Blind Cooking Tips and Tricks

#blindness #cooking #lifeskills
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Working in the kitchen can be a challenge for most people, throw vision loss on top of it and it can become an even more daunting task. Today I want to share my blind kitchen hacks and all of the tips and tricks I've learned to make navigating the kitchen and cooking independently possible. Consider sharing your own tips and tricks down below sow e can all learn!
Where To Find Accessible Kitchen Gadgets:
Cutting Glove:
Amazon -
amzn.to/3mxzazs
Liquid Level Indicator:
Braille Book Store -
www.braillebookstore.com/Liqui...
Amazon -
amzn.to/3FynGET
Thumbnail Description: Tamara smiling sitting at her kitchen island with a cutting board and herbs in front of her and a fridge and sink in the background. Bold text reads: How Blind People Cook.
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Filmed on Lumix G7

[@heseniortab1826]

A cheaper alternative to the beeping device is to put a ping pong ball in the glass or cup, and then hold a finger across the vessel (away from the pouring liquid) as you pour. As the level of liquid gets close to the top, the ball will touch your finger. I keep several of these balls in a container on my counter for this. I got them from a "beer pong" game kit to ensure that they were "food quality".

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

That's an absolutely fantastic and inexpensive accessibility hack. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@justtotallygorgeous]

Another tip I learned for blind folk is to cut on a board that’s on top of a baking tray usually with a lip or quite a higher edge - that way when you’re cutting stuff and sometimes they pinball around or flick (just like the pieces of herbs were doing) they stay within the tray instead of having to feel around on the side or potentially the floor!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Great tip! Saves a ton on clean-up later.

[@kimhollenbeck1308]

Your video is educational and helpful to me and I do the same thing in the kitchen to help my very low vision loss and I keep safety in mind what I am doing in the kitchen at home.The only thing that if there is too much noise or distraction going on in the kitchen and living room I get distracted and nervous but I have never cut myself yet even though the knives are dull and one green small knife has a protector on it that is safe for me to use along with different cutting boards that I use in the kitchen

[@kimhollenbeck1308]

I also use a talking measuring scale to measure the ingredients in my baking .Now if only there was talking measuring cups,the ones that are hard to use I cannot see the names of each cups,I just guess what they are or ask my mom or niece what it says on each cup

[@alanv7251]

Someone recently pointed out that when you're boiling a single portion of water for tea you can just fill your cup up to the level you like with cold water, dump that into the tea kettle, and have the perfect amount of water every time. That was a total revelation for me-my previous strategy was "hook your finger on the edge and stop once you get scalded" lol. I should try some of these out! It would be a big improvement over being stuck with microwave leftovers on bad days.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

That’s an awesome tip! I never thought to put the water in my mug cold to see exactly how much I need. :)

[@bzobzo2359]

The only issue with this method is when you're using an electric kettle one mug of water might not cover the heating element.

[@alanv7251]

@@bzobzo2359 Good point! It works fine in my kettle, but I like big mugs and I don't think it actually has a minimum volume.

[@The-Blind-Life]

I’ve been completely blind since 2006 and have adopted many of your hacks for years. Vids like this weren’t around then. Great explanations. 😊 For newly blind, I would also recommend nylon knives until you feel more confident. Won’t cut you, and cut almost any fruit, vegetable and bread and cakes. If you like baking and need exact measurements, etekcity makes very accessible smart kitchen scales that are app controlled. Many hacks, and many products have improved the cooking experience in my 17 years of blindness. Keep up the good work!! You’re doing a great service for many!!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thanks for the comment! I will definitely check out the nylon knives. That sounds like something that would benefit several of my newly blind friends tremendously. :)

[@jonlaguerre3163]

Do you have a talking meet thermometer or do you set a timer what method do you use?

[@The-Blind-Life]

@@jonlaguerre3163 I have a talking thermometer and a Bluetooth TempSpike for grilling, oven and air fryer, which is app controlled.

