Is Carbquik/Carbalouse worth buying?

[Grammy G]

I've read mixed reviews on this product. I wondered if you ladies had any opinions? And if you liked the product could you share the best recipes?

Thank you! I'm so thankful for this forum

Georgene

[PaminKY]

I have to say no to this for the simple reason that they contain wheat. I have used them in the past but they can have a bit of an aftertaste that a lot of people don't like.

If you do decide to try them you can find a lot of recipes in the Recipe Help & Suggestions forum on this board. Check out the sticky at the top with recipes from KevinPa. He used both those ingredients quite a bit with a lot of success.

Also in that forum check out the loooog thread about Fantastic Flour Mix. This is what I mainly use now and I can honestly say it's the best low-carb bake mix ever and I've tried a bunch.

[CindyCRNA]

I second the aftertaste and many (me) had issues with GI with it. I second the Fantastic Flour thread.

[gharkness]

Originally Posted by Grammy G

I've read mixed reviews on this product. I wondered if you ladies had any opinions? And if you liked the product could you share the best recipes?

Thank you! I'm so thankful for this forum

Georgene

Wow, I really had to do a double-take on this! Are you Georgene, too? Feels very strange - any time I EVER see my name I know it's me. But ---this was you, not me!

Welcome, but I see you're not new! Maybe it's the first time you've used your first name (that I've seen)?

Georgene (too)

[ravenrose]

first off, before you pay attention to the nuances, they are VERY DIFFERENT THINGS. I would say virtually NO ONE uses carbalose. It is pretty high carb and not that "worth it" compared to other more modern ingredients. you have to mix it with a bunch of other things and tweak away to use it.

Carbquik could be useful for someone unwilling to learn to mix her own flour blend for recipes. It's not really very good, but it's possibly better than nothing and CERTAINLY better than reverting to high carb baking.

I find the wheat part of carbalose a problem. I don't understand it, because I don't have other symptoms of gluten problems, but for me it packs on weight completely out of proportion to either its carbs or calories. *sigh*

[Grammy G]

Originally Posted by gharkness

Wow, I really had to do a double-take on this! Are you Georgene, too? Feels very strange - any time I EVER see my name I know it's me. But ---this was you, not me!

Welcome, but I see you're not new! Maybe it's the first time you've used your first name (that I've seen)?

Georgene (too)

:-) I'm not sure if I have ever met someone with the same spelling. Lots of Georgina's but rarely Georgene. My father's name was George and my mother's is Darl(ene). My maiden name was Smith so I only had to spell my first name. So nice to meet you.

[Grammy G]

Thank you all for the info on the Fantastic Flour Mix. I was looking at the recipe last night but it had so many ingredients that I don't have on hand. Do you use it often? Is it worth the expensive?

I also wondered what the most economical place would be to get the Protein Powder and what brand name is the best? I'm always confused what to buy. I also can't eat milk products so I wondered if the egg protein shakes would work instead of the whey?

I also need an inexpensive place to purchase the oat fiber, coconut flour, egg white powder and glucomannan powder. I do have some Xanthum. Could I use it instead of the glucomannan?

You gals are such blessings

Georgene

2 Tbs Oatfiber
2 Tbs coconut flour (60)
1 Tbs vanilla protein powder (30)
1 Tbs eggwhite powder (22)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp glucomannan powder
1 Tbs erythritol (optional)
spices (optional--but is great with pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon)

[rosethorns]

Grammy the BTF mix by Ouizoid is well worth it. Honeyville grain is where I find most of what I need and Netrition. The thread is long but worth reading. Also at the top of this forum is all the recipes from that thread in a sticky.Gina compile everything. Such a good woman. We have also added things to the mix , you will see that when reading the recipes.

You will love it.

[Grammy G]

Thank you so much.

May I ask what your top favorite recipes are using this flour blend? There are so many to choose from.

Georgene

[sligh]

If I only used Carbquik for this recipe (but I use it for a few other things too), I would think it was worth it. This is from Linda Sue's website. And I know there are a lot of recipes for pancakes, but I like the one using Carbquik (recipe on the box) the best.


OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup Carbquik
3 teaspoons Spicy Seasoning Salt or Seasoning Salt
8 chicken thighs, skin on

Place the butter in a 9x13" baking dish and put it in the oven to melt while preheating the oven to 425º. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't start to brown. It should only take a couple minutes. Remove from the oven as soon as the butter has melted and set aside, keeping the butter in the baking dish. Meanwhile, combine the Carbquik and seasoning in a large plastic storage bag. One at a time add the chicken pieces to bag. Close the bag and shake to coat each piece of chicken with the Carbquik mixture. Arrange the chicken in the baking pan, skin-side down, in the melted butter. Bake at 425º 35 minutes; turn the chicken pieces over and bake another 15 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Makes 8 servings
Do not freeeze

Per Serving: 248 Calories; 19g Fat; 18g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 1g Net Carbs



This tastes pretty much like my old Bisquick oven-fried chicken, except I used slightly different seasoning. I don't know if it's from the Carbquik or not, but the crust on the skin got very dark. I think that next time I might try lowering the oven temperature a little and baking it a bit longer and slower or maybe use part oil with the butter. It might also help to turn the chicken sooner because it was already very dark after 35 minutes. My husband said he liked the skin the way it was though. Also, I made 8 very large chicken thighs and I just barely had enough flour mixture to coat them all. Unless you're using small pieces of chicken, I think 3/4 cup of Carbquik would be better. You may not use it all, but it will give you better coverage.

OVEN-FRIED CHICKEN - Linda's Low Carb Menus & Recipes

[Ginaaaaaa]

The only recipe I ever liked using carbquick was the oven fried chicken, but since going wheat free and mostly staying away from processed foods, I haven't bought or used it in a while.

I have to agree with others, the Fantastic Flour Mix now known as Better Than Flour, is the best low carb flour mix I've ever used.

As far as the ingredient list, I buy everything from netrition. Here's the brands I buy in parenthesis. Some people are using pea protein powder in place of the whey, if you're looking for a non dairy option, and its cheaper than protein powder, with no funny tastes. I haven't tried it yet but I plan on getting some with my next order. I have been buying the Deb El egg white powder from my grocery store, I tried the now brand egg white powder but it had a funny taste, but I still have the container of it so I'm thinking about trying it out again in the flour mix. It's so much more economical than the Deb El. Here's my brands in parenthesis, others buy in bulk from Honeyville Grains.

2 Tbs Oatfiber (LifeSource Foods Oat Fiber 500)
2 Tbs coconut flour (60) (Coconut Secret)
1 Tbs vanilla protein powder (30) (I use unflavored Now Protein Powder) but want to try NOW Pea Protein)
1 Tbs egg white powder (22) (Deb El from grocery store, but I have tried Now Egg White Potein Powder, it had a funny taste, may try again)
1/2 tsp baking powder (Bob's Red Mill)
1/2 tsp glucomannan powder (Now brand, but others buy the Konjac brand, you get more for your money)
1 Tbs erythritol (optional) (I leave this out, and add sweetener if needed to a recipe) I use Splenda Liquid called EZ-Sweetz and Global Sweet
Smart Sweet Xylitol).

This is the only flour mix I use now, even in recipes that call for almond flour or coconut flour.

You should check out the sticky thread, it has all the recipes from the original fantastic flour thread, makes it easier to find the recipes.

Fantastic Flour Mix Big Batch & Recipes

[THELOU]

I use both Carbquik and Carbalose all the time. I am not allergic to wheat and don't have a fat belly. (wheat is supposed to be why people have belly fat.) So it works nicely for me. I detwang Carbquik and make biscuits every week. I use Kevins bread and cookie flours. You need to try it if you have no digestion issue and decide for yourself.

[rosethorns]

Originally Posted by Grammy G

Thank you so much.

May I ask what your top favorite recipes are using this flour blend? There are so many to choose from.

