What a great question. YES! I have a list of ‘don’t be fooled’ within the condiments department. Keeping in mind, I live in Canada and the products I mention below would need to be cross checked in the US. for a different ingredient list. So, here it is, the items that have caught me off guard.

1. Ketchup - for us it is ‘Heinz no other kinds‘. We’ve tried the generic brands and they don’t pass.
2. Mayonnaise - note, salad dressing and mayonnaise are different. We are fine with Helman’s Real Mayonnaise.
3. Peanut Butter. I believe it must be the icing sugar that is a hidden source of gluten - but there are a few brands now available that say Gluten Free on the packaging and these are fine.
4. Spices. I mentioned this in another post that spices, whether bought on their own or labeled as an ingredient can be a hidden source of gluten.
5. Worcestershire Sauce in Canada is definitely different than in the US. In Canada, it is not gluten free.

The rest of this list would not really be categorized as condiments, but the items below are also on my ‘proceed with caution’ list.

6. Flavored coffee. We pretty much stay true to coffee in its purest sense without the added flavor as they often contain wheat. Hot chocolate is another one that often contains wheat. I’ve looked for Swiss Miss in our area which I’ve heard is gluten free, but it doesn’t seem to be available.
7. Candy. In this house, we all have sweet teeth ;) Finding gluten free candy is a challenge, but we all love M&Ms and these are clean in Canada.

There are so many other items that could be listed but I’ll cut it short there. To answer the question raised by Kayo, yes, most definitely condiments, as everything else, can be hidden sources of gluten.

Condiments can be tricky. The biggest barrier is going to be caramel color, natural flavors, and the type of vinegar used.

Ketchup - Simply Heinz all the way. No high fructose corn syrup, free of gluten, and absolutely delicious

Mustard - I haven't had much success with mustard. The white distilled vinegar used is still questionable for me (sometimes it comes from wheat or barley, Heinz claims their vinegar is from corn...I just don't know.), but Annie's Organics uses apple cider vinegar in numerous of their mustards with all natural ingredients.

GF Soy Sauce - A couple of options here. I really enjoy the Tamari GF soy sauce. The flavor is really good and measures out just like normal soy sauce. You may also try liquid aminos, a really cool new product available that is low in sodium, free of gluten, and tastes just like soy sauce. I've used it a couple of times for a soy sauce substitute with my sushi at Whole Foods, and it is really great. It's just a matter of personal preference.

Mayo - I think the thing I've learned about mayo is to just make it yourself. My boyfriend loves mayo and buying the fancy organic kind gets really expensive. To make it yourself is really really easy and cheap.

Ingredients:

2 egg yolks
1 cup of vegetable or canola oil
1 tsp. of ground mustard seed or a squirt of Dijon mustard
1 tsp. of lemon juice
A pinch of salt

1. Whisk the egg yolks together for about 2 minutes until the are fully integrated and a bit sticky.

2. Add in the mustard, salt, and lemon juice, whisking continuously for about another 30 seconds.

3. The emulsification. Slowly drizzle in the oil, whisking continuously (you may want a little help the first couple of times, just to ease the process). You'll visually see the mayo come together. It should form into nice thick peaks.

Very simple and the best tasting mayo you'll ever eat.

- Katrina