Wheelchair Cooking in a Non-Adapted Kitchen! 

Love your videos, im not in a wheelchair it's just great to learn. I never knew about all the things you guys face and my respect for you guys has sky rocketed through the roof.

I’m not in a wheelchair I just enjoy watching your videos. It’s interesting to learn how people in wheelchairs have to adapt. It really has opened my eyes to everything that people take for granted. Some people don’t even realize that things could be taken from you in a blink of an eye. Keep the awesome videos coming!!

I’m new to the wheelchair community thank u for showing me what is possible!!

My kitchen is small, so my stove is on my right and sink is on my left. I keep a folded up blanket on my lap with a cutting board on top of that to protect myself from getting burnt. 20 months post injury, and I JUST made chicken fried steak 2 days ago. I have been terrified of frying anything. It came out just like it did when I was able bodied. Seeing her tips and tricks made me proud that I figured it out on my own. It took me a year as well to get my head on straight. Once I had to live on my own, I had no choice but to do it myself again. Thanks for the video! 🤘🏻

Another good tip for wheelchair users is to plan out meals beforehand. I've noticed that when I try to wing a meal or forget to consider how much it would take me to prepare a meal vs. someone who is not disabled, I end up using all my energy. That has made me quite discouraged and for a while, I stopped cooking. Energy levels for a wheelchair user are not the same as someone able-bodied, so it's important to pace yourself and to listen to your body. I've made more mistakes and injured myself when I am tired, versus when I still have energy and the mental clarity to complete my task.

“Just a bad day not a bad life” I will use in future situations

"It's just a bad day, not a bad Life" Love the wisdom you all are sharing in this video! May you all be blessed a million times from here forward.

I'm an italian wheelchair user, i love your videos and I'm learning so much from you and your guests but......whaaaaaaaatttttt????!!! You can't cook pasta like that....never break spaghetti, never fill up the pot with water before....before putting the noodles, the water must boil and then you can put noodles!!! And then....the sauce should be cooked with meat and not added raw to the dish!!!! I'm dying.....ahahahahahahah

Im glad i am able to cook. Learnt myself. Outside still learning. Learnt how to play pool in my wheelchair. And won 😊 Yes once i learnt walking is hard now. Took me 2yrs now moving forward.

The whole "hi honey ill be late i shit myself' is a whole mood that I didn't know anyone who could relate to apart from my ex.

In sweden (and probably rest of Europe) we got all the knobs of the stove on the front side, So might be more wheelchair friendlier than the normal US stoves.

My boyfriend has gone to my school since kindergarten and his mom taught at my school. I am currently in eighth grade and he is suppose to be a sophomore. Every year we have a fall festival at my school and last year him and his mom were hit by a car while crossing the street. My teacher ended up really beat up and bruised, broke her foot, and had to get surgery on her shoulder, and my boyfriend hit his head, got a brain bleed, was rushed in an ambulance to the hospital, had to have emergency surgery, and was put in a medically induced coma so his brain could heal. They werent even sure if he would live. And on top of all this, he already had a heart condition, multiple kidney failures, multiple open heart surgeries, and other medical issues with other people in his family BEFORE the accident, and will never be able to do certain things like ride an airplane that aren't even BECAUSE of the accident. He had to relearn everything from brushing his teeth to eating food to taking a shower to walking and TALKING and living day to day life normally. He went from being able to write college level papers in eighth grade to not even being able to comprehend words in his mind or even write a simple sentence. He had to undergo physical , speech, vision,and occupational therapy; basically you name it he did it. He was in the local governers school that is ranked 17th in the COUNTRY and is extremely hard to get in to for only two months before the accident, where he spent the rest of the school year in recovery. He is now at a different school as a freshman. He still has some issues like remembering words and names and things like that, and he is now a bit of a slower learner, can't write or read as well as he used to, and he can't even see out of his peripheral vision on his right side, which means that he might never be able to drive, weighs less than me and is two years older than me and is as tall as I am, and he still manages to be so happy and live a perfectly normal life. By the end of last school year he took me to my middle school dance, became my boyfriend in may, and wait for it... wrote a really long paper about the GOOD outcomes of the accident. If you have read this far, I hope it inspires you to be the best you can be, and that no matter what, you can push through and do everything you want to. If he can overcome all of those things, so can you!

