Archive for category Products
Taste Testing Pillsbury Pizza Dough!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on October 28, 2014
The Product
Before you get excited, I’ll confirm that Pillsbury gluten-free pizza dough is not yet available in Canada. However, hopefully their recent Canadian launch of other gluten-free products has done well enough that they’ll consider bringing it here.
I picked up a 360-gram tub of Pillsbury gluten-free pizza dough at Whole Foods Market while in the U.S. recently for $3.99.
The Test
We had friends over unexpectedly on the weekend, so I decided this was a good time to try out the new dough. I prepared and baked it pretty much as instructed: cut the dough ball in half, flattened each piece into a pizza shape, par-baked it for 11 minutes, added toppings, and baked for about 5 more minutes. The only thing different was that I didn’t flip it between the two baking steps since I had put it in the pan incorrectly the first time (with the crust part up instead of down).
We made a classic margherita-style pizza with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning, as well as a caramelized onion and bacon pizza.
New Finds at Costco!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on September 23, 2014
We visited Costco Bayers Lake for a change this weekend and picked up a couple of great certified gluten-free finds that we wanted to share with you.
The first item was a two-pack of Essential Baking Company gluten-free bread. We paid $8.99 for two loaves of their Super Seeded Multi-Grain bread. The best part is that each loaf is in its own vacuum-sealed bag, and they don’t have to be frozen (or even refrigerated) until opened, or January 2015!
Taste Testing O’Doughs Bagel Thins!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on September 10, 2014
The Product
Bagels are one of the few things that I really miss. Over the past five years, I’ve tried almost every brand on the market. Udi’s bagels are OK, but the nutritional information is horrific: add peanut butter to your morning bagel and you’re basically consuming a Big Mac. Other brands taste like wet cardboard, or just bread in a weird shape.
Luckily, over a year ago I heard about O’Doughs Bagel Thins. I did see them at Jane’s Gluten Free in Moncton this spring, but I didn’t pick any up and have been kicking myself ever since. Luckily, we spotted them at Pete’s Frootique in Halifax last weekend thanks to a sampling event!
The Test
At Pete’s Frootique, we got to try the sprouted whole grain flax and apple cranberry flavours, toasted and with ghee on top. I also purchased a six-pack of the sprouted whole grain flax bagel thins for $6.99. Here’s what my breakfast looked like the next day:
Taste Testing Pillsbury Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on August 15, 2014
The Product
Last summer, Pillsbury announced that they were adding gluten-free products to their lineup. Last month, the chocolate chip cookie dough and pie dough were brought to Canada! We picked up some of the cookie dough at Sobeys:
The tub you see here cost $5.49, which is double the price of their regular cookie dough (ouch!).
The Test
The first, and most important test, was how it tasted right out of the tub. (Isn’t that the best part of making cookies?)
Great Deals at Chops Meat Market!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in News, Products on July 24, 2014
A reader recently tipped us off to the great gluten-free options at the new Chops Meat Market in Burnside. (They’re located at the very bottom of Wright Avenue in the black and red building behind the Ultramar on Windmill Road.) One look at the recent deals on their Facebook page and we knew we had to pay them a visit!
Although you could tell that they are still getting organized and getting stock in, we were pretty impressed at the selection of meats and gluten-free items. Things that caught our eye included:
Gluten-Free Pillsbury Products Coming to Canada!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on July 17, 2014
Yesterday, Pillsbury announced that they will start distributing their gluten-free products in Canada in August 2014. Two products will be available to start with: chocolate chip cookie dough and pie/pastry dough.
According to their new Canadian website, it looks like distribution will start in Ontario and Quebec with some availability on the East Coast. The website also has recipes and coupons!
If you’re anxious to try this new product out, Jane’s Gluten-Free in Moncton already has stock! We’re hoping to see it in major grocery stores as well, and will post a review once we’ve had a chance to try it out. We’d like to hear your experiences with this product, too!
Taste Testing Cup 4 Cup Flour!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on June 2, 2014
Several weeks ago, I finally managed to snag a bag of Cup 4 Cup flour at Jane’s Gluten-Free Foods in Moncton. (We purchased their regular gluten-free flour blend, but Jane’s also offers their pizza crust mix and a pancake/waffle mix.) I’ve heard great things about this flour but this was the first time I’d seen it in Canada. This blend is made up of the usual ingredients (cornstarch, white and brown rice flour, milk powder, tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum), but it promises a smooth texture and the ability to substitute it one-for-one for regular wheat flour. My hopes were high, especially since the three-pound bag cost $19.99.
