[nabs-l] cooking questions

[Sean Whalen]

Hi,

I am just reading this cooking thread, and will throw in a few thoughts. A
lot of good tips have been shared already, but here are a few others:

First, let me caution you that not all ovens and/or stoves have controls
which work in the same way. I have had appliances where clockwise got hotter
and where clockwise turned down the heat. Likewise with ovens. There is no
standard. Verify how the controls work, and mark or label them in a logical
way. As has been suggested, if your parents won't help you, have a friend do
it. While your parents certainly are well-intentioned they are limiting you
completely unnecessarily. For many blind people, cooking is second nature.
While I am no gourmet, I am certainly proficient in the kitchen, and
probably better than most males in their twenties.

One general tip is to approach tasks in the kitchen systematically. Whether
you are frosting a cake, breaking up ground beef or turkey, or mixing in a
seasoning packet, use a consistent method. Don't just toss a chunk of meet
in the pan and randomly stab at it with a spatula. While this will surely
work to a degree, it is far more efficient and effective to, for instance,
work your way around the outer edge of the meet, breaking it apart and
pushing the broken meet away from the large piece. This works especially if
the meet you are browning is frozen. There are infinite other ways, but have
an approach. As far as how to know when it is done, the feel is important,
but you can also smell when meat is cooked. Between the sound, feel and
smell, it is not too difficult to determine; and, if you get it wrong once
or twice, you know better for the next time.

Don't be afraid of gas stoves. They, in my opinion, are better than electric
ones. You can hear the gas click and the flame ignite on a gas stove. You
can also gauge the intensity of the flame by holding your hand above it or
listening to it.

For cooking chicken, fish or burgers, I prefer a Forman grill. In fact, I
just purchased a new one. Things taste better grilled (even if they are fake
grilled indoors on an electric grill). This said, I am no stranger to pan
frying, broiling and grilling an a gas grill. You can purchase tong-like
spatulas that allow you to grip a piece of meat and flip it over. I,
personally, just use a standard spatula. You can use your cooking utensil to
feel where things are. If you have two burgers in a frying pan, feel where
they are with the spatula, find the edge of one, slide the spatula under the
burger and lift it out of the pan. As was mentioned in another post, you can
hold onto the handle of the pan to increase stability and ensure that you
don't move the pan around. I often simply touch the top of the burger or
chicken breast with one hand while I slide the spatula underneath it. Keep
in mind, the face up side of the meet is not going to be that hot. I know
some people have a fair amount of uneasiness dealing with stovetop cooking,
but, in reality, you can even touch the pan without injuring yourself, as
long as you do so quickly. All of this applies equally to broiling and
grilling, except for the part about touching the pan. I wouldn't touch the
grill.

Using knives was not mentioned, but I know that knife use by blind folks
inspires paranoia among the general public as do few other things. So, in
case anybody is wondering, let me assuring you that chopping, slicing,
dicing and mincing are all very doable without sight. The knife is in one
hand, and you know where your other hand is, so don't cut it off. Ok, that
sounds a bit flippant, but, seriously, it isn't like you're going to hurt
yourself unless you are wielding the knife like a maniac, or, possibly, if
one has very poor spatial awareness, which can be a legitimate concern. When
slicing bread, cheese, tomatoes and the like, it can be difficult to make
nice even slices. For the most part, practice is what will help you there.
Two small tips: Hold the item you are slicing very steady and do not let it
move or shift positions and when cutting be cognizant of the angle of the
knife blade to the counter top. You want to keep the blade perpendicular to
the surface on which you are working. The good news is that unevenly sliced
sharp Wisconsin cheddar cheese is equally delicious to the evenly slice
variety. Unless you're preparing a party platter, don't sweat it too much.
You will get better in time. And, tomatoes suck anyway.

If you want to chop something, an onion for example, first cut it in half so
it has a flat surface upon which to rest. Then, place the tip of your knife
on the cutting board with the blade facing down and the object to be chopped
underneath it. I am right handed, so the knife is in my right hand. I use my
left hand to hold the onion steady and start with the knife at the right
side of the onion. Keep the knife tip on the cutting surface and repeatedly
bring  the blade down and raise it back up. Each time you make a cut, use
the knife to push what has been cut off to the side, in my case the right
side, while keeping the knife tip stationary. Each time you cut, pivot the
knife slightly toward your non-knife-holding hand. Repeat the process until
the entire onion, or whatever else, is chopped.

The bottom line is that a blind person can do anything in the kitchen that
anybody else can do. Fears of injury, while understandable on some level,
are ill-founded. As long as you think about what you are doing and exercise
a reasonable level of caution, you will not injure yourself. Things might be
difficult until you get used to them, but you will never be able to get used
to them unless you practice. Just go for it. Being able to cook is a vital
part of being able to take care of yourself as an independent adult.

Sorry this got so long. I never thought I would use the word "spatula" so
many times in the course of 10 minutes!

I hope that somebody finds something useful in this post. If nothing else,
take it as an advertisement for delicious Wisconsin cheese.

All the best,

Sean