I really love all these collabs you’re doing with different people and sharing tricks other wheelchair users have for dealing with inaccessible stuff. So wholesome and really useful info! Simple stuff like this and videos i saw early on about like, how to open those auto-closing doors and get through them without scraping stuff are so helpful. Like i could have probably figured it out, but not knowing how made it so much scarier to go outside and live my life because i didn’t feel certain. I don’t really have a specific thing I want to see a how to for, but just, people sharing stuff that felt like a victory when they figured it out. That’s really cool and i’d love more of that. I guess if there’s one specific thing that’s kind of intimidating me, it’d be stuff around good ways to practice wheelies safely without someone to catch me, and navigating curbs and steps and stuff like that. I’ve had to hop down curbs a bunch of times since getting my chair and i’ve usually succeeded but it still feels intimidating and like, it’s not something i can really practice at home but the mental barrier of going outside where people could be watching and doing it on like a street or in a park and possibly stacking it and having a swarm of people descend on me to unhelpfully “help” is just enough to keep me procrastinating about actually practicing. In the learning from wheelchair friends video it was really cool seeing ways to deal with stairs and slopes and going off road with tiny castors so like, more of that stuff, how to deal with difficult intimidating situations where there’s like, pressure to get it right, where you’re not at home where messing up is fairly private.

Great video, but breaking those spaghetti broke my heart.

I'm not in a wheelchair but I love watching your videos dude keep up the great work

Another awesome video!! I love your no BS explanation about life.

I was born with my disability and been in my chair since i was 3 (i had to learn how to use a caster cart before i got my own wheelchair) I'm 24 and still learn how to use a kitchen that was not built for me lucky i still live at home so i can get help when i need it but when its just me ill wear kevlar sleeves over my arms to not burn myself before i had them i would burn myself like at least once a month and when id burn it wasn't bad bad but just bad enough that i would be scrambling and look like a chicken with her head cut off to find bandaids and stuff to make sure it didn't get any worse than it got me thinking why don't they sell oven mitts for people in wheelchairs that are long and pretty much go up to our arm pits because we are short then everybody else and and more prone to burns in the kitchen

Great video i loved it. Watch out for that grease getting in the drains tho. Its not got for it

I've learned so much from you in the short time I've been watching your videos! You make such a strong impact on people with disabilities and able bodied people as well. I loved when you said emotions are a choice. I'm not physically disabled, but I do have a mental illness classified as a disability and that is a lesson that's taken me a long time to learn. Still learning. You and Ally and everyone featured in your videos are such inspirations and I know you will only continue to make an amazing impact on this Earth.

Pampered Chef and Sur la Table have many helpful tools. I have tools from ten years ago. There are so many things than can make life easier. I can’t reach the top cabinets because I am short. I lean over the sink to dice and prep food. My favorite meal is nuked ground beef with Italian spice and onions. It is so easy to nuke meat. I avoid the stove because of burner fires, forgetting food in the stove, and the mess. When I wasn’t sick I loved fried food. I love salads as they are easy to make. Loved the video.

Yes omg to the pan I was making something and hot oil spit in the corner of my eye!! Never thought of using a deeper pan.

I learned to hold a wheelie from your last video and the world opened up! I can go ten feet now!

What a nice, beautiful, positive mindset women. Proud of her!

Grelt vid! It’s so nice to hear you guys talking living again after injury. We can’t go back, only move on 😀😍

Thank you for the confidence and instruction, I’m gonna start cooking again without fear.😂❤

Here are some added tips: 1) Tie a light weight rope around the cabinet knobs. Pull the rope to open the cabinets. 2) Use a grabber (Walmart) to reach for spices. There are many types. 3) Purchase a small table, low height to prep your meals. 4) Purchase a one or two burner electric cooktop burner. (amazon) You can find some under $100. Plug it in any outlet to cook your meals. Happy cooking!

