What Going Gluten Free Does to Your Kitchen

For years, I was the type of person who didn't even have her own blender. My kitchen appliances consisted of a stove, fridge, microwave, a crock pot, and a toaster oven that was a gift from my parents. (I'd have bought a regular toaster.) I had a spice rack filled with spices, which was also a gift, and went mostly unused for over a decade. My hand-held mixers were used for cookies maybe two or three times a year, if that. After living on my own for about 7 years, I also sprang for a rice cooker.

Going gluten- and dairy-free changed all of that. Yes, Willow is also dairy-free now. Turns out casseine doesn't agree with her. We were soy free for a while, but she has grown out of it, which made our lives incrementally easier.

In trying to keep Willow's life as normal as possible, I have acquired an entire kitchen-full of implements. I am now the proud owner of a blender, an automatic mixer with different attachments, a salad spinner, an electric orange juicer, a much larger crock pot, and most surprisingly of all, canning supplies. Yup. I canned my own strawberry preserves last weekend. The only thing missing was the flowery apron with lace around it. (I have an apron, but it's black with a picture of a parrot saying "Forget the cracker, Polly wants wine!")

The amount of purchases I've made for my kitchen in the past two years is something I don't really like to contemplate. I've added utensils, baking pans, candy pans, food thermometers, and a rack-and-pan combo for this year's Thanksgiving turkey.

I've used spices I'd never even heard of before, created no less than four pumpkin pies from scratch, made gluten-free play-dough for Willow's school, and discovered delicious ways to cook jicama, yucca root, jerusalem artichokes, kale, cabbage, and fennel. I've even grated fresh ginger for recipes instead of converting it to the dried, ground stuff.

This diet is life-changing, and yes, a little scary at first. But I would also say it can be very enriching. I have a whole new skill set that I'd never imagined having. I really enjoy meeting other people who are starting out on this diet and helping them make the transition. My grocery store trips are now worry-free since I know what to look for and feel comfortable making judgement calls on what to try and what to avoid.

Yes, my kitchen is now a perpetual disaster zone, with more appliances than I have counter-space. Yes, it often feels as though I will never see the bottom of my sink ever again, and that my stove-top will forever be stained. But the oddest thing happened when going gluten-free: I found I get a huge sense of accomplishment from trying a new recipe and succeeding at it. I like cooking now. Go figure.