WEBVTT
1
00:00:01.200 --> 00:00:03.120
Whether you've been
cooking your whole life
2
00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:05.940
or you're just starting to
learn, it's helpful to know how
3
00:00:05.940 --> 00:00:09.630
to be safe, efficient, and
relaxed in the kitchen.
4
00:00:09.630 --> 00:00:12.570
In this episode, Hadley members Don
5
00:00:12.570 --> 00:00:16.410
and Dia, join us to share
their experiences with cooking
6
00:00:16.410 --> 00:00:18.000
after vision loss.
7
00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:21.660
I'm Ricky Enger, and
this is Hadley Presents.
8
00:00:21.660 --> 00:00:23.820
Welcome to the show. Hello.
9
00:00:23.820 --> 00:00:26.280
Hi Ricky. Hi Don. Thank you.
10
00:00:26.280 --> 00:00:28.620
It is amazing to have you both.
11
00:00:28.620 --> 00:00:30.480
I know we're gonna have a really good time
12
00:00:30.480 --> 00:00:34.560
and probably end up being
very hungry after the episode.
13
00:00:34.560 --> 00:00:37.470
So I am looking so forward
14
00:00:37.470 --> 00:00:40.080
to learning a bit about each of you
15
00:00:40.080 --> 00:00:42.540
and what you do in the kitchen,
16
00:00:42.540 --> 00:00:44.940
and I think we're going
to have a great time
17
00:00:44.940 --> 00:00:48.120
and share some very
useful tips and tricks.
18
00:00:48.120 --> 00:00:50.520
And of course, as much
as we are able to share
19
00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:53.550
between the three of us, there
is no way we're gonna be able
20
00:00:53.550 --> 00:00:58.020
to cover everything, which is
why we are so happy to have
21
00:00:58.020 --> 00:01:00.000
so many clever listeners out there.
22
00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:01.890
So if you're listening
23
00:01:01.890 --> 00:01:05.220
and you have something
to share about cooking,
24
00:01:05.220 --> 00:01:07.350
we're gonna have info on how to do
25
00:01:07.350 --> 00:01:09.900
that at the end of the episode.
26
00:01:09.900 --> 00:01:14.070
So before we get into
talking about your kitchen
27
00:01:14.070 --> 00:01:17.400
experiences, the good,
the bad, the in between,
28
00:01:17.400 --> 00:01:18.990
why don't we get a little bit
29
00:01:18.990 --> 00:01:22.290
of information about each of you?
30
00:01:22.290 --> 00:01:23.940
So Dia, I wanna start with you.
31
00:01:23.940 --> 00:01:27.180
You've actually been on
a Hadley Presents podcast
32
00:01:27.180 --> 00:01:29.760
before, so welcome back.
33
00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:34.650
But for those of you who
didn't hear that first podcast,
34
00:01:34.650 --> 00:01:37.140
let's get a quick intro from Dia.
35
00:01:37.140 --> 00:01:41.040
Hi Ricky again. Thank
you for having me today.
36
00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:43.920
I am very excited about being here
37
00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:47.280
and talking about cooking,
which is one of my really,
38
00:01:47.280 --> 00:01:50.160
really big passions in life.
39
00:01:50.160 --> 00:01:53.400
And it still is even with vision loss
40
00:01:53.400 --> 00:01:56.190
and that I am legally blind.
41
00:01:56.190 --> 00:02:00.330
I have a disease called N-A-I-O-N,
42
00:02:00.330 --> 00:02:04.380
non ischemic optic neuropathy
43
00:02:04.380 --> 00:02:06.090
non anterior.
44
00:02:06.090 --> 00:02:08.970
And it happened in my
45
00:02:08.970 --> 00:02:12.000
left eye in 2019.
46
00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:14.400
And then I was unfortunate enough
47
00:02:14.400 --> 00:02:17.850
to have it happen in the right
eye, which is very unusual
48
00:02:17.850 --> 00:02:20.040
as the professionals tell me.
49
00:02:20.040 --> 00:02:23.730
It is basically an optic nerve stroke.
50
00:02:23.730 --> 00:02:27.480
So I had the left eye and the right eye.
51
00:02:27.480 --> 00:02:31.440
As of present, I only have 15% vision.
52
00:02:31.440 --> 00:02:34.500
I'm so looking forward to
hearing about some of the ways
53
00:02:34.500 --> 00:02:35.850
that you have adapted,
54
00:02:35.850 --> 00:02:39.630
because cooking is such
a huge passion for you
55
00:02:39.630 --> 00:02:44.610
and you certainly did not decide to let
56
00:02:44.610 --> 00:02:46.920
that go, which is awesome.
57
00:02:46.920 --> 00:02:50.400
So Don, this is your
first time on the show,
58
00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:53.970
but certainly not your first
time participating in things
59
00:02:53.970 --> 00:02:56.310
related to Hadley.
60
00:02:56.310 --> 00:02:59.710
You're, you're always on the
What's Cooking discussion group
61
00:02:59.710 --> 00:03:01.000
as well as other groups.
62
00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:03.070
And so it's wonderful to have you here.
63
00:03:03.070 --> 00:03:04.540
For people who don't know you,
64
00:03:04.540 --> 00:03:06.010
why don't you just give a quick intro,
65
00:03:06.010 --> 00:03:07.450
tell us a bit about yourself
66
00:03:07.450 --> 00:03:11.350
and as much about your vision loss journey
67
00:03:11.350 --> 00:03:13.540
as you're comfortable sharing too.
68
00:03:13.540 --> 00:03:16.300
Okay. My name is Don Pointman.
69
00:03:16.300 --> 00:03:18.280
I'm 61 years old
70
00:03:18.280 --> 00:03:21.970
and I currently work for the Bureau
71
00:03:21.970 --> 00:03:24.940
for Public Health in West Virginia.
72
00:03:24.940 --> 00:03:28.300
My vision loss, it started in 2015,
73
00:03:29.440 --> 00:03:32.170
I was making Oreo mint ice cream
74
00:03:32.170 --> 00:03:34.900
and I saw a shade come
down over my left eye.
75
00:03:35.830 --> 00:03:38.140
So the next day I went, I hadn't,
76
00:03:38.140 --> 00:03:40.180
did not have an
ophthalmologist at that time,
77
00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:42.370
so I called one and luckily
there was one who was willing
78
00:03:42.370 --> 00:03:44.560
to see me the next day.
79
00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:47.380
And then my daughter
drove me to the eye doctor
80
00:03:47.380 --> 00:03:50.230
and I said, ah, yes,
you have a retinal tear
81
00:03:50.230 --> 00:03:53.530
or retinal detachment, and it's pretty bad
82
00:03:53.530 --> 00:03:56.560
because it's the entire
retina that's pulled away.
83
00:03:56.560 --> 00:03:59.080
And finally in February of 2016,
84
00:03:59.080 --> 00:04:01.240
the eye just said, that's it, I'm done.
85
00:04:01.240 --> 00:04:03.400
And it went completely dark,
86
00:04:03.400 --> 00:04:08.400
but I still had my right eye,
which was at 2030 vision.
87
00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:13.680
But that was fine until
November 10th, 2022
88
00:04:14.110 --> 00:04:16.780
when it decide to detach.
89
00:04:16.780 --> 00:04:21.640
Then beginning of 2024
90
00:04:21.640 --> 00:04:24.610
is when everything went
dark for me in that eye.
91
00:04:24.610 --> 00:04:25.660
And that's where it's been
92
00:04:25.660 --> 00:04:27.790
and that's where it's, it's staying.
93
00:04:27.790 --> 00:04:31.660
I don't think of it as
a, a vision loss journey.
94
00:04:31.660 --> 00:04:33.820
It's, to me it's a life journey.
95
00:04:33.820 --> 00:04:36.130
I never really looked
at it as, oh my gosh,
96
00:04:36.130 --> 00:04:38.950
I'm losing my vision, I'm going blind.
97
00:04:38.950 --> 00:04:42.160
What am I gonna do? I just
looked at it, this is my life.
98
00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:44.110
And so I made arrangements when I first
99
00:04:44.110 --> 00:04:45.190
was losing the vision.
100
00:04:46.300 --> 00:04:50.710
I, you know, I would change
things on my, mainly my menus
101
00:04:50.710 --> 00:04:52.450
and stuff so I can make
'em more accessible in
102
00:04:52.450 --> 00:04:54.400
case it gets even worse.
103
00:04:54.400 --> 00:04:58.210
But I just look at it as this
is another part of my life
104
00:04:58.210 --> 00:05:00.700
and I just have to adjust.
