What challenges do left-handed cooks face?
Do southpaws struggle with can openers, knives or other cooking utensils/gadgets? Any type of food prep more difficult for the left-handed? Other culinary related challenges for those of you that are dominately left-handed?
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15 Comments:
Ice cream and cookie scoops are terribly hard to use. The lever is always on the right, so I wind up with dough or ice cream all over my hands. Liquid measuring cups always have ounces/cups on side for righties. I use a measuring beaker without a handle. I can open a can right-handed, so that's okay. When I was a kid, a hand-beater was torment; the crank is on the right side. You have to have left-handed scissors or you wear a blister on your left thumb knuckle.
pamelamarie44 at 3:20PM on 01/26/08
I am left handed, but really the only thing I do left handed is write and hold a fork... I can't use left handed scissors or a knife left handed or anything like that. I think I just adapted at a really young age and taught my brain how to use my right hand on things... so I haven't really had any issues with cooking. So, I've been really lucky.
Alm25 at 3:25PM on 01/26/08
As a lefty, I have to admit that I don't even notice anymore. I think that I've just gotten used to adapting right-hand made gadgets for myself. My peeve? Sitting next to a right handed person, whose right hand is next to my left hand. It gets a bit cramped...
luswim06 at 4:31PM on 01/26/08
You don't even want to get me going on this subject!
For instance, all kitchen knives are sharpened with a right-handed bias unless they're custom ordered. (Japanese knives are the exception, being symetrical)
srhcb at 5:22PM on 01/26/08
I agree with luswim06. It really isn't a big issue. Sitting left to right handed people is a pain though. I always try to sit on the far left if possible - my family refers to this as "the left-handed spot".
laura dot at 6:05PM on 01/26/08
It's not really a big deal for me. Like laura dot, I have to anticipate where I sit when eating in a group or else risking an elbow collision.
My parents didn't know how to teach me to use a fork and knife, so I keep the fork in my left hand and cut with the right. Isn't it proper to cut food with your main hand, then put down the knife and pick up the fork with that same hand?
LiveToEat at 6:12PM on 01/26/08
i have found that some manufacturers are making left-hand specific tools. Lamson makes a great lefty fish spatula. Kershaw Shun has a line of knives with ergonomic handles made for lefties. Wilton and Adeco make left-handed pastry tips. However, a friend of mine gave me the Rikon Kuhn can opener that removes the entire lid of the can, but it is made so that only a right-handed person can get it to work properly.
beth1 at 10:23PM on 01/26/08
Thanks for sharing your cooking struggles that you encounter as a left-hander. I appreciate knowing now that a just simple seating arrangement can make your dinner experience enjoyable---I'll try to be aware of this!
When you do buy a specific left-handed gadget/utensil, is the price equal to a regular one?
JEP at 7:20AM on 01/27/08
My husband is left handed and he has adapted to right hand oriented kitchen tools pretty well. Our challenge is when we cook together we have to have prep on opposite sides of the kitchen so we don't bump into each other since I naturally step to the right first and he goes left first.
greenkitchen at 9:48AM on 01/27/08
my fish spatula, my can opener, and my pie and cake cutting spatula annoy me whenever i use them, but otherwise i would have to say it's much more of a problem to be a left handed musician than cook.
cybercita at 11:34AM on 01/27/08
I've never had any specific utensil-related problems either, but I do come across the intruding elbow problem fairly often... but I think this is more due to the fact that no one is taught that you're supposed to keep your elbows down when you're eating!
When I once broke my left hand, however, I discovered just clumsy I was when I had to use my right hand for wielding the fork and spoon, which surprised me, since I'm so ambidextrous with most tools. My left is also stronger, and is the one I reflexively use for heavy kneading, so I make myself use the right, too.
mongoose at 1:40PM on 01/27/08
Just curious... I'm guessing that most of you have Google ad at the top of the comments section; does anyone else see potentially useful links for the very left-handed? I've got this: http://www.lefthand.dk/?gclid=CMjL1MCIl5ECFVB1OAodqAVCPw
And a Kasumin knife ad.
mongoose at 1:43PM on 01/27/08
My father is left-handed and a serious wine enthusiast. On ebay I was able to buy him a Laguiole corkscrew for southpaws. He loves it and delights in having his right-handed friends try to open a bottle.
zapatista at 9:59PM on 01/27/08
We received a table top wine opener as a gift, i refuse to even try to use it anymore, its absolutely impossible to operate as a lefty. So i have this huge thing taking up kitchen counter space that i can t even use.
The one thing that has bugged me the longest are those little bent butter spreaders. they're bent the wrong way!
VerasTastyFreeze at 9:29AM on 01/28/08
Try using an Atlas pasta maker left-handed!
srhcb at 11:21AM on 01/28/08