Suffering a hand injury is bad enough, but having to complete your normal day to day responsibilities like preparing a meal for you and your family without the use of a healthy hand can become a real challenge. The most common household accidents occur within the kitchen, and now you find yourself having to perform death defying tasks like removing a boiling pot of water from the stove with one healthy hand. Not easy. Well, our Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA) Cami Guerrero provides a few helpful safety tips on how you can be successful within the kitchen without practically killing yourself in the process.

1.  Buy a silicone or rubber pot handle for your pots and pans

This is an easy to find product sold online, at most cooking stores, or even most grocery stores.  You can use this to build up handles on any items that you use in your kitchen, whether it be a knife, a spatula, or a spoon. This can help build up that handle and make it thicker. and wider. The increased width makes it easier to grip, requiring less force you need to hold that item. This way you’ll have less pain, especially if you have arthritic hands.

2. Be sure to use proper utensils and easy to use kitchen aids

You want to find utensils that work for you; whether it’s an electric can opener or a rubber spatula to help scrape out your bowls, using things that don’t require a great deal of your strength or manipulation is key.

3. Ergonomic Storage Containers

We’ve all been faced with embarrassing moments where we can’t get the lid off a jar or a container, and that’s with a good hand. Invest in a good ergonomic storage container set, one that’s equipped with a lip or handle on it, something that you can grasp other than having to strain and do a lot of pinching. It will take a lot of the force out of the grasping and won’t leave you exasperated or frustrated by your inability to put your food away once you’re done eating.

So, next time you’re faced with what dinner options to consider for you and your family, don’t let an injured hand dictate ordering out for pizza every other night. Hopefully these helpful and easy tips will allow you to prepare a meal that doesn’t have to be painful or flat out dangerous.