Mastering Meals: Cooking Tips For the Visually Impaired

Image credit: Pixabay: Daria-Yakovleva

Whether you cook for pleasure or for necessity, whether you’re preparing a dinner party or a meal just for yourself, there are ways to make your kitchen work optimally for you if you are visually impaired. Here are some tips for mastering meals in your home kitchen.

Safe Cooking Tips

● When you’re cooking on the stove, always wear short sleeves to avoid singeing your clothes or risking a burn from a dangling sleeve.

● Always use oven mitts to handle pots and pans. Choose mitts in a color that contrast with cookware and kitchen counters so you can distinguish them easily.

● Use a timer to remind you when food is ready and when to turn off the oven.

● When peeling fruit and vegetables, use a peeler rather than a knife.

● For safer cutting, use a pivot knife that is connected to a cutting board.

● Don’t store items on a shelf above the stove.

Cutting and Chopping Tips

● Use color-contrasting cutting boards and trays so you can clearly see the food you are chopping. Consider reversible cutting boards, which are a different color on each side.

● Always make sure that the cutting edge of your blade is pointing downward before you begin to cut. You don’t need to touch the blade to do this as most knives are curved toward the end of the blade. You can test the knife to see if it rocks on the cutting board.

Tips for Measuring

● When you’re pouring light-colored ingredients, such as oil or milk, hold a light or clear measuring cup against a dark background.

● Choose measuring cups with large print and tactile markings.

● It’s much easier to use divided measuring cups rather than a standard measuring jug.

● Measure spices into your hand first; most spice jars have an opening which is too small for a spoon.

Tips for Using the Stove

● Make sure that the pot or pan is positioned correctly on the burner before you turn on the stove.

● If you wish to check that the heat is spread evenly throughout the pan, extend your arm at chest height and circle your hand so you can feel where the heat source is radiating.

● You can use a wooden spoon to adjust the position of a pan on a hot stove.

● When buying new pans, make sure that all handles and lid knobs are heat resistant.

● When you place a pan on the stove, angle the handle so it’s not jutting out. That way you won’t accidently bump into it and knock the pan from the stove. Also check to make sure the handle is not over another burner that is in use.

Tips for Baking

● Before you light the oven, make sure that the baking racks are in the position you want them to be in.

● Turn off the heat before you remove any dishes from the oven.

● Don’t reach into the oven, but pull the baking rack partially out of the oven then remove the dish. Remember to replace the rack and close the oven door straight away.

● Wear heat-proof oven mitts with long arms.

There are many specialized kitchen items that may also help, such as specialized microwave ovens and cook stoves, talking meat thermometers, and talking weighing scales. You can also watch online videos that will give you additional helpful ideas for safely negotiating your kitchen and cooking delicious meals no matter the occasion. If more extensive remodeling is required to ensure your kitchen is safe to use, research available grants that may help cover the expense. Above all, remember to keep yourself safe!

Author

Jennifer co-created Public Health Library to write about health and wellness topics and to create a forum for sharing reputable health and medical information.