I decided to test it out on my mom’s chocolate chip recipe, which is quite similar to the one on the bag of Cup 4 Cup flour.
Jane’s Gluten-Free Foods is Worth the Drive
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in Products on May 23, 2014
I’ll be honest: I’m not a huge fan of health and natural food stores. Sure, they might have some gluten-free stuff, but it’s often super expensive and so health-ified that no normal person would want to consume it. Because of this, I haven’t made too much of an effort to get to Moncton to visit Jane’s Gluten-Free Foods.
However, we passed through Moncton on our way to the United States last week, and I finally decided to stop in. Am I ever sorry that I didn’t make it up sooner! The entire store is gluten-free with lots of vegan, vegetarian, organic, and dairy-free options. You’ll find brands that you recognize as well as lots of unique items. I’ve never seen a bigger selection of Udi’s products in one place! As well, the store is extremely clean and well-organized, making it easy to find what you’re looking for.
I wished that we were going right home so that I could really stock up. However, I eventually decided on the following items:
- Schar’s cheese puffs
- Cup 4 Cup flour
- Bakery on Main granola bars
- Rudi’s plain tortillas
Most of these brands are very hard to find in Canada – I usually drive to Bangor for Schar’s products, for example.
The best place to get information about what Jane’s is currently carrying is on Facebook or Twitter. They have a new website, too, that’s just getting set up. If you make the trip, we’d love to hear what kind of goodies you bring back!
Costco Eliminating Gluten-Free Products from Nova Scotian Shelves
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in General Information, Products, Rants on April 27, 2014
I’ve posted a few times about the great gluten-free options at our Costco stores in Dartmouth and Halifax, including pizza, pastas, crackers, deli meats, and pretzels. Last year, we visited Costco stores in Calgary and Edmonton and saw even more gluten-free options. We were excited, thinking that this meant more gluten-free options were coming our way.
Unfortunately, the opposite is true. The Bayers Lake and Dartmouth Costco stores have stopped selling Breton gluten-free crackers, gluten-free pasta, and even some types of quinoa. Who knows what products will get the axe next. It’s hard to believe that last fall people were told that there would be a gluten-free section in the Bayers Lake Costco!
This is even more disappointing considering that posts that I’ve seen recently on Facebook and Twitter indicate this is not part of Costco’s overall strategy. Some Costco stores in the United States now carry supersized loaves of Udi’s bread. The Costco in Quebec carries Glutenberg beer.
If you’re disappointed in Costco’s decision too, please fill out a comment card the next time you’re at the store and put it in their suggestion box. We’ve been told that this box is emptied and read daily and that the store does listen to suggestions. We’ll keep you up to date with any developments!
Results are in From the Great Gluten-Free Beer Experiment!
Posted by glutenfree4hfx in News, Products on March 16, 2014
It can be hard to find good gluten-free beer. Brands that are 100% gluten-free use grains like sorghum, rice, buckwheat, quinoa, and millet. Unfortunately, it can be hard to mimic the taste of “real” beer without the flavour of barley. (Montréal-based Glutenberg is our favourite, and pretty easy to find in Nova Scotia. Other parts of the country and the U.S. have far more options, such as Mongozo, Green’s, and New Planet.)
Another, more controversial, method of making gluten-free beer is to make beer in the traditional way (with barley) and then treat it to remove the gluten. U.S.-based brewery Omission does this, as well as the Spanish brewery Estrella Damm Daura. Both take great lengths to assure consumers of the safety of their products: Estrella Damm Daura is marketed as “suitable for Celiacs” and Omission tests each batch and puts the results on each bottle, with a QR code that takes you to a more detailed report.
Some Celiacs feel that it’s dangerous to consume anything that originally contained gluten, but there are other products (like wheat glucose and blue cheese) that are manufactured to remove gluten. What sold me on Omission is their Celiac CEO, who has been testing their products for years.
Michael recently started making homemade beer and decided to look into how Omission makes their beer gluten-free.
Gluten For Punishment 