I found a set of metal tongs with silicone tips that are light weight and easier to use than the others I have. I was grateful to find them last December at BB&B. I bought a set for my mother, too. I use tongs a lot. We also replaced our leaking kitchen faucet and I made sure to buy one with an easy to use sprayer. I have a lot of pain and weakness in my right thumb-to-hand joint as you describe. The sprayer on our old faucet set was so heavy I rarely used it.

I don't have arthritis, but I broke that joint when I was younger and it talks to me now. I learned the best ever trick in the Cooking Forum for opening jars. Use a "church key" style can opener to release the seal on a jar. Invert it, put the point under the edge where there's a space between threads, lean the curve against the rim of the jar and lever lightly. It takes very little force, and you don't have to grip it tightly. Far, far less hand pressure than twisting normally. I have an OXO one with the hand friendly grip, too.

Knives are tricky. A cushioned grip can help, but too much cushioning leads to loss of control. My Breville Peel & Dice Sous Chef FP has an adjustable slicing blade that really works, which is excellent for large projects, but it's an expensive machine, and heavy, so has to live on the counter.

Simple fix of the "duh" variety. Cold and wet aren't good. So take what you're prepping out of the fridge early to come to room temp (except onions which are less tearsome if cold). Wear gloves! Disposable food service gloves are back available on Amazon so I assume finding them is no longer an issue. You can wear cotton gloves underneath for more warmth and cushioning. A new pair of gardening gloves can work too, with or without something over them. Buy gloves by the box and they're a lot less expensive.

I have osteoarthritis in both hands, and a persistent injury in the saddle joint of my left thumb. For me, switching to Corelle dishes was a lifesaver. I also went back to the lightweight Revere pots and skillets my Mother would use. I'm not a chef, so switching to lightweight pots was no big loss to my cooking; but a huge relief to my hands. I also prefer glasses with a narrower base, and utensils that have rounded handles. I specifically chose cupboard/drawer knobs and handles that were most comfortable for my hand grip (or lack thereof).

I use a silicone rose thorn stripper to help open jar lids--though there are many great options on amazon specifically for assistance with jars. The best advice I have for knives is large handles, and making sure the blades stay very sharp.

Seagrass_gw...tongs work for you? I was lifting a roast today with tongs and it hurt. I wonder if I'm "doing it wrong"? (My tongs all have silicone tips.)

So far, the spray options on my faucets haven't been a problem, so I think I'm OK there, at least for now. (Kohler Vinnata pull down & Kohler Fairfax pull out)

Plllog...I had to look up "church key"...just a "regular" bottle/can opener! I have one of those, I'll try it next time.

Is "wet" bad because of slipping? Is that why the gloves as well? Or, do the gloves help get a better grip wet or dry?

There's something that will peel potatoes for me?!?! That and dicing may make it worth the money (I looked it up, you're right, it is pricey). You're right about the "duh" moment with cold...I didn't think about that!

ChocolateSnap...interesting you should bring up Corelle. I recently purchased a set to use in the MW and I noticed how much lighter they were than my Pfaltzgraff dishes (Yourktowne). I was toying with the idea of purchasing more for regular use.

I do have fairly large-handled knives (Wusthof Classic IKON -- is the handle size on them what you were thinking of? Or, are there good knives with even bigger handles?

I don’t have hand arthritis, I have it in my knees. But in any case, I have found the Swingaway jar opener the best on the market. I highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Swing-Way-Comfort-Opener-Black/dp/B000HMC5JA

For my knees, I found a proper 3-step stepstool instead of clambering onto the kitchen chairs the way I used to. The doctor says my knees aren’t bad enough to warrant knee replacement at this stage, and that I should wait a few years. In the meanwhile, when I have to wipe a drip off the floor, I’m going to hear snap crackle and pop. There are far worse things in life as we have seen these last months. I do find that the more exerciseI get, the better my knees feel.

I have since regained much of my right side ability but I lost the use of my right arm and hand after a stroke 2 years ago for months. I found the precut veggies in the produce section a god send. My local market does it fresh daily. I asked my husband to pre open jars, bottles and lids every weekend so I could access their contents during the week even if he was not home.

I now make all potatoes with skin on even mash because it saves the nutrients and is easier than peeling.

My physical therapists suggest I wear a wrist band all day for extra support even after most function returned. The type they use for tendonitis of the thumb and this is very helpful in both improving my strength and helping with post stroke nerve pain I have in the area.

Good luck with your arthritis.

