Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips, and Recipes for the Disabled Cook by Jules Sherred is 272 pages of tips, tricks, and recipes for anyone, but most of all, people with disabilities (whether their disability is a permanent diagnosis or temporary due to surgery or illness).
The book starts out with an Introduction chapter with all the details from why the instant pot to meal planning to food storage and canning/freezing. I’m particularly fond of the “Using Your Electric Pressure Cooker to Quash Anxiety” since anxiety and depression are a part of my everyday life right now.
Diving into the recipe sections, Jules has created what I can only describe as the perfect layout for a cookbook. Of all the cookbooks I’ve checked out, none have been as well put together with all the details and easy-to-follow steps as Crip Up The Kitchen. Not only do you get the step-by-step instructions, but Jules has gone as far as grouping all 50 recipes by how much effort and prep is required. I appreciate this because as someone with chronic migraines, I only have so much energy to give to my day-to-day activities. Knowing that I can find a recipe that corresponds with how much energy I have left to make it, helps me plan my meals more efficiently.
In the appendix, he gives and example meal plan, grocery list, and has a section on meal planning and prepping for surgery recovery.
Here is what Jules had to say about his cookbook, the recipes within it, and cooking as a disabled person.
GeekDad: I’ve always enjoyed your website, Disabled Kitchen and Garden, what inspired you to make the jump from the website to a book?
Jules Sherred: Circumstances. This may sound depressing, but it is the reality of the world. It was mid 2020. The pandemic was a few months in. Those of us who have chronic illnesses knew that it would become a mass disabling event. People waiting for surgeries, including myself, were having them delayed and having difficulty managing our needs, like cooking. More people were discovering they are neurodivergent because of a rapid change in circumstances that drastically changed their routines. I knew a lot of people would benefit from my knowledge, especially as there was nothing like it available.
GD: Of all the great recipes in CUTK, which one is your favorite to make?
JS: Doukhobor Borshch. All the recipes have a special place in my heart for a variety of reasons. But the Doukhobor Borshch recipe was the recipe that I needed to develop. It became a life mission when I first got an electric pressure cooker and learned how life-changing they are for disabled people. I had completely lost access to this part of my culture. I cried the first time I nailed the recipe. It took months of trying to develop it to get it just right. A lot of Crip Up the Kitchen is about helping people regain access to the culturally appropriate foods they need for both physical and mental health reasons, and to have that feeling.
GD: What started your passion for cooking?
JS: Cooking has always been an important part of my life. Everyone cooked. Everyone was expected to cook. And it was also always a big part of social gatherings and community fellowship. One of my dads died suddenly this year. When he was in my life, he was the primary meal preparer and he loved it. His death has caused me to ponder this question a lot. Because I’m not sure I would have loved cooking as much as I do if it weren’t for him and how he allowed to me play and experiment in the kitchen. He was also one of the influences when it comes to the idea that cooking for someone is an act of love. Another theme explored throughout Crip Up the Kitchen.
GD: Of all the tools you use, which one is your favorite and how has it helped you?
JS: The electric pressure cooker. The entire introduction of Crip Up the Kitchen is about how the Instant Pot changed my life and became the anchor that allowed me to cook again. As I say in the book, before my disabilities progressed to what they are now, I’d easily spend five hours in the kitchen, preparing meals for guests and myself. I loved it. Cooking gave me so much joy. Then cooking became torture as my pain disorders got worse, and I hated it. With the Instant Pot, those same meals now take 30 minutes to make, and I make them seated. I again have joy while cooking.
GD: What tips do you have for people who have limited energy/spoons and want to accomplish a project of the scale that this book has been for you?
JS: The way I manage my energy, a.k.a. “spoon,” is laid out in Crip Up the Kitchen. A few times a day, I assess how many spoons I have and pick activities based on that number. The chart in there with activities I can do based on the number is the one I used from the day I got the idea to when the book went to the printer. People can easily adapt the chart for their own needs. I still use the same chart, but it is now tweaked for my next big project with some activities changed.
To take it one step beyond what is in the book, I pick one priority for the week. That priority could be writing. Or it could be photography. Or it could be recipe development. Replace all those things with what is appropriate for that big project you want to tackle. I don’t set a target of X words or X recipes because that would set me up for failure. The reason for the priority is, that is the first thing I tackle in a day. Anything else I do after that is a bonus. We receive so much pressure to do all the things. However, the reality is, we can’t do all these things. This isn’t something to overcome but rather to accept and then say, “Okay. These are my limitations. I only have this many spoons today. What can I do within those boundaries that doesn’t hurt me?” Many days that may mean you write 200 words and that’s it. That is great! You are now that much closer to finishing that project.
To stress the point: Pick one thing each week. Do that one thing well. Respect your limitations and save yourself from burnout.
If you are looking for a cookbook that is not only perfectly laid out but also has 50 delicious and thoroughly tested recipes (not to mention beautiful photography by Jules himself), make sure to order Crip Up the Kitchen:Tools, Tips, and Recipes for the Disabled Cook by Jules Sherred available wherever books are sold.