[@aussielass5621]

My 11 year old completely blind granddaughter wants to do some cooking. So sighted Nanna is looking for hints and ideas. Using knives worried me, then someone mentioned the nylon safety knives. Those and some oven gloves will be on the shopping list. I think if she needs anything out of the cupboard I will have to get it out for her. My cupboards are full. Luckily my cutlery drawer doesn't have big knives, they are in a knife block out of reach. As I live in Darwin, Australia, my kitchen gets really hot, so will be using the microwave. The buttons on the microwave now have braille on them made with a braille label maker. My granddaughter made the labels and put them on it with a little help. She is really skilled at using the braille labeller. Gee, Nanny has had a crash course in some things to do with the un-sighted world. I enjoyed your video, very well presented. All the comments below have been helpful too. If you think of anything else that would be helpful, please comment.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Hi there! It's so lovely to hear you will be doing some cooking with your granddaughter. Cooking and baking with my grandmother were and still are some of my most cherished memories growing up. It sounds like you have a lot of things well in hand. My best suggestion is like you said, to start easy, no-bake, no-cook recipes, and work up from there increasing the difficulty. Maybe a sandwich to start, then a grilled cheese, then cookies, etc. Microwaves are wonders and very easy to use. With a cut-proof glove, I haven't cut myself in years. I literally couldn't cut myself If I tried. If you have the $15 to invest, I would say that before almost anything else in the kitchen for adaptive equipment. I also picked up a starfrit brand "mandolin" slicer it's not a true mandolin, but can slice really easily and safely without the need for knives. Great for a novice chef. Other than that, a lot of trial and error will be the best way to work through it. If you run into specific problems, or have other questions I'm always here to help just pop me a line. :)

[@aussielass5621]

@@UnsightlyOpinions today I bought a kids knife. A Russell Hobbs bench oven & single induction hotplate. My house stove is new, but can't get the heat. I have a kids microwave cookbook we made macaroni cheese which made 4 serves. She liked it that much she took rest home for evening meal. That book has a lot of easy recipes. I'm thinking next time make up hard icing for cookies then sprinkle with 100's & 1000's. That is something easy to do. Fried rice would be easy too.

[@kimberlyjohnson-clark2886]

Thank you you gave me some ideas that I didn't have before I'm not totally blind but I'm 75% blind I have no peripheral vision at all. I haven't been blind all my life I went blind in 2017 so I'm still learning and my world is still a little scary.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I'm so glad I could give you some new things to try! The transition into vision loss can be incredibly challenging, so feeling insecure and scared is incredibly normal. Goodness knows decades in now, I still have moments. Best of luck on your vision loss journey! :)

[@julianaviro7787]

As an occupational therapist who is helping an individual with low vision learn how to cook again after losing her vision, I found this very helpful!! Thank you!!!!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

So glad to be of service. Let me know if you run into any roadblocks. Always happy to lend a helping hand. :)

[@residentialpsycho1075]

The contracted Braille at the beginning through me for a loop.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I think you are the first person who's noticed! haha

[@VHPINC]

This was so helpful. It was the one class I didn’t take at my lighthouse training, and I can feel a little more relaxed in the kitchen now implementing these techniques. Especially pouring the hot water that has been a little frightening for me. Thank you for making these great videos.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I'm so glad you found it useful! It's why I do what I do. Wishing you all the best on your cooking adventures to come. :)

[@user-if5vr9jo2l]

I work with students who are visually impaired and I've really enjoyed watching your video. You have some great tips and I'll be suggesting some of these techniques to the students I work with. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Awesome! I'm so glad to be of service. I hope it goes well with your students. :)

[@yamikomori]

Amazing!

[@callieconnect8062]

Thanks for posting this video. So many useful tips that I will definitely start implementing. This video is going into my saved library.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I’m so glad you found it helpful! :)

[@qammararshad6891]

Stay blessed and happy

[@BlindSingleMom]

Another great and concise video. Thanks for sharing, Tamara. I actually picked up a few tips and tricks from this video I simply hadn’t considered before.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thanks so much! That’s Awesome! I’m so glad you were able to use some of the tips!

[@tracyr5594]

Thanks for sharing. Quite interesting.

[@bzobzo2359]

Brilliant video Tamara. I just started a rehabilitation course and I'm practicing teaching people how to prep food and drinks safely. You have released this video right before my next class. Perfect timing:) Thank you!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thank you so much! I’m glad you found it helpful! If you learn anything cool for food and drink prep/safety in your class please pop back and share it with all of us. :)

[@becci2543]

Brilliant insight into prepping and cooking with sight loss. Thank you for sharing.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Glad it was helpful!

