Cookery Tips and Recipes

[parnassus]

Cooking is never easy for a person with co-ordination difficulties, but some of us on the forum (* cough * Michelle) actually know how. Share your wisdom...please.

[kitty_cute]

For perfect crackling in roast pork, rub a bit of salt, in between the fat. Mmm crunchy, crunchy = D

[parnassus]

1.) Have a large whiteboard in your kitchen. Write the recipe on it in big letters before you begin to cook. Alternatively, you could type up your favourite recipes on the computer, print them off on A3 sized paper, have them laminated, and keep them all in one of the kitchen drawers. Have a pinboard in your kitchen and tack your chosen recipe for the day to the board before you begin to cook.

2.) Get out all the ingredients before you start cooking and line them up in the order that you will use them.

3.) Once you have finished with something, put it away.

4.) Go Jewish and have separate preparation areas for meat, vegetables, and dairy to prevent you from getting confused. Have three timers, each with a slightly different sound, and use them to indicate a.) when the meat dish is ready to come out of the oven, b.) when the vegetables are done, and c.) when the cake/soup/bread is finished...

5. Never cook in bare feet. Always wear your shoes.

6. Shop for 'friendly' kitchen gadgets at household stores for the blind. Alternatively, you could contact your local hospital's occupational therapy department and ask for what they have. You can order useful cooking equipment from the catalogue.

[Black_Haired_Angel]

5. Never cook in bare feet. Always wear your shoes.

especailly for hygine reasons. i work in a kitchen sumtimes and thats an important one!!

[Thirteen-thirty-seven]

Couscous is easy to cook. You just pour hoit water on it and it's cooked. Pouring can be difficult, but it's easier than other recipes. You can add a stock cube for flavour.

[Katielauren2001]

1.Get two tortilla wraps/crepes
2.Grate the cheese carefully
3.Sprinkle onto tortilla
4.Chop the vegetables of your choice e.g pepper,onion
5. Put the tortillas in the microwave for around 1 minute each side.
6.Serve and cut into triangle slices.

Perfect and simple for all of us...

[chocolatefudgecake]

If your still living with your parents (like me) or if you live with someone who knows how to cook, when they cook, offer to help them & get them to tell you what to do - I find it easier to learn that way.

If you want to use a recipy book, get one that you find easy to understand (even if your going to copy it onto a whiteboard).

Learn the different terms that are used it cooking (like what you do when you kneed (spelt right?) something), so if you come across it, then you know what to do (and saves you getting confused.). if you come across a knew term, get someone to explain it/what you do to you.

It really helps if you have a chef/exchef in the family/as a friend/in a friend's family (basicly someone you know.)

[GirlInTheGraniteCity]

I'll try helping my mum today, she's baking chocolate chip cookies .

[chocolatefudgecake]

warning, Knives are sharp! I know from first hand experiance (the cut on my finger made it harder to cook and even harder to wash up. & I can't use it to type. could have been worse though.)

If you want to make Lasagna, It helps to know how to make Spaghetti Bolognaise, as well as macaroni cheese (you use both the sources for lasagna.)

[kitty_cute]

Buy Delia's How to Cook - 1 if your a beginner. It starts with how to poach an egg, and shows you all the basics, easily, and safely. Highly recomended!

[towildhoney]

Really look at the equipment in the kitchen and see if its dyspraxic friendly a metal or enamel colinder with small holes and a heat proff handel is a worth while investment it saves burns while draining or serving.

I've read many posts and heard people say my parents won't let me cook.
Explain to your parents you must learn to cook the chances are it will take you longer to learn than most people the last thing you need is to move out of home unable to cook.

Try to cook one of your favourites and learn to adapt it to be you friendly. For example I like Lasagne and its posible to cook it if I think it out.

So I have a light but sturdy earthen ware dish I can lift in and out of the oven without burning my self or droping it. I have relativley thin oven gloves so I can feel the dish tee towles won't do and mits are to thick.

Cutting Onions and crushing garlic (I use a gadget) if you can't after trying by it powdered. To chop an onion cutting it in 1/2 first so you have one flat surface make three legthways cuts holding the back of the onion then when you make side ways cuts it will be diced into small pieces though its wastefull don't cut to wear your holding the onion so there is no risk of cutting your fingers. Again there are gadgets for diceing onions but personaly I'm not strong enough to use it.

Use liberal amounts of olive oil in the pan to prevent burning add the onions and garlic use a medium heat browning takes about 5 minutes.

Then add lean mince (beef)

Cook till browned and stiring with a wodden spoon

Add tinned tomatoes (an electric can opener may be needed) be careful not to splash

add a tea spoon or two to taste of chili powder ( if you can't hold a teaspoon it is posible to get plastic measuring spoons which are more curved so easier to control.

Add two table spoons of tomato pure (I find tubes easiest though it comes in bottles and cans)

I add a glass or red wine though this is not essential if it is dry though add a little water

20 mins to half an hour after browning on a medium heat it should be cooked.

Allow to cool a little

Layer lasagne pasta on the bottom of your dish try not to overlap then the meat then more Lasagne then more meat then lasagne.

I put chese sauce on top I use a bisto chese powder so you boil the kettle poor the right amount of water 1/2 pint into a measuring jug then I stir in 4 tbsp of the powder. and poor on the lasagne

Then I add grated chese (can be bought grated) and place it under the grill till browned.

This is probably not the easiest recipe and it can be adapted I add vegtables like courgets. But I was trying to highlight if you think about every step in a recipe then look at how you can adapt it or wher you'll need help I can't serve. It is posible to do most things with practice.

[Katielauren2001]

Well if you have trouble in the kitchen try making some healthy homemade treats and meals

Pizza Bases (Ready Made)
Tamatoe Puree
Tuna
Prawns
Sweetcorn
Mushroom
Cheese

1.Spread the tamato puree over the base
2.Sprinke with cheese
3.Add the tuna,prawns,sweetcorn and mushroom
4.Cook serve at eat mmm..

You can use other fillings but this is quite healthy and is good and easy to cook.

To accompany your lovely pizza's try making a simple salad that takes minutes!


Lettuce
Cherry Tamatoes
Cucumber
Egg
Carrots
Cheese

Put into a dish and put in the fridge till serving simple!!


For afters

Fruit Crunch Muffins

Bag of Raisins/dryed fruit
Self Raising Flour
Egg
Milk
Margarine

1.Measure out the flour and put in bowl
2.Put in the margarine and mix
3.Put in the eggs and beat
4.Then pour in the milk
5.Pour in the raisins
6.Put int the oven for around 15 mins put in fridge and serve when cool

[parnassus]

Thank you for those recipes, Katie. My problem is knowing the exact quantity of each ingredient (I'm not good at weighing and measuring) performing the physical actions of slicing, cutting, and stirring; and doing things in the right order. I will take your recipes to my occupational therapist the next time I see her to ask if she can help me with them.

[towildhoney]

Vicky I was thinking if you were careful a cheese wire is actually easier to use than a knife to cut cheese. It allows you to use your weight to cut the cheese than relying on your hands I'm not strong eoungh. Its more likely to go straight to.

[George]

If you don't like using knives, there are times where you can use scissors.

For example on chicken fillet and on bacon.