What’s Cooking?
One goal that you may run into often is meal preparation. People do need to cook for themselves when they go home, so it is a good skill to cover especially for those who have been convalescing for some time. Besides if you do a good job, you'll have something good to eat afterwards!
I consider myself a pretty good cook, and enjoy cooking provided all the necessities are present. Sometimes this can be a real problem depending on the facility you're at. One facility I worked recently had no kitchen facilities, yet that goal of meal prep continued to show up. Another facility had a kitchen, but there was absolutely nothing in it. Not one pot, spoon, or any food to cook.
Once my OTR and I set up a cooking group in our dayroom, and it was a total disaster. Within 5 minutes we blew a fuse. Everything had to be spread out around the room so we didn't overload one circuit. Trying to cook in a fry pan here, and heat water there make things difficult. Between all the prep done beforehand, bringing everything needed from home, and cleaning up, it was more work than it was worth.
One success lately was cooking bread in a bread machine. Even though the end results took three hours, the patients were happy to come back later and enjoy a piece of fresh warm bread. To satisfy those who needed the instant gratification, we also baked two loaves of the instant French bread from the dairy case. Starting those first ensured they were coming out of the oven about the time all the ingredients were measured and added to the bread machine.
Getting creative with a cooking group can be a fun time. Simple recipes are the easiest, but even a boxed mix can prove challenging to some. Trying some of your patient's recipes is another option too, not only to assess their skills, but to try a new dish! However preparation is the key to presenting a food group. Making sure you have all the needed food, cooking utensils, correct power outlets, pots and pans, etc. can be the key to either having fun or ending up a disaster.
Until next time, hope all your thoughts are good,
Tim