Cooking

A cook who becomes blind still has a lifetime of experience and knowledge. There is no reason for a blind person to be frightened of a hot stove, electric mixers, sharp knives, or anything else in the kitchen. Accidents occur because of carelessness, whether the cook is blind or sighted.

In most situations no special equipment is necessary. All that is needed is to use your other senses well and learn a few techniques which will start you thinking about other ways that you can do things and will save you time. Here are a few suggestions:

*It does not hurt food to touch it if your hands are clean.

*When pouring beverages, you may place your finger over the

lip of the cup to tell when it is full, or after some experience you will be able to estimate the amount of liquid and can check this by lifting the cup or glass to see how heavy it is.

*You may want to do some of your mixing, such as for cookie dough, by hand. This way you can be sure that all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.

*You may use a combination of touch, cooking time, and your sense of smell to determine if something is done. A simple technique in dealing with hot food is to touch it with a paper towel over your fingers.

*You can turn the heat down under a skillet when you are turning meat in order to prevent grease from popping.

*Sets of metal measuring cups (one for each measurement) may be used for both dry and liquid ingredients.

*For measuring liquids by the teaspoonful, we suggest that you bend the measuring spoon so that the bowl is at a right angle to the handle; keep each liquid ingredient in a wide-mouthed jar, so that the bent spoon may simply be lowered into it and then lifted out full.

*If a recipe calls for a measured amount of boiling water, we suggest that you measure the water before heating it. If you use the water immediately when it begins to boil, the evaporation loss will not be significant.

*Oven and burner dials may be marked with tactile markings if they do not have obvious features such as clicks or notches. These may be marked for you by filing small notches, applying actual Braille dots or glue dots. You will not want to mark every temperature setting. Many cooks prefer to mark only two or three points which are most frequently used such as 350 degrees and 425 degrees. The same concept can be use for microwave dials, thermostat dials, and washer and dryer dials.

*For grocery shopping, you may ask a clerk for assistance in finding items. You should have a list prepared before you go to the store, however, to save time for everyone. You may want to pick out your own fresh fruits and vegetables so you will get what you want.

*If you know Braille, you can label your canned goods with Braille. If not, you can separate your canned goods by location, by size, or by whatever other method may work for you.

*Braille, cassette, and large print cookbooks are available. Check with your library for the blind about these. You may also want to record some of your own favorite recipes.

These are just a few suggestions about techniques. As we stated earlier, there is no one right way to accomplish these tasks. There are probably as many ways to do these things as there are people doing them. What is important is that blind people and family members understand that there are ways—generally very simple ways—of doing the things they want and need to do.

Repairs around the house, yard work, hobbies, and many other activities not mentioned are being performed by blind people all the time. Many blind individuals enjoy woodworking or cabinet making and use whatever hand tools and power tools they have available to them. Fishing, bowling, dancing, and many other sports are enjoyed by blind individuals.

Whatever activities you enjoyed before losing your vision, you will very likely continue to enjoy. You may need to think about how you can continue to enjoy these activities. As with anything else covered in this book, other blind people are your best source of further information. We are also happy to answer any further questions which you might have.