Kitchen Hacks
There are several triggers for the chronic illnesses that I have, that even basic daily tasks are affected. And I know this is common in the chronic illness community.
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For me, anything that involves:
- bending down or forward
- lifting anything
- general movement or literally just moving slightly in the wrong way!
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Simple tasks such as:
- Meal prep
- Housework
- Laundry
- Shopping
- Showering
...can cause symptoms (this list will vary from person to person)
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On this page, you can find some tools that can help make your kitchen more accessible
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This kitchen guide covers these three key issues:
- If you struggle to lift heavy things
- Hand Pain
- Difficulty bending down
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If you struggle to lift heavy things:
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A one cup kettle is great if you find it difficult to lift a heavy kettle. It boils within just 30 seconds too! You can fill it up with a light jug or cup. When filling a hot water bottle it just takes me 4 boils (to which you can add some cold water to) which is just 2 minutes; so it’s possible faster than a regular kettle
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Slotted spoon to sieve out pasta/vegetables and add them straight to your bowl
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If you can lift the contents, a boiling basket means you don’t have to lift the water and the contents to drain
PS. the boiling basket idea was inspired from @chronicallyjenni
If you get hand pain:
Washing up sponge on stick - is great for ease of washing up and if you get dermatitis on your hands enables you to wash up easier without flaring it
Electric Salt & Pepper grinders
Electric can opener
Universal jar and bottle opener
Difficulty bending down:
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If you have a low down fridge or cupboards, make it more accessible with a beanbag that you can sit on instead of crouching down.
Try to keep as much food as accessible as possible - instead of low down in cupboards, keep it on display at reaching height. You could transfer it into jars so it looks more aesthetic. If doing so, remember to add labels for items with cooking times.
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Keep your crockery and saucepans out at a reachable height on the countertop. Now this of course will clutter the counters slightly but I’ve found the benefit of not having to crouch to lift heavy pots/pans etc outweighs the stress from clutter.
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Something I've recently bought to account for the clutter is a layered corner rack that really helps to organise the place too, without having to stack too many plates/bowls on top of each other and struggling to separate them. This makes it a LOT neater and more accessible.
Want to shop any of these suggestions on this guide? Head over to my Amazon shop list below