The invention provides methods of testing food for antigens that are more stable to food processing than more clinically problematic allergens from the same food. When clinically- significant allergens are disproportionately broken down by common preparation methods, the presence of certain food ingredients may be "masked" to some tests yet may still be allergenic. To prevent false negative results due to food preparation, the invention provides tests that test for specific food antigens that are selected on the basis of their stability under processing. Antigens are selected for inclusion in the test not because they are the most clinically relevant allergens, but rather because they are robust to processing (e.g., and do not denature during cooking). Tests of the invention may also test for the most clinically relevant allergens, but importantly, by testing for stable protein products/ antigens, the tests report the presence of food residues even after commercial processing.