The Blind Kitchen provides accessible cooking tools and tips for blind and vision-impaired cooks that allow them to cook safely, independently, and confidently in their own kitchen.
I am interested in acquiring this boil alert. disc. is it safe and effective to leave this in a boiling water for up to 45 minutes? I like to do some water bath canning and I think this would be a good way to listen for the proper boiling temperature. are use a weighted gauge for pressure canning so I can listen for the jiggle. But water bath canning is a little more difficult. What are your thoughts.
also, do you recommend stainless steel or ceramic? I have heard concerns about the stainless steel scratching pots. But I only use stainless steel pots and aluminum pots for water bath canning
what a cool lady- i’m disabled myself but i don’t have any vision loss. i can’t really be in the kitchen because of my medical issues (it’s dangerous), but seeing this woman cook is so exciting. i hope one day i can cook like her with proper aids. hopefully when i get a support worker they’ll be able to help :)
Thank you so much for the kind words of support. We all have our challenges, don’t we? I do hope you get a good support worker who will be creative in finding solutions for you when your health permits you to be in your kitchen safely. Keep up the great attitude!
Jane, thank you so much for letting us know that the tips we give are helpful. It is our pleasure to find creative and safe ways to cook despite having vision loss.
I am so glad you are finding value in The Blind Kitchen. All of the credit for the cupcake/braille video goes to my videographer, Edgar Garcia Chavez of NAYO Creative Productions. Who took my basic idea of using a 6-cavity muffin pan as a braille cell - and took it to the next level! I will make sure he hears your lovely compliment.
Chef Erickson! I have not met you in person, but I came across your website earlier this year as you are aware. Incidentally, that what kind of barbecue grill would you recommend for a person that who is blind? Being blind myself and lemon out here in California, one of the most, terrible states to live in for a person that who is blind, what barbecue grill would you recommend for a person that who is blind? I heard of one person that who is blind that uses a big green egg barbecue grill. Now where I live in an apartment complex, we have barbecue grills in a picnic area. But that we cannot have our own barbecue grills . We just. And the barbecue grills we have in the picnic area use charcoal and charcoal lighter. And if I was to get charcoal, that did not require charcoal, lighter, have to use a lighter with a flame at the end of it. And I can see very little light anymore. So, what grill would you recommend? also that when I say California is a terrible state for people that are blind, it’s because we have a combination of high and low expectations for people who are blind such as myself. It’s called double standard. We allow blind people to run cafeterias in county, federal, We don’t allow people that are blind to be bakers or cooks. But, that we will allow them to wash dishes. That is if we want Support from the state of California Department of rehab. Our state is just as mean to blind people as states just like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas are to African-Americans and LGBTQ people. It is ridiculous! I don’t know if you know any people who are blind out here in California, but some blind people are actually for that kind of treatment, because that’s what’s been planted in their head since they were children. so thank you for the video, I just wish there was information in the video about the best grill and how to get rid of the heat when you’re done grilling and that type of thing. Thanks again.
Thank you for taking the time to let us know… we appreciate that our work is a part of allowing you to retain your independence. Have an excellent rest of your day! 😀🙌
I listened to a RU-vid video about using a boil, alert disc to cook pasta I was wanting to know when you put the pasta in or macaroni when it’s time to stir it will it move the disk that you said in the center of the pot or did you just let the pasta boil without stirring it or macaroni before you strain it? I would greatly appreciate any answer and give me.
Good question, Yes, the boil alert disk will move if it is pushed by a utensil such as a wooden spoon and yes, you do want to occasionally stir your pasta while it is cooking. The good news is, is that pasta floats immediately when placed in boiling water - it will never sink to the bottom so there is no need to insert the utensil all the way to the bottom to stir it. Staying near the top of the water when stirring is your best plan. Happy Cooking! 😋
Thank you for the question. This was a technique I learned as a student at the Oregon Commission for the Blind. When I became an instructor there, I added the cardboard circles to add that level of tactile information. Many of my students who were blind from birth or at a very young age had a significant disadvantage to conceptualize thee concept and the circles really helped. I am not sure how other agencies teach their students/clients - you raise an interesting question. Thank you! Thanks for bringing this to our attention! 🙌
I'm so happy to have found you!! I am 45 and lost the vision in my left eye to retinal vasculitiis years ago. I learned recently that I'm losing my right side vision to the same disease. I've been learning how to do everything I can before it's gone and because of you the kitchen isn't so damn scary! Thank you!
I am happy you found us too! I still had some vision when I took my blind skills classes and I think it helped me to learn faster because I was used to learning from information that came through my eyes. Vision is not required for learning new things, but I think you are wise to get ahead of your impending decreased ability to see. Feel free to contact me at info@theblindkitchen.com if you have any questions. Have a great day and Happy Cooking!
Very cool ... Appreciate you . Will get for my sister. Do you recommend one to take ear,forhead temps... ? One that also talks of course . . . Best regards & Seasons Greets
We definitely are going to make a video about ways to label items in your kitchen and pantry, and braille will be one of the ways. I know of about a dozen ways to label things, and we have 2 videos already made about them: Wayaround & Clip vimeo.com/757334066 Wikki Stix vimeo.com/757353377 I do not make my own earrings, I get them from many sources and often as gifts. Erin Lyons, my costume, hair and make-up person made the pair that feature dollhouse 6 cavity muffin tins with the braille letters tbk in sparkly puff paint. They are so much fun to wear! We may sell the earrings down the line, but our focus is on adaptive cooking tools and strategies for cooking with vision loss. Thank you for your excellent questions.
