Tomorrow I will be moving into Mike’s parents basement. Mike wants to go back to school full time and in an effort to save money so he can do so, and so we have money for our future, we decided this is the best option. It’s their bottom two levels with a good amount of room and two bathrooms…The only issue?
THERE IS NO KITCHEN…
We will be sharing the kitchen for cooking and prep space, although storage of our food (cold and otherwise) will be downstairs and is limited. His parents have been incredibly inviting saying we can use it whenever we want. I know this doesn’t leave us entirely without a kitchen but it does open up some issues that I feel I will run into as a gluten free foodie. Have any of you ever been in a similar situation? With that said, I Need Your Help. I have been thinking about the lay out and process of cooking over there and while I have my own answers to my questions I am seeking my readers enlightenment into how to handle these issues. I’m curious how others have handled similar situations.
Here they are:
1. We will have two mini fridges and part of a freezer as our storage for fresh and refrigerated food. This is the least space we have had and I am not sure how to organize in that amount of space. How often should I shop? What should I eliminate? What is the best way to organize?
2. The kitchen is upstairs but the fridges, freezer and dry food/spices storage is downstairs. How should I transport items since I cant carry too much due to a back injury? What would be the best suggestions on cooking so I am not running constantly up and down the stairs?
3. I know I will be uncomfortable for the first bit actually using their kitchen thus: What are some suggestions for fresh things I can eat without having to cook? What are some suggestions for cooking with a microwave or toaster oven? Do you have any links or recipes you could suggest?
4. How does one entertain gluten free style in a small space? What about across contamination (we have our own cookware)?
I began my gluten free life when I was living independently and thus I stocked my own kitchen and cooked my own food, or was in the same room when it was being prepared. I knew everything about what was being made and found that comforting and confidence building. His family has said they would like to cook meals for us and share some food items and while I am making them aware of how to tell if something is gf and how to prepare it this worries me because it is taking a bit of my comfort away.
This leads me to the most important question:
How does one with dietary restrictions relinquish a bit of their control over their food? How does one relax and trust someone else who is caring enough to prepare you food based on your dietary restrictions? Finally how do you discuss this without being offensive or controlling?
These are all the questions running through my mind and input or thoughts you may have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance readers!
Celtic Celiac @ http://celtic-celiac.blogspot.com/
Oh boy, that’s quite a tough situation! I have supper at my mom-in-law every 2 weeks or so, and even though she’s very careful it’s still a nerve-wrecking experience for me.
You’ll definitely need to give Mike’s parents some lessons on cooking gluten-free, if they’re cooking for you they’ll need to know what spices they can’t use, they’ll need to check all ingredients very carefully. I hope you don’t have any other intolerances like soy?
Are they really prepared for cooking gluten-free? Do they realise most food needs to be cooked from scratch, the good old fashioned way, with some help from a few safe sauces and spices?
I cook a lot of meals for my husband “gluten-free”, and then add a gluten dish as a side, making sure I keep my hands clean when switching between dishes. Maybe they can do something similar for you – cook everything gluten free, and then have their specific gluten stuff cooked very separately. It helps to have OCD though to keep remembering to wash hands every time you touch the gluten food….
I was going to suggest that you prepare all food downstairs, put the food in your own cookware, and then take that up to the stove/oven to cook. That way you don’t have to worry about preparing food in a non-gluten-free area, and you don’t have to carry too much up. They just mustn’t throw bread crumbs or flour around while you’re cooking up there 🙂 Do you have room for a food preparation table/counter?
How does someone trust – only with time, like my moms I know I can trust, but my brother I’m not too sure of because he’s less careful with food. It took a lot of educating and asking lots of questions. I’m not afraid to ask – what’s in this sauce? Do you mind if I double check ingredients?
As for discussing, I’d say do a few “lessons”, where you go through what you can and can’t eat. Offer to cook a few meals for the family if you don’t mind, and then you can scope out their spices and ingredients. I make a big stink at my mom’s if I find a spice containing gluten, like “Oh, check this out! This potato sprinkles has gluten in it! That would make me so sick.” 🙂 Hopefully over time they’ll stock their pantry with safer ingredients. While you’re cooking for them you could casually talk about your food intolerances etc.
Hope this helps!