| | Kitchen Tools Kitchen gadgets are lifesavers, but when they're not right for you, they're big time-wasters. Experiment here with the ideas described below, then incorporate your favorites into your routine. Gadgets, appliances, and ergonomic tools are available all over; the possibilities are infinite! You'll find specialized items, such as single-handed and extra-grip devices in specialty catalogs. But mainstream cooking stores (Williams-Sonoma, Crate and Barrel, or Bed Bath & Beyond) now offer a large variety of helping tools and ergonomic utensils intermingled with regular merchandise. If you buy an item that doesn't work out, don't hesitate—return it!
In General Emergent food processors blend food in whatever bowl you're using so you don't have to transfer it to a blender. Available at Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma, and all department stores. Editor's favorite—a pan with a built-in strainer allows you to drain pasta and other foods easily at Gold Violin or LIghthouse International. Make a platform inside your sink so the basin is shallow enough to reach into from a sitting position. Just flip a plastic container—at least several inches deep—upside down. Reachers—You've probably already enlisted BBQ tongs to reach items up high, but be aware of the fancier models that grip and hold, or provide other helpful features. Quite a variety abounds at any of the catalog houses, such as Independent Living, Maxi Aids, or Sammons & Preston now Patterson Medical. Gripping utensils include new ergonomic products with non-slip handles available commercially. Or, adapt any Look for a wide variety of adaptable cutlery and knives. The Magna Wonder Knife ™ and Adjustable Slicing Knife ™ feature guides to stabilize food and determine portion size. Available at MaxiAids or Patterson Medical.. Slicing guides hold food in place to allow you to cut equal portions (adjustable). Available through Maxi Aids. Slicing and chopping guides produce paper-thin to thick slices, depending on your preference. Available through most catalog houses. Jar openers come in many styles: a hand-held type that fits over a jar lid, a wall-mounted style that holds the lid while the user grips and turns the jar, or a power-operated jar and bottle opener. Available through Maxi Aids and many others; shop around for just the right one. Can openers with shelves hold the can in place while opening. Milk carton holders have handles for gripping paper milk or orange juice cartons. A rack jack is a small wooden instrument with a notch at one end that hooks onto an oven rack. It enables you to pull out the rack without putting your hands in the oven. A pot holder is a frame with suction cups to hold a pot on a burner and keep it from moving. A heat diffuser controls range-top flame by fitting over it. Oversized knobs fit over oven and cabinet knobs for easier turning; universal knobs fit over most any knob or faucet control knob. You'll find these at hardware stores and catalog houses. Eating utensils are available with custom features such as curving, attaching, left-handed or right-handed specifications; self-feeders also come in different styles for more independent eating and drinking. (Feeding aids available through occupational therapy departments in hospitals and in Patterson Medical catalog.) Good occupational therapists will also have a trick or two up their sleeves.
Cooks with Blindness or Low Vision: (See Tips for Cooking with Blindness on the Left for more ideas.) If vision is limited, contrasting color cutting boards may help—a dark board for light colored foods and a light board for dark foods. Measuring cups and spoons with adjusting level guides let cooks measure without having to see the tiny red line. Available at Williams-Sonoma. A liquid indicator beeps when you fill your coffee cup or any container. Battery operated from Gold Violin or Lighthouse International. Note: Infinitec Inc. does not endorse or recommend these products and has no liability for the results of their use. Infinitec Inc. has received no consideration of any type for featuring any product on this Web site. The information offered herein is a summary; it is not comprehensive and should be carefully evaluated by consumers with the assistance of qualified professionals. The intention of Infinitec Inc. is to offer consumers a brief overview of various assistive technology devices and their applications. |
utensil with a piece of foam rubber and some tape. Persons with prosthetic limbs might like the 
Stationary bowls have either suction cups or steel frames to lock the bowl into place. Available through Patterson Medical.