[@abdullahak2204]

This was really awesome

[@TheLeviticalPrincess]

Blind people are awesome

[@bradleybrown8428]

Yes we are!

[@MrOtlichnik]

Incredibly useful! Thanks a lot for these brilliant ideas!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thank you! I’m so glad you found the kitchen tips and tricks helpful! :)

[@Amazar01]

Just starting my VI rehab training, but I have worked alongside visually impaired folk for a little over 8 years now. Liquid Level Indicators are brilliant, and I encourage their use quite frequently. That said, One Cup Kettles are also really handy if you have the cash. Many of those I support do simple but effective things like having all their cups with a design inside the cup itself, so if they have any functional vision they can observe the pattern disappearing. One chap also had an all black gas oven top so changed his pots to white to increase contrast. I had never even seen someone use that technique for the ceramic hob. Another great video, thank you.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Awesome suggestions! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@samanthamassimino7400]

Great video, there are some really useful tips here. Thank you. If I am using a measuring spoon, I fill it (so it over fills) and I get the right measure by then running the back of a blunt eating knife over the rim (whilst you are hovering over the container) and it gives the exact measure needed.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thanks Samantha! Awesome tip! I use that method as well sometimes. :)

[@gloriacresswell8052]

Hi! Just found this as couple of days ago when I asked KZbin for How anyone blind (or with vision issues) can cook safely. Tamara, you have done so beautifully, and are wonderfully articulate! I would love to stay to learn more! I also noticed one tip that hadn't been spoken but modelled, that in activity like cooking, or doing chores you seem to sit down for most things. I think that's excellent for anyone who has a balance issue. "Running" to see more tips from you. More than one area is hugely helpful to me, and I can't wait to see/hear them! Thank you for sharing your experiences!!!!!! Hugs!!!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thank you Gloria! I definitely have both mobility and balance issues, you raised a good point, that even though I do focus more on blindness I should mention why I do things for my other disabilities as well as others may have similar issues. I am working eagerly on more content as we speak. :)

[@gloriacresswell8052]

@@UnsightlyOpinions Do you have any texture issues with food? Just curious on how one would deal with that as well AFTER things are cooked.... Just avoid things when better sighted ppl aren't around?

[@seanleechild]

I love your insights.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thank you! I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@lisapinfold506]

Very useful, as I have visual loss due to a stroke. My confidence has been affected in the kitchen😐

[@theblindkitchen]

Very interesting! 🙌

[@houdini72]

Hey Tamara, Harley here again. You're sure getting close to 1,000. I told you it would happen fast! Anyway, I liked the video - clever and useful techniques, indeed. All the best to you!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Very close! It’s getting exciting. :) Thank you!

[@yanamorim5747]

THIS IS GENIOUS

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thank you! I’m so glad you found it helpful!

[@blukatzen]

I am low vision due to cataracts. I just bought a set of knives from Cuisinart, all colored. Makes it safe to cut. I also bought a mandoline from Oxo, that helps me with cukes and zucchini. Also a veggie spiralizer with hand guard for zucchini noodles. I also bought a 3 set color coded bowl set with no slip bottoms. All my kitchen is very colorful with exception of a white cutting board for contrast and no slip. I will be getting that slicing glove and a water sensor. I've recently bought measuring cups, silicone collapsible, color coded. Same with measuring spoons.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Amazing tip! Colour coding is awesome for keeping track of things. So many of my VI friends do that. Sadly doesn’t help me as I’m now colour blind haha

[@fabiolasingh9262]

I love this video thanks I want to learn before my vision get worsen I what to be prepare for thing to came thank you for your video 😍😍😍

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

My pleasure! I’m so glad to be of service 😊

[@lynneenglish7021]

Fantastic video, I am loosing my vision and preparing myself to be able to function around my house and still be able to cook. Thank you 😀

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Best of luck on your vision, loss journey.

[@lesflower1426]

i was so impresses with your chopping that i zoomed over to Amazon and bought was excited because they had a small, hard to find so thank you-oh and my name is

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thanks! The cutting glove makes such a huge difference! I love it. I hope you find it as awesome as I do :)

[@heyjosh7224]

You crushed this video! Subscribing for sure

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Welcome to our little unsightly corner of the internet!

