Xanthan Gum

[krispysky]

Hi people!

I used xanthan gum in several of my Atkins-friendly recipes for Thanksgiving. I keep getting sleeepy after I eat leftovers now...I can't think of anything else in my recipes that would cause this except the xanthan gum. It is made from corn, but most recipes call for less than 1tsp. I can't figure out if this is the culprit or maybe something else? Could the tryptophan in the turkey really make you that sleepy?

[JulieB]

Re: Xanthan Gum

Try it again without the turkey...that should tell you

There are other thickeners available that contain other gums, such as guar gum. If you find the that you do react to the xanthan gum, you could try another kind. I recently bought 2 kinds, the xanthan gun & some thick/not thin (which is several gums, including xanthan) and am really liking being able to thicken sauces again

Given the price of these products, I would give the xanthan gum at least one more try (but that's me)

[krispysky]

Re: Xanthan Gum

Try it again without the turkey...that should tell you

Seriously! I should have thought of that one . I posted this when I was in my dizzy trance!

I will try it again in something tonight--but right before bed time, just in case!

I think it's an awesome product to be able to thicken stuff so easily--and with so little!

[JulieB]

Re: Xanthan Gum

Yes, I'm really enjoying it...stir-frys etc, here we come!

[dcketcham]

Re: Xanthan Gum

heck, i cant even find the gum to try to use in any of my recipies... so that makes it easier!

[JulieB]

Re: Xanthan Gum

heck, i cant even find the gum to try to use in any of my recipies... so that makes it easier!

I picked up the xanthan gum in a local health-food store. I ordered the other one online.

[mizski]

Re: Xanthan Gum

I also bought my xanthan gum at my local natural market (health food store). Haven't tried it yet though and I forgot all about it when I made my turkey gravy at Thanksgiving.

I've become used to thin sauce rather than thick gravies now and have been using some pureed veggies and/or canned pumpkin to give gravies/sauces a little more oomph.

On Linda Sue's recipes she warns that using too much xanthan gum can make the gravies slimy textured. Ewwww. Still want to try it though...it WOULD be nice to have something that didn't immediately fall straight down to the plate...