Prompt: Introductions

[runpunkrun]

Hello, gluten-free friends and family! It is I, Punk, speaking to you with my words. If you haven't already, please read the community guidelines for your safety and mine.

If I can keep my act together, I'll be posting a weekly discussion topic to prompt conversation about gluten-free cooking. This week I thought we could introduce ourselves and do some light mingling.

Let's do name, rank, and preferred pronouns. And maybe answer one or more of the following questions:

• What's the last gluten-free thing you made with your own hands?
• If your answer is "coffee," that's valid.
• What kind of foods do you like to prepare?
• How much baking experience do you have?
• What type of recipes are you interested in?
• Are you here to post, comment, or just be a friendly lurker?
• If you are going to lurk friendily, please say hi just this once. We'll say hi back.

Also, as the comm opened on Pi day (3.14), why not tell us your favorite pie?

Come join me in the comments!

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

I've deployed xanthan gum for the first time this year, and I was amazed at the result. I'm also mystified that a 1/4 teaspoon seemed to turn a gooey fudge into a toothsome cake. Any general xanthan wisdom?

[topaz_eyes]

You don't need much xanthan gum, for sure! It's basically included to do the job that gluten does in baked goods. But you do *not* want to get it wet. I spilled some once on the table and tried to wipe it up with a damp cloth. Nope, don't do that. It just turns to a slippery goop that is almost impossible to clean up.

If I'm subbing GF flour for wheat flour in recipes, I add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per cup GF flour. You might have to experiment for the optimal amount to add. I also mix the dry ingredients thoroughly before adding the wet ones.

If you prefer, you can use guar gum in place of xanthan. I did that for a few years because guar gum is about 2-3 times cheaper. It works okay, but xanthan gum does work better.