[Nfbwv-talk] Master Chef

[David Andrews]

Tell the old man Happy Birthday for me!

Dave

p.s.  He would probably like some "hog peppers" to go along with that dinner!


At 02:06 PM 10/18/2012, you wrote:
>Yeah, I'd hate to ruin his day tomorrow with a steak, (smile.)
>
>Karen
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Koch, Sheri L" <Sheri.L.Koch at wv.gov
>To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org
>Date sent: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:55:36 -0500
>Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Master Chef
>
>I'm so glad you're not serving him a steak (smile)  Karen, save me a 
>slice of cake; sounds yummy!
>
>HAPPY BIRTHDAY ED!!!!!
>
>Sheri Koch, MS, CRC
>WVDRS
>Program Specialist
>Blind & Visually Impaired Services
>4701 MacCorkle Ave., SE
>Charleston, WV  25304
>sheri.l.koch at wv.gov
>Phone:    (304) 356-2380 Ext.  55322
>FAX:  (304) 926-1740
>
>This electronic mail transmission may contain information that is 
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>
>
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Nfbwv-talk [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
>Karen McDonald
>Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2012 2:43 PM
>To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Master Chef
>
>Ed's birthday is tomorrow and I'm baking him a black forest cake for 
>his birthday, and I will add that this will not be from a cake mix 
>of any kind.  The meal on Friday evening will be beef stroganoff, 
>which is a family favorite, and I'm thinking of making either a 
>green bean casserole or a colorful vegetable casserole.  Ed and I 
>are both efficient in the kitchen and we often cook together but 
>tomorrow it's my game plan except for a couple of little jobs I 
>might ask the "birthday boy" to do, like chopping an onion or two, 
>(smile.) Karen
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Smyth, Charlene R" <Charlene.R.Smyth at wv.gov
>To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org Date 
>sent: Thu, 18 Oct 2012 12:53:52 -0500
>Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Master Chef
>
>Hi Jack,
>
>There are many of us on this  list who are totally blind who are 
>pretty good cooks from simple things to making complete meals from 
>scratch.  If we can be of assistance, just let us know and we will 
>be glad to talk with you and any of the trainers at the Seeing Hand 
>Association.
>
>Charlene
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Nfbwv-talk [mailto:nfbwv-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of 
>Jack Yahnke
>Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2012 1:43 PM
>To: NFB of West Virginia Discussion List
>Subject: Re: [Nfbwv-talk] Master Chef
>
>Thanks Charlene.  You have no idea how timely and fortuitous this 
>article is here at work.  We are just now beginning some cooking 
>classes for our blind employees here at the Seeing Hand.  We are 
>going to start with grilled sandwiches and paninis on a George 
>Foreman grill and then some soups.
>I'll
>keep you posted if you like.
>
>Jack
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Smyth, Charlene R" <Charlene.R.Smyth at wv.gov
>To: "NFB of West Virginia Discussion List" <nfbwv-talk at nfbnet.org
>Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2012 1:23 PM
>Subject: [Nfbwv-talk] Master Chef
>
>
>Feature Writer Alena Roberts - Interview with the Winner of Master Chef,
>
>
>Christine Ha
>
>
>
>I recently had the privilege of interviewing Christine Ha, the
>visually
>
>impaired winner of this year's Master Chef contest.  She was a
>pleasure
>to
>
>speak with and I hope that my questions shed a little more light
>on
>who
>
>Christine is and how we can learn from her example.  My
>questions below
>will
>
>start with the letter "A" and her answers will start with the
>letter
>"C."
>
>
>
>A: I know our readers would really appreciate some tips.  I
>myself am
>not
>a
>
>good cook, but I know a lot of us are.  Do you have some simple
>things
>I
>could
>
>write up on how we can feel safer in the kitchen and how we
>might be
>able to
>
>expand on our potentially simple dishes?
>
>
>
>C: Sure, there are some things I can come up with off the top of
>my
>head, and
>
>this is not just for visually impaired cooks.  I think it's
>really
>important to
>
>have sharp knives.  Spend some money on a good sharpening block.
>Often
>times
>
>our knife sets come with that tool, it's actually a honing tool,
>that
>people
>
>think is a knife sharpener.  That tool is actually for honing
>after you
>sharpen
>
>the knife to get metal bits off.  The reason why it's so
>important to
>have a
>
>sharp knife is so you don't have to use as much pressure.  It's
>much
>easier to
>
>cut things and the slice is cleaner.  When you're slicing and
>using
>less
>
>pressure, there is less danger of the knife sliding out of your
>hand
>and
>
>
>causing injury.  So, contrary to what you might think, a dull
>knife is
>more
>
>likely to injure you then a sharp knife.
>
>
>
>Organization, I think, is also key.  I think that most vision
>impaired
>people
>
>know the importance of organization since that's one of the ways
>you
>gain
