Sometimes I feel like I have an alternative flour store happening inside my kitchen. If you bake gluten free you probably know what I mean.

Well, this morning I wanted to make a recipe calling for potato flour, only apparently I didn’t have any left.

Potato flour is actually ground from whole, dried potatoes. It adds moisture to your baked goods and extends their shelf life.

I decided to do some investigating to see if there was anything I could substitute for the potato flour.

I managed to find a comment on the King Arthur’s Flour from one of their staff members stating that 1 cup of potato flakes = 1/2 cup potato flour.

I only needed a couple tablespoons of flours and I wanted to make sure that the flakes became fine for my particular purposes, so I ground the instant flakes in my mini food processor.

It appeared to me that the instant flakes were reduced by half after grinding them. This allowed me to substitute the “flour” I had just created at a 1:1 ratio for the potato flour called for in the recipe. And it turned out fabulous!

Whether or not you choose to grind the instant potato flakes into a fine powder is really just a personal preference. I thought it would dissolve better in my case, but it is probably not required.

So if it is difficult to find potato flour in your area or you find yourself needing a substitute, I wouldn’t hesitate to use instant potato flakes.

1 cup of potato flakes = 1/2 cup potato flour

*if you grind them in your coffee grinder or mini food processor you should be able to use it 1:1

Gluten free kitchen essentials, Kitchen Tips, Uncategorized

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, I thought I would make a list of some of my favorite gift suggestions for moms that love cooking.

However, if the mom in your life hates spending time in the kitchen, I would steer clear of all things cooking related and stick to things you know she’ll love

I tried to keep the items practical and around the $20 price point. Most of these items can be picked up at any local kitchen or housewares store, but a few are specialty items.

Cast Iron Tortilla Press

I love making tortillas at home; they are so easy and quick to make, not to mention so much cheaper and healthier than the store bought variety. I would really recommend a metal or cast iron one, I had a thick plastic one break. Finer kitchen stores or Mexican markets should carry these.

Instant Read Thermometer

Every home cook really needs an instant read thermometer. If mom doesn’t have one, do her a huge favor and buy her one. Make sure the end is pointed though, allowing her to pierce meats. These are available for under $20 at kitchen store and places like Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Immersion Blender

I put off buying an immersion blender for years, but I finally purchased one after having hot soup go all over my kitchen in a blender incident. They can get pretty expensive, but I have a sub $20 one and it works fine. They are great for hot soups or vegetables you want pureed and cleanup is a snap. Also great for making smoothies.

Food Steamer

A food steamer is a great gift for a new or expecting mom that wants to make baby food at home. I know steaming foods isn’t that difficult, but this makes it that much easier; paired with a food processor or immersion blender, making baby food will not be such a chore.

Silpat Mat
Seriously, if Mom doesn’t own one of these, get her one. These make baking so much easier. Make sure you buy her a size that will fit her baking sheets though.

I find these the most practical pans in my kitchen. They are used for everything from roasted veggies to cookies. Try to stay clear of the really dark pans, as they will over-brown baked goods. These are available everywhere kitchen stuff is sold.

Silicone Rolling Pin

Ok, so I don’t have one of these, but if you have ever tried to roll out a gluten free crust or cookie dough you’ll know what this would be a really useful tool. If mom bakes a lot gluten free, this would help her.

Cast Iron Pans or Griddle

I love my cast iron. I really recommend you get the pre-seasoned variety, it will save  some work. For tortilla making I love my 10-inch griddle, but my skillet gets a lot of use; it is hard to go wrong with cast iron, whatever you choose, I am sure it will years of use. (One note though, cast iron is heavy, so they aren’t the best pans for everyone)

Magnetic Knife Rack

I got a magnetic knife rack from Ikea a few years ago, and I love it. If you have an Ikea nearby, it is hard to beat their price.  I really wanted to get my knives out of my drawer because I had an active toddler who liked to get into things and this does the job.

I like the simple design and it is so practical for the busy cook. I have a pretty tile backsplash, so we used heavy duty double-sided tape to hold mine in place; no drilling required.

There are lots of sizes available, just make sure to get a length that will work in her kitchen.

I love my inexpensive digital scale, it is so easy to weigh out exact measurements for recipes,  but if your mom has a retro kitchen this Paula Deen one at Walmart is too cute.

Message Cookie Cutters

These cutters from William Sonoma allow you to create custom messages on your cookies. Any mom who loves to bake would find these unique cutters great!

Whoopie Pie Pan

I love my Whoopie Pie pan; very similar to a muffin-top pan, but it has 12 spaces (some have 20), which I think makes it more practical. You can make so many things in this: mini quiche, oven pancakes, hamburger buns, coookies, and of course whoopie pies.

They are available at finer kitchen stores such as William Sonoma, Sur la Table and Crate and Barrel. Prices seem to range from $12-20.

Spring-Loaded Cookie Scoops

These are so nice for making uniform sized cookies, meatballs, drop biscuits etc. Any cook could use a few of these in different sizes; they should be available everywhere housewares are sold.

Baguette or French Bread Pan

Great for the mom that bakes her own bread, these pans allow us to get that classic French bread or Italian baguette shape at home.

If you do buy a pan with perforation, it will be necessary to line it with parchment of foil for really wet doughs, such as gluten free.