I’m brand new to the channel. Cooking is so much fun, I have scoliosis and Spina Bifida. I can’t reach any shelf’s up high. So my Moms always in the kitchen with me. I also can’t reach the back of the stove, what kind and size of stove do you have?

not a great idea to dump grease down the drain :( otherwise great vid i make this for dinner all the time

PRO TIP: if you can handle being a bit warmer while you’re cooking on both the cooktop and the oven, wear a cotton long sleeved shirt. This will save your arms and elbows many burns.

Great tips! But I can't forgive the heresy of splitting spaghetti in half! 😂

I do not have any physical disabilities but just working through a couple minor accidents in my adulthood have shown me how freaking exceptional and resiliant people with disabilities are just to manage everyday tasks that most of us are able to handle with relative ease. The one thing I know is that I have NO IDEA what emotional, social and physical challenges some people have to face everyday. I am embarassed when I think about the things that bitch about everyday.

Loved this video. However, you should NEVER put hamburger grease down the drain

I am 75 and just now beginning to use a wheelchair. My upper body strength is so low I am not able to wheel a chair on my own power. I have an electric chair which I can only use outside my home. I can walk a few yards with my walker (which has a seat) then I have to sit down. I rest, then go again. All my life I was a chef level cook and made everything from scratch. I am so committed to keeping my cooking alive. What I do is cut at my table, then do a little and sit down, do a little and sit down. I plan a meal and it may take me several hours because I am so slow now. I know I have a lot to learn. Thank you for showing us it can be done.

Thanks guys and gals! Very helpful and beautiful!

I wish this video had come out in November when I started using a wheelchair, but happy to see that it’s been made. Thank you so much for making the video.

A lot of these tips require coming sideways, what about those of us who cannot turn or suffer from twisting that much?

I cant even cook as a person who doesn't have any physical limitations. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ legit caught the stove on fire cooking chicken... so I will stick to doing dishes when my husband cooks lol

I’m not in a wheel chair but I’m really short and one time I took my ramen noodles out of the microwave and spilled the hot noodles all over my arms and got burnt

Thanks for the video, and thank you Ally. I can tell you have the look of wisdom in your eyes. "Learn how to live before learning how to do other things..." Words of wisdom. I'm just beginning to learn how to live right now, dealing with post polio syndrome. I'm going from walking on crutches to being wheelchair bound, and I find it so difficult. Can't imagine how people who could fully walk to being on wheelchairs... everything becomes a monumental task. But first, you gotta learn how to live!

Wow your helping me cook but not in wheel chair lol thanks

Totally love your videos, keep them up! One thing though... Seeing her use metal on a non-stick pan was like reverse ASMR!

Last time I was this early, the McDonalds Ice Cream machine was working

Thank you guys for the inspiration.

Thank you both. Really appreciate your sharing. I’m old🤦🏻‍♀️, stroke in Feb and working my way through figuring life. Grateful for realizing my life hasn’t ended and there are others out there who have wisdom and advice to share! Thank you!

Great video -fellow wheelchair bro

I do it everyday in a small Pullman type kitchen. I occasionally use the stove (boiling water can be dangerous) but an air fryer, the micro and a countertop toaster/convection oven are my best kitchen friends. I also have a stove with knobs on the front so I don't have to reach over the burners.

To carry hot bowls oe pots, notyhihng I've found works as well as a gripper handle that closese onto the rim of your item & gives you a super strong grip (I once pulled a 15lb turkey in roaster out of the oven & wheeled it to the table to transfer the birds onto a cutting board that had 2 nails poking through to hold it steady as I carved (I only have the use of one hand/side) Another top kitchen food prep tool is an Ulu (Inuit rocking knife, great for chopping vegetables, cutting meats, etc.)

Y guys r AWESOME. I'm a "lifer" (power wheelchair) I was born 20 wks with a extremly rare form of brain cancer.