I would suggest one of those pasta pots that have the colander set inside the pot. Then you don't have to schlep a heavy pot from stove to sink (I got one because while schlepping said pot to sink I banged against the counter and ended up with 3rd degree burns!), but it also helps with the weight of carrying a heavy pot!

Why is it they make a pot filler, but not a pot emptier?

What a great topic.

For pouring, pots with a helper handle, and lightweight mixing bowls. I have OXO ones with rubber bottom that I like a lot. (I have a handmade stoneware big bowl that I treasure, but I really can't hold it to e.g. pour batter into a pan.) Lotta trivets so you can set things down in a hurry.

Stirring utensils with thick handles, as opposed to straight, narrow dowel-rod type handles. Y-shaped vegetable peeler (OXO). Oven mitts with silicone to help with grip.

When taking something out of the oven, use both hands and try to get hands more underneath it so the weight is resting on your fingers and palms, with thumbs just stabilizing, rather than pinching hard with the thumb on top as you would when picking up a tray with one hand. Lift with fingers under the bottom of the casserole dish, not the little handles. Hope that made sense!

Seconding @roarah on the pre-cut vegetables... the only reason I still cook winter squash.

And for jars and such, my spouse. :)

I second the y-shape peeler. Mine is also an OXO and I use it all the time. I don't have real bad arthritis (yet) but I do have carpel tunnel. I love to grate my own cheeses etc and found a box grater that lays on its side and has a container you grate right into. Not having to hold a grater up on top does help.

I echo rebasheba--"what a great topic"

Everyone's comments and ideas have been so helpful for me to read, and have given me a number of good ideas to follow up on.

@Buehl I didn't have any super special knives in mind, just one's with large, round grips like the Zelite Comfort Pro Utility Knife or Oxo Good Grips Kitchen Tools as others have mentioned. There are also rocker knives and right angle ergonomic knives that may work well for you.

Hi Buehl! Yes, just a plain piercer can opener. :) It works amazingly well.

Wet might not be bad for everybody. It's not dishes in hot water that hurts me, but cold and wet, like peeling veg. I think the wet makes cold feel colder. Like mixing meatloaf, manually. Since my kitchen is usually quite warm, however, in Southern California, I just keep latex food service gloves for messy jobs, and the sandwich maker, baggy style gloves for on and offing, like cutting up chickens. Even though I can feel the cold through them, my hands don't feel cold, themselves. Gardening gloves are a miracle, but one has to be careful about cross contamination, so I don't usually go there, but they're so cozy when one's hands are constantly in and out of cold water, but are much better for control than cleaning style gloves.

I learned about the Peel and Dice in the Appliances forum. There are a couple of long threads about it there, including my part, and I've posted some in Cooking as well. I LOVE it. It has limitations. The peeler works, but not on concave bits (it's not hard to clean up the little bits it doesn't get--lots easier than doing a whole bag by hand), and it does beat up the potatoes so they're not pretty. It was designed for handball sized potatoes, but I've had good luck with chunking larger potatoes to that size. It looks like it's taking a lot of flesh, but it's really not more than many hand peelers. It's best for potatoes (inc. sweet potatoes, but the thinner the skin the less flesh you lose and the less beat up they get), and works moderately well on some other things, but I don't remember what.

I did finally get the kit with the extra two dicing sizes, but haven't used them yet. If it's a small job, I just use a knife. The dicer works really well for potato. I think less well for onion, which I think is too hard. There are cleaning tools, but getting every last little bit off (finding every last little bit) isn't always easy. Sometimes, deferring time is great for me. Grate a pound of cheese in a couple of seconds today, wash up for five minutes tomorrow, rather than grate manually for twenty minutes today on something that fits easily in a crowded dishwasher, can be a good thing. Similarly, the dicing can be magic if you're within the parameters of what's easy to dice. The slicing blade, I think, is less picky, so that can also be a first step to dice on the things that stick in the dicer. I'm pretty sure I did that a few years ago.

BUT... Besides the motor being heavy, seating the bowl and lid take a fair amount of twisting pressure. If you're tempted to get one, do try handling it in a store first. It's a lot of money to spend for something that's going to discourage you from using it if it hurts.

With my RA and limited grip strength, I find this Kuhn can opener much easier to use than traditional manual can openers. Also no sharp edges to deal with and never have to fish the lid out of the can.

I use an electric can opener but have manual ones on hand if needed. My problem is in my shoulders and upper back plus my one knee. So standing to do much is out, so I sit a lot and roll around. Doing dishes in a sink is very painful because of my shoulders. I am working as I can to be able to use my kitchen again and move downstairs.

Sue

I had an old salad shooter that finally died. It was hand held. I only had the grater attachment, which I would use for grating cheese for lasagna.

