Need Practical help in Kitchen

[misslux]

I use the Valdalia (sp)Onion thing from as seen on TV.....I would die w/o it.

Just ordered on based on your post! I have a foid processor but that still takes too much energy to use.

[Temagami]

I´m a big fan of the crockpot- you can get a week of leftovers. I´m also happy to have leftovers and if tasty enough, don´t mind 4 nights in a row. Most grocery stores now sell already cubed fresh veggies and they all have frozen ready to use ones. You can put the crockpot at the height for you.

Can you have someone install a pull out chopping board/shelf for a flexible plastic cutting board that slides out at the right height for you? The other option is to have someone hang a hinged shelf that you can unfold from the wall when needed. Ikea sells the hinge/bracket for this. How about a wheeled small kitchen island counter with some shelves? Ikea has that as well.

If you find some gems, please post.

[poppydarling]

poppy, it's like we are the same person! I love food SO much and love cooking (used to have a few food blogs) so I suffer through cooking a few meals a week and always double or triple.

Oh how cool -- still doing them, or just too hard to keep up? I can understand that for sure. Let's band together: Exhausted but excellent amateur cooks unite! I refuse to eat unhealthy, processed or substandard food (so that leaves out most others cooking for me )

[kellygrn]

New Aide

At least she is from New Orleans & knows how to cook southern! My hands can't hold the knife well so I am eating what ever the aide's decide to put before me.

I miss me some gumbo!

KK

[misslux]

Oh how cool -- still doing them, or just too hard to keep up? I can understand that for sure. Let's band together: Exhausted but excellent amateur cooks unite! I refuse to eat unhealthy, processed or substandard food (so that leaves out most others cooking for me )

Same! I am sure I *could* live off ramen, but I'm not going to!

The blogs were a bit hard to keep up. I didn't have a huge following but couldn't really post the same dishes over and over again!

[misslux]

At least she is from New Orleans & knows how to cook southern! My hands can't hold the knife well so I am eating what ever the aide's decide to put before me.

I miss me some gumbo!

KK

My SO's family is Cajun, so I learned to make gumbo and really good dark roux! Roux is way too much work now.

[hobbit]

Planned Ahead

We recently bought a foreclosed home and the kitchen was completely gutted. My husband helped me design a kitchen for me. I only have lower cabinets, no uppers. We used the upper cabinets to make a small pantry, shallow shelves but are easier to reach.

I have an 8 ft. counter that is short, well I'm short, so it is perfectly suited to my height (5'2"). Everything is wheelchair accessible, should I need that.

I love to cook, big batches, freezing and there is always the "fend for yourself" days.

Peace,
Anna

[Marie12]

invention: wheelchair that changes heights, I'd buy one

I am in a wheelchair 24/7. I'd buy one that changed heights. I know we'll never build a different home or spend the money to change the counter height.

But I do have internet and have gotten very good at ordering. My husband no longer wants me to use my cc on the internet, so I telephone in my orders.

But a little more serious, inventors out there, invent a manual wheelchair that with each hand, can change height.

How many people in the U.S. have ms? Let's c, if you profited only $2 a chair, your profit will be, WoW!

I have to admit, I do love to shred onions for some reason. So every week, 2 large sweet yellow r on the list, & they'd better not forget the onions, or they have to listen to me.

I even get out the extension cord, so I can put the shredder on the kitchen table. Yes, that's why I need that extension cord. When we explain some of this stuff, we get the look, like .. . . . . . . . .

[agate]

I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years and ran out of energy for cutting up vegetables a few years ago. Nowadays I rely on frozen dinners and packaged meals--If you ever decide to go that route, some of them are quite edible, I think.

I've found that giving a lot of thought to how the kitchen is organized can pay off, and that includes the refrigerator. You want to have the frequently used items right where you can get at them.

If you find you're having to move a few things just to get at the one thing you want, you might want to consider tossing some things out or giving them away or storing them somewhere else.

I love a pegboard for things I use a lot.

