Kitchen products to make food prep easier

I use quite a few gadgets in the kitchen to give me a bit more independence so I can join in with meal preparation on my good days. They give me a sense of achievement when I have been able to more-or-less make my own meals rather than let my carer do it all for me. 

Some these products are specifically designed for people with disabilities while other items are just ordinary kitchen gadgets that I find really useful.

For me I have an Energy Limiting Illness as well as hypermobility and limited mobility and reduced hand function at times. So when I’m looking at buying kitchen gadgets I’m looking for things that will save me energy, be easy to hold or use hands free as well as being a safer alternative as I’m sat down when I’m preparing meals.

I’m only showing you what I have in my kitchen and what I use most often and find most useful, however you might want to check out the Active Hands shop to see what they have available there. I get a lot of products from them and find they have a great range of products and you might find some additional items that will be useful to you, such as a beer bottle top opener (I don’t drink alcohol so I don’t have any gadgets for that).

Some products you may be able to buy with VAT relief if you’re eligible for it.

Croc chopper

Buy here - £29.99

The OTOTO Croc Chopper is a new and fantastic edition to my kitchen. It’s given me a lot more independence in helping prepare meals in the kitchen. It’s very easy easy to use. I use the small food chopper insert and it’s the perfect size as I like my food cut up really small as this makes it easier for me to eat. You place the food on the cutting insert then press down. It’s that simple and easy so great for reduced hand function. I also find it makes meal preparation quicker and it saves me energy. It’s also a lot safer too. It’s also meant since I got it that I can join i with preparing meals a lot more now too which I enjoy.

Adapted knives

Buy here (VAT exemption to those eligible) - Bread and all-purpose knife £27.95

When I do use a knife I use an adapted L shaped knife. I find this makes it easier to use on my weak and hypermobile wrist making chopping a lot easier and more comfortable compared to using traditional knives which I just find awkward to use.

Hot water dispenser 

Buy here - £160 (approx)

This is an invaluable piece of equipment in my kitchen. I can’t safely use a kettle due to my seizures nor am I able to lift and pour a kettle. I also find I struggle to fill a kettle because of the weight of it once it’s full.

I like being able to set the water at a cooler temperature which is safer for me. I can also set the volume of water being dispensed into my cup which is also helpful as I don’t have to worry about the water spilling over.

The hot water dispenser I have has a 4 litre tank so my PA ensures it’s kept topped up for me and the big tank size means that I get plenty of drinks out of it.

Pans can also be placed under it to put boiling water into the pan for cooking. My PA also manages to make me hot water bottle with it too.

You can buy other water dispensers that dispense chilled water as well as hot water.

Egg spoon

The egg spoon I have I’ve had for years (it’s a Tupperware one which shows how old it is however I’m sure you can find similar). It holds an egg in it so you can place it into as well as take it out of a pan of boiling water more safely as well as easily.

CanPull

Buy here - £8.88

My CanPull aid helps me open tins with a ring pull, it allows me to independently open a tin with a ring pull allowing me to help out more when preparing my meals. I personally prefer this particular design compared to the hook design ring pull aid which I personally find more difficult to use. It clips onto the ring pull, you lift the ring pull up then the CanPull helps you to peel back the lid. It works on most tin sizes which is another reason why I like the CanPull.

Drinks can ring pull aid

Buy here - £5.99 (pack of 6)

This little gadget helps me open the ring pull on my Diet Coke cans, another task I wouldn’t be able to do on my own without this gadget. It slots onto the ring pull so I can more easily lift it up to open the drinks can and then I can spin the ring pull around so the ring pull is over the hole. I do this as the the ring pull makes for a nice straw holder as I can’t drink without using straws.

Electric can opener 

Buy here - £19.13 (price shown without VAT)

This is another kitchen gadget that gives me independence when helping prepare meals. Traditional can opener’s I just can’t use as I don’t have the strength plus they can cause subluxations and dislocations because of my hypermobility. An electric hands free tin opener allows me to easily and independently open tins. The only downside is that they’re more expensive than traditional tin opener however the batteries in them last a very long time. I like the one I have at the moment as it’s nice and big and chunky to hold.

Jar and bottle top grips

Buy jar opener here - £4.95 (price shown without VAT)

Buy Dycem botttle opener here - £9.49

These two items my Occupational Therapist recommended to me. They give me extra grip when opening jars and bottle tops, whether they’ve never been opened or they have been opened before but I lack the strength to open them. Like all of the gadgets I’ve listed in this post they give me the independence and usually if someone is struggling with a jar lid I’ll bring out my magic Dycem jar lid opener.

The bottle top opener is also handy for opening medicine bottle tops, so I have a second bottle top opener that I keep in my medication drawer.

I use the Dycem brand style jar and bottle top openers, however there are other designs of jar grip openers and bottle top openers out there but in my personal opinion I find the style of what I use the easiest to use and most effective.

Nimble

Buy here - £7.46 (price shown without VAT)

The Nimble goes on your finger and has a blade that is safe to touch but is still sharp and will slice open pretty much anything so they’re useful in kitchen for food packets. For example opening a bag of popcorn or opening a packet of Quorn slices or a box of frozen jacket potatoes and many other things. The Nimble is so versatile as well as easy and safe to use. I have a couple of them as I use them for opening parcels too and they’re so handy to have around.

Egg slicer

Buy here - £5.69

This gadget is great for slicing my boiled eggs up perfectly for things like salads and sandwiches. It’s a nice chunky design that I find easier to use. I also like that I have the two choices in how my eggs are sliced. It makes the task so much quicker and easier than doing it by hand.

You can find others out there but I’ve managed to find the exact one to the one I have though mine was bought from somewhere else.