Adaptive Cooking: Tips, Tricks, & Gadgets for Every Chef

By Michelle Maslanka, November 25, 2025

Cooking with a physical disability is challenging, but then what isn’t when living with a disability? I can still remember being discharged from inpatient rehabilitation 11 years ago, after a C5-6 spinal cord injury, and thinking “How will I be anything, but a burden to my family?” Sure, I had practiced a recipe or two during therapeutic recreation sessions during my inpatient stay, but all the chopping, stirring, and pouring was physically exhausting. The spills and messes were expected and accepted as part of therapy and learning to adapt to my new body. I was certain these “growing pains” would not be accepted as good naturedly at home.

For me, feeding my family was how I expressed love and let them know they were appreciated and it was important to me to get back into the routine of feeding my family. It has taken a lot of practice, trying different gadgets, working on my physical strength and ability, and accepting my limitations, but I am here to tell you that cooking is for everyone, regardless of physical abilities, and that with the right adaptations and attitude, it's possible to enjoy and succeed in the kitchen. If that means simply planning meals and making the grocery list, so what, to me that is the hardest part of the cooking process - deciding what to make.

One pot meals and adaptive tools make all the difference for me when I cook. The primary tools I use are an apron, a rocker knife, a cutting board with built in spikes and edges (to minimize spills and wedge things against), and an induction burner.

As a quadriplegic, most of my cutting strength comes from my shoulders, so I find cutting on my lap easiest so I can push down into the food to be chopped. I use dysum or a silicon mat under the cutting board to minimize slipping. If you can’t hold a rocker knife or your push is a little weak there are a variety of manual and electric choppers that you can use to achieve the same results in a shorter amount of time. If the added expense doesn’t matter to you, there’s no shame in using precut items from the store! If grasp is a challenge for you try adding foam or other grip aids to your favorite utensils or buying utensils that can be easily bent to configurations that work with your functionality.

Once the preparation is complete, I move to actually cooking the meal. My stove has front control knobs and my powerchair has the elevate feature, which allows me to see into the pan on the stove. However, for safety’s sake, I often cook using a portable induction burner at my dining table, so that I can pull right under the cooking pot to stir and add ingredients. Plus, with the induction burner, I don’t have to worry about touching the burner surface (although the pot still gets very hot). Another go to for me is a crockpot or Instapot. Simply prep all your ingredients, dump into the machine and hit a few buttons!

If you haven’t tried yet, I encourage you to experiment in the kitchen, whether it’s trying a new recipe, making a favorite dish, or getting creative with adaptive tools. Practice, using creative problem solving skills, and giving yourself grace is key to cooking successfully. Cooking has been a way for me to stay independent, creative, and empowered, even if there have been challenges and lots of spills along the way.

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