[nabs-l] cooking questions

Sun Jun 6 13:34:41 UTC 2010

I prefer a real oven too. It's much bigger than a toaster oven, which means that, at least for me, it's easier to manipulate stuff inside. Basically it's very hot inside any type of oven, except in a regular big oven it's easier for me to do things without having to try not to touch anything so I don't get burned. A toaster oven is fine, but it's limiting and if you want to cook for you plus a couple of people or something, it will be slower.
On Jun 4, 2010, at 5:10 PM, Ashley Bramlett wrote:

> Hi Kerri,
> I think your parents need to speak to competent blind cooks or do some research on blind cooking techniques.
> If you are in an apartment on your own I don't understand why its your parent's decission whether or not you choose to label and use your real oven.  Using a toaster oven is limiting!  I did not grow up having one. Just use a real oven; everything you do in a toaster oven can be done in a real oven.
> 
> Get a friend or reader to assist you in labeling your oven and stove.
> If your oven is electric there are no flames so its safer.
> Its sad to hear of parents acting like this.  What do they expect you to do? They won't be around forever and you can't live off microwaved food all the time.
> 
> To label use dots or some sort of glue and let it dry for a day.  If you have an electric oven with numbers use dimo tape to braille label it.
> Independent living Aids sells labeling tools.  Also label in a systematic way such as a dot at 300 and then 350 degrees.  You say you don't recall what the dots mean on your toaster oven.  That is real important!  Get someone to tell you where its labeled.
> 
> I was in a similar situation growing up and just started learning to cook with rehab teachers and training at our local center and other blind cooks.
> My parents did not teach me how to cook either particularly with the stove. They encouraged me to use the microwave.  My dad showed me how to use our toaster.  With it I made frozen waffles as you did and toast.
> So I know where you're coming from.
> 
> 
> In my opinion the oven is easier to use.  But with practice you will get the stove too.
> 
> I think you should have an more experienced cook, blind or sighted, show you some cooking techniques and safety measures.  Use oven mits or gloves for the oven; there are even some that cover most of your arm.  Another safety tip is to hold the handle of a pan or pot on the stove.  This usually does not get hot and that way your pot or pan won't slide.
> 
> To start you could cook frozen dinners in the microwave or oven.  Cooking from scratch is more healthy though.  Many products just require you to cook until boiling on the stove.  For instance canned vegetables you just warm up till hot.  Canned soups you cook till boiling.
> Those canned products are simple to start out with.  You could also buy Kraft Mac and cheese.  Its a great side dish; have it with baked chicken or frozen dinner and you have a meal with carbs and protein.
> Even easier is Easy Mac wich can be cooked in the microwave.
> You can learn to brown beef or scramble eggs but I think it may help to have someone show you so you ensure its done cooking.
> You can also make healthy food that you don't even have to cook.  For instance different types of salad and fruit salad are good options.
> 
> I'll describe how to
> brown beef although I'll admit I'm not confident in that either because I can't see if the meat is cooked and done all the way.  To brown beef you need a frying pan and spatula.  Place the beef in the pan.  Turn on medium heat.
> Then break the meat up into small pieces with a spatula.  Stir the beef around.  It will sizzle.  When its done drain the grease off it unless you buy very lean meat.  I recommend that.
> 
> For scrambled eggs, that is easier.  Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork. In a frying pan spray cooking spray or melt butter.  Add milk to the eggs. Then pour the liquid eggs into the frying pan.
> Stir the eggs in the pan.  When they are lumpy they are done.
> 
> Your other questions
> I'll insert them with my answers.
> 
> What things can I buy that you can fix in the oven? I've been told
> things like chicken nuggets, tator tots...
> 
> Yes that's true.  Don't just use frozen items.  I'd say chicken is a healthy thing to cook and its not a processed food.  I have trouble turning the chicken over though.  Chicken tenderloins cook all the way through; you don't have to flip them.  Healthy Choice and Lean Cuisine frozen foods are good and have less salt; all are doable in the oven.
> 
> Caseroles, meatloaf, and baked goods can be cooked in the oven.  Many things work.
> 
> Where can I find good recipes to begin trying to cook other things?
> I believe NLS has cookbooks.  You can also search for recipies online. The site www.cooks.com has many choices.
> 
> How do you have your ovens/stoves labeled?
> Kerri, everyone is different here.  I memorized the stove positions.  The electric oven is labeled with braille labels.  I have the main buttons labeled such as the numbers, bake, and clear.
> 
> 
> How do you find out directions on packages?
> I wonder that too.  I guess have someone read them.  Maybe record or braille them once they are read so you know for next time.
> 
> 
> When I go grocery shopping, is it appropriate to ask the shopping
> assistant to read me the package directions (at least the cooking time
> and oven temperature) and jot it down?
> 
> Yes, sometimes.  If its a few items I'd say yes.  But if its a bunch of things I'd say no since that gets time consuming.  I had store assistants read me the ingredients needed on a box to ensure I was buying all ingredients.  They may have read cooking instructions too.  They did not seem to mind.
> 