105
00:05:00.700 --> 00:05:03.310
I really like the way you frame that
106
00:05:03.310 --> 00:05:07.870
because it's so true
that life isn't just full
107
00:05:07.870 --> 00:05:11.770
of good things, where the
bad things are an outlier.
108
00:05:11.770 --> 00:05:16.330
It is ups and downs and
everyone just has different ups
109
00:05:16.330 --> 00:05:17.500
and different downs.
110
00:05:17.500 --> 00:05:20.950
And ultimately you hopefully
arrive at where you are,
111
00:05:20.950 --> 00:05:23.800
where both of you are,
which is, I'm excited
112
00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:27.280
to be learning things, everything is okay.
113
00:05:27.280 --> 00:05:31.630
So a lot of times we hear from people
114
00:05:31.630 --> 00:05:34.720
who maybe they have lost some vision
115
00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:37.240
or they're in the process of doing that
116
00:05:37.240 --> 00:05:40.390
and thinking, you know,
I never did learn to cook
117
00:05:40.390 --> 00:05:42.760
and so I'm going to start doing that now.
118
00:05:42.760 --> 00:05:45.280
But for the two of you,
that's not the case.
119
00:05:45.280 --> 00:05:48.970
You've always been very
interested in cooking.
120
00:05:48.970 --> 00:05:51.670
So this is one of those things that
121
00:05:51.670 --> 00:05:56.260
as you are losing that vision,
you're thinking about, okay,
122
00:05:56.260 --> 00:05:57.860
how am I going to do this?
123
00:05:57.860 --> 00:05:59.630
Am I going to do this?
124
00:05:59.630 --> 00:06:02.270
So I'm curious, and Dia
we'll start with you.
125
00:06:02.270 --> 00:06:05.780
Did you ever think, well,
126
00:06:05.780 --> 00:06:08.540
this is probably something
I'm going to have to give up,
127
00:06:08.540 --> 00:06:10.910
or was that just never an option for you?
128
00:06:10.910 --> 00:06:13.220
How did you kind of navigate that
129
00:06:13.220 --> 00:06:14.220
Exactly?
130
00:06:14.220 --> 00:06:15.890
It was never an option.
131
00:06:15.890 --> 00:06:18.830
I knew I had to adjust
132
00:06:18.830 --> 00:06:22.910
and I knew that adjusting
was gonna be a little bit
133
00:06:22.910 --> 00:06:26.810
challenging, not difficult,
but more challenging.
134
00:06:26.810 --> 00:06:31.460
And I learned how to make
my cooking shortcuts.
135
00:06:31.460 --> 00:06:34.610
And I remember watching
my little Italian mama
136
00:06:34.610 --> 00:06:37.340
and pretty much that's
how I learned how to cook,
137
00:06:37.340 --> 00:06:40.430
was just observing how she did things.
138
00:06:40.430 --> 00:06:45.430
So I just never, ever
thought, I can't do this.
139
00:06:45.440 --> 00:06:49.250
I have several tips on how I remedy
140
00:06:49.250 --> 00:06:50.960
that right now.
141
00:06:50.960 --> 00:06:55.220
It's shortcuts, it's, it's how I improvise
142
00:06:55.220 --> 00:06:58.910
and in the, in the kitchen and
just maneuver and to be safe.
143
00:06:58.910 --> 00:07:03.830
That was my biggest fear
was, you know, burning myself
144
00:07:03.830 --> 00:07:05.750
or cutting myself.
145
00:07:05.750 --> 00:07:08.750
And that is the challenge of it for me.
146
00:07:08.750 --> 00:07:12.800
But it sounds like once
you said to yourself,
147
00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:17.150
I'm not giving this up, the
rest of it just became logistics
148
00:07:17.150 --> 00:07:19.820
of, okay, I have to figure this out, not,
149
00:07:19.820 --> 00:07:21.620
I can't figure this out.
150
00:07:21.620 --> 00:07:23.720
Exactly. Absolutely.
151
00:07:23.720 --> 00:07:27.440
And I never ever thought, I
can't do it ever, never again,
152
00:07:27.440 --> 00:07:28.850
it's a mind over matter.
153
00:07:28.850 --> 00:07:30.980
You have this challenge.
154
00:07:30.980 --> 00:07:34.460
And I also don't believe
that I have to deal
155
00:07:34.460 --> 00:07:36.140
with being legally blind.
156
00:07:36.140 --> 00:07:39.980
I, I have to deal with
how to adapt it's life.
157
00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:41.480
And Don, for you,
158
00:07:41.480 --> 00:07:44.960
cooking has always been a
passion for you too, right?
159
00:07:44.960 --> 00:07:48.980
Oh yeah. I mean, I watched
my bohemian mother cooking
160
00:07:48.980 --> 00:07:51.920
and I would just, I would
be the one kid in the house
161
00:07:51.920 --> 00:07:55.400
of five kids that would cook and bake.
162
00:07:55.400 --> 00:07:58.670
And then later on when, you
know, in high school I would,
163
00:07:58.670 --> 00:08:00.800
I would bake and cook all the time.
164
00:08:00.800 --> 00:08:04.040
And in college I started
at a, a pizza place
165
00:08:04.040 --> 00:08:05.630
and then became assistant manager
166
00:08:05.630 --> 00:08:07.940
of the pizza place while I was in college.
167
00:08:07.940 --> 00:08:09.355
You know, that's just the way I did.
168
00:08:09.355 --> 00:08:12.140
And, and so I've been
cooking back and forth
169
00:08:12.140 --> 00:08:14.090
and when I started my job, I'd always cook
170
00:08:14.090 --> 00:08:17.030
and bring things to people at work.
171
00:08:17.030 --> 00:08:19.310
I've always enjoyed
cooking and, and baking.
172
00:08:20.330 --> 00:08:23.750
When you knew that
your vision was changing,
173
00:08:23.750 --> 00:08:26.930
was there a point where
you were thinking, well,
174
00:08:26.930 --> 00:08:29.510
I'm not gonna do this
anymore, we're gonna have
175
00:08:29.510 --> 00:08:31.040
to figure out something else?
176
00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:33.560
Or did you start adapting
177
00:08:33.560 --> 00:08:35.690
and figuring things out immediately
178
00:08:35.690 --> 00:08:37.730
as your vision kept changing?
179
00:08:37.730 --> 00:08:39.080
Yeah, I just kept adapting.
180
00:08:39.080 --> 00:08:41.150
I was, there was never a point of, well,
181
00:08:41.150 --> 00:08:44.360
maybe I can't do anything
or maybe I can't cook.
182
00:08:44.360 --> 00:08:47.300
It's just what I did decide
a couple things is one,
183
00:08:47.300 --> 00:08:48.500
I'm not gonna be cooking
184
00:08:48.500 --> 00:08:51.650
and bringing it to work
is I don't have shortcuts.
185
00:08:51.650 --> 00:08:55.020
I have long cuts. Everything
takes so much longer.
186
00:08:55.020 --> 00:08:56.550
And so that's what I did.
187
00:08:56.550 --> 00:08:58.770
So, but I said, I'm not
gonna do the big cooking
188
00:08:58.770 --> 00:09:00.480
that I did in the past.
189
00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:03.180
And the other thing is
I said, I'm not gonna,
190
00:09:03.180 --> 00:09:06.420
for safety reasons, I'm
not going to pee why.
191
00:09:06.420 --> 00:09:08.790
But other than that, I still
do what I've been doing.
192
00:09:08.790 --> 00:09:10.740
I make, I make some changes on stuff,
193
00:09:10.740 --> 00:09:13.050
but just takes me longer.
194
00:09:13.050 --> 00:09:17.340
You know, a lot of times we
hear these stories of someone
195
00:09:17.340 --> 00:09:19.230
who has climbed a mountain
196
00:09:19.230 --> 00:09:23.460
or they've become a
winner of cooking contest
197
00:09:23.460 --> 00:09:28.110
or they've done something
just over the top amazing.
198
00:09:28.110 --> 00:09:31.080
And it feels inspirational in a way
199
00:09:31.080 --> 00:09:34.590
because like, look, this
person did this amazing thing,
200
00:09:34.590 --> 00:09:36.300
but in a way it's not relatable
201
00:09:36.300 --> 00:09:38.970
because I don't know about all of you,
202
00:09:38.970 --> 00:09:43.830
but when I try something,
there's usually some disasters
203
00:09:43.830 --> 00:09:46.830
before there is the perfection
204
00:09:46.830 --> 00:09:49.800
and we don't always hear
about those disasters.
205
00:09:49.800 --> 00:09:51.090
So I wanna change that.
206
00:09:51.090 --> 00:09:53.850
I want to hear
207
00:09:53.850 --> 00:09:58.080
when you were learning to cook
208
00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:02.190
and figuring out your
adaptations, share some,
209
00:10:02.190 --> 00:10:05.370
some times when things
didn't quite go as planned.
