Into the kitchen

As you cross the threshold of the kitchen, anticipation warms the heart with the promise of great things to come. Bringing the groceries home, putting them away, setting up the preparation...these are all important overtures to the main event. Organizing workspaces and planning in advance make your job a happy, delightful one. This section will help make some of those tasks pleasant ones.

Center of the home

A comfortable, familiar workplace is the basis of a good experience in the kitchen. It truly is the heart of the home, and for that reason people will always gather there. I can have attractive snacks all over the house and there will still be 20 people crowded into my tiny kitchen. If you are actually going to be working in the kitchen with others around, provide a place for them to hang out and chat without being in your way. People's good intentions can be disastrous. When they ask to help, have clearly in mind what you would like for them to do that will not hinder your efforts. Politely turn down other requests saying that it really is easier for you to do it on your own. If I am entertaining, I try to have a plan that allows me to do my part ahead of time. If I think someone might want to help, I put all the dishes, silver, and glassware in stacks on the table. I set one place setting and ask them to finish the table. That provides some help for you, a feeling of belonging for them and a clear work path.

 

Maps in your mind

Jacques Pépin once told me that a blind chef he knew made the kitchen experience a choreographed ballet. Dancers know the stage, all the planned movements and where they will end up. Try to keep similar plans and maps in your head. Think in advance about all the steps. For example, are you cooking an hors d'oeuvre in the oven while at the same time trying to roast a turkey? Will everything fit? Try all these things out before ever turning on the oven to preheat. Will the timer go off for a casserole while you are making the salad? Will there be a place to put the dish as you pull it from the oven? Always have a destination in mind before heading toward it. A pan full of hot pasta water, a pitcher full of milk or a 5 pound ham becomes an unwieldy object if there is no clear path in mind. Again, if I am entertaining, I assume that someone has put a glass in the sink or a plate on the counter to be helpful. I check those places that I know are normally clear before heading there. With the stage clearly in mind, let the ballet begin!

 

Organizing the pantry

Arrange bottles and jars of things that you open and reuse, such as Worcestershire sauce, in such a way that you will always remember where they are. I use round spinning bases to better use the small spaces that I have. On the shelves where you keep canned goods, stack them in such a way that you are not reaching over items to get to something in the back. I have short cans, such as small cans of olives, in front of taller cans, such as chicken broth. The key is accessibility and organization: some system that you are comfortable with and can remember. One of my problems is remembering to rotate things like baking powder and soda. I know they are fresh for only 6 months or so...I just can't remember when I bought it. I try to buy things on that cycle around my birthday, so that I know just how old it is...like me!

 

Organizing the refrigerator

Use the heights of the various shelves to your advantage. For example, the taller shelves should be used for bottles and beverages. The shorter shelves can be used for casseroles and other things that fit. If you keep your leftovers in the same place, you will be less likely to forget you have them. Refrigerators often have special places for things. I sometimes change them to suit my needs. My unremovable egg tray seems to be in a strange place or angle. Eggs fly out if I get in a hurry. So I put limes and lemons in it instead and leave my eggs elsewhere. Keep in mind that the refrigerator will start to freeze items if you cram things too close to the rear of the unit. The freezer will work better, however, if it is full.

 

Rounding it all up in advance

I have a set of guarantees in life. For example, if you set your sunglasses on the bed, it is guaranteed that you will sit on them. If you lower yourself into a hot bubble bath, it is guaranteed that the phone will ring. One of the kitchen guarantees says if you do not get it all out in advance, something will go weird. You will have a pot of bubbling soup under your nose, a spoon in your hand, the salt goes in next and...dangit, the shaker's empty. Since you only refill it occasionally, the search for the salt box makes you a little nervous while the soup marches on. If you have a designated staging area where all the ingredients and tools wait for you, it makes your job easier and a lot less stressful. Try to think of everything. For example, if I am making a dish with a lot of onion and garlic and another dish with a lot of fruit and honey, I keep two different towels handy. In this way, I do not confuse the flavors or taint my fruit salad with garlic. Even though hands are thoroughly washed between stages of preparation, there are always emergencies or tight squeezes.

 

Safety first

Safety should be your number one word. No sense in electrocuting yourself over a quiche. What would be the point? Experienced cooks have a mental checklist that becomes second nature. Some of these thoughts dove-tail with what is mentioned above, but bear repeating in a safety context to echo the pleasant environmental context previously mentioned.

