[nabs-l] cooking questions

[aphelps at bism.org]

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

-----Original Message-----
From: Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2010 22:34:08 
To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list<nabs-l at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [nabs-l] cooking questions

Hi all,

I'm sorry it's taken me a few days to respond to this thread. Here are
some things that haven't been mentioned yet:

Labeling: I think if you are a rehab client, you should be able to get
someone to come and label your stove and ovens for free, although a
sighted friend or reader should be able to do this with you in just a
few minutes.
I actually don't have any fancy Braille labeling technology at the
moment, so I just have dots on my microwave and oven dial. I have one
dot at 300 degrees and the  second dot at 400 degrees, so I know it's
at 350 degrees when the dial is halfway between the two dots.
Unless you are baking something like a cake or cookies, I don't think
exact oven temperature is critical, if you're just cooking a casserole
or piece of meat or fish.
I have never felt the need to label my stove dial--I just ask someone
to tell me which direction to turn it to get to "high". Usually once
you get it on "high" if you keep turning the dial in the same
direction, the temperature will go down to medium, and then low.

-- I don't know how common this is, but the grocery chain here in CO
(King Soopers/Kroger) has a specialty meat section where you can buy
meat and chicken that are already seasoned and prepared, and all you
have to do is bake it or cook it on a Foreman grill. For example,
sometimes I will buy beef Wellingtons (individual steaks wrapped in
phyllo dough), Black and Bleu burgers (jumbo meat patties seasoned
with black pepper and stuffed with blue cheese), or chicken grillers
(chicken breasts stuffed with meat, cheese, etc.) These prepared meats
will come with cooking directions, which your assistant can read to
you while you're in the store, and can be cooked in a toaster oven or
on a Foreman grill.
-- Many tasty and healthy side dishes can be cooked easily in the
microwave including rice, Rice-a-Roni, fresh vegetables, whole
potatoes (just poke a few holes in it with a fork first), or potato
wedges. I've cooked rice and veggies both on  the stove and  in the
microwave and I don't notice a big difference.  Combining some rice,
potatoes or veggies with a baked  or grilled meat can make a
satisfying and low-fuss meal that won't taste as processed as Easy Mac
or hot dogs.
-- As long as you have oven mitts, a regular oven should be just as
safe as a toaster oven.
-- To locate stove burners, make sure your stovetop is completely
clear of clutter, turn on one of the burners, and then use your hand
above the stovetop to feel for the heat and position your pan such
that the flame is covered. If you can feel more heat on one side of
the pan than the other, adjust the pan's position until the heat is
covered up or even on both sides of the pan. As long as your stovetop
is cleared of everything except the pan of food you are cooking, this
isn't a fire hazard.
-- To the very good instructions about browning meat on the stove, I
would just add not to be afraid to use your hands, if you need to. For
example, after washing my hands, I will often use them to break up the
ground meat before I turn on the heat to cook it, and then wash my
hands again (I'll also do this if I'm making a meat loaf). I might
also take a little meat out of the pan and touch it to see if it's
done, once it starts to feel done under the spatula (raw meat is
slimy!) I don't see anything wrong with this as long as you wash your
hands before and after touching food. In fact, I will often fill the
sink up with warm soapy water while I am cooking and use it to rinse
my hands periodically throughout the process.
--For recipes, I stumbled on a good website,
busycooks.about.com
They have a lot of recipes designed to minimize time and effort
including a collection of "five-ingredient" recipes, which I
personally like because my kitchen is tiny and I don't have a lot of
pantry space. However, these recipes are also very good. My only
caution is that the recipes tend to be scaled for 4-6 people, so if
you live alone, you'll probably want to cut the recipe in half, or
freeze the leftovers.
-- I will close by describing how to cook pasta, since that is one of
my favorite foods. You will want to use a deep pot and preferably one
that has two handles (handles don't get hot). I know most people
advise listening to determine when the water is boiling, but I
personally find it hard to discern with my ears when the water
transitions from almost-boiling to boiling proper. So, what I will do
is touch the handles of the pot and feel the vibrations, and when the
handles are vibrating strongly and rhythmically, the water is boiling.

Once the water boils simply add the pasta to the pot, wait for it to
boil again and turn the heat down to medium. Different pasta boxes
will suggest different cooking times; I will usually wait 5-7 minutes
and then take a little out with a slotted spoon, run it under cold
water and taste it to see when it is done (undercooked pasta will be
very obvious!)

To drain pasta I would recommend using a large colander that fills up
most of your sink, especially if you're still learning. That way, if
you don't quite line your pot up with the colander, most of the pasta
will still end up in the colander rather than the sink. The big
colanders are also less likely to tip if you bump them with the pot
while trying to line up. Pouring pasta into a colander is pretty safe
and easy, but if it makes you nervous, you can do it wearing oven
gloves.

I hope this is helpful, and feel free to continue asking these questions.

Arielle

On 6/6/10, Mary Fernandez <trillian551 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello All!
> Cooking is fun and infinitely healthier than frozen dinners or take
> out, which will never taste the same. Part of it is that once you have
> made your first fried egg, even if it looks like someone not so much
> fried it as tried to kill it, you made it, and so you are damn well
> sure to enjoy it. I belive there are some sort of cutting instruments
> that help cut tomatoes and such straighter. But it is definitely a
> matter of practice, and  remember you can always buy cherry tomatoes!
> If it's your first time doing something, pay attention, and time
> things. If your steak is a litter rarer than you wanted it, see how
> long you cooked it for and then just add a few minutes. With meats,
> use a moderate temp, since a very high  temp on the stove will ofter
> burn the outside while letting the inside still raw. Ok, it's late so
> I can't htink of anyhting else, but get a recipe book and an apron,
> and go at it!
> If no one else eats it there's more for you. Lol.
> Mary
>
> On 6/6/10, Elizabeth <lizmohnke at hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 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
>>>
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>> nabs-l mailing list
>>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nabs-l:
>>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/lizmohnke%40hotmail.com
>>  		 	   		
>>_________________________________________________________________
>> Hotmail is redefining busy with tools for the New Busy. Get more from your
>> inbox.
>> http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_2
>>_______________________________________________
>> nabs-l mailing list
>> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nabs-l:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/trillian551%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
> --
> Mary Fernandez
> Emory University 2012
> P.O. Box 123056
> Atlanta Ga.
> 30322
> Phone: 732-857-7004
> In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that
> greatness is never a given. It must be earned.
> President Barack Obama
>
>_______________________________________________
> nabs-l mailing list
> nabs-l at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nabs-l:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/nabs.president%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Arielle Silverman
President, National Association of Blind Students
Phone:  602-502-2255
Email:
nabs.president at gmail.com
Website:
www.nabslink.org

_______________________________________________
nabs-l mailing list
nabs-l at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nabs-l_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nabs-l:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nabs-l_nfbnet.org/aphelps%40bism.org