[nabs-l] cooking questions

Elizabeth lizmohnke at hotmail.com
Sun Jun 6 22:53:38 UTC 2010


Hmm… is that suppose to be some kind of subliminal message to buy some Wisconsin cheese curds at national convention provided that they are still selling them? Although I do agree that adding cheese, regardless of what kind it may be, has the tendency to make almost any kind of food taste better. 
 
But as for experimenting in the kitchen, my advice is that it never hurts to give it a try. I have always thought of cooking to be more of an art rather than a science, so if you somehow mess up and make a mistake, it just gives you an idea about what you might want to do or not do the next time you give it a try. 
 
And if your vegetables are not cut and chopped into the exact same shape and size, no one will probably notice but you. The fact that something is not cut perfectly only tells me that it must have been something home made which always seems to taste better than something that was bought at the store.
 
And if you somehow manage to hurt yourself while cooking, chances are that you are not the only person that it has happened to and you will most likely live through the experience. I remember hearing Rachel Ray say that she cut herself on one of her first cooking shows which only shows that it can happen to anyone. But it also shows that it does not always have to be a big deal when it does happen.
 
Anyways, happy cooking.
Elizabeth

 
> From: smwhalenpsp at gmail.com
> To: nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 15:36:33 -0500
> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] cooking questions
> 
> 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
> 
> 
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