Oh yes! Me doing actual cooking and baking are definitely in the plans. Our priority is to get the tools into people's hands, and them we can do cook alongs, recipe demonstrations and all kinds of other fun stuff. Thank you for asking and for being curious about The Blind Kitchen. We appreciate it!
With RP over the years Ive had to figure out new ways to read my recipes now i cant I am currently learning braille is there other ideas i can use or do now? I didnt find any videos on this.
It was one of the most challenging problems to solve when I was losing my vision. If you are familiar with screen readers (such as VoiceOver or talkBack, your phone, computer or tablet can “read” recipes to you line by line. In culinary school I could not have any of these devices in a commercial kitchen, so we found another way. There is a device out there called a “Victor Reader Stream” and you can transfer the recipe you want read to you onto this little machine and press one very easy to feel tactile button to pause and play the document as you gather ingrediens and complete the steps in the recipe. You could also get a recording device and have someone read the recipe while you record it, and you can pause and play while you go through the recipe at your own speed. You can also call a “Be My Eyes” volunteer and they can read a recipe to you but you will have to have some way to take it down as they cannot stay with you through the whole recipe preparation. There is another visual interpretation service called AIRA, and for a small fee you can have a trained live person work with you to find the best way to do this. I would suggest that before you try any of these ideas, follow this link that we have on our website to listen to a discussion group that discusses this very topic. It is facilitated by Hadley (an esteemed education resource for the Blind and visually impaired) and there are blind cooks who call in and they have many ideas and solutions that I am not familiar with, but you may be and that would provide a better answer for you. Feel free to contact me through the website htttps://theblindkitchen.com and perhaps we can arrange to talk so I can learn more about you and maybe come up with even a different answer. Here is the link to the discussion: theblindkitchen.com/whats-cooking-discussion-group/ Happy Cooking!
You are exactly right! Thank you for that comment. It makes me feel good when someone validates that we have made a good choice for a tool in The Blind Kitchen. Happy Cooking!
I have RP as well I loved cooking and baking it was a stress reliver. Once my sight recently disapprared which left me with anxiety and not knowing what to do with myself and time? How do I sautee spinach? Cant see it To hot to touch ? So grareful I found ut channel a light of hope Thank You
Thank you for this question. I also love sauteed spinach. Losing your vision is stressful - but cooking is possible. The secret to sauteing spinach is to treat it as the delicate plant that it is. I first clean the spinach and remove the stems. Then I put a pat or 2 of butter in a pan. The secret is to cook over low heat and for a very short period of time. I keep the pan on low heat, just hot enough to melt the butter. When I hear it start to sizzle, I use a wooden spoon to move the butter around and allow it to sizzle, over low heat for about 30 seconds more after it has all melted. Then add the spinach in all at once. Spinach is made mostly of water so as it heats through, steam will come out of the pan. I only cook spinach for about 30 seconds in a single layer. Any longer will make it soggy and will turn the taste to bitter as the sugars are overcooked. After 30 seconds, remove the pan from the heat. The pan will not cool immediately and so the spinach will cook a little more. Overcooking the spinach is the most common error. If you are cooking a large amount of spinach, cook it in batches. If your intention is to saute spinach, it needs to cook quickly and come in contact with the fat and the pan. If the spinach is piled to high in the pan, the heat will actually steam most of the spinach not in contact with the oil or the pan. And that will taste different than sauteed spinach. Lastly, but of great importance, is that you cannot a good sauted spinach from frozen. The pieces that come frozen, the pieces are too smakll and too wet to get a good result. You may have noticed that I use a wooden spoon. If you want to learn more about my thoughts on using a wooden spoon for many cooking projects, watch this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ra0wOnMn2Rc.html. Also, for convenience in slicing butter gollow this link the Butter Slicer I use: theblindkitchen.com/product/butter-slicer/ Happy Cooking!
Which brand do you have and where did you get it? I thought that you mentioned that it is ceramic which I prefer. Most of them are metal which would scratch up my cookware. Thanks.😊
Thank you for your interest on the Boil alert disk, for more information on how to acquire the product visit the link below: theblindkitchen.com/product/boil-alert-disk/
I have very good eyesight, and I signed in to see this, because eyesight has never helped me roll a circular pie crust. I get a lot of other shapes, but not a circle.
OH WOW! This is so cool. I also have RP and a guide dog. named Winston. I love to cook. I've been cooking my whole life. And really think this is a great resource for the blind. I hope more people find your channel and keep going!
I am so glad you found the channel! And I appreciate your enthusiasm. It sounds like we have a lot in common. Let me know if you have any challenges or suggestions at the blindkitchen.com. Have a great day! And thank you for taking the time to comment. Debra
@@debraerickson7852 thanks I will. its hard to get eye balls on social media and YT these days. but keep trying and sooner or later people will find you. Do you or are you going to make cooking videos online with a focus on blind cooking?
Yes, that is in the near future I hope. The goal right now is to get the right tools and information into the hands of returning cooks who have lost their vision. Please say hi to Winston for me! And thank you for your support of words.