[@carrieonaccessibility]

This is a fantastic video! I think you're making it!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thanks Carrie!

[@adilchohan7516]

I just wake up and watching your video, It's great to watch your video in the Morning....

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Thanks! I’m glad you like them :)

[@kenny2538]

Thank you so much for this video I am legally blind and I love cooking and this gives me good ideas thank you so much and God bless

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

My pleasure! So glad I could help. :)

[@kenny2538]

Thank you for the love of my comment hope you had a very bless ed Thanksgiving

[@ramblingmillennial1560]

I thought you seemed familiar! I think I watched one of your videos about traveling with a cane a few years ago. This was a great video. Do you have any videos about actually cooking? This video is more so about the prep beforehand. Would really love some tips about stovetop cooking. Like avoiding burning food and knowing when things are done etc.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Excellent Suggestion! It's in the works. Hopefully coming out in the next couple of weeks. :)

[@maxhu6121]

That was very enjoyable to watch! Also, my mom likes to pour things over the sink so if anything spills, it just goes down the drain.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Great technique!

[@soaringeagle5418]

A tip for cutting that I use. You are using a chef's knife in your right hand. With your left hand curl your fingers slightly so that you are pressing down with the tops of your finger nails. This keeps your finger tips under your palm and out of the way of the knife. You can rest your second knuckle against the side of the blade and rock the blade back and forth from the tip to the edge without worrying about nicking the hand holding the produce. If the food you are cutting is going to be seasoned with salt or sugar you can sprinkle a tiny bit of the proper seasoning on your cutting board to help keep what you are cutting from slipping around. When you are measuring out sugar or something like that into a measuring spoon you can scoop into the container, lift up a heaping spoonful, and then level it off with the flat back of a butter knife to get a perfectly level teaspoon or table spoon without gravity betraying you when you reach the top of the container and run out of container side to keep the sugar in the measuring spoon.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

That salt tip is awesome! I’m going to use that for sure next time I’m cutting things. Thanks for sharing these :)

[@rickhodgkins6937]

I use a peeler with a serated-edged blade, because that with with the straight-edged blade, I noticed that unfortunately, I cannot peel as accurately. Furthermore, I tail and tip my carrots using the peeler itself. For measuring and weighing ingredients, I have a digital talking scale and I have measuring cups, that which are braille labeled, as that they came that way. Pourfect, is the brand of measuring cups and spoons I use. I like your way of preventing messes. But if I accidently have a spill of any kind, I first use paper towel, then I use a Clorox whipe. What do you think about waffle irons/waffle makers? Thank you!

[@exprophetofbaalsaved]

Thank you

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

My pleasure!

[@blukatzen]

Measuring cups Oxo has plastic lexan type cups. Cuisinart does as well. Get RID of glass. It's a safety hazard if you are alone and can really cut hands and feet. I did this once when I had a bit more vision. Terrifying. ALSO FYI. a glass measuring cup is for liquid measurements. Different than for dry ingredients like flour etc.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I’ve never had that happen yet but yikes that’s scary! I do usually only use the glass for liquids I must have miss-spoken - I use plastic dry measures for my four, etc. Thanks for the correction :)

[@raihanahbatrisyia6289]

Hi, do you have an idea on how I can beat ingredients using a mixer? Like when the recipe says (beat egg until foamy/fluffy/until stiff peak/soft peak) and how can I mix dry ingredients in to wet ingredients?

[@karihale3232]

Can you do one on checking food doneness on the stove top?

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I will definitely do one on knowing food readiness excellent suggestion!

[@harleymonroe6018]

Yes, that would be very helpful

[@maryamjunaid4255]

Hi, ur videos are so useful. i recently started looking at kitchen tools for low vision for my daughter. 1 thing to ask for oven how to set up temperature if numbers are not visible to low visions? thanks a lot.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Great question! Depending on your daughter’s remaining vision I would recommend either using high contrast stickers on important areas like high, medium, low, or large print or high contrast bump ons or stickers over the numbers. So you can feel or see where things are. Alternately puff paint to outline buttons also works well :) hope that helps!

