"Be Our Guest"~Beauty & The Beast

Today I'm writing two blogs, at the same time.  Talk about multi-tasking...woo hoo! hahah

The first one is about cooking...again.  Cooking is one of the most dangerous tasks someone with MdDS can do because of the fact that cooking is dangerous for even a normal person.  Cutting, chopping, hot stoves, pots and boiling liquids.  The reason I'm writing about this again is because I've received questions on the types of things I use in the kitchen to help me on days when I don't trust my knife skills.  Here are the items that I will use:

 Pampered Chef® Mandolin, The Onion Chop®, Pampered Chef® Food Chopper, 

Pampered Chef® Cutting Board, and an egg slicer

Ok, so first off let me say, yes, I know its a lot of Pampered Chef.  Years ago I sold it, so I still have my items, but I've also used other brands and they work just fine, except the mandolin.  The mandolin is specially made through Pampered Chef for a chef's protection.  There is no where for you to cut yourself!  The blades stay locked away unless you take the slide down to the end and it only pops out for that second.  Your fingers are completely protected.  Even my kids were able to use it at ages 3 &4.  So I really do suggest their mandolin.

Second is The Onion Chop.  I saw this on TV one day years ago, and picked on up at an "As Seen On TV" store, but I've seen them at Target®, Walmart®, and most drug stores.  There are two types of blades that can be used.  One is a minced size and the other is a chopped size.  You can use this not only for onions, but for most veggies.  Again, so easy my kids can use it.  The downside to this is that is not very easy to clean.  It does take some patience, so soak it right after you are done with it. 

Next we have the food chopper and the egg slicer.  These items are awesome!  You can use them for anything!  The food chopper can chop pieces of cooked beef, pork or chicken up for BBQ sandwiches or soups.  You can also use the chopper for chopping up chocolates, candies and nuts. So the slicer is one of my favorites!  I use this for not only eggs, but strawberries, tomatoes and cucumbers.  The trick with slicer is to get one with wired clutters.  If you look at the top of my slicer its metal, and the rest is plastic.  Now you can't get one of the cheaper products where the plastic is not a strong plastic.  If you get a cheaper version, it will break or will cause more problems than be helpful.

Last we have the cutting board.  I bought this one again through Pampered Chef®.  The reason why I love this cutting board is because the edges are made of a rubber material.  This material helps with sliding issues.  The rubber helps it stay in place, but it also has a measure ruler on it that helps with cutting perfect slices.  Now if you can't find a cutting board like this, then you can use a rubber shelf liner under your cutting boards.  They grip the board to your counter so it won't move on you.

So another tip I have for you is to get a stool.  I have one that I have cut down the legs so that I don't have to "hop" up onto.  I can just sit right down, but its high enough that I can still reach my counter tops.   Also pizza cutters are great to use.  Its a way to cut with your hand away from the blades.  

Hope these tips help you out!