Allergen Free Cooking

Allergen Free food production can seem daunting at first, but with the proper precautions in place it is definitely do-able!

The main focus should be on preventing Cross-Contamination - the easiest way to deal with this is to use separate equipment whenever possible and schedule your cooking so that you can do your allergen free products at a separate time so there is no risk of accidentally contaminating an allergen-free food with an allergen from a different product. For example, if you make toffee with almonds and you also make nut-free products - make your toffee one day, clean and sanitize everything, then make your nut-free product another day. You may think you'll be fine making both at once but there is too much risk for contamination - better safe than sorry!


It should go without saying, but it is vital to take all allergies seriously! If you have ever seen someone go into anaphylactic shock, you know what I'm talking about

Here are some things to remember:

Keep equipment separate, clean everything thoroughly
Do not guarantee that your product is free of an allergen unless you are absolutely confident that no cross contamination has occurred
Label your products with a disclaimer stating that they are produced in a facility shared with Dairy, Eggs, Wheat, Soy, Peanuts, Tree Nuts, Fish & Shellfish (if that is the case)

Gluten Free Food Production

While some people choose to only eat gluten free food if it has been produced in a dedicated gluten free facility, it is possible to produce safe gluten free food in a shared kitchen as long as you take precautions and follow the proper procedure.

Many people are gluten free and it is important to understand how to safely produce gluten free food in a shared kitchen, even if you are not producing the gluten free product yourself you must be respectful of other gluten free kitchen users. Some gluten free customers may become very ill if they eat food that has been contaminated by gluten, and that is the last thing anyone wants.

I highly recommend the GREAT program by BeyondCeliac for an in-depth training program for foodservice professionals to learn how to safely make gluten-free food in a non-gluten-free environment.
Ingredients to be careful of:
Wheat, Barley, Rye and Malt are the main sources of gluten, however other products that you might not suspect can also contain gluten so you must be careful to read the labels on all of your ingredients when you are cooking gluten free items. Some of the usual culprits include, Spices, Soy Sauce, Oats, and Soups.

Preventing Cross Contamination:
Sanitation is crucial to gluten free food production. Bleach or another sanitizing agent must be used before and after each kitchen use on all surfaces including but not limited to: tabletops, sinks, sink handles, faucets, refrigerator doors etc.(basically anything that you may have touched with gluten). It is important that all kitchen users understand this process and carefully clean up after themselves.

Separate equipment is ideal for gluten free food production. United Kitchen has dedicated gluten free utensils, bowls, pans, mixers, and ovens. Gluten free equipment is kept in an area away from the regular equipment to prevent contamination. Kitchen users who handle flour and other gluten ingredients must be aware that they cannot use the gluten free equipment and know not to go near the gluten free area while wearing an apron with flour or other messy gluten ingredients on it.

Another important thing to remember is that you must wait 24 hours for flour to settle out of the air. This is something you must be aware of when using a shared kitchen, the manager must keep track of when gluten-free vendors are using the kitchen so that there is enough time for the flour to settle and to sanitize all surfaces.