> When grocery shopping, how do you make sure to get the best prices on your items? Is it appropriate to ask the shopping assistant to look in
> one of those sales papers to see any of the items on the list is on
> sale? If so, are they usually willing to do these extra things?
> 
> I don't think they have time to search through sales papers for you.  I think that's partly your job to be ready with coupons or know what's on sale.  Coupons are in the papers, usually the Sunday paper.  You can ask a reader or friend for help.  Many store chains have their sale items online. Check their website for sale items.
> 
> To get the best prices, I also ask what is on sale sometimes at the store. I ask them to read prices of different brands.  Typically the store brand is cheaper than the national brand.  Off season produce will be more expensive than in-season produce.  Sugary cereal such as Captin crunch is more expensive than a grainy cereal like cheerios.
> 
> I don't think you neccessarily need a blind person to show you.  A patient sighted person hands on
> can teach you some cooking techniques.  The safety precautions, food storage tips and cleanlyness of the kitchen are not
> blindness specific things.  So ask around and learn.  Then tell your parents what you learned and maybe they'll feel you're safer in the kitchen.
> 
> Ashley
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kerri Kosten" <kerrik2006 at gmail.com>
> To: "National Association of Blind Students mailing list" <nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 04, 2010 1:28 AM
> Subject: [nabs-l] cooking questions
> 
> 
>> Hi All!!
>> 
>> I hope these questions are not off-topic for this list. I understand
>> there is  a blind cooks list, but since I am a 22-year-old college
>> student I wanted to get some answers from other students.
>> 
>> I know very little about cooking. My parents refuse to teach me how to
>> do anything with the stove (I'm talking about the stove, not oven) and
>> think I should make everything in either the microwave, or George
>> Foreman grill.
>> 
>> I live in an area where the closest NFB chapter is an hour away so I
>   > don't really have any other blind people that can come over to help
>> me.
>> 
>> I can make a few things, mainly chicken (just put a boneless chicken
>> breast on the George Foreman grill), tacos (I cook the hamburger in
>> the Microwave, make the taco sauce in the microwave, and use hard taco
>> shells), sloppy joes (same thing, cook the hamburger in the microwave
>> and add the sloppy joe sauce), and steaks (George Foreman grill.)
>> 
>> I can also use the toaster for fixing waffles, and strudles.
>> 
>> I can fix hotdogs and pancakes in the microwave.
>> 
>> As you can see, this is very limiting and gets old after a while. I
>> would like to learn how to fix other things but don't know how without
>> a blind person teaching me.
>> 
>> Two things I'd like to do in particular are learning how to brown
>> hamburger properly on the stove, and fixing eggs but I am afraid to
>> just begin messing with the stove because without it being labeled
>> properly and not knowing what I'm doing I could easily start a fire.
>> 
>> For the oven, I use one of those small small toaster ovens. It has a
>> dial and I put dots beside the knob to tell the temperature but since
>> the dots are just dots I often can't tell which temperature I am
>> actually setting the oven to. I have my own apartment and it has one
>> of those huge ovens but my parents won't allow me to label it. It's
>> electric, not gas so there are no flames but I can't get them to see
>> it my way. They refuse to teach me how to fix even the simplest things
>> on the stove because they do not want to be responsible for me burning
>> my fingers or having grease splatter on me.
>> 
>> Do any of you have any suggestions?
>> 
>> What things can I buy that you can fix in the oven? I've been told
>> things like chicken nuggets, tator tots...
>> 
>> Where can I find good recipes to begin trying to cook other things?
>> 
>> Can many of you cook well or is this the level you are on?
>> 
>> Is there any way to learn to fix eggs or brown hamburger without
>> having another blind person teach me?
>> 
>> How do you have your ovens/stoves labeled?
>> 
>> How do you find out directions on packages? I've tried looking up the
>> directions for things like hamburger helper on the internet but I get
>> results such as "how to make home made hamburger helper," and all I
>> want is the oven time/temperature on the package.
>> 
>> Can I fix hamburger helper by cooking the hamburger meat in the
>> microwave, then fixing the noodles/sauce in the microwave and mixing
>> it all together?
>> 
>> When I go grocery shopping, is it appropriate to ask the shopping
>> assistant to read me the package directions (at least the cooking time
>> and oven temperature) and jot it down?
>> 
>> When grocery shopping, how do you make sure to get the best prices on
>> your items? Is it appropriate to ask the shopping assistant to look in
>> one of those sales papers to see any of the items on the list is on
>> sale? If so, are they usually willing to do these extra things?
>> 
>> 
>> I am going to training eventually, but in the mean time it frustrates
>> me not being able to fix hardly anything!
>> 
>> When I stay at my parents house (they live really really close so I
>> can come to their house often) they fix real dinners that taste so
>> good and it makes me not want to go back to my apartment because I
>> hate my cooking because I don't really fix things properly. My parents
>> are not that good at cooking themselves, but they fry their food and
>> it's cooked right so it tastes good whereas I'm trying to brown
>> hamburger in the microwave for example which isn't really how your
>> supposed to do it.
>> 
>> Thanks so much for any help!
>> 
>> Kerri
>> 
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