[Ag-eq] off topic question

[Susan Roe]

Hi Nella,

>From the garden to the table is one of my most favorite topics.  I am not a 
vegitarian, but we have been stressing more fruits and vegetables along with 
leaner cuts of meats and healthier ways of cooking ever since my sister and 
I started Weight Watchers in January.

With any food preparation at home for the blind they must be comfortable 
with not only the tools of the trade, but with handleing the food through 
all stages of preparation.

One way to help your women be comfortable with working around a stove or 
oven is to first do it without heat.  Get touchy feely with the stove from 
top to bottom by trying the following.

1.  Top of the stove:
Feel all around the burners and know exactly what they feel like.  Put a pot 
or frying pan on a burner first with nothing inside and see what it feels 
like sitting properly on a burner.  Fill a pot halfway with water and 
maneuver it around to get use to the weight sitting on the burner.  Hold the 
pot handle in one hand and stir around with the other.

2.  Inside the oven:
Open the oven and feel the placement of the racks.  Practise taking empty 
baking dishes and ones filled with water in and out of the stove, with and 
without using oven mits.  This will let them know how it feels to get a grip 
on things properly without first worrying about the oven heat and the heat 
of the baking dish.

Techniques:
I have a gas oven with regular knobs.  There are 4 standard burners, but in 
the center, there is a rectangular burner that fits under a griddle that can 
be removed if not in use.  I can set the oven and burners myself with no 
problems and I have been cooking blind for 36 years.  My mother taught me 
how to cook before I lost my sight at age 15 and let me try anything in the 
kitchen as long as I cleaned up my own messes.  Trust me, there were messes! 
LOL

My biggest hesitation, not berrier, is taking things in an out of the hot 
oven.  What I have found that works great for me is when the oven time is 
done, just crack your oven door open for a minute and let some of that heat 
out after you turned the stove off.  Then I open the oven all the way and 
let the heat disapate a bit more.  If the oven item is big like a large 
roasting pan, then I will even pull the oven rack out a bit so I am not 
reaching into the hot oven where I might burn my arms on the tops, sides or 
even the rack itself.  I use the regular oven mits with the rubber grips and 
I have no trouble lifting the item out of the oven.

I don't use any special equipment other than a talking timer.  I have 
regular scales and temp gauges, but I also have sighted people in the house. 
I am going to get me a talking scales for weighing my meats and dried fruits 
and nuts.

Cooking is so much fun and we really enjoy doing it together.  My husband is 
the grill master and I stick to doing his prep work for the sides and all of 
the veggies.

Susan
dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
----- Original Message ----- 
From: <nfoster at extremezone.com>
To: <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 28, 2013 11:06 PM
Subject: [Ag-eq] off topic question


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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