Help me cook with out corn...

[tate]

As many of you know, I started cooking things about the same time I found this web site. While we no longer only eat take out, we still make really simple things (chicken+sauce and a veggie type meals, or boxed/bagged stuffed) for dinner and mostly sandwiches or sushi or leftovers for lunch, cereal or yogurt for breakfast. Just an overview to make sure you guys know I've not yet mastered cooking, but I am working on it.

 

Anyway, for the next three weeks until I go back to the doctor, I can't eat corn. Corn is in EVERYTHING!! Even in powdered sugar, and meat from the grocery store (it often contains citric acid, which apparently is made from corn, crazyness). The meat problem I can solve, we buy most of our meat at the farmer's market these days, but what do I do to it when I can't put bbq sauce on it?

 

I've decided to look at this as the kick in the pants I need to use both more of my food storage and to transition into more actual cooking. Except, I just don't know where to start. Anyone have any ideas? A suggestion for what to eat for lunch tomorrow? (We went out to Whole Foods and got cereal I can eat for breakfast. Dh, whose never been there before, almost had a heart attack when he saw how much spaghetti sauce cost, and promised to make me his own and can some. Best shopping trip ever.)

[Cat]

Wow... I don't envy your quest.

 

 

Here is what I found on *first look-through* at my favorite search engine:

 

http://www.dogpile.com/dogpile/ws/results/...=7?_IceUrl=true

 

I typed in "no corn diet".

 

You'll see lots of links that may or may not be helpful, but over at the right you'll see a box with this:

 

Are you looking for?

 

Make Powdered Sugar

Corn Free Food

Corn Free Products

Corn Gluten

Gluten Intolerant

Corn And Wheat Allergy

Avoiding Corn

Allergies Corn

 

Those links will probably get you more of what you want.

 

 

If you still need a better search, let me know and I'll try to find more after tomorrow. DH took a couple of days off and we're hitting the local attractions (well, hey, I can *pretend* I'm having a vacation!! ).

 

 

 

 

[JCK88]

Hello there...I'm your cooking without corn expert. I have been doing it for 12 years now. It's not easy. You even have to buy special corn-free baking powder and such. I am also allergic to wheat, so most of my stuff is odd to other people. However, I have learned to cook just about anything from Bette Hagman flour mix. She is called "The Gluten Free Gourmet" and wrote a series of cookbooks under that name. I suggest looking those up.

 

Do a search on "Avoiding Corn" and you will find this site: http://www.vishniac.com/ephraim/corn.html Go read there. You will be amazed.

 

If you want convenient mixes or a source to buy Bette Hagman's flour go here: http://www.missroben.com/

 

Finally, I am here. Tell me what you are trying to cook and I will likely have a corn free, wheat free version of it.

 

It's not easy to avoid corn but it can be done if you are willing to make things from scratch. I no longer feel deprived or freaked out. There are plenty of things I CAN have...and funny thing, stuff made from scratch is superior to anything in the stores.

 

You can even buy marshmallow fluff that is corn free. .... all is NOT lost. Take heart.

[Darlene]

Originally Posted By: JCK88

Hello there...I'm your cooking without corn expert. .... all is NOT lost. Take heart.

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww...you're so sweet JCK.

And Tate, while I don't have the knowledge base to help you over the next 3 weeks, we sure look forward to helping you learn how to do more scratch from home cooking in the future!

I'm so glad you'll allow us to share the things we've learned over the years.

[JCK88]

Here is a really nice corn-free recipe for Tootsie Rolls!

 

2 cups sugar

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

1 1/2 cups boiling water

4 Tbs cocoa

 

Butter sides of a heavy 1-1/2 qt saucepan. In this pan place sugar, cream of tartar, boiling water and cocoa. Stir over medium heat unitl sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil.

Cook without stirring to soft ball stage. 238 degrees F Immediately pour onto platter. Do not scrape pan. Cool until candy feels only slightly warm to the touch, about half an hour. Do not move candy while it cools. When cools, scrape edge of platter toward center with wooden spoon, then work until creamy and stiff. Knead with fingers until free of lumps. Wrap--place in covered container to ripen 24 hours. Mold into finger-like logs. Roll in powdered sugar. (get the corn free kind or make your own in the blender) Wrap indvidually in wax paper if desired.