I crawl sometimes, sit on floor or use my seat on my walker. We have a gallery kitchen and no room for me or my able body guy. He is my hands and I am teaching him to cook. We made a delicious meal last night. I can't yet pick up pot/pan's yet but that's why I do PT. Great ideas. I really enjoy seeing your video's and the creative and safer ways to cook with a physical disability. ✌😊

I love making Asian stir fry noodle dishes. I make one that my service dog JonJon can eat too.

Due to Rheumatoid arthritis, and SLE Lupus, Mild case of cerebral Palsy, I am slowly progressing to the wheelchair and in a hurry, There are some very hard days where I have to rely on my husband more than I would on others, I mean when I cannot get my butt off the toilet by myself it's frustrating and then I have to asked him to help me... Your video gives me a good way to help me get prepared for the road ahead of me Thank you for that Respectfully yours Donna Lane Kingman Az USA

I'm having a hard time... No one understands... I look up to y'all

Hi! I've been wheelchair bound for almost 26 years now. It took me some time to adapt to my kitchen from a lower view, but now I think I've gotten the hang of it. I do a lot of cooking and for me what has helped the most in the kitchen has been putting a plastic tray on my lap. (kind of like the ones in a fast food restaurant). From there I do a lot of the chopping and prepping. It just makes it so much easier to me and I think it has prevented burns as well.

I definitely agree about the safety aspect. I have a lap desk (several actually) with either foam or bean bag bottom. These allow me to "mold" the bottom to my uneven thighs. I can get the top surface level this way. I next bought several Non-Slip Silicone Countertop Protector Mat - Heat Resistant and Waterproof. I use bulldog clips to fasten them to the surface of the "desktops" They mold to my legs, so they don't slip off or around. I can put hot pots and pans on my lap, and they will not slip or slide, and they will not damage the surface of the board or me. Of course, you have to BE CAREFUL, but I can now have a hot frying pan or pot of hot water safely on my lap. Trying to get the fried egg or hamburgers out of the pan when you can't really see them up on the stove is frustrating and dangerous. I do slide things on the countertop as she demonstrated, but I can see IN the pots when they are in my lap. If you look at around 4:40 in the video, she moves the pot from the stove to the island using only one hand to hold it. If it were heavy (full of water or sauce) it would be difficult or impossible to do. With the protected lap board, you can use both hands with mitts or whatever, to lower it onto your lap much more safely. Then use both hands to move the chair to the island and use both hands to put it onto the island. Again, BE CAREFUL BE SAFE, AND PRACTICE WITH AN EMPTY POT OR PAN, AND THEN WITH COLD WATER before you make breakfast. This method works and is safe if you THINK!

What would you do if you have limited hand strength? My thumbs are almost unusable so carrying a pot In one hand is not an option and I do cook but have to yell for ppl to drain things because my sink is across the room from my stove. I would love to figure out a way to not have to do that.

Wish I was more average height. I’m 4’11” and I’m in a wheelchair and reaching normal stoves and upper cupboards doesn’t work for me unless they’re modified unfortunately. Reaching outlets on the back kitchen wall is impossible without a power strip. Loved the video, though!

How do you donate a Pasta insert? I always use a Sauce pot to cook meat. Longer handle, Taller sides, Narrow, Not Wobbly when being held, Less weight. Meat stays moist doesn't burn. I cant do water. Thank G-d for A Chef kitchen, The water is above the stove! Thank you G-d. It does sit higher use no-steam mirrors stuck above.

Thank you for giving me inspiration. Who knows if someone watches me keeping up my everyday life despite my limitations? Pain is my major invisible demon. With pain medications being abused, it makes it very difficult to get prescriptions for "valid" pain. It is my "Military Bearing" which disguises the pain level I feel, versus the pain level I show. A Nurse can ask my pain level, and I say it's "8.5" but I'm NOT screaming or writhing in pain. I just accept and endure the pain. I keep a daily journal with pain medication use, pain level before and after I take a dose. I can account for every tablet I use. I bring this journal to my doctors appointments to show them I'm not abusing my medications and I've earned the trust of my doctors. I have a team of doctors who care for me. Every doctor knows what the other is prescribing, so I do not appear to be doctor shopping. I'm sure I'm not the only person who lives with chronic pain who is "angry" at the abusers cause to those of us who depend and regard pain medication and pain management as a vital need, and not for getting high. I can recall only two times when a new pain medication was too high a dose was given (in hospital) and I got loopy. Knowing I have access to pain medication at home, knowing I can control pain, lessens the fear of pain.