Ceramic Baking Pans

These are a great size for casseroles and cobblers and with handles! I think any mom would love one of these beautiful dishes. And with this sale at Sur la Table, the price is hard to beat.

I hope you enjoyed my list and that you got a few ideas for Mom (or maybe yourself). Happy cooking and Happy Mother’s Day.

Gluten free baking necessities, Gluten free kitchen essentials, Kitchen Essentials, Kitchen Extras gifts for mom under $20

Although I have had some gluten free baking successes, I am not baking up a storm. As much as I like sweets, I am making a conscious effort to limit our baked goods; this is easier on our waists and wallet. However, when I do choose to bake, I want ingredients that will really perform, so I have decided to post about my favorite ingredients.

Authentic Foods is a company that specializes is wheat free and gluten free products, specifically baking mixes and flours. According to their website, it was founded by a man who has a degree in biochemistry and has also been a successful restaurant owner.

I first heard of Authentic Foods’ flour products in Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts (cookbook review here). She highly recommends both their superfine brown rice flour and superfine sweet rice flour. I looked them up (they have a very informative website with product information, recipes and even a blog) but decided they were too expensive and went about making a few of the recipes in her book.

I was extremely disappointed with my results. So, a few months later I decided to track down her suggested flours. I had to go to the company website and locate a store in my area that carried it.

The results: Yes folks, the Authentic Foods Brown Rice Flour Superfine does work better in baked goods than ordinary brown rice flour. My baked goods were not crumbly, dry, nor did they have that “rice” taste. The recipes in Roberts’ cookbook now turned out fabulous.

At around $12 for a 3 pound bag, this isn’t cheap flour, but it is very, very good flour for you gluten free baking needs. I feel like baking with brown rice flour is a healthy choice and it is worth the extra money to get amazing gluten free desserts.

I think spending the extra money, even if you have to pay the outrageous shipping costs, is really money well spent. Baking gluten free can be very frustrating and finding ingredients that really work is essential. I highly recommend that you get a some superfine flours from Authentic Foods, I think the results will amaze you.

Has anyone else used Authentic Foods Superfine Flours? Or is there another must-have product for gluten free baking?

Gluten Free Basics, Gluten free kitchen essentials authentic foods rice flour review, glutne free baking essentials

The corn tortilla. It seems like a lot of people hate them. I think part of the problem with corn tortillas is that they don’t taste that great once they have been cooled, wrapped, and set on a store shelf for some undisclosed time. Basically, I think the ones we buy at the grocery store are stale.

If you have ever had authentic Mexican food, consisting of fresh, warm tortillas, now those are a different story. Those corn tortillas are actually quite good. And who knew, they are actually quite easy to make.

I found a heavy duty plastic tortilla press at the grocery store for $5.99, so I threw it in my cart and the next day we were making corn tortillas. They are so easy, so quick, and oh so much better than the store bought variety, and they fold without breaking!

I must warn you against buying a plastic tortilla press though. Mine broke the second time I made a batch of tortillas. I am now looking for a nice quality cast iron press like this one Imusa Victoria Cast Iron Tortilla Press, 6.5 Inch. I have several other cast iron pieces and once well-seasoned they are virtually indestructible.

There may be better recipes out there, but I just followed the directions on the Maseca Corn Flour, 4.4 lbs. bag. I found Maseca at my regular grocery store, along with the Mexican food. It costs about  $7 a bag, about twice the price of the other major brand, but I was much happier with the results. You simply add water and salt. I used my cast iron griddle, so there was no need to add fat or oil to the pan. Meseca corn flour has no cholesterol, no sodium, and is high in fiber and low in fat. I don’t work for these people, really. I just love this stuff.

So, if you have ever thought about making homemade corn tortillas, I say get a tortilla press and a bag of Maseca and give it a try. It is a small investment with delicious results. And if you have children or grandchildren, they are going to love helping.

Had I known tortillas were so easy, I would have started making them years ago. Homemade corn tortillas are definitely worth making.

You form a ball of dough and place on plastic lined tortilla press (I simply cut open a resealable plastic bag).

You press down.

Ta Da……you have a perfectly shaped tortilla.

You carefully transfer the tortilla to a hot pan (I used a cast iron griddle) and cook for about 50 seconds each side.

The freshly cooked tortilla.

Yummy refried bean and cheese quesadillas. The kids loved them.

Homemade Corn Tortillas ( makes 8 )

• 1 cup Maseca corn flour
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/8 tsp salt

1. Combine ingredients and knead to form a soft dough (I actually used a fork, but hands would work here). If dough is dry, add water, 1 tsp at time.
2. Form dough into 8 equal balls.
3. Flatten in plastic-lined tortilla press. I used a heavy resealable plastic bag, cut; plastic wrap or wax paper could also be used.
4. Transfer pressed dough to a hot griddle or pan, on medium heat; if it should break during transfer, just reform ball and press again. This happened to me a few times before I got the hang of handling the dough.
5. Cook tortillas about 50 seconds per side. Cover with a soft cloth to keep tortillas soft and warm. Serve.

Breads, Gluten Free Basics, Gluten free kitchen essentials, Sides frugal gluten free recipes, gluten free tortillas, homemade corn tortillas, Maseca tortillas