 

(These are time-intensive because you have to leave them over night, but they are not a bad substitute for tootsie rolls. Almost all candy has corn syrup in it, so for the sweet-deprived, these are pretty nifty to have as a treat. They are also fun to make if you have the stuff ready and enlist the family in rolling the little log tootsies!)

[JCK88]

Another good corn allergy site

 

http://www.cornallergens.com/

 

a site for corn free bread--and I think they also sell the Featherweight corn-free baking powder:

 

http://www.ener-g.com/

 

 

[JCK88]

Tate--here is a recipe for barbecue sauce:

 

 

Use this barbecue sauce on ribs, chops, steaks, or burgers.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1/3 cup molasses

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

dash salt

PREPARATION:

Combine all ingredients in saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Makes about 1 cup of barbecue sauce, for ribs, pork chops, burgers, steaks, or wieners. For oven barbecued ribs, baste during last hours of baking. (I use ginger in mine instead of chili powder because I don't like it hot. You can also substitute dry mustard -- experiment!)

 

 

 

[BiscuitMaker]

Yes make your own B. Sauce, I have made it for 20 years just because I like it.I am sure you will do fine. It will be just trial and error and you will have your ups and downs but I am rooting for you!!!!!

[nmchick]

JCK, you are wonderful. Tootsie rolls without weird stuff in them!

 

So, can you tell me how to make marshmallows or marshmallow fluff? I want to make marshmallow treats, but seem to be reacting to some of the multisyllabic ingredients in marshmellows.

 

We'll use brown rice puffed rice of course. Can't find any regular Rice Krispies without barley malt in them.

[Leah]

This recipe is great!

Now it mentions corn syrup as an ingredient, however in a thread he stated that glucose could be substituted in equal amount.

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r240.html

These are a variation on a recipe from Martha Stewart.

Strawberry Marshmallows Submitted by: nightscotsman

4 envelopes gelatin [like Knox]

1/2 c strawberry puree (frozen is actually better than fresh unless you have access to very flavorful local strawberries)

1-1/4 c water

3 c sugar

1-1/4 c light corn syrup

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp orange flower water (optional)

powdered sugar and potato starch for dusting

 

 

Line a sheet pan with a 1" rim with aluminum foil. coat the foil with vegetable oil or non-stick spray. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment.

 

Mix the strawberry puree, orange flower water (if using) and 1/2 cup of the water in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the gelatin over to soften.

 

Put the sugar, corn syrup, remaining 3/4 cup water and salt in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until it reaches the soft-ball stage (234-240 F).

 

With the mixer at full speed, pour all of the hot syrup slowly down the side of the bowl. Be careful as the mixture is very liquid and hot at this point and some may splash out of the bowl - use a splash guard if you have one. whip until the mixture is very fluffy and stiff, about 8-10 minutes. pour mixture into the foil-lined pan and smooth with an oiled offset spatula so that it's level with the top of the rim (it won't completely fill the pan). Allow the mixture to sit, uncovered at room temp for 10 to 12 hours.

 

Mix equal parts powdered sugar and potato starch and sift generously over the rested marshmallow slab. Turn it out onto a cutting board or counter, peel off foil and dust with more sugar/starch mixture. Slice with a thin-bladed oiled knife or oiled cookie cutters. Dip all cut edges in sugar/starch mixture and shake off excess. Marshmallows will keep several weeks at room temp in an air-tight container.

 

Variation - Chocolate Marshmallows:

 

Replace strawberry puree and initial 1/2 cup of water in mixing bowl with 1/2 cup of cocoa disolved in 1/2 cup boiling water in a separate bowl. Soften gelatine in an additional 1/4 cup cold water in mixing bowl. Add cocoa mixture to mixing bowl and procede with recipe as above. This will produce a marshmallow with a strong chocolate flavor, but somewhat denser than the strawberry version. To get a lighter texture as well as a lighter chocolate flavor, reduce cocoa to 1/4 cup.

 

Variation - Vanilla Marshmallows:

 

Replace strawberry puree and initial 1/2 cup of water in mixing bowl with 3/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or the seeds scraped from 2 vanilla beans.

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BTW-It came from this huge thread - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=40358