Cooking with one hand tied behind your back...

[Kajikit]

My dominant hand has been playing up since New Year's Day and it's getting frustrating! We're going to a potluck dinner tomorrow and I had to resort to a Stouffers frozen lasagna for my contribution instead of my usual made-from-scratch productions. I can cut stuff up but not finely, and I can stir pots but not if they're heavy, and so on... yesterday I made a beef shank stew in the oven using a bag of frozen soup vegetables so I didn't have to chop anything. It wasn't the best stew in the world, but it was edible. The day before I made burritos, but the amount of stirring I had to do to get the ground beef broken up and cooked properly was a real strain on my wrist. What's worse is DH can't even boil water so I can't get HIM to help me... we've been eating a lot of take out and frozen food, and I need suggestions for one-handed cooking!

[Mikels]

Sorry to hear about your hand. I ran into the same trouble when I tore my wrist. Have no feel, there are web sites that have gizzmos to help those with one hand. I can't remember the name of the sire, it was too long ago. I think the site was www.activeforever.com. If not Google handicapped tools.

[Darienne]

Dear Kajikit,

My heart goes out to you and I hope your hand mends quickly.

I have a different problem. Both my hands work about as well as they have for a long time, but I can't stand for very long.

Now my DH is a good cook. But besides doing a large portion of the cooking (which is wondeful), he is acting as a sous-chef especially for the Chinese food. Maybe this is something your husband could do without cooking anything.

I have typed many of our recipes in a fashion that Ed can follow for his part of the work. Bowl #1 contains:.....; bowl # 2 contains: and so on. He gets the stuff out of the cupboards and lines them up. He opens cans, washes, rinses, and chops vegetables and meats. He adds things by the 1/2 cup or teaspoonful or whatever is called for into the designated bowls. He stands there and fries the ground pork. He fries the green beans. He cuts the roasts. Everything but cook it. And all the bowls are lined up for my use.

It has worked very well. I'll add a photo of one page of recipes.

[Lisa Shock]

My first instinct is to say, if it hurts, don't do it. That said. if you're going to try cooking anyway, try wearing one of those braces that hold your hand in a neutral position.

I have, on separate occasions, broken both of my thumbs and one wrist, so, I have an idea of what you're going through. (and, my ASCII Grip one-hand controller for Playstation helped me from going stir-crazy)

Do you have a mandoline? That or a food processor could be very helpful in cutting up vegetables. One of those silly slap-chop things might be useful, although, this chopper looks a bit more useful, if you have healp with cleanup.

Don't forget that rice is very easy to make and can be the base for a meal, even if that meal is some frozen mixed vegetables and a simple cream sauce. Extra rice can always be used in fried rice, frittatas, casseroles and more.

If the hubby will scrub them, baked potatoes are easy and a good base to serve things over, like chili or stew. I actually like cold leftover potatoes in a green salad. This is one instance where maybe you aren't nuts to buy salad dressing and those pre-washed greens....

A frittata might be fairly easy to make, if you use leftovers or get the DH to chop some veggies.

Bean soups are easy.

Good luck! I hope you get better soon!

[KarenDW]

We have one of these choppers which could be very handy in your situation.

P'raps you could ask DH to wash & peel a few carrots and onions? Just don't watch him work! If you are concerned that he won't be able to figure out the technique, look up a youtube video for the task you need done

When I had surgery on my right (dominant) wrist, we used quite a lot of the pre-washed salad mix, and also the preprepped veg available in our supermarket (squash cubes, peeled/chopped onions). Frozen peas are definitely a staple in our house; corn is handy.

Will DH at least take you grocery shopping? Just picking up new stock of dried herbs can help with "lifting up" the flavor of prefab food. Ditto with lemon rind (get a box grater which can stand on the table by itself).

If you have a butcher shop nearby, could you order some trimmed, cubed meats for stews/soups? One of our butchers also has a rotisserie, and so I can order cooked chickens

Oh, and specifically wrt ground beef... a potato masher can work well to break up clumps. Start w/ a dutch oven rather than a skillet, to contain the accompanying mess...

After my surgery, I have worked for 10 years to become ambidextrous. I'm nearly there!

Best to you for a speedy recovery.

[nakji]

Last year I broke my elbow and was in a cast for a month. Drove me crazy, mainly because while my husband cooked, I had to stay in the kitchen and talk him through every step. Cooking took twice as long, but we got there in the end - without killing each other, miracle of miracles. One dish I was able to make one-handed was Marcella Hazan's pasta with tomato sauce. The only help I needed was getting the can open, which, mercifully, my husband was able to do without direction. It makes for a quick weeknight dinner.

[heidih]

I have lost the use of my dominant hand many times- usually due to breaks that would heal, but one of them was a tear that still affects my fine motor control. The kicker was a few years ago when the breaks were so severe that my radial nerve was mangled and I had radial nerve palsy for over a year. I make a sincere effort to use and strengthen my non-dominant hand. Every injury is different, but try to play around with different ways of holding a knife, moving things around,etc. If you are set up for physical therapy make sure you are clear with the therapist about what your needs are.

[Kajikit]

Thanks for the suggestions. So far the hardest thing I've actually found is opening jars and bottles! I can't get a good enough grip on them to turn the darned things. You can kind of cut with your arm straight out in front of you... and you can hold the wooden spoon in a fist grip instead of like a pen for rough stirring. Fortunately I have a can-opener with nice comfortable handles and it's not too hard for me to use.

[Lisa Shock]

My mother-in-law has arthritis. I got her this jar opener and, it seems to work well for her.

[paulraphael]

I saw a cool jar opener that mounted on the bottom of a cabinet. It was basically a kind of cam-like jaw that would grab the lid when you twisted against it. you could twist the jar with both hands ... the thing itself was low profile and completely out of the way when you didn't need it.

For cutting, a long chef's knife (at least 8 inches), well sharpened, will let you cut things with very little force or wrist motion. Way easier than gizmos for tasks.

[Lisa Shock]

For cutting, a long chef's knife (at least 8 inches), well sharpened, will let you cut things with very little force or wrist motion. Way easier than gizmos for tasks.

But, when your hand is in a cast or brace with the thumb pointing away from the palm in a fixed position, holding a knife isn't really possible with any degree of safety. And, if you train yourself to hold the knife in the non-dominate hand, you're still stuck not being able to hold down the item you are cutting, which can lead to chasing hunks of food all over the kitchen.