Pasta You Can Sink Your Teeth Into

To those for whom al dente pasta with fresh tomato sauce and grated parmesan is sheer perfection, there is life after wheat. Bionaturae organic gluten free penne rigate makes for an authentic pasta moment. For anyone who has been craving pasta on a wheat-free diet this Bionaturae pasta is nothing short of a revelation. The key is to keep the water boiling as it cooks, stir regularly and do not rinse after draining this rice, potato and soy-based pasta. Sauce and serve immediately, and happy customers will ensue.

Rating: !!!

We'll Pass on these Gluten Free Breakfast Bars

Putting together a decent wheat-free breakfast in a hurry is a big challenge. So we were quite excited to see Glutino's Gluten Free Breakfast Bars on the shelf at our local health food emporium. Unfortunately, the blueberry variety we chose to try was a big disappointment. "Tasted like a gross fig newton," said one taster, who is a big fan of blueberries and breakfast bars and fig newtons.

Rating: Thumbs Down

These Pretzels Passed the Teen-Taste-Test

No group of people on the planet are better at detecting phony, wheat-free foods than teenage girls. So when we placed a bowl of Glutino Gluten Free Pretzel Twists in front of three of them in full after-school food-forage mode, we were skeptical. Hallelujia, these pretzels were embraced by all three, two of whom even told their moms about it, which is to say they want to eat these snacks at home, even though they don't have to. Free of gluten, wheat, mik, casein and eggs, Glutino uses corn and potato startch to somehow fashion perfect pretzels. Of course we gave them carrot sticks with hummus to pimp the nutrient content of their snacking hour. But we had them at the pretzels.

Rating: !!!

For Pizza-holics

Discovered in the freezer section at Wholefoods, Gillian's Wheat, Gluten & Dairy Free Pizza Dough uses white rice flour, tapioca flour and soy flour to very nearly approximate the sublime dough from our favorite New York City pizza joint. We rolled it into breadsticks, brushed it with olive oil and sprinkled Kosher salt on top before popping into the oven for what seemed like an excrutiatingly long 12 minutes as the smell of warm crust began to permeate the kitchen. When it was done, any doubts we had left were put to rest with the first bite. Crunchy on the outside, doughy on the inside and comforting as a warm bath on a frigid night. Admittedly, there was a hint of an aftertaste, but that didn't stop these breadsticks from disappearing. Gillian's dough is equally as satisfying when topped with tomato sauce and cheese, but when you're really after the crust, why dilute the experience?

Rating: !!

If Aunt Jemima Had Celiacs

She would have come up with Arrowhead Mills, Organic Gluten Free Pancake & Baking Mix, which uses a combination of rice and corn flour, potato and tapioca starch to produce the kind of fluffy, scrumptious pancakes that make Saturday mornings perfect. Unlike many other gluten free flours, this one yields zero aftertaste, the pancakes are light, springy to the touch and with a golden crust on the surface. They left our house smelling just like we'd made Aunt Jemima's own, which in a wheat-free life is a dream come true. The package says it can be used for baking...we're salivating at the thought of Tollhouse cookies in the oven.

Rating: !!!