>
>independence.  So in the kitchen, being organized is also part
>of
>gaining
>
>
>independence.  Hopefully the people you live with will be
>respectful of
>your
>
>need for organization and put knives back where they found them,
>spices
>back
>
>where they found them, and other gadgets back where they found
>them.  I
>think
>
>that this is key to being a successful cook when you're a
>visually
>impaired
>
>person.
>
>
>
>For those who want to start expanding on their cooking it's
>important
>to
>note
>
>that I am pretty much self taught.  I started cooking from
>cookbooks.  I
>would
>
>read recipes straight through and follow them to the T.  So once
>you
>learn how
>
>to follow a recipe and understand certain techniques and how
>things
>will
>turn
>
>out, then you kind of start understanding the science behind it.
>I
>think
>you
>
>should then start venturing out.  For example you can take a
>recipe and
>start
>
>adding different spices and playing with the ingredients and
>being
>more
>
>experimental.  Once you're confident in turning a recipe that's
>already
>
>established into something that's more like your own, then you
>could
>step up
>
>to doing something like we did on the show with mystery boxes
>where
>you
>just
>
>mix up things that are in season or gather what looks good at
>the
>grocery
>
>store and then just come up with something.  That is something
>that
>definitely
>
>takes time and the desire to learn such a skill, but I think if
>you
>learn
>
>flavor profiles, what goes well with what, I think that helps
>with
>cooking.
>
>Sooner or later you got to let go of that cookbook.  There's
>going to
>be
>a lot
>
>of trial and error, a lot of bad food, but you've got to spread
>your
>wings and
>
>let go.
>
>
>
>A: I know that a lot of visually impaired cooks are fearful of
>under-cooking
>
>meat.  I myself have turned to using the crock pot as a way of
>ensuring
>that
>
>the meat is done, but there are only so many things you can cook
>in
>your
>crock
>
>pot.  I also don't want to overcook my meat.  Some might say
>that you
>just
>cook
>
>it long enough to make sure it doesn't hurt you, but then it
>might not
>taste
>
>good because it's overcooked.  So what do you do to ensure that
>you're
>meat is
>
>cooked properly?
>
>
>
>C: I myself have no problem with tasting my food as I cook it.
>If it's
>raw
>
>then I'll spit it out and continue cooking.  It's important to
>use
>
>thermometers, especially when cooking meat.  I myself use
>talking
>thermometers
>
>in my kitchen.  When you're cooking steak, a rack of lamb, or
>other
>meats, it
>
>comes down to the temperature when you're determining if it's
>rare,
>medium
>
>rare, or well done.
>
>
>
>A: Are there things you avoid when cooking, or is everything
>fair
>game?
>
>
>
>C: There are definitely things I tend to avoid cooking at home
>just
>because
>
>it's messy or requires a lot of precision.  For instance, I'm
>not a big
>fan of
>
>seafood.  I will scale a fish if I have to, but I would prefer
>not to.
>When I
>
>was on Master Chef, though, I was open to everything.
>
>
>
>A: What was the overall reaction from your fellow contestants
>when
>they
>
>learned you were visually impaired? I know that I saw a number
>of
>episodes
>
>where there was a lot of negativity and bitterness.  I realize
>that
>this
>is
>
>reality television and that there's an editing process, but I'm
>curious,
>was
>
>there any point where you said to yourself that you weren't sure
>you
>could
>
>deal with the attitudes?
>
>
>
>C: I wasn't taken seriously at the beginning when there were
>still 100
>of us.
>
>I was come up to and asked things like, "Do you use a knife?" A
>lot of
>people
>
>thought I was going to stand on the sidelines and tell a sighted
>person
>how to
>
>make the food.  As the competition continued it got better,
>though.  I
>was
>often
>
>picked last for the challenges, which makes sense from the other
>contestants'
>
>point of view.  When this happened, though, I did my best to
>prove to
>myself
>
>and the other contestants that I wasn't a disadvantage to their
>team--I
>just
>
>had to do things a little differently.  I felt like I had to
>give my
>200
>
>percent in comparison to the other contestants, but all in all
>I'm
>good
>
>friends with many of the contestants on the show and I have
>never felt
>pure
>
>negativity directed at me personally.
>
>
>
>A: Now that you've won the competition do you have any plans for
>your
>
>winnings?
>
>
>
>C: Since part of winning the competition is getting my own
>cookbook,
>I'm
>
>
>working on that.  As a writer I'm excited about the writing
>process and
>the
>
>narrative of the book.  I'm also gathering recipes that I want
>to
>include.
>
>Outside of that, I'm trying to finish my masters program since
>my
>other
>love
>
>is literature.  I'm working on my memoir.  My memoir won't focus
>on
>cooking, but
>
>rather dealing with my vision loss and my medical condition.
>I'm also
>planning
>
>to write up a formal business plan to present to investors.  My
>hope is
>to open
>
>a gastro pub and an ice-cream shop in Houston where I live.
>
>
>
>We wish Christine the best of luck as she moves forward with her
>new
>
>endeavors.