210
00:10:05.370 --> 00:10:07.080
Dia. We'll start with you.
211
00:10:07.080 --> 00:10:10.860
Absolutely several since my vision loss,
212
00:10:10.860 --> 00:10:13.440
this is awfully humorous, but
213
00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.130
because I could not seed
to drain the spaghetti
214
00:10:17.130 --> 00:10:20.490
after it was cooked in the pot,
so I brought it to the sink
215
00:10:20.490 --> 00:10:24.000
with the calendar, and I thought
216
00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:27.660
that the spaghetti was in the pan.
217
00:10:27.660 --> 00:10:29.040
It was not in the pan.
218
00:10:29.040 --> 00:10:33.360
I was emptying out a pot
of boiling water with no
219
00:10:33.360 --> 00:10:37.260
and funny.
220
00:10:37.260 --> 00:10:39.240
Yeah, it totally is. It's funny.
221
00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.400
And I, I stood back and laughed.
222
00:10:41.400 --> 00:10:45.960
I have fried a hamburger patty
223
00:10:45.960 --> 00:10:47.550
with the paper on it.
224
00:10:48.660 --> 00:10:50.995
Done that too.
Yes.
225
00:10:50.995 --> 00:10:53.040
And that, that cracked me up
226
00:10:53.040 --> 00:10:56.220
because when I bit into
the hamburger patty,
227
00:10:56.220 --> 00:10:57.690
I ate the paper.
228
00:10:59.340 --> 00:11:02.640
So that was another, I call
it funny tragedy, which was,
229
00:11:02.640 --> 00:11:05.910
it wasn't, I've cooked
a pizza in, in the oven
230
00:11:05.910 --> 00:11:09.570
with the cardboard under
it and tainted the pizza
231
00:11:09.570 --> 00:11:10.800
and it tasted like cardboard
232
00:11:10.800 --> 00:11:13.320
and I couldn't figure
out why it was cardboard.
233
00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:16.410
So those are a few of the humorous things
234
00:11:16.410 --> 00:11:18.000
that have happened to me.
235
00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:21.420
I have burned myself.
Those are the bad things.
236
00:11:21.420 --> 00:11:23.340
I have cut myself
237
00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:26.580
and I have spilled significant amount
238
00:11:26.580 --> 00:11:30.930
of stuff in the kitchen
and that has aggravated me
239
00:11:30.930 --> 00:11:33.300
and it's very frustrating.
240
00:11:33.300 --> 00:11:37.230
But I pick myself up and I
shake it off and I continue.
241
00:11:38.130 --> 00:11:40.320
So I'm not giving up that.
242
00:11:40.320 --> 00:11:43.890
And when I talked about shortcuts
earlier, what I meant by
243
00:11:43.890 --> 00:11:48.150
that is I no longer have a
huge family surrounding me,
244
00:11:48.150 --> 00:11:50.670
as I did when I was newly married.
245
00:11:50.670 --> 00:11:53.410
And in the course of my
marriage, I should say,
246
00:11:53.410 --> 00:11:54.490
where the kids were home
247
00:11:54.490 --> 00:11:57.340
and I made pasta sauce from scratch,
248
00:11:57.340 --> 00:12:01.000
and now I do the shortcut,
I use the jar sauce,
249
00:12:01.000 --> 00:12:02.500
or I do olive oil
250
00:12:02.500 --> 00:12:07.030
and garlic in a saute
pan with fresh parsley.
251
00:12:07.030 --> 00:12:11.440
Those are my shortcuts instead
of beginning from scratch.
252
00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:14.920
And it's okay, it's okay
that I open up a jar
253
00:12:14.920 --> 00:12:16.960
of pasta sauce, let's say.
254
00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:20.620
That's okay. And I would
do that if I had company.
255
00:12:20.620 --> 00:12:25.620
Probably the most important
thing is I don't do shortcuts on
256
00:12:25.810 --> 00:12:27.610
my specialty items.
257
00:12:27.610 --> 00:12:31.030
So I still do that all from scratch.
258
00:12:31.030 --> 00:12:35.140
But I have definitely
slowed down to make sure
259
00:12:35.140 --> 00:12:39.130
that everything I'm doing,
I'm doing adequately
260
00:12:39.130 --> 00:12:41.530
and slowly so I don't make a mess
261
00:12:41.530 --> 00:12:43.930
and I don't mess up the recipe.
262
00:12:43.930 --> 00:12:46.720
And the recipe is not in a, in a paper.
263
00:12:46.720 --> 00:12:48.910
All my cooking is in my head.
264
00:12:48.910 --> 00:12:50.020
And how about you, Don?
265
00:12:50.020 --> 00:12:53.740
I bet you have some
disasters to share as well,
266
00:12:53.740 --> 00:12:56.050
or maybe everything has always been
267
00:12:56.050 --> 00:12:58.570
come out perfectly for you. I don't know.
268
00:12:58.570 --> 00:13:03.190
Well, it doesn't come out
perfectly, so I'm different from
269
00:13:03.190 --> 00:13:07.330
where Dia does it all, you
know, cooks by her memory
270
00:13:07.330 --> 00:13:09.340
and the recipes are all in her head.
271
00:13:09.340 --> 00:13:11.230
Mine are all recorded.
272
00:13:11.230 --> 00:13:13.840
They used to be in books and
now they're all in in the
273
00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.930
computer database where I
could locate them, find them.
274
00:13:16.930 --> 00:13:20.170
They're all organized nicely
begins with, I put the source
275
00:13:20.170 --> 00:13:22.660
of where I got the recipe
from, it was from mom,
276
00:13:22.660 --> 00:13:25.360
or if it was from a website or a book.
277
00:13:25.360 --> 00:13:27.820
If then I put in there,
if I make something
278
00:13:27.820 --> 00:13:30.220
and I, I find something new like, oh,
279
00:13:30.220 --> 00:13:32.410
I should have done this
or maybe I'll change this.
280
00:13:32.410 --> 00:13:35.170
I put notes in, in the
beginning of the recipe of
281
00:13:35.170 --> 00:13:38.050
what I did last time, what
worked, what didn't work.
282
00:13:38.050 --> 00:13:40.150
And so that's what I've always done.
283
00:13:40.150 --> 00:13:42.190
And if something doesn't work, then I may,
284
00:13:42.190 --> 00:13:44.200
I'll turn it around to make it work.
285
00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:47.860
But I had some of the non-stick pans
286
00:13:47.860 --> 00:13:52.030
and I would put a little cutout
circle from the rubber type
287
00:13:52.030 --> 00:13:55.180
of shelf liner in between
so they don't scratch.
288
00:13:55.180 --> 00:13:57.940
And I left one in there once
289
00:13:57.940 --> 00:14:00.640
when I was making bacon and onion jam.
290
00:14:00.640 --> 00:14:02.620
And at first it just, it was like, well,
291
00:14:02.620 --> 00:14:05.080
there's something sticking
to the bottom, this is weird,
292
00:14:05.080 --> 00:14:07.300
but okay, it'll loosen up.
293
00:14:07.300 --> 00:14:08.320
And then I realized
294
00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:11.380
after a while what it was, now
I could have thrown it off,
295
00:14:11.380 --> 00:14:12.970
but it's bacon, onion jam.
296
00:14:12.970 --> 00:14:14.920
So I scraped. You were not
297
00:14:14.920 --> 00:14:16.300
Letting that go
To waste.
298
00:14:17.440 --> 00:14:20.860
I scraped it off and
threw the, the liner out.
299
00:14:22.480 --> 00:14:24.520
You know, it's bacon, onion, jam,
300
00:14:24.520 --> 00:14:26.290
you can't just throw it out.
301
00:14:26.290 --> 00:14:29.050
And then there was one
time that just happened
302
00:14:29.050 --> 00:14:32.200
the other day, I make a
lot of Thai peanut sauce
303
00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:34.090
because I love Thai peanut sauce.
304
00:14:34.090 --> 00:14:35.650
And apparently I grabbed something
305
00:14:35.650 --> 00:14:37.000
and it was the wrong container.
306
00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:40.270
It felt like the same container
and the same consistency,
307
00:14:40.270 --> 00:14:43.450
but it happened to be some
sweetened condensed milk.
308
00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:46.060
And I dipped my celery in that
309
00:14:46.060 --> 00:14:47.680
and I'm like, this
doesn't taste quite right.
310
00:14:47.680 --> 00:14:48.970
It's still good, but,
311
00:14:50.230 --> 00:14:51.800
but you've been working
with knives all my life.