Kitchen is orderly to start. All paths are clear, and things are where you expect them to be. Countertops and sinks are clear. Secondly, start with all appliances off. Small appliances should have all their parts in place so that you are not searching for a blender lid at a critical time. Furthermore, all knives are sharp. Medtechs say that many emergency cases are caused by dull knives. In fact, a recent news item ranked bagels as the most dangerous item in the kitchen. I think they were really referring to the knife cutting the bagel. A sharp knife is easier to handle and in the event of a cut, makes a cleaner wound more easily treated at home. Have plenty of cup towels and sponges ready. I keep a baker's towel tied on the apron string at my waist. I use it for quick handling of hot pots and lids. I keep another towel over my shoulder or at the counter and wipe my hands constantly. Wet hands and electricity are not good playmates. I also keep clean towels and wash thoroughly after handling different kinds of foods. At the end of an elaborate preparation, I might have as many as 6-8 towels in the laundry.

My final word to myself is "patience". Nothing can go so wrong that you can't fix it, so calm down. Haste and panic really are counterproductive and unsafe. Even taking all these precautions is no guarantee. From time to time remind yourself of what you will do if there is a fire on the stove or if you should cut yourself. Being prepared is the best precaution.

 

Tools of the trade

You don't really need a lot of elaborate equipment or apparatus. I did fine for years with a couple of good, sharp knives. Understanding how food will react to your situation and equipment is a matter of experimentation and experience. How quickly your stove heats up, simmers and boils will be quite different from mine. Everyone has moved into that new apartment and has had to try out the stove for the first time. We know what we pull out of the packing boxes second. (Not first; that's for first week survival.) These are more than likely the most basic things we need and use. Furthermore, experience with ingredients is just as important. Should you just cut the mold off the cheese and dance on? Would you use the cinnamon you bought last year? What if you don't have baking powder, should you substitute baking soda? Again, experience will help you find the way. When unsure, follow the recipe to the letter. Once you become familiar with what can be substituted and how ingredients act, branch out and use the recipe as a springboard or as a basic idea.

 

I give you lists of equipment here, ranging from basic to professional. You don't really need everything on these lists. There are always ways to adapt your technique to fit the equipment you have. I cooked for 32 years before I got a food processor. I am really glad I have it, but I did fine without it.

These lists are also very useful as wish-lists for gift ideas. Put the bug in the ears of your friends and family.

Level one: the bare essentials for the first apartment

1 good 3-quart saucepan

our favorite large skillet

a few good knives

1 cutting board

1 potato peeler

1 heavy-duty can opener

1 long-handled wooden spoon

lots of aprons, towels and mitts

Level two: the well-equipped basic kitchen

all of the preceding items plus:

1 1-quart saucepan, with tight-fitting lid

1 5-quart ovenproof saucepot, with tight-fitting lid

and ovenproof handles

1 8-quart stockpot, with tight-fitting lid

1 10-inch frying pan, with non-stick surface

1 3-quart microwave-safe glass casserole, with lid

1 microwave-safe casserole, with lid

1 adjustable vegetable steamer

1 set of 3 nesting stainless steel mixing bowls

1 set of nesting stainless steel measuring spoons

2 sets of nesting measuring cups

1 3-cup glass measuring cup with spout

1 meat thermometer

1 mercury oven thermometer

1 metal spatula

1 hard rubber spatula for nonstick surfaces

1 soup ladle

1 standing 4- sided grater

1 long-handled fork

1 stainless-steel wire whisk

1 plastic baster, with removable bulb

1 bottle opener

1 corkscrew

1 citrus zester

1 long-handled stainless-steel slotted spoon

2 larger long- handled wooden spoons

1 flexible rubber spatula

1 wire-mesh strainer

1 stainless-steel colander

1 rotary egg beater

1 kitchen tongs

1 funnel

1 nutcracker

1 kitchen timer

1 pepper grinder

1 garlic press

1 salad spinner

1 filter coffee pot

1 teakettle

1 dozen thin wooden skewers

1 small paring knife

1 chef’s knife

1 carving knife

1 serrated bread knife

1 sharpening steel

1 heavy-duty blender

1 countertop toaster oven

1 small kitchen scale

1 electric hand mixer

2 9-inch round cake pans

1 9-inch springform pan

1 13x9-inch rectangular baking pan

2 9-inch square baking pans

1 loaf pan

2 baking sheets, with rims on 3 sides

1 9-inch ovenproof glass pie plate

1 muffins tin

1 flour sifter

1 heavy rolling pin

1 wire rack

1 pastry brush

many air-tight plastic storage units

Level three: the completely equipped kitchen

all of the preceding items plus:

