Aside from buying pre-prepared vegetables, does ... - Ataxia UK
Aside from buying pre-prepared vegetables, does anyone with ataxia have any tips on peeling and chopping vegetables?
Not specific to ataxians but.. try stabbing the piece of veg or fruit (Potato, Tomato etc) with a fork first then hold the fork's handle rather than the piece of fruit/veg.
Hope that makes sense, it was hard to describe!
To peel tomatoes you can either place the tomato onto a fork and hold it over a naked flame (like the gas hob) and turn the fork round slowly, or place the tomatoes into boiling water. Either way the skin of the tomato will then peel away easily.
To easily peel a piece of garlic clove: Lay it on a chopping board and place something flat and hard on top of it (the flat end of a knife would do) then bash the object with the palm of your hand or fist. The clove's outer skin will then peel very easy. You could also place the clove into the microwave and heat for a few seconds. I haven't tried the microwave method. Just heard about it on a TV programme.
Great suggestions boys, thanks! I understood perfectly what you meant Tim-hadn't thought of doing that. The tomato and naked flame sounds a bit dangerous Iain but I love the method of how to peel the garlic clove. The only thing is once it is peeled I have tremendous difficulty chopping it. Pre-chopped garlic from Sainsburys is the way to go!
After I've bashed the clove and removed the outer skin I mash it with the back of a fork on the chopping board. This helps to extract the juices for a better garlic taste. I find standard garlic crushers not so good. (The ones I have tried anyway).
Using a fork is a good idea Tim. Top and tail an onion holding it in place with the fork if your hands are not too good. Cut it in half going through the root end. Its then easier to peel this way. lay one half flat on the chopping board and pierce the fork through the root end of the onion. You can then slice or chop the onion whichever way you wish. Your fingers shouldn't get in the way as your hand is well out of reach.
I tried this method just a moment ago and it worked for me.
I think that prepared vegetables are great Harry, I chop up carrots, cabbage etc but we always buy swede/butternut squash & pumpkin pre-prepared. Some shops do great mixtures of leek, carrot, swede, onion for soups. My only tip is when chopping and peeling sweet potato, put it in the microwave for a good few mins (7?) and then the skin just peels off and you can chop it up. It's soft though, so be careful not to squash it and wait until it cools down!
I will try that Alice. My main problem is I haven't got a microwave at the moment. The one I had died before Christmas and I haven't got round to replacing it yet. I love sweet potato and I have a lot of difficulty peeling them so that tip is most welcome!
When my wrist was broken, I tried battery controlled peeler - okay if you are desperate but very slow! I got mine cheap on ebay - probably better to pay more for a better quality model.
When cutting carrots, chop off top and tail then place knife in position at one end and cover the knife with your left hand before pressing it down with your right. Once you have made the first cut, you can place cut side down for easy chopping.
Patsy
Thanks Patsy, I will try that.