312
00:14:51.800 --> 00:14:54.830
So I've never cut myself in the kitchen.
313
00:14:54.830 --> 00:14:59.390
I have not burned myself. What
I do is we have a gas range.
314
00:14:59.390 --> 00:15:01.760
And I said, well this is gonna be tough.
315
00:15:01.760 --> 00:15:03.890
So I no longer use the gas range.
316
00:15:03.890 --> 00:15:07.100
What I do is I put a cutting
board on top of the gas range
317
00:15:07.100 --> 00:15:11.000
and then I put on a single
burner induction range
318
00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:12.320
and all this stuff I had
319
00:15:12.320 --> 00:15:14.300
before I lost my vision, I bought that
320
00:15:14.300 --> 00:15:16.700
to see if we were gonna
get an induction range
321
00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:20.600
or just a regular electric
oven range in a previous place
322
00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:22.190
that we had to replace it with.
323
00:15:22.190 --> 00:15:23.630
And so I said, well, I'll try it.
324
00:15:23.630 --> 00:15:25.760
Well, so now I cook on that exclusively
325
00:15:25.760 --> 00:15:30.080
and I use, my two main
pots are enamel coated,
326
00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:31.970
cast iron, 12 inch skillet,
327
00:15:31.970 --> 00:15:35.660
and a 10 inch five core dutch oven.
328
00:15:35.660 --> 00:15:38.150
And what's great about those
is first you don't get heat
329
00:15:38.150 --> 00:15:41.510
coming up the sides, the
top parts with handles are,
330
00:15:41.510 --> 00:15:42.680
don't really get that hot
331
00:15:42.680 --> 00:15:45.980
because of the, the way
the induction range works.
332
00:15:45.980 --> 00:15:48.560
And in the beginning
I could see the inside
333
00:15:48.560 --> 00:15:50.690
because it was white, so
that really helped out.
334
00:15:50.690 --> 00:15:53.630
But I can also stir with one
hand, pouring with another hand
335
00:15:53.630 --> 00:15:55.760
and it's not gonna spin around.
336
00:15:55.760 --> 00:15:57.710
They're heavy. But you know, that's
337
00:15:57.710 --> 00:15:59.450
what I use mainly for my cooking.
338
00:15:59.450 --> 00:16:01.070
So I don't get the burn.
339
00:16:01.070 --> 00:16:03.950
And my oven was nice enough to come with.
340
00:16:03.950 --> 00:16:05.630
It has the two, you know, three shelves.
341
00:16:05.630 --> 00:16:08.750
I only use the one because I
only cook one thing at a time
342
00:16:08.750 --> 00:16:10.430
and it's, even if it's in the oven,
343
00:16:10.430 --> 00:16:11.960
it's just one thing at a time
344
00:16:11.960 --> 00:16:14.900
and the shelf pulls out like
a normal shelf, you know,
345
00:16:14.900 --> 00:16:17.750
you kind of wiggle in the, but
it also has little rollers on
346
00:16:17.750 --> 00:16:20.450
it and it has another
shelf right on top of that.
347
00:16:20.450 --> 00:16:23.900
So you slide that on the
rollers. So that was great.
348
00:16:23.900 --> 00:16:25.580
But I only cook one thing at a time.
349
00:16:25.580 --> 00:16:28.790
If I'm, you know, the sides
are either pre-made and frozen
350
00:16:28.790 --> 00:16:30.710
and then thawed or they're cooked
351
00:16:30.710 --> 00:16:33.800
and put into a warmer while
I work on something else.
352
00:16:33.800 --> 00:16:36.740
But yeah, because if I make
more than one thing at a time,
353
00:16:36.740 --> 00:16:38.360
then when I put something down,
354
00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:39.470
I'll go to do something else.
355
00:16:39.470 --> 00:16:41.540
I'll have no clue what that, that item was
356
00:16:41.540 --> 00:16:44.150
that I just put down on the, on the table.
357
00:16:44.150 --> 00:16:45.920
And that's actually a really good tip.
358
00:16:45.920 --> 00:16:50.180
That's something I do too,
is when you're in the kitchen
359
00:16:50.180 --> 00:16:53.360
and you're doing so many
things at once, it's easy
360
00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:55.160
to lose track of something
361
00:16:55.160 --> 00:16:57.680
and maybe you're
accustomed to glancing over
362
00:16:57.680 --> 00:17:02.030
and seeing where it is when
you've lost that ability.
363
00:17:02.030 --> 00:17:05.990
Now suddenly, if it's a matter of timing
364
00:17:05.990 --> 00:17:08.990
and there's something that
you've gotta get to quickly
365
00:17:08.990 --> 00:17:11.810
and then there's something
else going on too,
366
00:17:11.810 --> 00:17:14.060
that can be a little bit nerve wracking.
367
00:17:14.060 --> 00:17:17.210
So just taking that time to say,
368
00:17:17.210 --> 00:17:19.970
I'm gonna concentrate
on one thing at a time
369
00:17:19.970 --> 00:17:22.820
and it, it makes it easier.
370
00:17:22.820 --> 00:17:24.920
Yeah. And I cook everything
like it's a stir fry.
371
00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:27.230
So I, everything that I'm gonna add
372
00:17:27.230 --> 00:17:30.470
to something is already put
into a bowl measured out
373
00:17:30.470 --> 00:17:31.550
because I measure everything
374
00:17:31.550 --> 00:17:33.890
or I don't use measuring cups,
375
00:17:33.890 --> 00:17:36.440
I use the weight on everything
except for measuring spoons
376
00:17:36.440 --> 00:17:37.910
for spices stuff.
377
00:17:37.910 --> 00:17:40.910
But everything else is done by by weight.
378
00:17:40.910 --> 00:17:43.130
And so I have all that stuff lined out
379
00:17:43.130 --> 00:17:46.130
and finger bowls are bigger
bowls and it's all in a line.
380
00:17:46.130 --> 00:17:49.380
So when I start going, I
just put all that in there
381
00:17:49.380 --> 00:17:52.680
and I don't stop and grab
something off the shelf
382
00:17:52.680 --> 00:17:54.570
because again, you're trying to do that
383
00:17:54.570 --> 00:17:56.070
and you got something cooking.
384
00:17:56.070 --> 00:17:58.590
So I just, I don't know,
it's just like a robot.
385
00:18:00.120 --> 00:18:03.990
I love how everyone has
different approaches to this.
386
00:18:03.990 --> 00:18:08.790
And so one tip that Don just gave is
387
00:18:08.790 --> 00:18:13.590
to have everything ready to
go before you even start.
388
00:18:13.590 --> 00:18:16.080
And that way you're
not frantically hunting
389
00:18:16.080 --> 00:18:19.290
around in your kitchen to
try and find something.
390
00:18:19.290 --> 00:18:20.640
Dia, what about for you?
391
00:18:20.640 --> 00:18:22.950
What would your tips be
392
00:18:22.950 --> 00:18:26.310
that have really helped
you the most in terms
393
00:18:26.310 --> 00:18:30.270
of figuring out how to
stay relaxed, have fun,
394
00:18:30.270 --> 00:18:34.020
and get what you need to
get done in the kitchen?
395
00:18:34.020 --> 00:18:38.580
As Don said, I also put
everything out on the counter
396
00:18:38.580 --> 00:18:40.290
as I know what I need.
397
00:18:40.290 --> 00:18:43.800
All my spices, all my refrigerated items,
398
00:18:43.800 --> 00:18:47.430
and I keep those on the
counter and then I add those.
399
00:18:47.430 --> 00:18:50.850
So that's one of the things
I line up everything.
400
00:18:50.850 --> 00:18:55.850
So my three items that I
absolutely love, love, love
401
00:18:56.340 --> 00:19:01.290
are, I have a lot of countertop
lights that I work with.
402
00:19:01.290 --> 00:19:05.190
I have a light, a gooseneck
light that is mobile
403
00:19:05.190 --> 00:19:09.660
and I can point that over
the pot on top of the stove.
404
00:19:09.660 --> 00:19:14.070
So it helps me to judge
if I'm making soup, I know
405
00:19:14.070 --> 00:19:16.110
how much liquid
406
00:19:16.110 --> 00:19:18.630
or oil that comes to the surface, I have
407
00:19:18.630 --> 00:19:21.390
to skim off my lights are my life.
408
00:19:21.390 --> 00:19:22.620
I adore them.
409
00:19:22.620 --> 00:19:27.300
And I have at least 10 lights
around the counter right now.
410
00:19:27.300 --> 00:19:29.430
And they're always on during the day.
411
00:19:29.430 --> 00:19:32.460
They help me to see where I'm walking
412
00:19:32.460 --> 00:19:35.130
and also especially when I'm cooking.