Georgene

I made pizza tonight. Best pizza ever, Ginas. Yum I made pie crust, cinnamon muffins , coconut muffins, biscuits, donuts , donut holes,boston creme pie. I forgot chocolate chip cookies. Needless to say i love that mix (Better Than Flour)and I've been low carbing 20 years. Way before it was popular.

[Ginaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Grammy G

Thank you so much.

May I ask what your top favorite recipes are using this flour blend? There are so many to choose from.

Georgene

Here's my favorites.


Yellow Cake A Fantastic Flour Mix

Donut Holes A Fantastic Flour Mix

Pizza Fantastic Flour Mix Big Batch & Recipes

I use this bread to make French Toast A Fantastic Flour Mix

Cinnamon Crumb Cake A Fantastic Flour Mix

I make biscuits too, I measure out 1/4 cup of flour mix and cut in a tbsp of butter, add milk and microwave. I haven't tried making a big batch and baking them but I bet they would be good!!

I really just use this flour mix in place of flour in all my recipes and just add more liquid than the recipe calls for.

I made a yeast pizza crust too, I think it could use just a little more liquid or oil. It's a quick pizza crust so there's no rise time involved. A Fantastic Flour Mix

[Grammy G]

Thank you Gina for your help! I'm excited about the Pea Protein. I used to use Jay Robb's Egg White Protein for shakes but we are living on a lower income now and I can't afford it. I can't wait to order these items and try some of these recipes. Thanks again!

[Grammy G]

Thank you so much Esther! It always helps so much when you find out what others have tried and liked!

[Grammy G]

Thank you for sharing your success. I 'do' have a fat belly. I guess I should do some further research but sure appreciate you sharing what you've learned. Thank you!

[Ginaaaaaa]

Originally Posted by Grammy G

Thank you Gina for your help! I'm excited about the Pea Protein. I used to use Jay Robb's Egg White Protein for shakes but we are living on a lower income now and I can't afford it. I can't wait to order these items and try some of these recipes. Thanks again!

You're welcome, if you need any help or have any questions just ask. I think you will like this flour mix. Just remember that the coconut flour and oat fiber soak up a lot of liquids. I'm finding that I need to use a 1:1 ratio of flour and liquids for most cake and muffin recipes. If you've done much regular baking you will get a feel for what things are suppose to look like and adjust the anount of liquids and eggs. I use this flour mix in place of regular flour recipes with great success.

I've been low carbing for about 7 yrs and this is the best flour substitute I've ever used.

I hope it works for you!!

[Grammy G]

Yay! I can't wait to try it. Thank you so much. I've low carbed for quite a few years. Lost weight.. gained it back.. lost .. gained. I was recently diagnosed as pre-diabetic and the numbers kept rising.. even with using the American Diabetic Diet so I went back to lower carb and slowly the pounds are coming off and the blood sugar numbers are going down. Variety has always been a problem with LC in the past so it's wonderful to have some great recipes to try. Thanks again for you great help! As soon as I can afford to I'll order those products.

[gharkness]

Originally Posted by Grammy G

:-) I'm not sure if I have ever met someone with the same spelling. Lots of Georgina's but rarely Georgene. My father's name was George and my mother's is Darl(ene). My maiden name was Smith so I only had to spell my first name. So nice to meet you.

Indeed! My grandfather was George, and my mother was absolutely convinced I was a boy - this was long before sonograms or DNA testing. My maiden name was Singletary. I was accursed with having to spell them both! Now it's Harkness. I have to tell people "Darkness-with-an-H." I should have married a Smith or Jones. BTW, I am connected on Google+ with about 8 different Georgene's, but we don't chat back and forth much - actually not at all. It's just for the novelty of it.

Back to the topic: I thought I was really doing something wonderful by buying Carbalose. Well, it's just not that great a product and the Fantastic Flour Mix is definitely better, and better for you, too!

[Heidinem]

I agree Carbolose is a horrible tasting product. In an ideal world I wouldnt use Carbquik either. However Carbquik can be an enormous help when you are in a hurry and have to prepare something to eat. I still love impossible pies as long as I replace half of the carbquik with coconut flour.