Help... any ideas for recipes you can cook one handed

[babyboyHarrison]

Rather odd request i realise but I've fractured my arm and need to cook supper for the family. Only so many days we can have fish fingers/pizza and peas for so after some ideas. Arm can be used a bit but it is very sore and the more I use it the more painful it gets so looking for ideas that I can mostly cook one handed. Any tips on how to tie up hair one handed also appreciated. Feeling a bit sore and sorry for myself

What sort of stuff would you normally eat?

I think the chopping would be the hardest thing, so can you splurge the food budget and get pre chopped veg?

If everything was already cut, would a stew work? Beef or chicken or sausage? With frozen mash or jacket potatoes?

I'm trying to think what else I make that doesn't involve too much stiring!

Hair: I honestly think I'd have to get DH to do this for me.

Hope the pain gets better soon.

Is there anyone else in the household who can help? DH is in a sling atm and really can’t do much. He could probably warm some soup and make his own toast to go with it but it’s all just pre-prepared food he can put in the microwave.

Frozen jacket potatoes are great

Also get a colander with feet so you can put it in the bottom of the sink

Omelette would work if you have a bowl with a suction base? (And if you buy pre-grated cheese). We just eat omelette with salad and bread.

Salmon in the microwave, rice and frozen peas ?

I was in this position nearly a year ago when I broke my finger and had to have an operation on it. One-handed cooking is no joke! Even opening tins, bottles and packets is not easy. There's a safety aspect as much as anything else. Most of us would struggle to chop safely with a sharp knife without a second hand to steady things. Taking things out of the oven is tricky too.

It helps massively if you can still use the hand in the sling to grip or steady things. If your fingers have disappeared under a cast, as mine did for the first days after the op. you are really stymied. It's very frustrating but it shouldn't last too long.

I really would bite the bullet and go for ready meals and super easy stuff for a few weeks, if there is no one else in the household who can take over cooking duties. Anything you or another family member can just put in the microwave/oven/whatever. Get takeaways or go out for meals sometimes if you can afford it. Raid the freezer for anything you've bulk cooked and frozen that just needs re-heating. Bread, cheese, fruit, salad type meals - hummus, other dips and pitta is another one.

If you really have to cook, use frozen veg or ready sliced fresh veg. All the short cuts! Good luck.

Husband tried but was useless with the hair, he's ok with our daughter's hair which is long and straight but my mop of curly hair escapes him. I expect I will just look rather odd till I can wash it again and just let it air dry. Shower will wait till tomorrow when hopefully I'm a bit less sore. Can't face trying to wash my hair etc today. Pain killers helped but made me rather light headed so trying to stick to paracetamol from now on.

Jacket potato's are a good call, I can easily get grated cheese and can manage to open a tin of beans.

I am beginning to realise how many things are tricky one handed. I thought as it is my non-dominant arm that is injured it wouldn't be too bad but I was very mistaken.

Husband is helping and worked from home today but when he's in the office kids will need supper before he gets back so trying to have a plan in mind.

Frozen chopped veg will be helpful, we usually eat a lot of raw carrot sticks so will buy some pre chopped ones also with ready made mash and some sausages, jacket potatoes and tinned soup. The colander stands nicely in the sink but thanks for the tip.

You need someone to help you, or you need to stick to basic food bought prepared. You can't even open a jar or reliably break an egg with one hand, I know this because I broke my arm last year. Doing ANYTHING is very hard work.

Thanks everyone

I'd continue to lean heavily on beige freezer food and jacket potatoes.

And I'd use a big claw clip for my hair.

I broke my arm in Turkey on NY Day. I know how you feel. Am sitting in hospital waiting to see if I need an operation. I'm fairly scared as I live by myself.

Soup and garlic bread, ready made food you can eat with one hand pasta and ready made sauce, croquette potatoes.

Take care in shower and put a rubber mat down.

☘️☘️☘️

Would stuff like jar sauce work? I e. Ready made meatballs (bake in oven), mix with jar sauce, spaghetti and ready grated cheese?

Could get some premade pizza bases as well - get the kids to top them themselves perhaps?

You can buy frozen chopped onions and peppers - you could cook these with ready diced chicken and make fajitas maybe?

The above is only for if you actively want to though. I wouldn't feel guilty about leaning on ready meals and freezer food though - this is one of the reasons they exist.

Definitely chopped frozen veg like onions, peppers, sliced mushrooms and frozen peas, beans etc
Ready prepared meals that can just be put in the oven or microwaved
Get DH or a friend to open cans and decant them into tubs, crack a dozen eggs into a bowl so you can scoop out what you need with a ladle, so you can do beans on toast etc
Get a non slip mat to stand bowls on to beat eggs or get your dd to help.
A stool in the kitchen so you can sit while doing bits and pieces.
Meal plan so someone can prep for you.

I wouldn't feel guilty about leaning on ready meals and freezer food though - this is one of the reasons they exist.

Absolutely - I feel bad now about being sniffy when I first saw ready sliced veg in the supermarket. I assumed it was aimed at lazy people with money to burn. I now see that another big market is people with hand problems, and there are a lot of them. People with arthritis, for example.

Stir fry with micro rice and the salmon in the vacuum packs

chicken thighs, mini new potatoes a pack of chopped Mediterranean veg tray bake with balsamic, herbs and olive oil

French toast with baked beans and crispy bacon

Tuna and sweetcorn pasta
BLT pasta (bacon lardons, spinach and cherry toms with crème fraiche)

Frozen chopped veg. Or do you have a food processor? Mine has a chopping attachment and also a cheese grating attachment.

I'm not quite one handed but I've got nerve damage in one hand and can't grip or do most things with one hand. Lots of clever kitchen things that have suction cups so you stick them to the side and use one handed. Can opener etc. For jars stab the top to release the suction or what I do is keep it by the front door so the poor postwoman or parcel men get asked to open them haha.

I would batch cook when you have help at the weekend then freeze meals. Lasagna, shepards pie, fish pie, curry. All can be made one handed with a good food processor chopping attachment and stick in the freezer for use in the week.

Get things like fish cakes, chicken kieves (although eating these one handed not easy). I eat alot of pasta.

Teach your kids to make sandwiches? My 6 year old made himself and his little brother a sandwich the other day just because he wanted to and it got me thinking I could ask him to do that on days my pain is really impacting me. I also ask my kids to fill the kettle (but I pour it when hot). My colander has a handle that slots over the washing up bowl perfectly but you can get ones with stands so you can use one handed.

Oh and for the hair thing big clips if you have the knack. I don't have the knack so sort of flip my head forward then back like some beauty coming out the water in slow motion then I put a hat on to keep it out my face 😂

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I've added lots of things to the Tesco order and brought it forward to tomorrow. Plenty of ready meals, frozen veg etc added. Kids won't care if they have fishfingers and potato waffles every day but I'd prefer to give them a bit more variety. Husband can work from home tomorrow which should help. Tomorrow's mission is to have a shower and get my hair sorted. I think I will try and get some hair bands too.