[@lisaconnor3756]

Thank you! I just messed up a batch of mayo because I put too much lemon juice in it. I haven't done rehab in 20 years and needed a quick refresher as my vision is getting worse.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

My pleasure. I’m glad the tips were helpful. Mayo is really easy to mess up for anyone vision loss or not so don’t beat yourself up. I’ve messed it up many times!

[@WackyLisa]

@@UnsightlyOpinions I logged into my main YT account but... Thanks. Amazingly this is the first time I've struggled with it. Using a stick blender in a wide mouth mason jar means I don't kill my wrist. I'd love more cooking content. Especially pancakes.

[@rickhodgkins6937]

Thank you very much. Other than christine Ha, someone that who I am quite familiar with, would you happen to know the names of other blind chefs who are successful in working in professional kitchens? I can’t help but wonder if they own their own restaurants or if they work for other people.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

There are many blind chefs and bakers I know of working in professional kitchens and/or owning their own restaurants. However most of the ones I've heard of don't have a public presence, i.e. KZbin/Instagram/TickTock so I'm not sure how to get in touch.

[@PatrickParkerMusic]

How do you cook meat? Chicken, steak, and ground beef ensure you don't get sick.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Great question! For me it's about the smell and texture change for the most part. I know they also make talking meat thermometers too. So if you aren't sure about it by smell, I'd check out one of those. After a quick google the TermoPro has a talking model for about $40 that looks pretty good. :(

[@maxteply1567]

Hi! I’m 17 and have been blind since birth. My cooking skills are very much lacking, but I want to have some idea what I’m doing before I go to college in the fall. These tips are great! Do you have any tricks for pouring noodles or something into a strainer and then back into the pot, especially when one is bigger than the other? Also, I seem to have a problem with holding things level. Do you have any suggestions for fixing that? Thanks!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Excellent questions! I would suggest getting a nice big strainer with feet on the bottom that sit in the sink. I line up the edge of the pot with halfway into the strainer then tip over. As for holding level, I find practicing with a level app on your phone can help, as well as holding with two hands. :) Hope that helps!

[@paulahamilton3089]

Can you tell me what the name of the beeping device is. Where did you say I could get the cheaper one at. Please. Thanks for your time.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Hi Paula. It's called a liquid level indicator. I find the most affordable ones if you are in the US or Canada are from the Braille Superstore. Amazon sells them but they are WAY overpriced. :)

[@philippephil99]

Wow my❤ friend!!!!!********** I am so so happy that you are showing these tips and tricks to all of us that are blind and that includes myself as well!!!**** So, Some Very Huge Thousand Thanks For What You Are Doing And Peace!!!!!****** OXOXOXOX!!!!!******* @Philippe Bouchard!!!!!!!********* (The Blind Buddy) (KZbinr) (Musician) (From Clair New-Brunswick Canada)!!!!!!!!!********* 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

So glad to be of service Philippe! :)

[@danabelden4492]

I got one the first time I heard it scared me lol it was loud

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Haha rather a loud scratching sound than knives hitting fingers!

[@paul1962uk]

I live alone, I just have microwave ready meals.

[@rickhodgkins6937]

Yes I’m afraid so.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

With adaptations I know many blind chefs who work successfully in a professional kitchen. I am certainly not one of them and don’t know how best to advise. But Christina Ha is a blind chef and KZbinr. Worth checking out.

[@blindnessisaspectrum6237]

Contact Society for the Bling. If you request talking clocks, fill meters, and so much more, they can be sent to you for FREE.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

That’s great! I’m sure lots of folks in the US can benefit from that. :)

[@kaydee5931]

Annabella and them

[@rickhodgkins6937]

what about baking or cooking in a restaurant or bakery?

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

I’m not sure what you mean. Are you asking how would a blind person cook in a restaurant or bakery?

[@alst1]

That knife & burner was terrifying to view!

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Haha you get used to it. :)

[@dsgcatering]

i really enjoyed this video. i have a channel as well. i love to assist our community as much as i can with experiencing the joy of cooking. i would like to attach this link to this video in my next video. i wanted to know if we could network as well. enjoy.

[@UnsightlyOpinions]

Hi there. Always glad to see so many awesome creators with blindness/low vision. Please feel free to share a link to one of my videos, just please attribute it to my channel. Thanks! Keep up the good work:)