[Ag-eq] off topic question

[Tracy Carcione]

I have to touch some things to know when they're done, especially if I'm
frying or sauteeing, or cooking eggs or pancakes.
And, if I'm making batter or dough, I have to touch it to see if I've
gotten it evenly mixed. Or level off a cup of flour with my finger, so I
know it's full all over.
People have to give themselves permission to get messy!
Tracy

>
> Tracy, thanks, I'll have to check out the Blind Mice Mall.
>
> Sorry to hear about your terrible burn.  Fortunately I've never seriously
> burned
> myself, but have lots of tiny scars from very small burns.  I don't know
> how
> many times I've bumped my fore arm with a cookie sheet as I pull it out of
> the
> oven.  I guess that's why I should use longer mitts!
>
> I don't know how many times I've put the tea kettle on only to forget to
> turn on
> the heat; it's hard to burn myself that way!
>
> Like you I go by time a lot.  I do check some things with a fork or by
> very
> lightly touching with my finger.  I'm sure some of the rehab teachers
> wouldn't
> approve of my techniques.
>
> Nella
>
>
>
> Quoting Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>:
>
>> Hi Nella.
>> I have a braille timer.  Like you, I judge when things are done by
>> touch,
>> smell, and sometimes just by time.  I know how long it takes to cook
>> spaghetti or boil potatoes, and, when the time is up, I figure they're
>> done. Sometimes I check with a fork, and sometimes not.
>> I recently bought some oven mitts from the Blindmice Megamall.  They're
>> made of silicon, or something rubbery, and have a side textured to grip.
>> They're pretty thin, so it's easy to feel through them, but they also
>> insulate well.  My only complaint is they're pretty stiff.  Blindmice
>> megamall has a lot of cooking things.  Some sound useful, and others
>> sound
>> gimmicky.  They also, I think, have videos called Cooking without
>> Looking.
>> Before, I had a mitt I bought from QVC.  It has a gripper side, but the
>> rest is cloth.  I really like it, but it's getting old and holey, so had
>> to be replaced.
>>
>> I had a nasty accident with a gas stove several years ago, so we bought
>> an
>> electric stove instead.  I was making tea, and forgot to put the kettle
>> on
>> the burner before I turned it on, then I reached over the burner to grab
>> something, and the flame caught my shirt on fire.  I got 2 fun-filled
>> weeks in the burn ward, and some really big scars.  It made me very
>> nervous of open flame.  But I get on fine with my electric stove.
>> Tracy
>>
>> > I work at the Arizona Center for the Blind and one of my
>> responsibilities
>> > is
>> > leading the women’s independent living discussion, WILD for short.
>> WILD
>> > is a
>> > peer support group to discuss anything related to women, blindness or
>> > other
>> > disabilities.  I’m not a counselor, so I’m just a facilitator for the
>> > group.
>> > The group decides what topics they would like to discuss; I will give
>> them
>> > suggestions if they can’t think of anything.  We have discussed such
>> > things as
>> > organization techniques, women’s health issues, physical fitness and
>> > transportation strategies.  This Wednesday we will be discussing
>> personal
>> > safety and the following week cooking and food preparation.
>> >
>> > Some of the women have asked for easy recipes for people who are
>> blind.
>> > This
>> > question makes me grit my teeth, since I don’t think blind people need
>> > special
>> > recipes.  They have also asked for techniques and about special
>> equipment
>> > for
>> > the blind.
>> >
>> > Now, finally for my question; do you have any suggestions that I can
>> share
>> > with
>> > my group?
>> >
>> > I enjoy cooking, especially baking and use touch and smell a lot.  I’m
>> > totally
>> > blind, so have to do everything without sight.  The only specialized
>> > equipment
>> > I have are a talking scale, talking thermometer and a Braille timer.
>> The
>> > only
>> > reason I really need the scale and thermometer are for making cheese
>> and
>> > soap.
>> >
>> > I believe all of the women in the group have some useable vision.
>> This
>> > may be
>> > the problem for a couple of them because their vision is so limited
>> they
>> > can’t
>> > depend on it, but they’re not ready to stop trying to use it.
>> >
>> > I know rehab teachers teach methods for people that are low vision,
>> but
>> > I’m not
>> > as familiar with them.  If any of you are low vision I hope you will
>> share
>> > some
>> > of your strategies.
>> >
>> > Do any of you use specialized equipment, and if so what types?
>> >
>> > Some of the women have expressed concerns about using the stove, oven
>> and
>> > handling hot dishes.  Some of them are older and have other health
>> issues,
>> > which may be part of the concern.  The rehab teachers I work with
>> > recommend a
>> > certain oven mitt that is heavy and goes to the elbow.  When I’ve
>> tried to
>> > use
>> > these, they were way too big for my hands and I felt very clumsy and
>> > unsafe
>> > with them.  Do any of you have a better oven mitt recommendation?
>> >
>> > I believe all the women have a basic knowledge of cooking, but learned
>> > when they
>> > were sighted.  Most of them are older and very fearful.  I lost my
>> sight
>> > as a
>> > teenager and have been doing things as a blind person for so long I’m
>> not
>> > always sure what advice to give.  I would greatly appreciate any
>> > suggestions.
>> > I think there are some wonderfully independent blind women in this
>> group
>> > and
>> > I’m always learning from you.
>> >
>> > Thanks.
>> >
>> > Nella
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>>
>>
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