Hubby bought me a newer version that sits on the counter (or can be put away) It has several grating choices as well as a slicing one and is very easy to use!

nancyjane, what's the brand name / model of that new salad shooter ?

lonejack, I've had one like that for maybe 20 yrs now. It usually works great. a few times recently I've had trouble opening a can but that could be days when I was really doing poorly. I got it done on the 2nd try each time. I've been thinking maybe I should get an electric can opener if I keep having problems.

When my father lost significant strength in both of his hands, we found knives that had their handles at a right angle up from the blade. They made all the difference when cutting bread, steaks, etc. We also found that Oxo made many tools to make life easier. His OT/PT team gave us some wonderful catalogs, but I didn’t keep them.

I have this Black and Decker electric jar opener. I get it out only for the most stubborn jars. My sister bought it for me for Christmas at least 20 years ago, not because of arthritis but because I’m a weenie with no upper body strength. It was in the $30-$40 range then. Seeing the current price, I’m going to start babying the one I have!!!

I bought this thing based on a recommendation on best kitchen gadgets here on Houzz - and it's freaking awesome.

https://smile.amazon.com/ZYLISS-Easy-Chopper-Manual-Processor/dp/B00UZEZ196/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=pull+and+chop&qid=1600180638&sr=8-2

As long as you are not anal retentive on the squareness of your dice - you can process a ton of vegetables in this thing - onions, carrots, peppers, etc. Mom and Dad use it to make egg salad. I've also used it for salsas. Brother and SIL use to make applesauce

Several years ago, someone here posted a jar opener from BB&B that easily opens vacuum packed jars. It is plastic, and barely pries open the edge of the lit to break the vacuum seal. Then it is easy to unscrew the lid. I bought several to give to sisters and daughter.

I too have the Black and Decker Jar opener, I have two of them, one upstairs and one down. My daughter gave me one, the other I bought new in a box for $3.00 some years back. They are quite good.

Sue

I have so much trouble opening salad dressing/yoghurt/sour cream containers that have plastic wrap seals under the lids. If my husband isn't home, I usually need to use a serrated steak knife to slice them open. Sometimes, I can't even get the lids off of the bigger containers and I have to get an old fashioned bottle opener to pry the lids off. I have no strength in my hands.

@LoneJack Zn 6a, KC, will that Kuhn can opener also open those darned cans that have the pull tops? It is becoming very difficult to find cans that don't have the pull tops and my hands just no longer have the strength to pull them off with the pulltab. My current SwingAWay can opener will not fit on those pull top cans.

1. @just_janni, does that chopper take a lot of strength to pull?

This gadget helps me open Snapple and jars of all sizes.

https://www.pamperedchef.com/shop/Kitchen+Tools/Food+Prep/Jar+Opener/2677

WalnutCreek - Yes the Kuhn opener does work on the cans with the pull tab! I had never tried it before but I had a mini can of lima beans in the pantry with a pull tab so I gave it a try. Worked just like a regular can without a tab.

Now I have to eat lima beans for dinner ;-). I don't really care for them but my son loves them. He moved off to college a couple years ago so I know they have been in the pantry for at least that long.

Minimize carrying and using large pots of (boiling) water on the stovetop

Steam instead of boil to cook vegetables or hard boiled eggs
https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/steamed-hard-boiled-eggs-recipe.html

Make pasta, rice or stews & stock in an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker)
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/easy-pressure-cooker-steamed-rice/
https://www.hippressurecooking.com/spicy-pressure-cooked-pasta-butterflies-the-secret-to-al-dente-pressure-cooker-pasta/

https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/10/why-pressure-cookers-are-better-than-slow-cookers.html

Pressure cookers also make excellent custards and cheesecake - no bain marie
https://www.pressurecookingtoday.com/pressure-cooker-creme-brulee/

Microwave sweet corn or potatoes
https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/the_easiest_way_to_microwave_corn_on_the_cob/

Thank you so very much, LoneJack. That is superb news to me. Oh, and sorry about the limas, but thankful that you tried the can opener. Maybe you can put the beans in a casserole on add to some soup. 😏🥘 I am ordering one today.

Walnut-Creek: I don't have arthritis in my hands, but find some of the pull tab cans difficult to open. I have found that after I have started to open with the tab, I can then use a church key/old fashioned bottle opener inserted in the ring tab and get enough leverage to easily pull it off.

