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11 Kitchen Tips for Stroke Survivors
The core of this week's episode is Kitchen Trips for Stroke Survivors. I talk about them in a lot more detail in the episode, but here is the list.
Mise en place
Prepare all your ingredients and tools before you start cooking. You'll be less stressed and rushed. You'll be less likely to make a mistake, and you'll be less likely to forget a key ingredient.
Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast.
Take your time while doing your tasks. Focus on getting them done right, rather than getting them done quickly. If you can keep it smooth, you'll be surprised at how much time you ultimately save by not being sloppy and having to fix mistakes.
Let it fall
Don't try to catch a falling knife. It's a good way to seriously injure yourself. When something starts to fall, you may find yourself panicking as you try to stop it and dropping something else. Instead, just let it fall and deal with the aftermath.
Use big coffee mugs as small mixing bowls
Giant coffee mugs are great little mixing bowls. My affected arm and hand are full of tone, but if I can get my fingers in the handle, the tone will hold the mug in place so I can use my unaffected hand to beat an egg or mix tuna salad.
Dycem
Get a roll of Dycem (http://Strokecast.com/Hack/Dycem (affiliate link)). This plasticy, rubbery, non-adhesive stuff is great for keeping bowls, cutting boards, and containers of yogurt in place so they don't slide around as you use them. Your OT probably had a bunch and you can find it on Amazon. When it stops sticking, just was with soap and water and it's good as new.
Sharpen your knives
Dull knives are dangerous knives. They're difficult to use. And the way we (or at least I) use knives post stroke makes them duller, faster. So get them professionally sharpened.
Hot water maker
Get a stand-alone hot water maker. They're a super simple way to always have hot or boiling water safely available. I drink so much more tea sing The GF and I got one.
Stand off-center while doing dishes
We center ourselves at the sink to make it convenient to use both hands. If only one hand works why do we continue to do that? Center your unaffected arm with the sink to reduce reaching, strain, and splashing.
Checklist
Use a checklist to make sure you don't forget a step. The more complex a meal, the more high-stim the environment, the more helpful the checklist will be.
Let the beepers beep
Just because an alert goes off doesn't mean you have to drop everything and attend to it. Your appliances work for you, not the other way around
Be safe
More important than anything else is that you be safe. Don't take unecesary risks, even if that means you have to abandon meal prep halfway though. Worst case, there';s always delivery and take out.
Links
Where do we go from here
- Subscribe to the Strokecast newsletter at http://Strokecast.com/News
- Share your favorite kitchen tips with Bill@Strokecast.com
- Stay safe in the kitchen and make yummy things
- Don't get best…get better
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