A shared kitchen works best when ownership of food does not become ownership of space.

There are two claims that get confused in shared houses. One is over things you bought, which is straightforward: your food is yours. The other is over territory, which is not, because the counter, the sink and the middle shelf belong to everybody. Trouble starts when the first claim expands into the second, and a person’s groceries come with an unspoken right to the surface they sit on.

If you share a kitchen, be scrupulous about the difference. Label what is yours if you must, keep the common areas common, and put things away rather than leaving them stationed. Most household friction is about space rather than about food.