1 2-quart saucepan, with tight fitting lid

1 griddle

1 glass double boiler with lid

1 oval enamel roasting pan

1 ceramic baking dish for casseroles and lasagne

1 deep-fat fryer, with removable basket

1 wok

1 omelet pan

1 large spaghetti fork

1 deep-fat thermometer

4 cloth tea bags

8 thin metal skewers for trussing poultry

1 pair kitchen shears

1 trussing needle

1 pizza-cutting wheel

1 extra pepper grinder

1 ice cream scoop

1 disposable fire-wand

1 egg piercer

1 mushroom brush

1 boning knife, 5 inches

1 food processor

1 carousel microwave oven

1 electric coffee grinder

1 waffle iron

1 electric juicer

1 electric popcorn popper

1 ice cream maker

1 pressure cooker

1 chafing dish

1 pastry blender

1 bundt pan

1 jelly-roll pan

1 fluted tart pan with removable bottom

1 2-quart soufflé dish

8 ovenproof ramekins

1 set cookie cutters

1 pastry bag with decorating tips

1 pastry scraper

Level four: the gourmet's dream

all of the preceding items plus:

additional saucepans, stockpots, skillets, larger sizes

1 fish poacher

1 crepe pan

1 food mill

1 meat grinder

1 mortar and pestle

1 apple corer

1 meat tenderizer

1 egg slicer

1 set ring molds

1 clay pot cooker

1 nutmeg grater

1 candy thermometer

1 extra-long spatula for fish

1 double-mesh strainer or chinois

1 ivory or mother-of-pearl caviar spoon

1 pair poultry shears

1 grapefruit knife

1 cleaver

1 oyster and clam knife

1 electric meat slicer

1 charlotte mold

1 marble pastry slab

1 ladyfinger pan

1 madeleine pan

1 coeur á la créme mold

1 mandoline slicer

1 crescent-shaped knife

1 pasta maker

1 double-handled cheese knife

1 gas range

(6 burners. double oven, griddle, salamander)

Adaptive tools to add to your kitchen

This is a very important list for you to develop for yourself. As with all the adaptive tools made available to the visually impaired, some will work for one person and not be very helpful to the next one.

Catalogues present a wide selection of adaptive tools for the blind and visually impaired. With a few exceptions, I find adaptive techniques a much better way to get to the core of it. A few labels and tactile markers for oven and stove might be all you need. However, selection of such tools is completely a matter of individual taste. One person might insist that a talking scale is essential for weighing out portions for a diabetic diet. Another might be perfectly happy with loose estimation. Many tools are fashioned from a necessity that arises that might be particular to an individual's situation. The point is to figure out what you need and come up with it yourself. Break the task down into a description of the exact parts. Then describe your difficulty., Identify the part that gives you trouble and find another way to accomplish it.

For example, if you are avoiding using the oven for large items because you are afraid of burning yourself, break down the task mentally. You could also break it down physically with the oven cold. Ask yourself exactly what does one do to remove a hot casserole from the oven. One looks in the oven, locates the casserole, grabs it on either side with hot pads, pulls it out and sets it on the stove top or cooling rack without spilling it. You might have to modify the technique to include using long elbow-length oven mitts to avoid burning your forearms. You have also used a larger casserole dish than called for so that you have room to spare. You open the oven door, locate the casserole with a long fork or long spatula, tap the edges to locate its exact position and pull the rack out slightly. After assuring yourself of the precise path you will take, you pull the casserole out straight and level, clear the oven completely and proceed to your destination. In this case, the only special thing involved was a longer pair of mitts.

I like to try to think of clever ways to solve my challenges, but always leave the door open to a possible purchase. I will never forget the story of the woman who had a friend paint dots on the oven setting dial. They were heat resistant and would last a long time. She could feel where her common settings were. Her loving son thought they were bits of spaghetti sauce and scraped them all off for her.

With funny stories aside, we all want something that is inexpensive, convenient and ready for immediate use. Dymo tape applied to a completely clean surface will stick to your oven or stove dial for a very long time. Nail polish dots applied in layers or notches carved in the dials are both good alternatives. The point is that it must make sense to the cook.

 

Here is a list of some of the items available.

talking and tactile meat thermometer

talking and tactile candy thermometer

talking and tactile scale

talking and tactile timers

large measuring cup with raised lines for 1/2 cup, etc.

measuring spoons marked in Braille

oven and stove dials in Braille and large print

liquid level indicator

slicing knife with guide

slicing guide and roast holder

splatter screen

simmer ring

inner lip plate

automatic serving fork

pie wedge starter

easy-pour lock-lid saucepan

long oven mitts

double spatula

toasting tongs and bacon turner

tilting spoon automatic measurer

trigger-action butane lighter

low-vision high contrast cutting board

Braille labeler

mini-memo recorder