Quacking cakes
As a coeliac I have cooked gluten free food for twenty years. Since my daughter was born ten years ago I have also been making it dairy free, and commercially making food for the last nine years. So you would have thought that a client asking me to make food with duck eggs instead of chicken eggs wouldn’t be a problem at all…..and pardon the pun….that I would take to it like a duck to water!
However, I experienced something quite unlike I ever have before and that really resonated with me. When cooking the special mixes to make them chicken egg free, I duly cleaned down all the equipment and substituted the eggs where appropriate. What I didn’t account for was my anxiety. I checked and double checked that I used the white eggs, not the brown and that no other ingredient could contain chicken egg (such as icing sugar). It really concerned me that I had covered all bases (knowing what it’s like to be ill from food) and that the food would turn out tasty.
That got me thinking….what must it be like for chefs in a busy kitchen. Someone like me turns up (either with or without warning) and takes them right out of their comfort zone. I cook gluten, wheat and dairy free food every day. I’m used to reading food labels and looking out for those allergens (in fact I don’t have them in the kitchen, so during food production it’s not an issue) and used to the process and results of my cooking. What if I were not used to that?
Most people that cook food for a living are passionate about the food that they cook. They want diners to enjoy it and endeavour to make it as tasty and look as appetising as possible. This means that they will generally stick to tried and tested food items, cooked in a certain way to show off their culinary skills to the max. And then I come in…..
I want food that’s appetising and free from certain food allergens, that, let’s face it, completely change the way some other foods work due to the chemical reactions, and I want my taste buds to be stimulated and tantalised. I don’t want boring run of the mill jacket potatoes. Safe, but extremely uninspiring.
So, here’s the dilemma. I train chefs and catering establishments how to manage gluten free diets. I advocate that chefs should do more than a jacket potato, that they should cater for people like me, because I’m a diner too and my family’s money is worth just as much as another family. I advocate that the food offering should not be ‘special’, to draw attention to me and make my meal an issue…..but it is an issue.
Catering for those with allergies is outside of a chef’s comfort zone if, and this is the crux, it’s not managed correctly to remove the fear. If there are a few dishes that are made naturally gluten free, the same way, every day, then making them on the day that I come in and eat becomes just part of a normal day’s service for not only the kitchen staff, but front of house too. Don’t make me a special meal and put extra pressure on the kitchen….have some safe, manageable, workable meals that can always be used.
Anyway my anxiety proved unfounded. The bread and cakes turned out fab and just as light and tasty.......