I asked my husband for a 3qt pan for Christmas. Got me a beautiful, lovely pot. But, the handle is round and the pot is heavy. I really can’t, and don’t, use it. So the next year he decides to get a different one that will be better. He gets the exact same one! Now we have 2 because he used the new one before I had a chance to use it. He loves them and uses them a lot. But I think he must have forgotten why I didn’t like it. He got an 8qt one that is wonderful because it has a handle on the other side making it easier to carry.

Sorry this is belated, but some shower handles may be hard on fingers. The discontinued Delta H712 victorian-type of rounded-handle appears to be gently rounded. For some reason when specs state "ADA-approved" that doesn't seem to include truly-rounded handles.

FWIW, I just created a post in the "Other" forum, asking anyone who knows biochemistry to weigh in on what might happen if vinegar injections were injected into knuckle arthritis. After all, calcifications embedded within faucets (due to hard-water) get dissolved by applying vinegar, so why not human calcifications too, if done in a controlled way? I mean, superficially, salicylic acid is used for calluses, so why not vinegar injections for OA?

I left behind my under cabinet jar opener, but this thread reminded me of it, so I'll be ordering one. I have a ceramic y-peeler I love, just a cheepie a picked up somewhere. I need a better can opener, I have a side opening one but find it challenging to use.

We bought a great pepper grinder form Sur Le Table that you go side to side instead of twisting! The ladt showing it got it cause of her arthritis!

Why just kitchen tools? Why not also shower handles? I wish OXO would have partnered with faucet companies, because what i'm desperate to know (so that i can get tub fixtures installed, rather than living without cold running water in my bathtub), is:

Which Delta shower handles are most friendly to arthritic knuckles, for example when i need to turn clockwise & counterclockwise for hot/cold/hot/cold therapy?

I.E. does Delta Lahara shower handle have acute edges that can cause pain to arthritic fingers (feeling like bone-on-bone), or is the front and back of the handle round-contoured? I ask this, because online photo's fail to show a three-dimensional picture, so its an energy-draining guessing-game.

Which model numbers have the least acute-angled edges? Please don't recommend the Classic-Monitor (T13420) because that hurts my fingers. I know because I tried it, since it was the one handle that was accessible for me to try.

Save up a lot of money. $20,000? $40,000?

I believe in two to four years, domestic robots will be available for homes. They can be a great help for people with various health situations to deal with many difficult tasks.

dcarch

Over the years, I have posted many tips for the kitchen that can be helpful. I never kept track of them,

Here is one:

dcarch

I can't spare that kind of money anyway. And the world is going in many diverse directions so you never know what will be 1/2 year forward, let alone 2-4 years. But interestingly i'd recently remarked to some ladies in a local nursing home "they make robotics for everything these days, except for nursing homes residents who need them most." Instead there's still the backward Hoyer lifts. Alot of good that does for one of the ladies who i'm practically sure has Lewy-Bodies. She's desperate for a back-brace, except the primitive Hippa laws have been preventing that from ever happening. Long story, but that's how it is.

Somehow, i think this nursing home would be among the last ones (if ever) to ever obtain a robot which can help her brace her back every time she calls out for help. Which is often, due to her pain.

OMG, Jally! Yes! I think current tech could certainly make a robot which would be able to help shift patients, brace your lady's back, etc. The issue would be appropriate sensor and safety design. It might be in the pipeline, but getting it functional on that level could take a decade. But re hippa, can't she sign a waiver, or appoint an advocate or something?

Ain't happening. Her son is the official primary-caregiver. He asked me by phone if i can deal with the therapists to get her a brace. But the therapists said that legally they're only allowed to discuss her case with the primary-caregiver - but he's too busy. I suspect he has a demanding job which doesn't allow him time. I don't know for sure, because he's low on communication. I believe he may be doing more than his fair share already within the family dynamics, from what i could ascertain.

"Why just kitchen tools?"

I only asked about kitchen tools b/c I don't have a problem with faucets, etc. However, others appear to, so if anyone has recommendations for other items, go ahead and add them!

Jally, since the son asked you to do it, one can assune he wants you to. He can sign a paper that appoints you as his representative for getting his mother a back brace, and send a copy to the facility, so everyone's A is CY'd.

Buehl, I understand...

pillog, i discussed this by phone approx. months ago with a lawyer who specializes in elder-law. I explained all the nitty gritties of the situation, and he concluded that it's not totally risk-free for me to get involved, no matter what's signed. Once he told me that, i replied, no way am i getting involved.

HIPAA allows for information to be shared with anyone the patient authorizes that it be shared with. It is not limited to one person. HIPPA has to do with information. Not with care decisions, although the information needed to make an informed decision may be covered under HIPPA. HIPPA is so poorly understood.