Awesome video. I'm paraplegic as well, I was born with spina bifida. When I was in rehab, I knew more about cooking than they did. I took 3 yrs of food service training in high school. I have a food channel, and have a video on cooking spaghetti as well. Next time you make a pasta dish, try putting freshly grated parmesan cheese on it. Fresh parmesan is so much better than the canned stuff. Reply and let me know if it's ok and I'll give you the name of my channel.

Thank You for this video. I recently have become disabled and have already burnt myself badly once from hot grease. Your suggestions will greatly help me in recovering my self confidence and ability to function in a high traffic kitchen again! Yes, the fight against depression is very real. I've only been disabled since early October, but having to wait on mental therapy due to a very limited bank account right now. And yes, night pains are the very worst, and I think it has something to do with gravitational pull.

Wow cooking on its own nice idea 👍 I love dis video tnk you to ur video 👌👌👌👋👋👋👋👋😀😀😀😀😀🙏🙏🎇🎆🎇🎆🎆🎇🎆💪💓

Noobie here. I like to graze my meals. Just throw random stuff on a plate like a charcuterie board. Its quick and easy, especially on days when I have no energy to cook.

Although I’m not physically disabled I still get the good days and incapacitated days because I have epilepsy. Thankfully nowadays due to having open Brian surgery I rarely have seizures but I used to have 3-4 a week. I was sent home from school, had few friends (ones I did have had hidden disabilities and were in the year below me). I used to just lie on my bed and cry before my surgery (to remove a tumour causing my seizures). I was seen as different and few people old even talk to me. Only one or two people ever invited me round their house or to birthdays. I used to hate my life and sometimes wished I could die. I used to have trouble getting to sleep and it used to make me cry. But life is a lot better now. I have seizures only 1-2 every 1-2 years now, if I can’t sleep I just toss and turn and if I really can’t sleep I just read or go on my iPad for a bit. I have a lot more friends over social media. I wish I could tell my younger self that things do get better and easier.

My sink is in my island. Though I’m an ambulatory wheelchair user still struggled to get things from the stove to sink. So I use a serving cart.

I've been trying to get a wheelchair for many years, and it's finally going to happen soon. For a while ago. Can my bed or in my bedroom but I move my bed to the living. My whole worldview is changing and I really needed to see this video. Thank you. No I'm going to be all menopausal and cry all over the place.

I RU-vidd this video because I believe I have MS I have all severe symptoms and would like to see what to expect in the future if I were to land in a wheelchair thanks for calming my anxiety. Great video

Tuck a towel under your pot when you slide it back and forth to prevent scratching granite, quartz and laminate.

Your doing what you do because you can move, what if you lost range, all your range, maybe range taxed by pain when moving?

After dropping more than my share of ceramic plates and glass mixing bowls I thought it best to convert to using stainless steel for everyday use. My plates have not yet arrived. Have you ever used the divided or sectioned-off plates? I am thinking a divided plate may make carrying food and eating slightly easier. Having a towel nearby to insulate the heat transmitted by the plate will likely be necessary. The unbreakable stainless steel mixing bowls are much less worrisome than the glass kind.

You shouldn't compare your bad days to able body people. Just because someone isnt in a wheelchair doesn't mean they're not having the most extreme bad day in their whole life. You dont know what's going on in their life.

Another thing you can do is use a rolling cart or rolling island. I use a cart for heavy things I must lift with two hands. To move the item safely between two surfaces independently.

