $3.00 a pound!  If you make your own gluten-free bread it could cost as low as $2.50 a loaf! If you think making your favorites gluten free is impossible, think again!  The secret to a good cook is GOOD RECIPES!  These are some of my friend’s pictures of her favorite gluten-free recipes and I’ve got to tell you it’s almost enough to make ME go gluten free!  If you’d like to look through her recipes click HERE (including her recipes for making a successful gluten-free flour mixes) or you can purchase her cookbooks HERE.

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gf can taste good

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mill

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INVEST IN A GOOD GRINDER. Grinding your own rice, oats, and beans into flour will save you a lot of money when you’re making your gluten-free flour mix and in your other baking.  We recommend either the Blend Tec Kitchen Mill (Amazon.com, $179.00 and free shipping) or the NutriMill Classic Mill (Amazon.com, $219.00 and free shipping)  The Kitchen Mill works great in small spaces (except for the noice) and the NutriMill takes up more space but is a lot quieter!  They both do a great job grinding and are easy to use.

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ROTATE

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KEEP ROTATING. Whether you’re gluten-free or not, you have to keep rotating your food!  Make sure you keep your flour mix in large buckets with GAMMA LIDS (those really cool lids that make getting into your buckets easy).  Buy items your family eats or will eat and work them into the rotation so you don’t throw away food.

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WHAT TIPS OR TRICKS HAVE YOU LEARNED FOR CREATING A GLUTEN-FREE FOOD STORAGE?  SHARE THEM IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

 


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2 Comments

  1. Places like Good Earth and other Health food stores will often give you a discount if you buy a whole 25 pound bag, but I don’t think that Winco does. Winco carries tapioca starch, but I don’t think that they have potato starch.

    1. Winco does give a discount when buying whole bags or boxes in the bulk food section.

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