Consistency is Everything

Appears in

The Everyday Art of Gluten-Free: 125 Savory and Sweet Recipes Using 6 Fail-Proof Flour Blends

Published 2014

About

The trickiest part of living and cooking gluten-free, perhaps the most contentious as well, is finding the magic rubber band that works best for your body and for what you cook. Because many people have to navigate around multiple food allergies, and can’t use guar gum, I’ll list some alternatives known to work.

There are two classes of ingredients commonly used in place of gluten to give that “magic rubber band” effect:

First, hydrocolloids: A hydrocolloid is a substance that forms a gel with water and influences how liquids flow. Used in small amounts, a hydrocolloid keeps a salad dressing from separating in the bottle and helps hold a variety of gluten-free products together. Some hydrocolloids add volume; others don’t. Of the two involved in gluten-free cooking, guar gum does; xanthan gum doesn’t.