Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Preparation Method - Heavy Items


Cooking with Arthritis - Preparation Method: Heavy Items
Get a cup any size you can handle
and scoop the batter from the bowl
into your pan. A small plastic
measuring cup works wonderfully.
When making cakes, soups, and stews, I find it hard to lift heavy batter bowls and pots with liquid in them. To make this problem go away quickly, simply get a cup any size you can handle and scoop the batter from the bowl into your pan. A small plastic measuring cup works wonderfully. When you get to the bottom, use a spoonula. This is a spatula that has a spoon/spatula appearance. It’s the perfect tool for that last little bit remaining in the bowl.


The next problem to be solved is getting a heavy pan of water into the oven for a water bath or filling a stockpot for soup. No problem. Before you preheat your oven, place the empty bath pan in the oven. Using any size cup you can handle, fill the water bath. Once it is to the desired level, shut the oven and begin the preheating process.

To transport water, soup or any heavy item, use an inexpensive plant stand with wheels. Simply place the container for transporting liquids on the plant stand. Fill the container with liquid, wheel it across the counter to the oven or stove, then use a cup to fill the pot or water bath. This method saves on the many trips to the sink. I reverse this method when the water has cooled to remove the water bath from the oven or the pot of liquid from the stove. This is a nice way to let children help with no worries of them getting burned or the pan being too heavy.

Sometimes lifting the full spring pan or even a layer cake with my hands becomes a problem. In cases like this, I wait until the cake is completely cooled and then tightly place the pan between my forearms, squeezing as tightly as I can with my hands clasped together. I then use my chest to balance the pan. Using this method works well to get a cheesecake into the oven. I tested, allowing the cheesecake to heat as the oven heated, and my cake turned out fine. I placed the cheesecake into an empty water bath in the oven and then carefully filled the pan with water and turned my oven on to preheat. If using this method, adjust the cooking time. Subtract seven minutes off the total cooking time of the cake.

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