Even though I can’t eat I really liked this video cause it made me feel like I’ll be able to be more independent when my wheelchair comes

Please never pour fat into a sink drain. You can really plug up your system very fast doing that. One trick that I have seen to be able to get it is put a layer of tin foil in squish it into the hole for draining and when you pour it make sure to put the colander over top of that area so that the fat will pull into the dent you made in the drain in your tin foil so once it cools down it can be immediately picked up and thrown in the garbage or used multiple rounds to do its job by carefully popping out the fat and tossing it away

I can now take that hot pan of water straight from the stove with out dropping it with one hand and drain the noodles. Same with taking items out of the oven in baking dishes. It just took time to build up on all these things that I took for granted. I love that I don’t need help from others to do daily tasks. I sweep and mop my floors, cook and do dishes, laundry, do my own grocery shopping. Most importantly, having the freedom to drive myself everywhere I want go.

I love to make chicken fajitas in my crockpot it's my favorite to use I don't have injury I was born with spinal cerebellum attaxia I currently am in the process of ordering my first set of wheels because my ability is declining but im determined to be Independent and the crockpot is a heaven sent for me since I started my Independent journey

Firstly i would get a stove with the knobs in the front. I know, not easy but better than weeks in a hospital. Also, you need to get a pair of tongs to reach things in the cubberd. Also, no microwave on the shelf ? Otherwise go slow, think and then move. Good video.

Wheelchair cooking? You characters don't cook your wheelchairs, okay? Cheers!

EARLY MORNING BELL GANG!!!

Dear Ally! I put a blanket on the kitchenplate and with this l pull the pot over the plate to the oven! So l needn't have the possibility of burning my legs or too less power to get it on the oven! It's the same hight! And: l breake the spaghetti, too, allthough l hate it! Just better to handle with! Love, Conny

For me its the fatigue and pain that's always present. My partner does all cooking for us now but I'd like some independence back and find some good gadgets or aids that might help me. I also need to lose weight but pain makes exercise so difficult. Its so tough to manage

extra saferyy tip: if you're hemiplegiuc, go out of your way to look more often in the affected side's direction, as you might not notice a burn occuring until after it's gone third degree.

ive recently became an ambulatory wheelchair it's all so fresh and i am only 17 and it makes me so jealous when i see my friends going to college and living their life "normal" when i can't do that due to some of my health issues but at the same time i'm glad it happend because i can tell people they're not alone and i get them when they come to me when something goes the littlest but wrong my attitude has changed so much i tell myself now that it happend for a reason or it's only temporary or even if it's permanent and it's not a big deal i don't get as bothered now there's worse things i suffer with than breaking a glass or stuff like that but the only sad reality is it has made me realise who my real friends are because the minute i became disabled loads of them left i even lost my cousin who i was very close with due to it but i'm better off without them :)

A tip, buy a high quality pack of ground meat. It doesn't have much meat fat so you can be able to skip a step.

Isleworth turnpike way !2 a house take Ghafoor want to go to feltham community school or your at home

i use tongs to turn stove on and off and an electric pressure cooker to boil etc.

I am in a wheelchair and can only use one hand cooking is difficult but I do it I can peel a potato using one hand

splatter screens are really good for cooking in pans like that because they keep the oil from popping up and hitting you.

Why is she breaking the Spaghetti?

Would a disable buggy be better than a wheelchair for a 11 year olds

love your vidieos i am in a wheelchair i have what is called CP ceribal paulsy

Thank you alley, i am a wheel chair uses, this video really helped me.

Bro this is like promoting wheelchairs

What is the name of the wheelchair you ha e? Seems easier than one I have

ehy do i boil water then add pasta? duh see it works out fine

I'm a Vietnamese who is very happy to meet you

I use a potatoe masher to turn the water on and off. I can not reach.

I have been given a chair but its not for full time yet.I have C.R.P.S. and im using it more and more. the back is taller and you guys rock

Least you have your hands I don't even have that

I have a question. She talked a lot about balance and ways to make sure you keep it. Do you have any tips for wheelchair users that are amputees for keeping balance? I’m a bilateral above knee amputee and I have very little counter weight down below. One side is a hip disarticulation. What are ways that would help me keep balance but still be able to cook? I miss cooking and want to be able to go back to it but I’m scared I’m going to burn myself.

I do it all in ny crock pot lower temps