I met once a left handed dentist who had a difficult time finding a clinic to work with, as all the clinics he looked into had equipment set for right handed people.  He couldn’t deal with this equipment, as a dentist he wanted to be able to work comfortably with his stronger hand.  He ended up having to open his own clinic, making big expenses to get left-handed equipment for him.

In the kitchen, left handed face similar problems.  The regular kitchen equipment is made for right handed, and can be difficult to operate for the left handed.  Some lefties are able to adapt and work everything with their right hand, but others find it a lifetime struggle.  I think the most common problematic tool is the can opener:  It is set to be held with your right hand.  There is no way to handle a regular can opener with your left hand, and lefties will have to struggle to open with it.

Kitchen knives are another problematic story:  They are sharpened in a way that makes them cut better when used with the right hand.

Well, left handed cooks don’t have to suffer:  There are tools available for lefties.  They are not always available in your around-the-corner store, but they are indeed worth the effort to look for them in some bigger store, or order them online.  It makes life so much easier to have tools that are fit for your needs.  You don’t have to struggle each time you want to open a tuna can or cut the meat.

Here are some tools I found on Amazon:

A left handed can opener:

A kitchen knife for the left handed that can be found in Amazon:

This knife is on the expensive side, but can make for a wonderful Christmas or birthday gift for a left handed person who likes to spend time in the kitchen.

And here you can find some other kitchen tools for the left handed that are for sale in Amazon.

Sukkah

This week is the week of Sukkot, a Jewish whole week holiday.  We built a Sukkah, which is a kind of hut you build near your home for this week, and in which you eat and sleep.  That means camping every night – a big excitement for the kids.  It also means the kids are home for a week, and I have to entertain them, and feed them.

So what shall we have for dinner tonight?  That is the question.  Till recently, the kids had a pattern of liking the same thing everyday for awhile, until they had enough and we moved to the next.  Now, my oldest is getting older, and he prefers having more of a variation, while his siblings still want more or less the same thing every day, or one of a very short fixed list of dishes.  That’s makes for a real headache every meal.

At least I have to cook only for the kids.  Some people have also a spouse, which probably makes a real mess!  (Well, I guess in some cases the spouse cooks too).

Lately I heard of a service for people who would like to get dinner ideas every day.  It is called Send Me Recipes (or SMR), and if you subscribe you get every day a meal plan (main dish + side dishes).  You get the recipes, which are promised to be quick and easy, and also access to a big database of recipes.  You can also choose to get low fat recipes or low carb recipes.  Sounds good mainly for young couples, or families with older kids, who can enjoy the new recipes part, but maybe parents of younger kids can also benefit from having a richer variety to choose from.  I haven’t tried it yet – if anyone does, please let me know.

I didn’t have till lately.  But now I have, and it makes such a difference!

Up to 3 weeks ago, when I saw recipes mentioning grill pans I said to myself:  “Oh, that’s interesting.  I should try this one day”, and then forgot all about it.

Then my mother got one, and my son Hizki the REAL meat lover visited her and ate something she grilled over it.  Next time we were at the mall, and I went into a kitchen-supplies shop to look for a pan, Hizki showed me a grill pan, explaining “this is what grandma has and we should get one too!”.  I didn’t want to buy one right away, but looked at what they had to offer there, and prices, and decided to look into it soon.

The next day I left my mom a message that I wanted to know what grill pan she has.  That evening suddenly she appeared at my house with a present for me – a grill pan!  (Thanks, Mom!!).  Here, you can check here what I got:

my new grill pan

(You can get one at Amazon, here.)

Well, of course Hizki was besides himself.  We have already tried grilling ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs – and it’s wonderful!  You get good grilled meat, without all the hassle of bbq.

The only downside is that you have to clean this thing.  Another chore to add to my day.  I soak it in hot water with soap overnight, and then rub everything off the next day.