Sharing a Kitchen with your Roommate

Sharing a kitchen might conjure homey images of collaborative meals cooked with good friends. Or does it make you think of stealing food from the fridge and the dirty dishes that won’t go away?
You can make your apartment kitchen a happy place for you and your roommate; just follow these tips.

Set some ground rules
You don’t have to be hard about kitchen do’s and don’ts, just clear. Before you and your roommate move in together, take the time to set up the ground rules. Decide how the meals will be prepared, for instance. If you are friendly enough, with schedules that cooperate, you and your apartment roommate may want to do meals together or pick a night of the week where you can. On the other hand, you might absolutely want to do your own kitchen thing for every meal.
You’ll want to be clear on whether you’ll be sharing food expenses. And if there are dietary issues, such as food allergies or vegetarianism, get those issues worked out at the beginning.

Who buys what?
Food ownership is one of the stickiest issues when it comes to sharing a kitchen. In most roommate situations there is usually one person who eats something “different.” That could be a special brand or a specific kind of diet. In these instances, it’s a good idea to do separate grocery runs and consider sharing expenses on uncontroversial food items. Items that go bad or stale quickly, like milk and bread, are good to share.
If you happen to find yourself in total food harmony with your apartment roommate, go ahead and divide up the grocery bill and the task of shopping. Just try not to scarf all of the peanut butter.

Sharing tools and equipment
As in any relationship, you and your roommate will probably come to the arrangement armed with a few of your favorite tools. You’ll both want to be careful if there are certain pans, appliances, cutting boards or utensils that shouldn’t come in contact with specific foods. Maybe you’ve got an heirloom cast-iron skillet, or your roommate treasures a top-of-the-line food processor. Do you trust your roommate not to ruin the 100-year finish on the skillet when washing up, and can you handle the bells and whistles of her expensive small appliance? Be honest with each other up front to avoid future tears and/or bloodshed.
Excited about sharing a kitchen with your apartment roommate? You should be! The kitchen space can be a comfortable place to catch up after a long day, over some good food. Just be sure to get your kitchen issues out early and create a happy space for chatting and chewing.