Navigating the kitchen and the cooking process can be challenging for the visually impaired. Fortunately, there are some ways to make the environment more accessible.* 

In order to tackle your next culinary challenge, consider the following tips:

• Organize the kitchen. Group similar items in a particular storage area and do so in a counterclockwise order so you can remember from left to right what types of food you have paired together. For example, you could store spices on the left side and canned goods on the right. Additionally, be sure to keep cleaning products stored away from (or even beneath) food.
• Label foods to better distinguish them. Some foods are already distinctive and may not need labeling (e.g., milk or baking powder), but for those items that do have similar shapes, consider adding rubber bands to them, braille, or other tactile markers that can help you differentiate them.
• Try using a cafeteria tray to keep items together during the cooking process. Start with locating all of the items needed for a recipe you’re making. You could put all of the ingredients and cooking equipment to the left side of a cafeteria tray and use the actual tray for any preparation, such as slicing and dicing.  When you’re done with each ingredient and no longer need the rest still available in the container or finished with a  piece of equipment, you can move it to the right side of the tray. This will organize everything that needs to be tossed, cleaned, or stored for later use. 
• Organize cooking ingredients in wide-mouth containers. By doing so, you’re able to put a measuring spoon into the large container containing a dry or liquid ingredient (e.g., baking soda or vanilla) to more easily get the appropriate amount for your dish. Otherwise, you’d have to pour liquid, like vanilla extract, into a very small measuring spoon.
• Put bagged or packaged ingredients in labeled containers. Dry ingredients like flour or brown sugar that are usually packaged in paper can be transferred to rigid plastic or glass containers that can be labeled with the aforementioned tactile markers. 
• Simplify cleaning your hands. Rather than needing to make several trips to the sink, have a towel nearby or available tucked into your pants or belt loop so you can quickly wash your hand of any ingredients.
• Avoid accidents with boiling water. Add your ingredients to water, and then allow the water to boil. Although you will need to add more cooking time to the process, you will avoid having the food item splash you when hitting the boiling water.
• Have the courage to cook something new. With the above preparation techniques, you will be more able to tackle any new recipe that comes your way. 

*Perkins School for the Blind. (2021, June 17). Eight cooking tips for people who are visually impaired. https://www.perkins.org/resource/eight-cooking-tips-for-people-who-are-visually-impaired/