413
00:19:35.130 --> 00:19:36.600
So that's the one thing.
414
00:19:36.600 --> 00:19:40.590
And the second thing
is I use my hand a lot.
415
00:19:40.590 --> 00:19:44.130
I feel, I feel what's on the counter.
416
00:19:44.130 --> 00:19:46.500
I use my hand for measuring.
417
00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:51.390
And that's something that my
mother did that I never did a
418
00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:54.570
when I had vision and
now I'm using that again.
419
00:19:54.570 --> 00:19:56.820
And that's really interesting
that, you know, it's kind
420
00:19:56.820 --> 00:19:58.740
of a full circle thing.
421
00:19:58.740 --> 00:20:02.310
And then my third thing is
I have an electric stove,
422
00:20:02.310 --> 00:20:03.690
which I'm not fond of.
423
00:20:03.690 --> 00:20:08.010
And I keep the electric burners on low
424
00:20:08.010 --> 00:20:11.130
and then I slowly turn
them a little higher
425
00:20:11.130 --> 00:20:14.580
and I stand over the
item that I'm cooking.
426
00:20:14.580 --> 00:20:17.520
I don't walk away and it's pretty boring.
427
00:20:17.520 --> 00:20:18.985
But I have to do that.
428
00:20:18.985 --> 00:20:20.250
I have to slow down
429
00:20:20.250 --> 00:20:24.180
and learn that I can't
walk away like I used to.
430
00:20:24.180 --> 00:20:26.400
Somebody told me this,
which is quite interesting.
431
00:20:26.400 --> 00:20:27.870
If you lose your sight
432
00:20:27.870 --> 00:20:32.010
or you lose any of your senses,
your other senses kick in.
433
00:20:32.010 --> 00:20:34.440
So my hearing kicks in
434
00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:38.370
and my tastes kick in a
great deal more than they did
435
00:20:38.370 --> 00:20:40.650
before when I had vision.
436
00:20:40.650 --> 00:20:44.010
So that's usually what works for me.
437
00:20:44.010 --> 00:20:47.920
As I said about the lighting,
that's so, so important.
438
00:20:47.920 --> 00:20:52.000
And then one of the most
important things that I am finding
439
00:20:53.110 --> 00:20:56.230
is to take inventory in your cabinets.
440
00:20:56.230 --> 00:21:00.310
Instead of buying another
olive oil container,
441
00:21:00.310 --> 00:21:02.860
look in the cabinet, you probably have one
442
00:21:02.860 --> 00:21:06.040
or look in the cabinet, you
probably have garlic powder.
443
00:21:06.040 --> 00:21:08.980
I have like four garlic powders right now
444
00:21:08.980 --> 00:21:12.520
and I keep buying them because
I didn't know that I had them
445
00:21:12.520 --> 00:21:13.990
because I can't see them.
446
00:21:13.990 --> 00:21:17.050
So that's kind of another little tip.
447
00:21:17.050 --> 00:21:19.930
Yeah, it's just to keep
that running inventory.
448
00:21:19.930 --> 00:21:22.330
And sometimes that's easier said than done
449
00:21:22.330 --> 00:21:25.390
because it's how do you organize things,
450
00:21:25.390 --> 00:21:27.130
how are you labeling things?
451
00:21:27.130 --> 00:21:29.320
And sometimes if you're anything like me,
452
00:21:30.250 --> 00:21:32.920
I should be more organized than I am.
453
00:21:32.920 --> 00:21:37.750
So I too have three
chili powders and so on.
454
00:21:37.750 --> 00:21:42.010
For you, Don, do you
have some tips, tricks
455
00:21:42.010 --> 00:21:43.480
that you would share that have kind
456
00:21:43.480 --> 00:21:46.570
of made things a little easier
or more efficient for you?
457
00:21:46.570 --> 00:21:49.360
Or things that you didn't
used to do but you do now?
458
00:21:49.360 --> 00:21:50.560
It's changed a little bit.
459
00:21:50.560 --> 00:21:54.730
And so my first one was
my spice rack, which is
460
00:21:54.730 --> 00:21:57.670
60 items in a spice rack, which is a lot.
461
00:21:57.670 --> 00:21:59.125
So I brailed those
462
00:21:59.125 --> 00:22:00.790
and I brailed them in a special way
463
00:22:00.790 --> 00:22:02.200
so the braille doesn't fall off
464
00:22:02.200 --> 00:22:05.530
and someone whose side, you
can still read the labels.
465
00:22:05.530 --> 00:22:09.010
So what I do is I program
my A lady to tell me
466
00:22:09.010 --> 00:22:12.190
where my spices are and I just
ask her to say, find AEG note
467
00:22:12.190 --> 00:22:13.390
and it'll tell me what row
468
00:22:13.390 --> 00:22:15.940
and what column it's, so that's very nice.
469
00:22:15.940 --> 00:22:17.230
I cut it down to 48
470
00:22:17.230 --> 00:22:20.620
and now I'm starting to put
in mixes with, so I can only
471
00:22:20.620 --> 00:22:23.765
take one one spice jar and,
and put it in there and,
472
00:22:23.765 --> 00:22:26.830
and instead of taking out four of them,
473
00:22:26.830 --> 00:22:28.960
so I already have them premixed now.
474
00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:30.460
So that, that was a very helpful
475
00:22:30.460 --> 00:22:31.780
and that's one of the first things I did
476
00:22:31.780 --> 00:22:33.550
because I knew that was gonna be a problem
477
00:22:33.550 --> 00:22:34.840
and that's when I could still see.
478
00:22:34.840 --> 00:22:37.060
But my daughter helped me
with putting on the braille
479
00:22:37.060 --> 00:22:39.280
and stuff like that, so
that was very nice of her.
480
00:22:40.150 --> 00:22:41.590
And then for the inventory,
481
00:22:41.590 --> 00:22:44.710
now I have a couple different
pantry things that I use.
482
00:22:44.710 --> 00:22:45.940
I have spice pantries
483
00:22:45.940 --> 00:22:48.370
and you know, leftover
that I don't have a lot
484
00:22:48.370 --> 00:22:50.170
of canned goods, but I have, you know,
485
00:22:50.170 --> 00:22:52.960
your basic canned things
of your diced tomatoes
486
00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:55.690
and your coconut milk and stuff like that.
487
00:22:55.690 --> 00:22:57.640
Well those, I always had 'em in rows
488
00:22:57.640 --> 00:22:59.590
and I, I could tell what the cans are
489
00:22:59.590 --> 00:23:01.150
or the bottles were the easiest.
490
00:23:01.150 --> 00:23:03.910
But now I have a computer
database so it'll tell me,
491
00:23:03.910 --> 00:23:07.000
I can say, okay, where's
my tied chili sauce?
492
00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:09.190
And it'll tell me which row, which shelf
493
00:23:09.190 --> 00:23:12.070
and which row it's in
and how many are there.
494
00:23:12.070 --> 00:23:16.210
And when I use it up, I
take it off the, the list.
495
00:23:16.210 --> 00:23:17.650
Same thing with my freezers.
496
00:23:17.650 --> 00:23:20.620
My upstairs freezer just has
the meat and I buy it in bulk.
497
00:23:20.620 --> 00:23:22.780
It's Sam's and then I vacuum seal it
498
00:23:22.780 --> 00:23:24.490
'cause I don't tip the store a lot.
499
00:23:24.490 --> 00:23:26.380
And so I freeze my meats.
500
00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:29.050
And then I clip certain,
like in the, for chicken,
501
00:23:29.050 --> 00:23:30.670
it's clipped in the
middle, there's one clip
502
00:23:30.670 --> 00:23:33.370
for chicken breast, two
clips for chicken thighs,
503
00:23:33.370 --> 00:23:35.290
beef is clipped on an end.
504
00:23:35.290 --> 00:23:37.210
And then I also put them in separate bags.
505
00:23:37.210 --> 00:23:39.760
So there's one bag of
chicken thighs, one bag
506
00:23:39.760 --> 00:23:42.280
of chicken wings and and so on.
507
00:23:42.280 --> 00:23:45.980
And then my other one has all
my pre-made stuff, like i'll,
508
00:23:45.980 --> 00:23:48.590
I'll pre, I always have
mac and cheese premade
509
00:23:48.590 --> 00:23:50.540
and vacuum sealed and put in there.
510
00:23:50.540 --> 00:23:54.950
Same thing with corn cheese
and sweet potato casseroles.
511
00:23:54.950 --> 00:23:58.850
So those I can take out
in and thaw and use.
512
00:23:58.850 --> 00:24:03.080
But those again are put into
the computer a which shelf
513
00:24:03.080 --> 00:24:05.510
and what kind of container they're in.
