26 July 2007

This Isn't As Easy As It Looks

I don't use my stove often, almost never in fact, but I have figured out a few things I can cook without subjecting myself to severe bodily harm. Using the oven presents some interesting complications because anything that has any weight to it, say a casserole or cake (not that I know how to make either of those anyway), is nearly impossible for me to pick up. Plus, I'm not a big fan of leaning down and sticking my face in close proximity to the heating coils. I might need these All-American good looks to pay the bills some day and it'd be a shame to sacrifice my lone ace-in-the-hole for a quiche. I made the decision though, partly spurred on by a hunger-induced grocery store impulse buy, that a frozen pizza was a foodstuff that I could probably bake without too much trouble.

Figuring out how to cook the frozen pizza took some planning, but I've managed to get fairly competent at it. Depending on the brand and the packaging, after removing the pizza from the box, the trickiest part of the whole process is getting the pizza out of the oven without dropping it or burning myself on the pan. I have yet to completely lose one to the bottom of the oven or face down on the floor. That being said, I came real close to losing this one, as you shall see.

In most of the other videos I posted here I edited out most of the parts in which I screw something up, but that sort of distorts the reality of how easy or difficult it is to accomplish the various tasks depicted. This time, for the sake of accuracy, I left in the bigger gaffs.


5 comments:

Joe said...

Need to attach a coat hook to that pizza pan. If you position the hook approximately over the center of the pan you will lower the center of gravity (i.e. the weight of the pizza will provide ballast) while creating a good point to pick the pan up from with your claw tool. See my blog for a prototype drawing. Of course, you may need a supplemental third leg added to the coat hook to provide higher levels of stability (create a tripod)

4 years of employment at East Lansing's Good Times Pizza, home of the "The Blitz!", "Mateen Meal" and "Swirvin Irvin" combos has given me a deep knowledge in all things pizza.

Anonymous said...

I see you have converted to a power chair. It's what I use. I feel benefits out weigh your perceived feebleness in appearance.

jeremy said...

watching you rip the box open with yr teeth left me to wonder if you ever scheduled yr six-month checkup with the dentist.

Dan said...

Only becuase they sent me the post card reminder.

Apparelyzed said...

Sorry, but when you dropped the pizza, I had to chuckle, I had to wonder which way up it would land!

Try using a carving fork pushed into the palm of your quad glove, then use the wide prongs to pick up the tray, it's alot easier.

I'm C5/6, and use a fork to pick up flat objects all the time off the floor. Just put the prongs at one end of the flat object, one below, and one above, and twist. The weight of the objects locks itself into the fork prongs.

Regards

Simon
www.apparelyzed.com