One of my favourite pass times is baking but it can literally leave me in agony so it is important to know how to take steps to avoid pain while cooking. I always say that ‘ I will never let the pain beat me’ but knowing my limits is how I can enjoy baking without the consequences.
Preparing the vegetables or decorating a cake can soon trigger off pain, but if you have your kitchen organised in the right way and use specialist types of equipment it will mean that you can spend far more time enjoying cooking.
Since lock down my way of seeing my family, (even though it was at a distance with them at the front door and me outside the gate), was to bake for them. I loved seeing my granddaughters face peeping through the window when Nana arrived with some goodies. However, it has meant that I have had to look at how to make it simpler so I could enjoy my baking without suffering afterwards. Here are my top twenty tips on how to cook without causing too much pain.
1.The easiest way to get around this problems is to plan ahead for the week.
2. If you have some children or a partner at home that can help prepare some meals, then delegate the difficult jobs for them to do.
3. Concentrate on foods with multiple uses by making a stew that can last two meals, like a roast chicken, followed by a chicken salad or a chicken curry.
4. Crock pots can be a godsend for Fibro and Back Pain sufferers, your whole meal all in one pot.
5. Buy frozen or prepared vegetables if you have no one to chop your vegetables for you. We use onions, peppers, mushrooms and mixed vegetables for all our casseroles.
6.Try and have one afternoon where you could cook three or four meals in one hit, using left-overs to make soup or casseroles, and only cook when you are ‘good’. If your best time is in the morning then cook then, if its in the afternoon then cook then.
7. Set your pantry or cupboard out so you can easily get your pans/dishes without the need to keep bending over and moving things.
8. Use pots and pans with two handles, they are easier to hold.
9. Use a stool if you really cannot stand for long at all. They can be a godsend.
10. If you have trouble opening jars then buy a ‘multi bottle grip opening tool.‘
11. Store frequently used items in cupboards between knee and shoulder height.
12. Buy packet soups rather than tins if you have trouble opening cans, or buy an electric can opener.
13. Create planned leftovers which you can freeze and have available for another day.
14. Store spices in a drawer or on the counter rather than in a high cupboard. I have mine in a small service trolly on wheels which is easy to pull out and get my spices and baking products.
15. Put all your baking utensils into a basket so when you feel you want to bake everything is all together.
16. Spatulas, spoons, ladles, whisks and other cooking tools which feel comfortable in your hand can greatly improve manual dexterity, reduce pain, and compensate for swollen and deformed joints.
17. There are many choices and designs for cooking tools and kitchen aids that can make cooking easier, such as ergonomic, lightweight cooking tools, which have easy grips and non-slip handles. Like these four ergonomic set of wooden baking tools.
18. If you want to try out a new recipe then look for ones that are easy to cook. I have done all my baking with the recipes from the book Mary Berry’s Fast Cakes: Easy Bakes in Minutes. The recipes are brilliant and lots are prepared all in one bowl which is brilliant.
19. Of course the most important one of all is to pace yourself ( I find this very hard). Do everything in stages. Prepare, rest, prepare.
20. When pulling a hot dish from the oven, take advantage of the sliding grate. This allows you to not overextend your back.
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