514
00:24:05.510 --> 00:24:08.120
So that's the way I label my stuff.
515
00:24:08.120 --> 00:24:09.710
Instead of putting labels on everything,
516
00:24:09.710 --> 00:24:11.090
I just use the computer.
517
00:24:11.090 --> 00:24:14.570
But I've always done that on
other things like storage bins
518
00:24:14.570 --> 00:24:15.710
in the house and stuff like that.
519
00:24:15.710 --> 00:24:19.280
So I just started using
that for the cooking.
520
00:24:19.280 --> 00:24:24.170
So you already had some
things that just, they were,
521
00:24:24.170 --> 00:24:26.360
the way that you approached
522
00:24:26.360 --> 00:24:29.840
how you organized things in
your house already, it just
523
00:24:29.840 --> 00:24:31.760
so happened that it was kind
524
00:24:31.760 --> 00:24:35.390
of a universally useful thing to do.
525
00:24:35.390 --> 00:24:38.600
So once you started losing your vision,
526
00:24:38.600 --> 00:24:39.860
you didn't really have to make much
527
00:24:39.860 --> 00:24:42.380
of a change on some of those things.
528
00:24:42.380 --> 00:24:45.800
Correct. And, and it's,
again, I just adapted some
529
00:24:45.800 --> 00:24:48.080
of the things that I did,
you know, the freezers,
530
00:24:48.080 --> 00:24:50.300
I would just put things in I, but I still,
531
00:24:50.300 --> 00:24:51.740
after a while you can't
tell what's in there.
532
00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:53.600
So I'd write it on the vacuum seal bag
533
00:24:53.600 --> 00:24:56.120
or you know, I put a lot
of things in the court jars
534
00:24:56.120 --> 00:24:58.520
and vacuum seal those,
put those in the freezer
535
00:24:58.520 --> 00:25:00.140
so I don't get the freezer burned.
536
00:25:00.140 --> 00:25:03.500
But now I, I record where
it is on the computer
537
00:25:03.500 --> 00:25:05.390
so it's very easy for me to locate
538
00:25:05.390 --> 00:25:07.940
and they'll say, shoot, I wonder
if I have Italian sausage.
539
00:25:07.940 --> 00:25:09.590
I thought I did and check.
540
00:25:09.590 --> 00:25:11.480
And sure enough I do have some,
541
00:25:11.480 --> 00:25:14.245
some bulk sausage and
I know where it's at.
542
00:25:14.245 --> 00:25:17.870
So when it comes to devices,
543
00:25:17.870 --> 00:25:21.740
I think everyone has their
favorite little gadget
544
00:25:21.740 --> 00:25:25.100
or device or measuring thing
545
00:25:25.100 --> 00:25:29.450
or you know, for me it's my
air fryer in my instant pot.
546
00:25:29.450 --> 00:25:30.590
I love them so much
547
00:25:30.590 --> 00:25:32.510
because there's a lot that you can do
548
00:25:32.510 --> 00:25:34.580
where you can walk away
549
00:25:34.580 --> 00:25:38.180
and clean the kitchen while
they are doing their thing
550
00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:39.350
and not standing over it.
551
00:25:39.350 --> 00:25:41.090
So you know, those are mine.
552
00:25:41.090 --> 00:25:44.330
But I bet each of you
have those things too,
553
00:25:44.330 --> 00:25:48.350
whether it's utensil that
you use for measuring
554
00:25:48.350 --> 00:25:51.830
or a device or a talking
scale or whatever it is.
555
00:25:51.830 --> 00:25:54.830
So I'm curious, we'll start with you Dia.
556
00:25:54.830 --> 00:25:57.200
Do you have certain things
that have just become,
557
00:25:57.200 --> 00:25:59.150
you couldn't live without
them in the kitchen?
558
00:26:00.320 --> 00:26:03.380
Absolutely. As I heard
you speak about it,
559
00:26:03.380 --> 00:26:07.850
the biggest corin on my face
was back in the seventies when
560
00:26:07.850 --> 00:26:09.500
Tupperware was big.
561
00:26:10.370 --> 00:26:15.370
I have the yellow calendar,
the yellow Tupperware calendar,
562
00:26:15.530 --> 00:26:19.700
and I have all kinds of
cool silver calendars
563
00:26:19.700 --> 00:26:21.590
imported from Italy.
564
00:26:21.590 --> 00:26:26.120
And I can't give up my
little handle yellow calendar
565
00:26:26.120 --> 00:26:30.950
and it's my go-to for, you
know, draining pasta, rice,
566
00:26:30.950 --> 00:26:33.680
any kind of things that I need to drain.
567
00:26:33.680 --> 00:26:35.360
So that's one thing.
568
00:26:35.360 --> 00:26:39.230
The second thing I can't live
without is my toaster oven.
569
00:26:39.230 --> 00:26:43.350
I do incredible amounts
in my toaster oven.
570
00:26:43.350 --> 00:26:47.100
And when I'm doing a shortcut,
let's say I am, I'm gonna
571
00:26:47.100 --> 00:26:51.510
make french fries and I don't
have any of the fancy gadgets.
572
00:26:51.510 --> 00:26:53.310
I don't have the air fryer
573
00:26:53.310 --> 00:26:58.310
and so I do everything by
hand, which it works for me.
574
00:26:58.650 --> 00:27:01.590
So I take out the frozen french fries
575
00:27:01.590 --> 00:27:05.280
and I put them in a dish in the microwave
576
00:27:05.280 --> 00:27:08.670
and I defrost them right from the freezer.
577
00:27:08.670 --> 00:27:13.410
And then I put little olive
oil and a aluminum pan
578
00:27:13.410 --> 00:27:18.410
and I bake in the toaster oven
and then I change it to broil
579
00:27:18.810 --> 00:27:22.500
and I get the best french
fries with a little bit
580
00:27:22.500 --> 00:27:26.340
of olive oil, not a lot,
and a little bit of salt
581
00:27:26.340 --> 00:27:29.490
and whatever spices you would like to use.
582
00:27:29.490 --> 00:27:32.970
So that's, those two things are my go-to,
583
00:27:32.970 --> 00:27:36.390
my slotted spoons are my lifesaver.
584
00:27:36.390 --> 00:27:40.050
I think that's the beginning
of it off the top of my head.
585
00:27:40.050 --> 00:27:42.750
Awesome. And what about you Don?
586
00:27:42.750 --> 00:27:45.990
Well, my scale, I
have a talking scale now
587
00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:48.660
'cause I weigh most of my ingredients.
588
00:27:48.660 --> 00:27:51.720
And then I do also have my
thermometer, which is for meat
589
00:27:51.720 --> 00:27:53.040
and talking thermometer for meat
590
00:27:53.040 --> 00:27:55.320
and obviously baking, you know, for
591
00:27:55.320 --> 00:27:56.850
to know when my cakes are done, bread
592
00:27:56.850 --> 00:27:58.500
or done, I mean I can
touch 'em on the top,
593
00:27:58.500 --> 00:28:00.720
but I, I'm afraid to do that a little bit
594
00:28:00.720 --> 00:28:03.720
because I may miss the top and
hit the glass casserole dish
595
00:28:03.720 --> 00:28:05.610
or something like that and not gonna burn.
596
00:28:05.610 --> 00:28:08.820
I don't wanna burn myself.
So those are my two big ones.
597
00:28:08.820 --> 00:28:11.850
I do have a nice toaster
oven, it can do all sorts
598
00:28:11.850 --> 00:28:16.140
of things, but I use it solely
for toasting and for baking.
599
00:28:16.140 --> 00:28:20.610
And I do have my instant pot
and my, for making like ribs
600
00:28:20.610 --> 00:28:23.580
and, and soups and stuff like that.
601
00:28:23.580 --> 00:28:26.310
And also crumble. I'll make
that in the instant pot.
602
00:28:26.310 --> 00:28:28.590
And then my air fryer is my friend.
603
00:28:28.590 --> 00:28:32.430
The one I have is a
ninja foodie, air fryer.
604
00:28:32.430 --> 00:28:33.870
It can do a lot of things in it,
605
00:28:33.870 --> 00:28:36.120
but I use it solely for air frying.
606
00:28:36.120 --> 00:28:40.200
But it is a clamshell design,
like a George Foreman.
607
00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:42.210
And so in the, the plate
608
00:28:42.210 --> 00:28:44.490
that you put the stuff on is elevated.
609
00:28:44.490 --> 00:28:47.070
So when you're heated it
heats all the way around.
610
00:28:47.070 --> 00:28:49.980
You don't flip things over
and you cut your time in half.
611
00:28:49.980 --> 00:28:52.500
But I can cook two Turkey legs in it.
