kitchen workarounds?

[greenbirds]

I don't know if anyone has a solution to this problem, but I figured here would be the place to ask.

I'm a pretty avid cook (there was a time in my life when I was debating between chef school and an academic career), and I am absolutely in love with enameled cast-iron cookware like those awesome Le Crueset dutch ovens (which I've used in other people's kitchens when I've had some help to handle the doggone things), but for one thing: I have arthritis in my hands and wrists which makes it really difficult for me to hold anything that heavy -- something that's required if I'm to say, put a full dutch oven in my oven to bake and then take it out again.

Enameled cast iron's pretty spendy, so I'm reluctant to plunk down a ton of money on something I may end up not being able to use. I'm wondering if anyone here has found useful workarounds for moving heavy cookware around the kitchen? I would be forever grateful!

TIA! :)

Comments

[0jack]

Oh, dear. I have not found a workaround that doesn't include either not moving it while hot or using my partner as an assistive device. :p Good luck--I'll be watching this thread.

[amadi]

The only solution I've found is that on bad days, I don't try to cook for leftovers, I use my smallest pans, and cook just enough for the meal.

I wish there were more I could offer.

[lilacsigil]

It will be affected by the way your kitchen is set up, but small lifts. Instead of going from the oven across to the sink, go from the oven to a wooden board on the floor. Then go to the next place and so on. I find lots of small lifts much easier than one requiring a long holding time, but obviously that might not suit you. I have arthritis in my hands and wrists but it affects me bending or turning my hands more than lifting as such.

[alumiere]

I find that if I just go from stovetop to oven when it's full the heavy casseroles are OK. So rather than filling them on the sink/counter, I put the casserole on the stove, put in the ingredients, then it's a quick lift to the oven (ours is above the stove at this apt, but at our last one it was underneath). And if it's too heavy to lift when done (or for stirring), just slide the rack with the pan on top out, and serve from there.

My 12" wide dutch oven must weigh 5 pounds empty, but I can move it short distances. I find it's also much easier to move if I put it in the oven without the lid on, then add the lid, then turn things on - less chance of burns that way.

[msilverstar]

for what it's worth, I've done a lot of Dutch-oven-type cooking in Revereware stainless steel pots. It's probably not as fabulous as enamelware cooking, but about 1/10 the weight.

[colorwheel]

nice icon.

[msilverstar]

thanks! It's my favorite of the LOTR movie designs, just the way I saw it in my head when I was 11.

[daughtercell]

Yeah. I also have the thought, for me, of getting some kind of rolling cart, so I can put things on that and then roll them to their next location. I have arthrogryposis (muscle weakness, joint contractures) and holding/lifting/carrying heavy cookware is hard enough for me when it's empty, and basically impossible when it's full and just out of the oven.

[somewhatbent]

it need not be crazy spendy... I've gotten two pieces (a 6" 'egg' pan and a ~5qt casserole) at my local secondhand store. Goodwill is one of my usual, and IME St Vincent de Paul stores have a population of 'high-upper-middle' donors. I've found a number of high end small appliances and some exceedingly good furniture there. (in three states and Victoria BC)

As far as handling... hubby gets the really heave stuff, the egg pan is heavy enough to do eggs 'exactly right' but light enough to handle. The saving grace in my kitchen is *all* the undercounter shelves slide out. http://www.shelvesthatslide.com/ does amazingly good work for very reasonable price -- about a third of what the local cabinet shop quoted. Even my contractor was impressed and said he'd be using them in future jobs.

ETA: they also have a screaming awesome lift for my KitchenAid mixer -- which I would be unable to use otherwise.