Since I am so busy with school at the moment, I thought I would just take a minute to review some rules for dealing with food allergies. Really, many of these can be applied to cooking in general, so please let me know if you have any other ideas!
- Always, always, always wash your hands after touching food that contains an allergen. If I make a bean and cheese burrito for Elsie, I immediately wash my hands with soap before attending to Kavin's turkey roll.
- Never reuse utensils that have touched an allergen. Forks, knives, spoons, spatulas, etc.
- Use a separate plate/preparation surface for allergen foods.
- Remember that the allergen is a protein- so whether the amount transmitted is small or large to the eye, any amount of tiny protein will trigger the allergy.
- Reading an allergy alert ingredient list for Milk, Soy, Egg, or Wheat is insufficient for searching out allergens. Many of them are disguised under other names such as 'lactic acid' or 'whey.' Know their pseudonyms! WebMD actually offers lists of other names for allergens.
- Wipe down all surfaces with either soapy water or an antibacterial agent before and after cooking/eating. This is an easy way to prevent cross contamination.
