Alright i do cook with my hands but there are those that don’t or can’t. In my case my hands, arms and back are often very painful and extremely tired (think – having continual flu), so cooking can be very difficult. Here are a few tips:

1.Take a seat. We are so used to standing when we are preparing food that to sit down and do so seems rather odd but for me it’s the only thing that works, some days.

2. Have sharp knives. There is nothing worse then trying to prepare something when your knives are not sharp enough.

3. Use scissors. There are some occasions when using a sharp pair of scissors is easier than using a knife.

4. Collect useful gizmos. I have had a food processor for years and yes it did get used now and then but now i think i use it nearly every day. I have also purchased a hand blender, which comes with a small food processor which i can use for chopping onions and garlic and nuts and cherries among other things. I can also use it to process soup. It is a little heavy and the vibration isn’t good but the job it done much quicker. It will even blend/mash potatoes.

5. Use suitable pans and dishes. Not the ones that the food fits into but the ones you can lift easily and don’t forget to ask for help when needed.

6. Plan what you are going to eat and cook it in stages. Is there something you can prepare earlier in the day and then just add too later on?

Here’s a little recipe, which i have decided i rather like after i had adapted the original recipe from the Sam Stern recipe book Eat vegetarian.

Pasta Bake

Pasta (100g uncooked per person)

onion chopped

clove of garlic crushed

courgette top and tailed and roughly chopped – depends how you like it

tinned tomatoes

basil – dried is ok

olive oil

mixed grated mozzarella and cheddar cheese (that’s another grated cheese is so much easier than having to do it myself)

Cook pasta in boiling water as instructed. In a separate pan put olive oil. Add chopped onion and cooked for a few minutes until clear but not browned (or burnt) add crushed garlic and chopped courgette. Cook gentle until the courgette is cooked, doesn’t take long. Add tomatoes, basil and stir to heat through. Place cooked pasta in a oven proof dish, pour over the tomato sauce and stir. Scatter grated cheese over the top and bake in a hot oven until the top is browned and bubbling.

NB you could add any suitable vegetable to the tomato sauce, such as peppers or even mushrooms.

and my plates it refused to let me load the other day