There are many techniques that the blind can use while cooking. Here are a few of the ones that I use:
– I use
Braille labels
to organize most of my ingredients. For instance, all of my spices have
Braille numbers on the lids, and I refer to a Braille list that
indicates which numbers go with which spices. I have created magnetic
Dymo labels in Braille for canned goods, and create normal Dymo tape
Braille labels for other goods.
– There are techniques for
measuring liquids.
When measuring large quantities of liquids (1/4 cup or more), I use a
“spill pan” under the measuring cup — in my case, a small pie pan that I
clean after every spill. If I overfill the measuring cup, the excess in
the spill pan can be poured back into the original container. For
measuring small amounts of liquids (teaspoons or tablespoons) I use a
“dipping” spoon. A dipping spoon is a normal metal measuring spoon with a
handle that has been bent 90 degrees just above the bowl of the spoon.
This way, the handle can be held vertically and the bowl of the spoon
dipped into the liquid, filled, and then moved to its destination. I
also have a talking kitchen scale that weighs in pounds/ounces or grams.
– When
working with knives,
there are no special techniques — just basic knife safety. Of course,
just as for every cook, it is very important to keep those knives as
sharp as possible so that cutting and slicing go easily. For some
reason, my desire for extremely sharp knives seems to astonish people.
– When
working on the stovetop,
the principal issue is keeping the pan centered over the burner. It is
very easy for that pan to wander off center, so the blind cook needs to
develop an awareness of the pan’s location and a sense of how to adjust
the position of the pan on the burner, depending on how the food is
cooking.
I like to use
gas burners, and when I was just
starting out in a cooking class for the blind at the rehabilitation
training center, I was cooking with a small saucepan. It drifted off
center and soon the oven mitt I was wearing caught fire. Fortunately,
oven mitts don’t burn very well, so I just walked over to the sink and
ran the mitt under the tap water to put out the fire — it certainly
amused everyone else in the class.
Another issue the blind must keep in mind is awareness of
what burners are in use
and what types of pots are on each of them. Another of my early
experiences in that cooking class was moving a large pot from one burner
to another and forgetting about the other large pot on the stove. I
nearly dropped the pot I was holding when it collided with the other
one. This definitely would not have amused the rest of the class, as it
was part of their lunch.
–
Oven mitts are strongly
recommended when using the oven. It is just too easy to inadvertently
touch something hot, so you need to protect your hands. When I remove
something from the oven, it is done very deliberately. First, I find and
pull out the rack. Then I start from each side of the rack and move
towards the center until I find the pan. From there, getting the pan out
of the oven is easy.
Most of the time, I
test for doneness
in the normal fashion, by tasting. For baked goods, I’ll also insert
the toothpick or sharp knife to test for doneness. However, for baked
goods that I can’t test using the toothpick or knife, I will test by
pressing my fingers against the surface to determine its consistency.
For instance, I still like to make chocolate chip cookies from time to
time, and the only way I have to test them is to press my fingers on the
surface of a few cookies. For my recipe, if the cookies are firm but
slightly yielding, they are done. Of course, this has to be done very
carefully — I don’t want to press on that cookie sheet.
–
Roasts
also pose a problem for the blind cook. There are talking instant-read
thermometers, but I am never sure that I am getting the probe inserted
into the correct part of the roast. However, I found a wireless
thermometer, actually marketed for barbecues, that I can insert into the
meat before cooking. This thermometer will talk and notify me when the
roast is five degrees short of done and again when done. I’ve never had a
problem with a roast since buying this thermometer.
– There aren’t really any special techniques for
placing servings onto a plate.
I will admit that I’m not very artistic at arranging food on a plate
so, when I’m hosting a dinner party, I tend to get assistance from one
of my sighted friends.
– I have two methods for
following recipes
while cooking. I usually follow the recipe using my computer**. In my
apartment, my computer lives in a room a few short steps from the
kitchen. It is very easy to step over, read the next instruction, and
step back into the kitchen to perform the task. In other kitchens, I set
up my laptop in a safe spot. However, if I can’t use my computer, I
record the recipe on a portable recorder and carry that around in the
kitchen.
