In The Kitchen
According to a gallop poll taken by the National Federation for The Blind: blindness is the third most feared physical condition. It is third only to the fear of cancer and AIDS. This makes a lot of sense because we live in a world that revolves around a person’s ability to see. Even though there are a lot of useful pieces of technology coming out to help people who suffer from vision loss, like self-driving cars, nothing is as important as learning adaptive skills. Some of the skills are obvious, like mobility training. Mobility training gives the site impaired person the ability to travel and navigate their surroundings.
Often, I am asked how I do certain things with no sight and the answer usually shocks people. One of the more frequent questions I hear, “How can you cook without sight?" These answers are simple and may help anyone navigate the kitchen better.
When it comes to measuring ingredients, the utensils are typically already available in the kitchen. Using measuring spoons and measuring cups for dry items are a great way to measure your ingredients. They allow a visually impaired person to measure out their liquids or dry ingredients easily.
While cooking, there are many ways to know when your food is done. One easy way is through timing how long you are cooking for. For many items this lets you know that it was cooked all the way through. If you still have questions, especially while cooking chicken you can always use your fork. When you stick a fork through the meaty part of a chicken breast, it should go through smoothly. If you feel a crunch, typically the chicken is not done. This is especially useful when grilling chicken breasts and can help you have a perfectly grilled meal.
When filling up a drinking glass, sight impaired persons can use a tool called a liquid level indicator. This will make a sound when the glass is getting full by the liquid completing a circuit with the indicator. If you do not have a liquid level indicator, putting your finger in the glass always works. Just make sure to have a clean hand. This is good practice when doing anything in the kitchen.
There are many other adaptations that can be made in the kitchen to make your cooking experience easy and delicious. They range from organizing your ingredients while cooking, marking your stove and oven to know the cooking temperature, to labeling your spices in braille. Unfortunately, not everything is as convenient to cook as pizza rolls. If you have any questions on how to perfect your kitchen skills or how to mark and label your kitchen items, feel free to contact us. We are willing and able to provide the guidance and tools needed to excel in the kitchen.
