Hello, Everyone. Today, I would like to talk a little about the kitchen and how blind people can cook without assistance and without vision. What I do not plan to do is provide recipes simply because that is not my purpose. However, it is important to realize that one way to improve cooking skills is to follow recipes. My family uses salt, pepper, and onions to season food, and so I did not and still do not always know which seasoning to add with which food. Also, as an inexperienced cook, I do not always know simple things, such as how much butter is to much to put in a skillet and how much is to little. How to learn this information requires recipes, and the more recipes are used, the better one’s ability to cook. After one has followed a recipe enough to fill comfortable in the kitchen, then one will have the knowledge and bravery to experiment. For example, now I just plop a spoonful of butter in something, such as water I plan to boil for pasta. In other words, I have developed previous knowledge by following a recipe, and now it is okay to experiment. Also, it is okay to collect tips from others and to research online for other hints.
Therefore, following a recipe is my first piece of advice for the inexperienced cook, and experimenting is my second piece of advice. Over all of this comes kitchen safety, and you can probably google kitchen safety tips on your own. Since they do not directly relate to blindness, I will not share many of them here. A few quick ones would be to wear clothing that is not loose or does not hang out and to always ensure handles of pots are not hanging out, but are over the top of the stove. Let me try to clarify what I mean by that. I am right handed, and so I always like my handles out to the left. So if I am using a burner on the righthand of the stove, this means my handle is stretched out to the left and may be slightly over the right end of the left burner. This might not be a good idea if I am using the left burner, and in this case I might want to place the handle in the opposite direction, in other words, over the right end of the stove. What I don’t want to do is to position the handle so that it can be bumped by me or someone who may be walking past, and so it never should extend in a direction where human traffic is likely to occur. Now, more safety tips include placing knives so that their handles are toward the ceiling and their points are toward the ground when I am placing them in my draining board to drain and placing them with their handle toward my tummy when I lie them on a counter. I never leave (well, should never leave), glassware close enough to an edge of a counter where it could be knocked off. I use oven mitts or potholders when dealing with the oven and stuff, and I never use a towel or rag because it could catch on fire. Finally, make sure your stove and its parts stay clean. Again, search online for further safety tips in the kitchen.
Now, I would like to discuss assistive technology for the kitchen. You may find it interesting to note that cooking is almost automatically an accessible and usable event. There are some challenges, such as some crockpots and other appliances that have inaccessible features, such as a stove with a clock or a display screen that on a device that requires you to select something or push a button. So when you go to purchase appliances for the kitchen, keep this in mind. Recently, I purchased a new crockpot. When I did so, I made sure I could physically turn a knob for low, high, and warm rather than being required to press a button until I reach the desired option. So play with technology before you purchase it while you are at the store so that you will know if it is something you will be able to use.
As far as additional assistive technology for the kitchen, I have an all-purpose talking thermometer that I purchased from Independent Living Aids so that I can test temperatures of meat, water, etc. I have a Braille timer for timing my cooking, but a talking timer would also be effective. I am a low tech person as well, and so if I am making pasta, I use my talking watch. If I press it and it says 2:37, then I know my pasta will be finished at 2:47. Remember, that this is not a timer, and so you would need to be a conscientious cook for this method, and so the timer method might be a better option. Also, I Braille items in the kitchen, one of which is my Microwave. My Microwave also has a timer that I can set, but I do not like to use it because it cannot tell me how much time is left. Talking Microwaves do exist, and the nice thing about a talking Microwave is that it confirms that you have pressed the right key. I do not have one, but if I did, I would also put Braille on it as well so I could use tactile and audio methods with it. Also, I know that there are talking scales you can purchase for the kitchen. Another piece of technology for the kitchen is an audio device for recipes. I prefer Braille, but with messy hands, Braille will be ruined. So, I can use a cheapo tapeplayer that I can clean with a Chlorox wipe after its use. Also, I can pause the tape, put in the ingredient I just heard, restart the tape, put in the next ingredient, and so on. Also, I can relisten to an ingredient if I need to do so. More recent audio devices also could be used, but I do not want something expensive close to liquids that could damage it. Maybe, a memo recorder from Walmart that is cheap could also be used. A liquid level indicator can be used to tell you if a glass is full. Personally, I use my finger for this task, but if you were serving others, you may want one of these devices so that you are not putting your finger in someone else’s glass. Finally, I also have a talking barcode scanner that verbally tells me items that have barcodes, and these can include kitchen items, cd’s, etc. For kitchen items, it provides cooking instructions and other information, such as how many calories, the ingredients in the food, and so on. You can also use index cards that you label in Braille or print and attach to an item using a rubber band. See the identification blog for more details about that.
If you are a new cook, you may want to have a Microwave and a Crockpot as both are relatively safe to use and can provide you with tasty meals you can make on your own. A George Foreman grill is also a fun appliance. It has a surface for placing your food, and a lid that, when closed, presses the food, causing the grease to drain out while cooking. I have used mine for hamburgers and chicken, but recently I have learned it can also be used for vegetables. Most any appliance can be Brailled or tactually labeled in some way. I do not have any label on my crockpot; I just remembered the order of its settings. Experience on my part tells me to inform you to create yourself a little note about this though because if you spend a length of time without using the appliance, you may forget its settings and have to ask someone with sight again. Another fun appliance is my one-touch can opener. I purchased it Walmart, though I am sure other places, including some places that sell items specifically for the blind, would sell it. It just lies across the lid of your can with its thicker end extending over the end of the can so that its lip is against the can. It uses batteries, and you can press it once (or twice), and it opens the can. What I also like about this appliance is that the lid comes off cleanly, and so you can use the can for making homemade drums or bongos with your students, and it will be then a safe process for them. It is also important to learn to use a manual can opener though in case you are out of batteries. Remember, practice improves your ability to use an appliance, and improves your comfortability with a specific skill.
I have only touched the surface when it comes to the kitchen, but a lot of working in the kitchen requires using recipes, and you may search for those online or collect them from friends and family. Also, you may check out the draining and flipping blogs found close to the beginning of the Blindness blog for ideas on how to learn and practice these skills.
Feel free to share your kitchen tips with the rest of us. And don't forget to share news about the Blindness Blog with others. Thank you.
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