612
00:28:53.430 --> 00:28:56.190
So I actually do have the ninja foodie.
613
00:28:56.190 --> 00:29:01.110
And one thing I love about
it is exactly that for me,
614
00:29:01.110 --> 00:29:05.310
flipping things over, that's my nemesis,
615
00:29:05.310 --> 00:29:08.070
especially if it's smaller things,
616
00:29:08.070 --> 00:29:11.790
I feel like I'm never
gonna get them all flipped,
617
00:29:11.790 --> 00:29:15.480
but if I can just give them
a good shake halfway through,
618
00:29:15.480 --> 00:29:17.280
that's perfect.
619
00:29:17.280 --> 00:29:19.710
Yeah, and the other
nice thing about it is if,
620
00:29:19.710 --> 00:29:23.965
let's say I'm making bacon
wrapped shrimp, that I have a,
621
00:29:23.965 --> 00:29:27.240
a date stuffed with blue
cheese in it, I can go ahead
622
00:29:27.240 --> 00:29:31.920
and take that the, the
basket out, put it on a tray,
623
00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:35.280
and while the ninja foodie
is heating up, I can go ahead
624
00:29:35.280 --> 00:29:37.620
and place all my shrimp in
the basket while it's a cool
625
00:29:37.620 --> 00:29:41.020
basket and then I can open
it up and drop it in there.
626
00:29:41.020 --> 00:29:42.880
And that works out real well.
627
00:29:42.880 --> 00:29:45.100
And instead of trying to
put it in with it, you know,
628
00:29:45.100 --> 00:29:47.140
after it's been heated up,
629
00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:49.900
but at least the inside
is hot, so, so that,
630
00:29:49.900 --> 00:29:51.310
that works out well and real well.
631
00:29:51.310 --> 00:29:53.020
And everything's nice
and crispy and stuff.
632
00:29:53.020 --> 00:29:55.540
But yeah, I mean I have a lot of things
633
00:29:55.540 --> 00:29:59.020
that if I didn't have, I would
just do it a different way.
634
00:29:59.020 --> 00:30:03.190
But the air fryer and, and
the bumps are important too.
635
00:30:03.190 --> 00:30:05.410
Those are the low tech things for,
636
00:30:05.410 --> 00:30:07.300
for putting bumps on
things so you know where
637
00:30:07.300 --> 00:30:08.650
to push and where to turn on.
638
00:30:09.730 --> 00:30:12.850
Yeah. 'cause a lot of that
becomes difficult to memorize
639
00:30:12.850 --> 00:30:13.930
after a while.
640
00:30:13.930 --> 00:30:15.820
And dia I think your,
641
00:30:15.820 --> 00:30:19.660
your tips about light
really come in here too,
642
00:30:19.660 --> 00:30:24.580
because if you do have some
vision, making sure that
643
00:30:24.580 --> 00:30:27.670
what you're doing, if you don't want
644
00:30:27.670 --> 00:30:32.290
to be squinting at things
when it isn't necessary to do
645
00:30:32.290 --> 00:30:36.430
that, make that area either easy
646
00:30:36.430 --> 00:30:40.720
to see or make some of those things easy
647
00:30:40.720 --> 00:30:44.500
to feel like rather than
leaning over to look at
648
00:30:44.500 --> 00:30:47.530
what your oven or your
burners are set out.
649
00:30:47.530 --> 00:30:49.750
You can mark those
650
00:30:49.750 --> 00:30:51.760
or do what you did dia,
651
00:30:51.760 --> 00:30:54.910
which is have it starting low
652
00:30:54.910 --> 00:30:56.680
and then turn it up little
653
00:30:56.680 --> 00:30:59.470
by little till you get
to where you wanna be.
654
00:30:59.470 --> 00:31:04.060
Well, and also I am, I'm
totally night blind, so for me
655
00:31:04.060 --> 00:31:05.680
to look in my freezer
656
00:31:05.680 --> 00:31:08.950
or look in the cabinets,
I need a flashlight
657
00:31:08.950 --> 00:31:12.190
because I'm blind in the dark.
658
00:31:12.190 --> 00:31:13.840
And that helps me.
659
00:31:13.840 --> 00:31:17.620
And I do use the bumps
also on different bottles
660
00:31:17.620 --> 00:31:19.900
and so forth and different items.
661
00:31:19.900 --> 00:31:23.980
But being that the lighting helps in,
662
00:31:23.980 --> 00:31:26.020
let's say I open the freezer,
663
00:31:26.020 --> 00:31:29.140
I cannot see anything
that's in that freezer.
664
00:31:29.140 --> 00:31:34.000
I need my light. So not only
do I have the counter lamps,
665
00:31:34.000 --> 00:31:36.670
I have flashlights also
666
00:31:36.670 --> 00:31:40.090
that I have magnetized on
the side of the freezer
667
00:31:40.090 --> 00:31:43.450
or the refrigerator that I can grab easily
668
00:31:43.450 --> 00:31:45.220
and look in the freezer.
669
00:31:45.220 --> 00:31:49.600
Now if the freezer isn't
organized according to
670
00:31:49.600 --> 00:31:53.380
what I know it to be, if I
have a helper that comes in
671
00:31:53.380 --> 00:31:57.970
and she may load the freezer
for me, I have to ask her
672
00:31:57.970 --> 00:31:59.620
where she put everything
673
00:31:59.620 --> 00:32:02.470
and then she organizes it like, you know,
674
00:32:02.470 --> 00:32:05.830
the pork in one line and
the fish in the other line
675
00:32:05.830 --> 00:32:07.870
and the freezer and so forth.
676
00:32:07.870 --> 00:32:12.130
So that helps me also, if it's changed,
677
00:32:12.130 --> 00:32:14.470
I'm all messed up.
678
00:32:14.470 --> 00:32:16.990
I have to reorganize it
679
00:32:16.990 --> 00:32:20.020
and that, that's another challenge.
680
00:32:20.020 --> 00:32:23.560
But I can do it as long
as I have the lighting.
681
00:32:23.560 --> 00:32:27.970
And you know, another example
is in a restaurant I cannot
682
00:32:27.970 --> 00:32:31.960
see a thing when I walk in into
a restaurant, first of all,
683
00:32:31.960 --> 00:32:33.640
restaurants are usually very dark
684
00:32:34.600 --> 00:32:36.460
and I have my cane of course,
685
00:32:36.460 --> 00:32:40.910
but still ordering from a
menu is extremely difficult.
686
00:32:40.910 --> 00:32:42.350
Again, the lights
687
00:32:42.350 --> 00:32:44.780
that I carry in my purse
help me, I bring 'em out.
688
00:32:45.680 --> 00:32:48.980
And that's just figuring
out different ways
689
00:32:48.980 --> 00:32:51.890
to do the same things rather than saying,
690
00:32:51.890 --> 00:32:54.320
well I'm just not going to
go to a restaurant anymore
691
00:32:54.320 --> 00:32:57.920
or I'm not going to cook
anymore, or whatever.
692
00:32:57.920 --> 00:33:01.010
It's figuring out ways
to keep things organized
693
00:33:01.010 --> 00:33:03.200
and make them work for you.
694
00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:04.220
And I love that both
695
00:33:04.220 --> 00:33:07.190
of you have totally different approaches
696
00:33:07.190 --> 00:33:09.710
and yet they're both completely valid.
697
00:33:09.710 --> 00:33:13.790
You know, Don, you approach
this like a scientist idea,
698
00:33:13.790 --> 00:33:16.850
you approach this as a, you measure things
699
00:33:16.850 --> 00:33:18.410
with your heart kind of thing.
700
00:33:19.430 --> 00:33:22.550
There's no no measuring spoons involved.
701
00:33:22.550 --> 00:33:27.410
And Don, you have tactile
things, dia you have light
702
00:33:27.410 --> 00:33:29.450
to look at what you're doing
703
00:33:29.450 --> 00:33:34.130
and in the end you're still doing exactly
704
00:33:34.130 --> 00:33:36.470
what you wanna do in a
way that works for you.
705
00:33:36.470 --> 00:33:38.480
And I think that's really important.
706
00:33:38.480 --> 00:33:42.200
So I think that's what
I would say to anyone
707
00:33:42.200 --> 00:33:45.260
who is thinking about learning to cook
708
00:33:45.260 --> 00:33:48.680
or wondering about how they're
gonna continue to do that
709
00:33:48.680 --> 00:33:49.970
with vision loss.
710
00:33:49.970 --> 00:33:52.760
There's no wrong way to do things.
711
00:33:52.760 --> 00:33:56.540
It's about finding the way
that works best for you.