[Tracy McK]

Helen I have some of the same issues you do and here is what I have that makes things easier for me. I use a bar stool in my kitchen (with a back) sometimes to sit and sometimes to lean on to walk. It's higher then a common stool. I choose the lightest they had. As for assistance in ease of cooking. I myself now own a 3 in 1 Ninja cooking system. They have recipes that are very simple most only 4 ingredients and cook for 30 mins. This machine has changed the game & a crockpot. All in the size of an oval crockpot. Small enough to fit on a lower table such as a tv table or kitchen cart/microwave table. You can find it on the home shopping network QVC (pennsylvania, usa). I hope you find the help you are looking for.

[misslux]

I tried out a "perching stool" and just got one. Made specifically as an assistive device. Safer than a regular stool and angled to make getting out of easier.

[dolule]

two things I like

Like you, I want to eat fresh, healthy, "real" food, but cooking can be exhausting. There are three small purchases that have made food prep easier for me (note: I have no relationship with the companies that make or sell these products except as a consumer):

I bought a largish Epicurean cutting board with silicon feet at the corners. It's big enough that I can chop several foods in a row without having to move any from the board. The silicon feet keep it from slipping and keep the underside off the counter, so that it can be flipped over for a clean surface (eg onions on one side, fruit on the other). It's very lightweight for it's size. And it can go in the dishwasher. It's not plastic. They also make ones with grooves in them that will catch juices from tomatoes, etc.

I also have a "Clear Away" that I absolutely love! It hangs on a drawer and I can put scraps and peelings from food prep in it as I work, sort lentils on my counter and then sweep them into the Clear Away to rinse and drain, etc. There are online videos that shows it in action. It has saved me a lot of steps to the compost/trash can. They're made in England and will no longer ship to the US, but I found an almost identical item here called "Worktop Wonder" that I bought for my sister (she loves hers, too).

If you like to cook, you probably already have a handheld blender. If not, I recommend one. You can puree a soup without moving it from the stove and it's easier to clean than a regular blender.

Like many others here, I make meals now with "planned" leftovers. I especially like dishes that I can tweak when serving, so they don't taste exactly the same the next day. For example, I bake or grill extra fish and make fish tacos with the leftovers or I make a lentil soup that I top with cilantro and lime one day and mix with yogurt the next.

Best wishes!

[Jazzberry]

I also do what many of the others have done (chopper thingy, bar stool, ninja etc.) Two things that also help me are:

gel mats- I have 3; 1 in front of stove, 1 in front of counter and 1 more in front of sink area. I have balance and leg issues (don't we all?) but they really seem to help steady me and help me last a bit longer when I do stand. Got them at a discount store on sale for about $10.00/each

My final tip- I tend to use the same 2 pots and a certain pan & small casserole dish. I just leave them in the dish drainer all the time. I have a tough time bending up/down in to the lower cabinets so an easy fix was to store them in the drainer. Voila- they are handy to just grab at chest height.

I also taught a neighborhood young girl how to cook basics. I show her briefly and walk her thru recipe. She does the majority of dicing, stirring, washing, etc. I end ended up making a new young friend and we each got to eat (plus take some home for freezer). Perhaps the local scouts or a single parent may have a teen looking for lessons-

[Deerie]

Greatest gift ever!

I too, love to cook. I live alone with my closest child 250 miles away. Not only was it exhausting to try to cook a meal from scratch, my cognitive issues were causing concern as I had "forgotten" dishes and burned them up. My kids got me a Blue Apron subscription (there are several other similar services) for Christmas last year. A weekly box containing all the ingredients for three 2-person meals arrives weekly on my doorstep. All the ingredients except salt, pepper and oil are included in exact measures. They take from 20-30 minutes to prepare so I don't leave the kitchen (i have a bar chair to rest on) and don't risk forgetting a cooking dish. It's wonderful to not have to purchase large containers of ingredients when I only need a small amount as well as avoiding trips to the grocery or missing ingredients. This was the best gift! It allows me to enjoy one of my favorite activities which I offer you a free delivery so you can check them out with no risk (be sure to go back and cancel if you don't want automatic deliveries). Happy cooking!

[jlk9498]

I sit at my kitchen table, with my cutting board and prep sitting down. I use Rachel Ray's advice and have a large bowl, for garbage....peels, scraps, etc. So I make one trip at the end to the trash. I made soups, and freeze quarts, so I have some to eat now, and then later. I like shake and bake boneless pork chops. Easy prep, and quick.