New Recruit Has Nut Allergy Concern Help

[nancycookspc]

I have a new recuit, she has a daughter VERY allergic to nuts.
She is concerned about recipes, and making recipes.
For example- choc chips are made on the same equip as nuts so it may contain. She does not use then and would be reluctant to use them in a hosts home.

Any suggestions?

I know we have gloves, so that may help.

What about dirty dishes?


I am sure someone out there has kids allergic HOW do YOU handle it w/ PC????

 

[wadesgirl]

She can pick recipes she's comfortable with and then provide the ingredients. That way she knows what she's working with. It's all a tax write off also. She should be open and honest with her hosts about serving anything with nuts in it.

 

[chef131doreen]

she can keep away from nuts at her shows.
there are so many other recipes she can do
and she can wash all of her dishes at the host house

I don't do too many nuts cause there may be guests at the show that either can't have them or don't like them

 

[ChefBeckyD]

What if her kit was for show use only, and she didn't use them for preparing foods at home?
Wash her dishes at the show, and pack them back in her kit to be ready for the next show.

 

[wadesgirl]

What if her kit was for show use only, and she didn't use them for preparing foods at home?
Wash her dishes at the show, and pack them back in her kit to be ready for the next show.

I do this only because it completely convienent for me. My kit is all packed and ready to go for every show!

 

[DebbieJ]

What if her kit was for show use only, and she didn't use them for preparing foods at home?
Wash her dishes at the show, and pack them back in her kit to be ready for the next show.

That was going to be my suggestion.

 

[wadesgirl]

You know, some how I missed the "daughter" part and thought you were talking about the host!

 

[RossDeb2]

Yes, this is such a scary thing. I have a son that is highly allegic to peanuts. Way too many trips to the emergency room. I, as a rule, do not offer recipes that contain peanuts and/or products that may contain. It takes an extra bit of planning, but it never causes a problem. Host are definitely willing to work with this issue. I have found that a lot of people do not like nuts anyway, so it is not a problem. My child, and his saftey, come first. There are also substitutions, like crushed pretzels, that can be put in place of. These changes can also be offered in a positive light, an extra tip for guests to learn. Allergies are very common place these days, but never take chances. I would bring all of the ingredients instead of trusting that hosts are able to find all of the "nut free" products. Takes the stress off of them and the recruit. Use it as a write off or get reimbursed.

 

[HockeyLover]

One of the directors in my cluster has children with nut allergies. She will NOT make recipes that use nuts, with no exceptions. The oils from peanuts stay on your hands even after you wash them.

Tell your recruit to explain to her hosts about the allergy. I can't imagine anyone having a problem with it.

 

[pampered2007]

I have a cooking show where the daughter of the host is allergic to nuts and peanut butter. I was planning on making the Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies and substituting extra chocolate or pretzels for the nuts in the recipe. I didn't think about choc. chips being made on the same equipment used to make nuts. Maybe I should choose another one?

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I have a cooking show where the daughter of the host is allergic to nuts and peanut butter. I was planning on making the Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies and substituting extra chocolate or pretzels for the nuts in the recipe. I didn't think about choc. chips being made on the same equipment used to make nuts. Maybe I should choose another one?

Check with your host. Have her buy the ingredients....there are products out there you can buy that aren't made where nuts are processed, and if there is an allergy, she will know which to buy.

 

[wadesgirl]

I have a cooking show where the daughter of the host is allergic to nuts and peanut butter. I was planning on making the Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies and substituting extra chocolate or pretzels for the nuts in the recipe. I didn't think about choc. chips being made on the same equipment used to make nuts. Maybe I should choose another one?

Pretzels are wonderful for this recipe! You still get the crunchy and salty taste. I personally think nuts ruin chocolate.

 

[Intrepid_Chef]

My nephew has a life-threatening allergy to peanuts and tree nuts ... so this is a very scary issue.

First of all, I would never bake anything with nuts on my stoneware .... that makes it impossible for her to use the stone at home because the nut oils stay on the stone.

Never heard of the chocolate chip thing and I'm sure my sister would have warned me about this as many times as I've sent cookies to her house (segregated with nuts and no nuts.) One year I tried to substitute choc chips for nuts in russian tea cookies and it so did not work ...

She may want to buy ingredients for her host so she knows which ones won't "contaminate" her stone. Also, this issue will make her more sensitive to guests who may have similar allergies.

 

[aPamperedBride]

I have a cooking show where the daughter of the host is allergic to nuts and peanut butter. I was planning on making the Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies and substituting extra chocolate or pretzels for the nuts in the recipe. I didn't think about choc. chips being made on the same equipment used to make nuts. Maybe I should choose another one?

Not so much for the Warm Nutty Caramel Brownies, but the peanut butter torte or the Taffy Apple pizza...Find Sunbutter instead of peanut butter! SUNBUTTER - Genuine Red River Sunflower Butter for more info. If you have Trader Joe's in your area, they private label it as Sunflower Seed Butter. I have found the Sunbutter brand at Central Market, Kroger and Target, so there should be a store in your area with it. My husband is allergic to peanut butter and was thrilled to discover this stuff after 20 years w/o peanut butter. (He loved it as a kid until his mother discovered that's what was making him sick.) I make him "sunbutter cups" instead of peanut butter cups, he uses it in sandwiches, etc. We found the product 4 years ago while vacationing in CA and it took 3 years before we could buy it locally, but it is becoming more commonplace now.

Most people have to be severely allergic to worry about items made in a facility that also produces nut products, but certainly, it can be best to have the host find ingredients she is comfortable with, or for the consultant with the daughter, to bring the ingredients herself. She can offer it as a service to her hosts and have them reimburse her since they are getting the $15 credit for the ingredients. (Certainly if the product she buys costs extra b/c of manufacturing, I would encourage her to write that part off rather than passing it through to the host.)

As others have said, you do not want to cross-contaminate the stones if the allergy is severe. My husband has an Epi-pen but his allergy is not severe enough to worry about the manufacturing equipment in a plant. He just has to avoid direct contact with the nut or nut flavoring.

 

[merego]

I am allergic to nuts and I tell all my hosts about my allergy when choosing a recipe, they are always very kind about it. No one wants to have the paramedics show up because their consultant had an allergic reaction while demo'ing.
I buy all my ingrediants and have the host reimburse me also.
Agree with the sunbutter~ Apamperedbride is talking about
Good luck.

 

[AnnieBee]

For those of you who know people/have hosts with nut allergies, the chocolate chip issue *can definitely* be a big deal, depending on the severity of the allergy, but it is easy to find OK ones. You just have to check the package to see if they are processed with nuts. And keep re-checking; Nestle semi-sweet used to be OK, now they are not. Hershey's were OK last time I checked. If is not OK it will say that it is processed on equipment with nuts, if it says nothing right after the ingredient list it should be OK.

And segregating cookies nuts/no nuts or putting nuts on half of something is often NOT okay for someone with a bad allergy. MY SIL requests no nut containing items at all at family gatherings, as some of a dish/cookie with nuts (even crumbs falling or a spoon being passed from one dish to another) might get into and contaminate something her son eats that is "officially" nut free.

Also, for those of you that don't know, most people with peanut allergies are also highly allergic to tree nuts (eg almonds, pecans, walnuts etc etc) and often also certain seeds, so be sure to check.

Hope this is helpful, I don't mean to be condescending, but not everyone knows what it really means to keep a recipe peanut/tree nut free - I know I didn't until my nephew came along !