American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults
Future Reflections Winter 2022 THE COLLEGE PERSPECTIVE
The Power of Popular Kitchen Tools
by Lindsay Kerr and Nina Marranca
Reprinted from the Blog of the National Association of Blind Students.
From the Editor: Lindsay Kerr is studying at San Francisco State University to become a teacher of blind and low-vision students. Her love of personal and professional accessibility extends to the kitchen. Nina Marranca is completing two bachelor's degrees, working full-time for a national nonprofit, and applying to graduate programs in clinical psychology. Cooking is one of Nina's hobbies, and she loves to try out new recipes. In this article Lindsay and Nina offer tips and tricks for the nonvisual use of popular appliances that make cooking quick and easy.
There comes a time for us as college students when we find ourselves living on our own. One of the key facets of living independently is meal preparation. We want to share our experience with three tools that we find helpful in prepping meals independently in a college dorm or apartment. These are the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot. We are going to explain how these tools can be used independently by students who are blind or have low vision. With some smart buying and a bit of modification, these tools are a fantastic addition to traditional large kitchen appliances.
Before we go into the tips that have worked for us, we thought we would explain what got us into using the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot. One evening Nina happened to be searching through YouTube for easy dinners to make, and she came across the Six Sisters Stuff YouTube channel. On this channel, they often post demonstrations of easy recipes and how-to videos for the Insta Pot, Crock Pot, and air fryer. After watching their YouTube videos on how to use the Insta Pot, Nina realized how easy and time-saving it would be to use this tool to make soups, meat, and steamed vegetables. After she found the YouTube channel, she also found the Six Sisters Stuff website, where they post easy-to-follow recipes. The Six Sisters website and YouTube channel have become her go-to for how best to use the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot.
In addition to the Six Sisters recipes, we have heard good things about Skinnytaste, Drizzle Me Skinny, and Lexi's Clean Kitchen. Of course, there are a multitude of good websites and videos online that serve this purpose. We encourage you to explore online and find some recipe creators you enjoy. It can make experimentation in the kitchen much more fun.
When you are looking to purchase a new kitchen appliance, there are several things to keep in mind. We generally avoid touchscreen appliances, as they are usually inaccessible. However, some blind and low-vision users use touchscreens with Bluetooth connectivity or decent color contrast.
We generally search for appliances with raised buttons or dials. We have found it easy to label these models. Flat-button displays also can be labeled in the manners we will describe below. Finding a workable model mostly comes down to personal preference. It's very helpful to get your hands on the various models before you make a purchase.
Two low-tech options that can make devices such as the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot accessible are Bump Dots and Braille labels. We use both of these tools on the Insta Pot Duo Crisp in order to identify commonly used buttons. The Insta Pot Duo is an Insta Pot and air fryer combined. The Insta Pot Duo Crisp is great for someone who has a small kitchen. The air fryer components fit inside the Insta Pot itself when it's not in use. We put bump dots on the start, pressure, and air fry buttons. We also put plus on the temperature side and minus on the time side. If you want to, you could use Braille labels in place of the bump dots.
Bump Dots and Braille labels will work just as well when it comes to using the Crock Pot. You can place them on the commonly used buttons such as Start, Low, Medium, and High. We like this method because it is low-cost and can be used to modify appliances you already own.
Apps that provide visual access can be helpful with the use of these kitchen devices. These apps include Aira, Seeing AI, and Be My Eyes. All three of these apps can be used with the Insta Pot, air fryer, and Crock Pot by placing your phone's camera in view of the LCD display. With Seeing AI it is best to use the Short Text channel because you do not have to worry about lining up your phone to find given text. This is helpful when you encounter a new display message, or when you are familiarizing yourself with a new appliance. However, many people find that this method is not ideal for regular use.
Although we have shared some great tips on how you can use these popular kitchen tools, we have one caution regarding the Insta Pot. Most Insta Pot models have a steam-release button. You either have to turn this button or push down on it, depending on the model of Insta Pot you are using. When dealing with the steam-release button, we usually use tongs or a large kitchen spoon to find it and press it down. We use tongs or a large spoon because we do not want to burn our hands when we release the pressure in the Insta Pot. Some Insta Pots also have a spout on the exhaust valve, so the steam that is released does not go straight up in the air. Do not let this aspect deter you from using this very handy appliance. It is helpful to familiarize yourself with how the valve operates before you cook.
Happy cooking!