Information On Possible Accessible Cook Top
After reading in the July issue of Accessworld of the dilemma faced by a contributor over the selection of stove tops which might be suitable for blind users now that technology is becoming less accessible as manufacturers are reducing the models with rotating knobs and introducing touch pads with in many cases the buttons not being clearly definable by touch and toggles which are not easy to distinguish. In response to the invitation for readers to contribute suggestions based on their experience I wrote a submission and then had the thought it may not be selected so decided to write similar for our list.
About eighteen months ago we were renovating our kitchen and did not want to replace the old stove top which had solid cast iron burners raised above the surface of the glass surround and the option seemed to be one of the flat glass tops with the radiant coils underneath the glass. My wife is sighted and I am totally blind., and while not the principal cook I nevertheless make use of the stove Top.
I was apprehensive when I noticed how quickly the glass top became heated and dangerous to touch. In looking around we went to a demo of a cleanmaid cool flat glass cook top using the comparatively new magnetic induction technology. We were both nearly sold on it till I found the touch buttons were indistinguishable from the glass top and we agreed with regret that as I must have access this technology was not for us. Then visiting another model kitchen I touched the glass and heard a bleep and interest revived. This was a German stove top, I think it was called eg but despite the bleep the strip of touch buttons was not clearly defined. We searched further and found a Scandinavian make ‘Asco” and not only did it bleep but the touch buttons were on a raised strip along the front edge of the glass and we installed one, the electrician was able to connect to the existing wiring of the old stove. I could just feel some engraving on each touch button but they are flush and do not actually depress when touched but bleep. We considered using Braille locater dots (the transparent ones) but then decided to use dymo with a print V to act as a downward arrow which we placed along the strip pointing to each button. Placing a finger on the arrow and sliding down lands on the desired button. If the finger is held on the button the heat will keep increasing or decreasing according to selection, but for a blind person it is preferable to repeat short sharp touches as the bleeps can be counted and with practice one can estimate the temperature, also the ‘singing’ sound of the pot increases along with the temperature. Stainless steel saucepans, frying pan or kettle are necessary as magnetic attraction connection with the magnet underneath the glass is essential. All four (circular hobs) are the same size and as only contact areas with the magnet attract energy there is no energy loss if a smaller diameter utensil is used. If a cooking plate is accidentally turned on without anything magnetic being on it, it will automatically turn off. Only the pot in use heats and the area beneath and around it remains cool enough to be safe to touch,
there is no transfer of heat as with conventional coils under normal stove tops. When buying cooking utensils it is advisable to take a magnet to test for attraction and make sure the under side of the bottom is flat to maximise energy and ensure even distribution of heat within the pot. Other nice features of this cool top cooking are the rapidity of control of temperature, maximum heat comes quickly and reduction of power is almost instant making it easier to avoid boiling over.
Temperature variation is probably quicker than with gas and there is no flame.I can put my rolled oats on high and they come to boil ready to cut back by four or so bleeps before the conventional electric kettle plugged into a power point is half way there. Who needs those terrible “INSTANT OATS”?When we were looking these stove tops were generally dearer than the conventional and were by European manufacturers. Wock or Chinese type cooking should be great on this cook top with the rapid application of high heat. Remember, the pot still has to be handled carefully as it is as hot as with a normal stove, but the stove top itself is not dangerous is accidentally touched and with care spillages should not burn on. Cleaning of the glass should be with a non abrasive soapy cloth or sponge or special glass-ceramic cleaner. Likewise, pots should be cleaned with some thing non abrasive, or special stainless steel cleaner or of course, in the dish washer. It just shows that often with slight modification manufacturers could increase accessibility. The bleeps and raised separate control strip sold this item to us. There are no menus just button controls, there are of course indicator lights etc, I would recommend the low vision person to see one of these units in operation as the variance of vision varies and being totally blind this unfortunately is not within my expertise. I hope this has been interesting and if there are any further questions I will do the best I can to answer.
Alan Hinton
email address
alhinton@bigpond.net
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