Cooking Tips For Arthritis: Simple Solutions for Opening, Cutting and more

For many people with arthritis, coping with food preparation can present difficult challenges. Opening a jar, chopping an onion and even washing dishes can be difficult with a sore thumb or fingers.  Pain and joint swelling can be warning signs that your joints are being too heavily used. In general it is a good idea to modify your approach to painful activities to prevent further damage to your joints.  There are several things that you can do to minimize these stresses while still getting things done. Here are some cooking tips for arthritis.

Simple Solutions for Opening, Cutting and more…

Opening and Closing
It does seem at times that the packaging industry has it in for those of us with less than Superman hand strength. Pulling open pressure sealed bags or opening pickle jars is easier with the right tools or the right techniques. There are two steps to opening a stubborn vacuum sealed jar– first open it by releasing the vacuum and then twist the top. Releasing the seal is easiest with a simple tool like the round end of a bottle opener or an easy to grip jar popper.

If you experience pain even with already opened jars– a wall or under the counter mounted jar opener will grip the lid and allow you to use both hands to hold the jar, while you twist it to open or close the lid. If you have very severe arthritis, Black and Decker makes a jar opener that automatically opens jars and saves wear and tear on both of your hands. You can find it in many small kitchen appliance departments.  It also helps to remind your family members to ease off on the force when they re-close a jar. Often they have more grasp strength and close it tighter than you can loosen it.

As packaging techniques improve and packages become stronger, even those of us with full hand strength can be challenged opening chips and cereal bags and such. For those with painful joints and compromised pinch strength, a pair of scissors in the kitchen is a simple way around this problem. Self-opening scissors are an excellent solution for bags and other cutting tasks.

Food chopping/peeling

Cutting through raw vegetables and peeling apples or potatoes can generate a lot of pressure on your joints.  If you can make the diameter of your tools slightly wider, your fingers will be in a less strained position and you may find you have more strength.  The Good Grips brand of kitchen utensils made by Oxo are available at most stores and the ribbed handles really do reduce the amount of force needed to hold them. I can recommend their peeler and paring knife. These are “go to” tools in my kitchen. You might also consider a food chopper. They are a bit heavier on the cleanup, but if holding a knife is difficult or you have more than just a carrot or two to chop– they can be a valuable addition to your kitchen. Black and Decker offers an electric model that is dishwasher safe or choose a manual version like the Zyliss food chopper.

Dishwashing

Washing dishes is a chore that people with arthritis often have mixed feelings about. The warm water can be very soothing for their sore joints, but scrubbing pots and pans can be painful.   Non-stick pans go a long way to prevent the need to scrub but when those are not an option, my advice is to SOAK before washing. Even if you do not have a dishwasher, dish washing detergent is an excellent soaking agent and is very effective in soaking off stubborn stuck on food or cooking juices. If you do have to scrub, your joints will be less challenged with a handled scrubber.  One with a built up handle is easier to use than trying to grasp a sponge shaped pad.

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Our blogs are presented for informational purposes only and are not to be considered medical advice. Because your condition is unique to you, it is recommended that you consult with your health care provider before attempting any medical or therapeutic intervention. We are happy to answer questions or comments pertaining to any products mentioned in our blogs, however, we cannot provide a diagnosis or medical advice.