Kitchen Items for Arthritic Hands

[Shel_B]

I have 2 of the 10" Victorinox knives, one fibrox and one rosewood. The fibrox is NSF-rated. IIRC the rosewood is not.

I hadn't noticed that difference. OK, what's NSF and why should I care about it? How does it make the blade different than a non-NSF blade?

[Pierogi]

Much of the time I am working in the kitchen, I wear gloves - the nitrile powder-free type because things do not slip as easily in my hands and when my joints are aching, the "warmth" of the gloves eases them somewhat when I have to put my hands in cold water - as when washing vegetables and fruits.

I got in the habit years ago when I was doing some catering (before arthritis) and it has save me a certain amount of discomfort.

Andie, THAT is a great idea. I, too, have issues with sensitivity to cold.....

[Porthos]

I hadn't noticed that difference. OK, what's NSF and why should I care about it? How does it make the blade different than a non-NSF blade?

NSF - National Sanitation Foundation. Certifying authority that covers many different areas regarding health-related categories of products.

California Unified Retail Food Facilities Law (CURFFL) calls for most equipment and kitchen tools used in commercial operations be NSF certified. It is not necessary for home kitchens. The reason it appeals to me is that the certification means that if you clean the item to the MFG standards and do that cleaning in a 3-part sink (wash - rinse - sanitize) that the construction of the item will allow it to be properly cleaned and not harbor bacteria and such. This is my layman's explanation.

Where this really comes into play for me is in the volunteer renaissance feast kitchens my DW and I lead. While we have no legal requirement to follow CURFFL (we don't sell to the public, we feed volunteer re-enactors) I figure that for the health and well-being of the re-enactors following these laws as best we can helps keep down the prospect of ever being the source of food poisoning. Also, by and large, NSF items are easier to clean up because of the attention in the designs to not having crevices and such for food bits to get trapped in. The fibrox knife has no real places that food can be harbored in, whereas the clad-tang handles sometimes can have them. Going back to the ren faires issue, I supply the cooking gear we use and so I have personal control over whether that gear is NSF-rated or not.

In my home kitchen I am not as hung up on NSF but most of my pots & pans and my mixing bowls are NSF-rated. Knowing what I do now I also am more particular about my hand-held kitchen tools. I look for construction that looks like it probably could pass the certification process. Subjective, I know, but still important to me. And with the arthritis in my hands, anything that is easier to clean is a bonus and of course that is in keeping with the topic at hand.

[andiesenji]

Much of the time I am working in the kitchen, I wear gloves - the nitrile powder-free type because things do not slip as easily in my hands and when my joints are aching, the "warmth" of the gloves eases them somewhat when I have to put my hands in cold water - as when washing vegetables and fruits.

I got in the habit years ago when I was doing some catering (before arthritis) and it has save me a certain amount of discomfort.

Andie, THAT is a great idea. I, too, have issues with sensitivity to cold.....

Sometimes, when washing and scrubbing vegetables, if I don't wear gloves, I get severe pain throughout my hands and they virtually "freeze up" where I can't make a fist and just bending my fingers is difficult. Wearing the gloves keeps that from happening - and it is easier to grip slippery stuff.

[Shel_B]

I hadn't noticed that difference. OK, what's NSF and why should I care about it? How does it make the blade different than a non-NSF blade?

NSF - National Sanitation Foundation. Certifying authority that covers many different areas regarding health-related categories of products.

California Unified Retail Food Facilities Law (CURFFL) calls for most equipment and kitchen tools used in commercial operations be NSF certified. It is not necessary for home kitchens. The reason it appeals to me is that the certification means that if you clean the item to the MFG standards and do that cleaning in a 3-part sink (wash - rinse - sanitize) that the construction of the item will allow it to be properly cleaned and not harbor bacteria and such. This is my layman's explanation.

Where this really comes into play for me is in the volunteer renaissance feast kitchens my DW and I lead. While we have no legal requirement to follow CURFFL (we don't sell to the public, we feed volunteer re-enactors) I figure that for the health and well-being of the re-enactors following these laws as best we can helps keep down the prospect of ever being the source of food poisoning. Also, by and large, NSF items are easier to clean up because of the attention in the designs to not having crevices and such for food bits to get trapped in. The fibrox knife has no real places that food can be harbored in, whereas the clad-tang handles sometimes can have them. Going back to the ren faires issue, I supply the cooking gear we use and so I have personal control over whether that gear is NSF-rated or not.

In my home kitchen I am not as hung up on NSF but most of my pots & pans and my mixing bowls are NSF-rated. Knowing what I do now I also am more particular about my hand-held kitchen tools. I look for construction that looks like it probably could pass the certification process. Subjective, I know, but still important to me. And with the arthritis in my hands, anything that is easier to clean is a bonus and of course that is in keeping with the topic at hand.

Thanks for the great explanation. Looking at the fibrox and the rosewood knives, the difference was clear. It's a difference in knife construction. But that doesn't mean that the blades are different, or does it, and if so, in what way are they different. After all, I want to do right by my arthritis ....