In this post, I share the ten cooking tools for MCAS. When you have Mast Cell Activation (MCAS) or a health condition that requires a special diet it helps to have some basic cooking tools to make cooking easier. You don’t need to invest a huge amount of money to have useful cooking tools, and I provide ideas for making these key purchases more economical.
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Table of Contents
What is MCAS?
Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) is a chronic condition that affects all organ systems. MCAS is serious and disabling and people with MCAS experience often significant and debilitating symptoms daily, including anaphylaxis, which can be fatal.
MCAS is often found in combination with other chronic conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Frequently healthcare providers do not know about MCAS, and the tests for MCAS are problematic because they are not uniformly reliable. MCAS can be difficult to manage. Treatments include blocking mast cell mediators with anti-histamines and mast cell stabilizers, as well as avoiding triggers.
Instant Pot or stainless steel pressure cooker – My favorite cooking tool is my Instant Pot. It is perfect for quickly poaching meat so that excess histamine is avoided. I also like my Instant Pot for making Lower Histamine Vegetable Broth, I use it every week to hard-cook eggs, and it’s wonderful for soups and stews. The three-quart size is nice for a pot of soup; I wouldn’t go smaller than that, and the larger ones just take up more room in your kitchen. A stainless steel pressure cooker does the same thing, just without the programs and timers. You can definitely get by with a pressure cooker, and I did for decades, but I do love my Instant Pot.
High-speed blender – I love my Vitamix. I wasted a lot of money on other blenders that don’t work as well. This is a spendier purchase but so worth it. I use my Vitamix for making my daily Lower Histamine Protein Shake, for making Pesto and sauces, Lower Histamine Chocolate Ice Cream, and many more things. Vitamix does offer certified reconditioned models at a discount, and I was able to get an additional discount by calling and requesting a medical discount. I don’t see this advertised on their website, but I believe they still offer it. If you have thyroid issues it’s also worth it to get the stainless steel container to avoid plastics.
Mason jars – Mason jars are excellent for storing portioned foods in the freezer, mixing sauces, shaking up ingredients, and even drinking out of. You can spend a lot of money on borosilicate glass storage containers, but I find the lids don’t hold up, and they chip more easily than mason jars. Mason jars are cheap, sturdy, and non-reactive. They are meant to withstand a pressure-canner, and hot/cold extremes, so they are super durable. My favorite size is the wide-mouth pint (16 oz.) for most uses, but I do have quite a few of the 4 oz. size, and quart-size as well. The lids don’t last forever, and you may need to replace them once a year if they start to rust. But for the money, mason jars are a great buy and so practical! Caveat – if you react to base metals like nickel or tin you will want to get lids made of a material you don’t react to.
Stainless steel whisks, sieve, grater, and tongs – These are handy for food prep, non-reactive, and easy to clean. Just don’t use them on your Green Pans!
Green Pan – Green Pan is a brand of ceramic-coated pots and pans. It is ideal for those with chemical sensitivities because they are non-reactive. Green Pans are also non-stick, and so very easy to use. I do recommend hand-washing them because it keeps the ceramic finish nicer for longer. But their website says they can go in the dishwasher. To make it fit a budget you can start with just one pan, and get more as finances allow. The ten-inch fry pan works for a lot of cooking applications.
Glass bowls – Glass bowls are non-reactive and helpful for mixing and combining ingredients for recipes.
Wooden spoons – For Green Pans, you need utensils that won’t damage the ceramic, and wooden spoons do the trick. Some people with MCAS react to nickel, tin, or other base metals, so wood is a nice option, especially bamboo.
Sheet pan – A sheet pan is key for making roasted vegetables and for tray-bake recipes. You can either get a stainless steel sheet pan, which is non-reactive or purchase one in a material like aluminum and then line it with baking paper or a Silpat. Here is a pretty basic option.
Muffin tin – A muffin tin usually comes with six or twelve depressions for baking muffin batter. For this tool, you don’t need to invest in the highest quality pan material because you can use muffin liners. So, look for a nice quality muffin pan at a used goods store, or purchase one from Aldi. Aldi’s offerings change weekly, so it sometimes takes a while to find what you need. But Aldi has nice lines of both silicone and enameled baking pans. Ikea also sells inexpensive muffin pans.
Silicone lids – As I discuss in this post, silicone is non-reactive, so it is a great material for cooking. You can use them for baking, braising, frying, and covering dishes in the microwave. I like this set of silicone lids from Ikea because they are pretty inexpensive and cover a variety of pot and pan sizes. Ikea also sells individual silicone lids.
The bucket theory
The bucket theory offers a helpful analogy for understanding symptom reactions with MCAS.
Think of your body as an empty bucket that you want to keep from overflowing. Different foods and activities fill your histamine bucket at different speeds but they combine to form the total level of histamine in your body (how full your bucket is). A fuller bucket means you have more histamine symptoms. When you manage triggers, reduce exposure to known triggers, and take medications and supplements to reduce histamine, you can manage the level of your bucket.
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What do you think of these cooking tools for MCAS?
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