[nabs-l] cooking questions

[Courtney Stover]

Kerri,

Crogers does carry preprepared meats such as the microwaveable bacon
mentioned on this list.  They are in the ordinary meat section, but
they are usually on a separate shelf or separated in some other way
from the other meat.  However, they are not in a specialty section.
If you obtain assistance from a store employee with your shopping,
they should be able to spot them fairly easily.
Hope this helps,
Courtney

On 6/10/10, Kerri Kosten <kerrik2006 at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Arielle and All!
>
> Thanks for all this info, and it was very helpful!
>
> I dohave one question though.
>
> The already-prepared meat sounds just like what I need as well as
> pretty tasty/simple to cook!
>
> We have Krogers where I live...would the specialty meat section be in
> Krogers or is it just Safeway stores it's in?
>
> I am just asking because I have never heard of these already-prepared
> meats before and they sound really good!
>
> I am going to have somebody help me label my oven and show me where
> the knobs for the burners are.
>
> I may just alternate between my toaster oven and my big oven depending
> on how I feel and what I am making.
>
> I will also make sure to have someone tell me which temperature the
> toaster oven labels start on and I may actually remove a couple of
> labels...I liked Arielle's idea of labeling every hundred degrees so
> in between is 350!
>
> Thanks again for all this...great thread, great tips...it was very helpful!
>
> Kerri
>
> On 6/9/10, Arielle Silverman <nabs.president at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 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
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>>>>  		 	   		
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>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> 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
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Arielle Silverman
>> President, National Association of Blind Students
>> Phone:  602-502-2255
>> Email:
>> nabs.president at gmail.com
>> Website:
>> www.nabslink.org
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
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