712
00:33:56.540 --> 00:34:00.050
So what advice would you give to people
713
00:34:00.050 --> 00:34:02.330
who are in this situation
714
00:34:02.330 --> 00:34:05.480
and not sure if they can do it
715
00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:07.040
or just feeling a little bit of fear,
716
00:34:07.040 --> 00:34:09.560
whatever it is. Dia we'll start with you.
717
00:34:10.550 --> 00:34:14.780
Well, I would say just give it a try
718
00:34:14.780 --> 00:34:16.670
and start slow.
719
00:34:16.670 --> 00:34:18.110
That's a huge part of this.
720
00:34:18.110 --> 00:34:22.880
To start out slow, use your
microwave for some of the things
721
00:34:22.880 --> 00:34:24.650
and then use your toast oven
722
00:34:24.650 --> 00:34:29.330
or use your oven, whatever
you're more comfortable doing.
723
00:34:29.330 --> 00:34:33.020
You can use your crockpots,
you can use all of your,
724
00:34:33.020 --> 00:34:36.590
you know, gadgets as Don mentioned.
725
00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:40.100
And yeah, it, we are
totally different cooks
726
00:34:40.100 --> 00:34:43.790
and I, I admire his technical skills.
727
00:34:43.790 --> 00:34:45.530
That's, that's incredibly fun
728
00:34:45.530 --> 00:34:49.430
and interesting, I would say
to people that are scared
729
00:34:49.430 --> 00:34:51.290
to start to just to start slow.
730
00:34:52.430 --> 00:34:54.650
And if you have a helper
731
00:34:54.650 --> 00:34:58.910
that will also give you more
confidence to point out things
732
00:34:58.910 --> 00:35:03.410
and to show you things
that would make it easier
733
00:35:03.410 --> 00:35:06.560
for you to be confident about booking.
734
00:35:06.560 --> 00:35:09.530
That's great. And Don, what about you?
735
00:35:09.530 --> 00:35:12.830
Well, you start out slow
and you see what can I do?
736
00:35:12.830 --> 00:35:15.110
How can I work? And if it doesn't work,
737
00:35:15.110 --> 00:35:17.540
is there a way I can make it work?
738
00:35:17.540 --> 00:35:19.850
You know, how, how can
I do this differently
739
00:35:19.850 --> 00:35:21.830
that I can do this safely?
740
00:35:21.830 --> 00:35:24.230
And you just have to think
about it, you know, it's,
741
00:35:24.230 --> 00:35:25.850
it's not just thinking outside the box,
742
00:35:25.850 --> 00:35:27.950
it's also thinking inside the box.
743
00:35:27.950 --> 00:35:29.960
You know, what do you have
available for you, you know,
744
00:35:29.960 --> 00:35:31.610
all the stuff that I have except for the,
745
00:35:31.610 --> 00:35:34.550
the two talking elements
that I already had
746
00:35:34.550 --> 00:35:38.460
and I was using since, you
know, I was 17 years old.
747
00:35:38.460 --> 00:35:40.320
But yeah, you, you just think about it
748
00:35:40.320 --> 00:35:41.610
and don't get frustrated.
749
00:35:41.610 --> 00:35:43.440
If you get frustrated with it, just stop
750
00:35:43.440 --> 00:35:46.950
and say, okay, let me
try something different.
751
00:35:46.950 --> 00:35:50.430
Sure, it's a little sloppy,
but it still tastes good.
752
00:35:50.430 --> 00:35:52.080
I had this of course also
753
00:35:52.080 --> 00:35:54.750
before I, I lost our losing my vision.
754
00:35:54.750 --> 00:35:59.750
It is a light that goes
on a headband that tilts
755
00:35:59.760 --> 00:36:01.440
and is also motion controlled.
756
00:36:01.440 --> 00:36:04.530
So you'll tilt it to where
you want, need it to focus,
757
00:36:04.530 --> 00:36:06.390
and then you can turn it on and off
758
00:36:06.390 --> 00:36:08.790
and you can also make
it lower high with the,
759
00:36:08.790 --> 00:36:10.740
with a wave of your hand.
760
00:36:10.740 --> 00:36:13.950
So I use that at work quite
a bit. Those are incredible.
761
00:36:13.950 --> 00:36:14.940
And like I say, they're all hand
762
00:36:14.940 --> 00:36:16.890
controlled if you get the right one.
763
00:36:16.890 --> 00:36:19.470
So you don't have to touch
up, you know, by your head
764
00:36:19.470 --> 00:36:22.950
with a dirty hand or something,
you just swipe your hand
765
00:36:22.950 --> 00:36:25.650
and so, and it goes
right where you need it.
766
00:36:25.650 --> 00:36:30.000
Don, I, I appreciate that I
have that. And you know what?
767
00:36:30.000 --> 00:36:32.520
Im extremely vain. It messes my hair up.
768
00:36:34.020 --> 00:36:39.000
I think if we make some humor out of this,
769
00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:42.540
we can get through it even
quicker and better and easier
770
00:36:42.540 --> 00:36:44.580
and more confident.
771
00:36:44.580 --> 00:36:48.630
We have to keep our
humor, we have to laugh.
772
00:36:48.630 --> 00:36:53.130
I think you're so right about
keeping the humor in things,
773
00:36:53.130 --> 00:36:56.130
being able to laugh at yourself.
774
00:36:56.130 --> 00:36:59.880
And Don, you said it too, being able to,
775
00:36:59.880 --> 00:37:03.930
if you get frustrated,
stop, try a different way.
776
00:37:03.930 --> 00:37:06.570
Ultimately it's about knowing
777
00:37:06.570 --> 00:37:11.250
that the important bit is
kind of the end result.
778
00:37:11.250 --> 00:37:15.300
And it may take a little
more time to get there.
779
00:37:15.300 --> 00:37:17.880
There may be some
frustration along the way,
780
00:37:17.880 --> 00:37:19.980
but those are learning experiences
781
00:37:19.980 --> 00:37:24.980
and I think it's well
worth giving it a try.
782
00:37:24.990 --> 00:37:28.710
And now to all of our
wonderful virtual neighbors
783
00:37:28.710 --> 00:37:31.950
who are listening, what's working for you?
784
00:37:31.950 --> 00:37:35.970
What's keeping you
comfortable, safe, efficient,
785
00:37:35.970 --> 00:37:38.790
just less stressed out in the kitchen.
786
00:37:38.790 --> 00:37:42.750
If you would like to share
those things with the community,
787
00:37:42.750 --> 00:37:44.160
we would love to hear from you.
788
00:37:44.160 --> 00:37:46.200
You can call our podcast line
789
00:37:46.200 --> 00:37:51.200
(847) 784-2870.
790
00:37:51.450 --> 00:37:56.450
You can email us podcast@hadleyhelps.org.
791
00:37:56.550 --> 00:38:01.380
We'll have that in the show
notes as well, along with a link
792
00:38:01.380 --> 00:38:04.770
to a page where you can
just record right from our
793
00:38:04.770 --> 00:38:06.210
website and send it to us.
794
00:38:06.210 --> 00:38:10.200
That way. I can't wait to hear
what you all have to share.
795
00:38:10.200 --> 00:38:14.280
Don, Dia, thank you so
much for sharing your time
796
00:38:14.280 --> 00:38:15.690
and your expertise
797
00:38:15.690 --> 00:38:19.050
and I will definitely be calling
on both of you for recipes.
798
00:38:19.050 --> 00:38:20.670
So there you go.
799
00:38:20.670 --> 00:38:23.550
Thank you Ricky. Nice to meet you Don.
800
00:38:23.550 --> 00:38:25.140
Same, same here dear.
801
00:38:25.140 --> 00:38:28.020
Thank you very much for
listening to my humor
802
00:38:28.020 --> 00:38:29.310
and giving me some tips.
803
00:38:29.310 --> 00:38:31.590
And Ricky, as always, you're wonderful.
804
00:38:32.730 --> 00:38:37.600
Thank you. Thank you
both got something to say.
805
00:38:37.600 --> 00:38:41.050
Share your thoughts about this
episode of Hadley Presents,
806
00:38:41.050 --> 00:38:43.660
or make suggestions for future episodes.
807
00:38:43.660 --> 00:38:45.370
We'd love to hear from you.
808
00:38:45.370 --> 00:38:50.350
Send us an email at
podcast@hadleyhelps.org.
809
00:38:50.350 --> 00:38:53.224
That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T
810
00:38:53.224 --> 00:38:56.860
at HadleyHelps.org
811
00:38:56.860 --> 00:38:58.600
or leave us a message at
812
00:38:58.600 --> 00:39:03.600
847-784-2870.
813
00:39:03.790 --> 00:39:04.750
Thanks for listening.