Blindness or low vision doesn’t mean you can’t get in the kitchen!
Whether you’re an experienced cook or a novice, there’s a range of equipment and a number of strategies that can help you become a kitchen whizz!
Check out some top tips below from our occupational therapy team that will help you be safe and independent in the kitchen!
Vision Australia kitchen tips
Get organised
It’s important that you’re familiar with the layout of your kitchen and where things are kept.
This means having set locations for ingredients, spices and utensils. This will help you quickly navigate your kitchen and grab everything you need.
An important part of this is to make sure everything goes back in its place. We recommend having a conversation with your family to make sure they know the rules!
Set timers
Whether it’s boiling water, frying garlic, roasting a chicken or pre-heating your oven, knowing when things are ready is an important part of cooking.
We recommend people use timers to make sure you’re not over cooking or under cooking.
Timers come in a range of option to suit everyone’s needs. Using a smartphone can be an easy way to set one, while large print timers are also available. Ovens and other appliances often have inbuilt timers that may be useful too.
Make it brighter
If you’re cooking with low vision, adding a light source can make all the difference.
This could mean moving a lamp into the kitchen, or installing an LED strip light under the kitchen counter. Some LED lighting can be plugged into a wall outlet, so you might not even need to bring in a handy man.
Before you have lights installed or go out and buy one, we strongly recommend you have your lighting needs assessed, so you can work out exactly what you need.
Caption: Tactile markings can be a simple way to identify kitchen appliances
Get to know your oven
Your oven or cooktop is likely to be one of the more important pieces of equipment you have in your kitchen, so it pays to be familiar with it.
Marking this with tactile features is one common strategy that can help you safely use your appliance.
Raised markings around dials and on other controls are a great way of allowing you to know if you’ve set your appliance to the right temperature or turned a specific function on or off.
Caption: Liquid levels can be an important tool in the kitchen.
Find the tools that suit you
Everybody cooks differently, so it’s important to work out what tools you need to get the job done.
If you like baking but have trouble with measuring flour, you could get a talking scale, or long heatproof oven mitts might be good to help you to safely remove items from the stove or oven.
Our Vision Store sells a range of items to help you in the kitchen. If you want specific help, you can contact us on 1300 84 74 66 or email [email protected].