On sharing a kitchen...

So I've been doing a lot of back and forth to visit my parents. And have been trying not to really eat there, because its difficult. You don't realise how many times something gets rinsed and put away, or dusted off.

I can see the cake crumbs for miles, from my dad's angel food cake. They are ALL over the kitchen. My mom rinses containers out quickly, or lids off, and puts food in (I'm not saying my mom isn't neat, she is, but when it comes to contamination, you get paranoid very quickly).

I get a little proactive, with serving myself first, putting serving spoons in everything, not using the toaster, etc, etc. But sharing a kitchen can be very hazardous. Take honey or peanut butter, for example. Someone is spreading honey on an English muffin...they reach in with the crumby knife... and voila! Contamination. No honey in my tea. And you can't always, especially in a family home, have individual jars labeled 'gluten-free', because its not practical. Take butter..you sometimes put a dollop of butter on your veggies, right? nope. None for me, thanks.

Wash the knives before you use them. I am thinking of at least getting a gluten-free cutting board, and mark it as such, for up there.

So if you have to share a kitchen, either designate a gluten-free area, or a couple necessary gluten-free prep surfaces. Or else, there were disposable cutting boards a few years ago...horrible for the planet, yes, but maybe a lifesaver for something like this. Keep the gluten-free items as seperate as possible. Have a seperate shelf. A seperate toaster or a toaster oven (toaster ovens are safer because they are easier to clean out or to put the item on foil to protect it) Mark everything clearly. And serve yourself first at family meals.