Having someone with a food allergy at your table just means a bit more care, not a whole new skill set. The real danger usually isn't an allergen showing up in a dish on purpose — it's "cross-contact," where a trace of it sneaks into a dish that's supposed to be safe. This checklist walks you through asking the right questions, planning a menu that avoids the mix-ups, and cooking in a way that actually keeps your guest's plate safe.

Sources & upkeep

michiganmedicine.org
- Hosting Guests with Food Allergies: 6 Tips for a Safer Meal
ific.org
- International Food Information Council, Six Tips for Holiday Hosting with Food Allergies
eatright.org
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (eatright.org), Preventing Cross-Contact at Home
fda.gov
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Allergies
dcrs.com
- DCRS Solutions, Keep Guests Safe: 5 Tips To Prevent Cross-Contact In Your Kitchen
foodallergy.org
- FoodAllergy.org (FARE), Anaphylaxis and Epinephrine
- FoodAllergy.org (FARE), Recognizing and Responding to a Reaction

All 7 sources are re-checked weekly. When one changes a fact this checklist asserts, the step is edited and the change is logged — the revision history is public.

Different situation? — it only selects from the steps above; nothing new is written.

Essential isn’t a shorter checklist — it’s the same one with the optional steps tucked away. Everything’s still a click away, and the essential marks stay put in anything you make from this, right down to the .json.

A helpful starting point, not professional advice — here’s why.

Cooking for a Guest With a Food Allergy

Before You Plan the Menu

Planning the Menu

Shopping and Storage

Cooking Day

Serving

If Something Goes Wrong

Sources & upkeep