Carlos using rocker knife
Carlos, who lives with his wife and two children, has cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair. Carlos wanted to prepare more complex recipes. He hoped to increase his cooking skills by learning new recipes and finding tools that worked well for him so he could feel confident making a variety of dishes on his own. His goal was to take over some of the cooking responsibilities from his wife who works long hours.
Carlos worked with the Tech Kitchen’s occupational therapy staff to assess how he currently maneuvers around his kitchen. Challenges included the taller kitchen cabinets, narrow corners, and shelves, and transferring items from the kitchen table to the countertops by the stove and microwave. After trialing several options to improve navigation, an adjustable height rolling table, lazy Susan style storage bin, and magnetic spice racks were helpful. Carlos also found tools like heat gloves, an air fryer, bag openers, chicken shredder, and resealable bag holders to be cooking game changers. During several training sessions, Carlos prepared shredded chicken quesadillas, grilled cheese, and pico-de-gallo. He is shown in the photos using a rocker knife, pronged cutting board, and finger guard to dice the tomatoes quickly and safely for his tasty, made from scratch pico-de-gallo.