Category: Daily Living
Hi all. I'll be moving into an apartment with a gas stove in the kitchen in a bit less than a week, and wonder if anyone here has any ideas on how to safely use said stove when blind. I've never used gas before, and the thought of lighting a match every time I want to cook spaghetti or a hamburger or whatever scares me. All I can find on the internet is a badly written paper on one of the NFB's FAQ pages, I'll post the link if anyone's interested.
i actually prefer a gas stove over electric. you don't have to light a match every time you want to cook something, unless it is just a severely messed up old stove where the pilot light doesn't stay lit. it will really depend on what kind of gas stove it is. the ones i'm used to, you just push in the knob and turn it all the way around. you will be able to hear it light. my best friend has one that you push in the knob and just turn it a bit and it starts clicking at you. then when you hear it light, you turn it to whatever temp you want it on. if it is still clicking at you after you turn it, you need to turn it more.
as for lighting the stove if it doesn't light, i usually just take a candle lighter, hold the tip where the flame should be. then use one hand to light the lighter as i turn the knob a bit so it is getting gas. again you can here it light. i don't usually mess with matches unless it is a last resort. too much to get the stove lit then make sure the match is out and all that.
hope i've helped some. again i prefer gas. it is easier to regulate the temp when you are cooking something like hamburger helper where you have to reduce the heat halfway through. an electric doesn't drop to the reduced temp instantly like the gas stove does.
Julia, if you have to light a match every time you want to cook, you need to get your new stove fixed. With most gas stoves, a small jet of gas is always lit, then when you turn the nob, the jet increases and causes the cooking heat. Now, when you clean the stove, you will have to blow the jets out, which isn't hard, and then clean it. When your done, you turn the knob a little, and light the gas jets again.
I do have some tips on that.
One, make sure all noises in your house are off, IE, stereo, TV, anything loud.
two: use a long lighter, much like a grill lighter, it will keep your hand well back from the flame.
Here's what you do.
When you first move into the house, lift the top of the stove and have a sighted person show you where the jets are, after blowing them out of course. Memorize them so you can find them with the tip of the lighter.
Using the long lighter, before lighting it, find the gas jet, and then click the lighter. You may have to wave the flame around for a second before finding it, but when you do, you'll know. When the gas lights, you'll here a whooshing sound. Then turn the gas down again.
Be sure to start from the back.
Now, some gas stoves have a flint lighter installed, so all you have to do is push a button a couple times. If you get that, you have no worries.
I grew up with a gas stove and never knew about electric ones until we moved when I was about 12 or so. I really like them better because you know when they are on. No! You don't need to light a match everytime you need to cook something, unless it's a really old stove and in that case I would suggest getting a newer one. Once the pilot light is lit there is always a tiny amount of gas ready to use. Once you push in and turn the knob, you should hear a small puff sound that means the burner is on and ready to use. However, if the pilot light goes out, I prefer to use one of those long lighters like people use for lighting a gas grill that way you don't get close to the flame and don't have to worry about matches, which are a pain anyway. Once you work it a couple of times; you should be fine. They're really easy to use
I hope this helps a bit. Or, if you want, have a friend or someone sighted go over the stove when you move in and show you exactly where the pilot light is and how it sounds when the burners come on.
For the oven part of the stove, it should have a knob in the center of the backplate where the knobs for the burners are. Two on the left for left front and left back, one or two knobs in center for oven, and then two on far right for backright and front right. I read these exactly how most gas stoves are set up whether the knobs are on the front or the back. The outermost knobs should be for the front burners.
Good luck and congratulations on your new place.
Chastity
Good luck
I have used both types and repaired both types and I like gas over eletric because cooking, cleaning, and repairing is easier. All the tips above are great. Now after you get your burner lighted you'll need to know how high the flame is. This can be done simply by putting your hand near the heat. Learn your stove completely while off that way you'll know exactly where to reach for the flames. You then can adjust your flame up or down. If it goes out while adjusting it move your hand turn the nob up tell it pops again then redo the process. A good stove should stay lit. If it doesn't it is either dirty, or needs repair. Learn your oven as well. These can be a great source of good cooking, and heat if your regular heating goes out for weather reasons. Gas seems to always be abailable, and that is another plus over electric. Smile. Good home.
know where your oven source is from in case your a moron like myself who always was taught to store pots and pans and what not underneith. Your best bet is to keep all but the broiler tray out of the broiler at the bottom. All the rest of the tips I would second. You shouldn't need a match everytime unless you have a dinisore stove. good luck
i love gas stoves. they are so much easier to cook with. for those of you who have one of those models that clicks when you light it, be aware that if you lose electricity, you can no longer light the top by just turning it on. you must use the long nosed lighter. ditto with the oven. back in 2003, we had no electricity for eight days. this was because of a hurricane. that lighter came in real handy as our stove couldn't cook any other way.
Exactly. Gas stoves are simply useful things for many reasons. If the pipes in the ground are delivering gas and this is normally the way no matter the weather, then you've got heat, can cook, can dry clothes, even a little light is you can see and need to read. There not perfect of course and gas is dangerous if not handled properly, but so is any utility in your place, so. Smile.
The only problem I have with them is the braille labels keep coming off, argh! the question is how to keep those damn labels on there with all the greece on it...? It keeps coming off!
I love gas stoves. I've done most of my cooking in the last few years on one. I'm using an electric stove right now and am missingthe gas one vary much. I love how you can control the heat better. The flame doesn't bother me because once you know where it is its no big deal to stay away from. I can't wait til I'm using a gas stove again !
I actually have opposite problem and find electric stoves daunting, even though I worked with one for a time. Gas is nice and easy because you can hear it start up when it clicks and you can hear the flame as you adjust it to the desired temperature. You can also feel the heat, so there's no chance of accidentally touching the stove. The burners on most gas stoves are also very blind-friendly and enable you to centre pots and pans nicely. I've never had to actually light the stove, but I can assure you that the only ones which always require a match are very old. This is one of the cases where newer is definitely better. I like just turning the knob and hearing the click. That said, they do have lighters specifically for this, called pilot lighters. They're long and you squeeze them to get them to work. Thanks, SilverLightning, for explaining how to properly light a stove. I was unaware that some come with built-in lighters. Thanks, Chastity, for explaining how the dials on the oven work. I seriously want to make something big, like a cake, so that I can finally use my stove's oven!
Mom's stove is different. It's gas but a digital model. I think you have to go in a certain increment of degrees until you reach the desired temperature but that's only for the oven itself. The stove top works the same as on mine. It's also worth noting that some stoves have a self-cleaning function. Usually, it's activated by sliding a big lever found just above the handle to the oven. I've never done this myself, because I use my toaster oven for most things. But I hear it can get very hot and I know that it sometimes produces a smell which isn't bad but it's good to know about it so you don't get frightened. turricane, I actually had that happen to me once! The electricity went out and the stove wouldn't light. I freaked out because I'd never seen anything like that but Grandma told me it was normal. I always wondered why gas stoves are plugged in. I guess I know now. lol
Everybody's ideas here are valid.
I'm now gonna wax a bit paternalistic so bear with, blame it on my being a volunteer guardian . concerned with public safety:
You are at least as well equipped as a sighted person is for dealing with gas. Nobody can see gas, nobody can smell gas by itself. Chemicals are added to natural gas to make it stink, for that very reason.
Anybody who thinks their eyesight is giving them an advantage doesn't understand the dangers relevant to gas: asphyxiation mostly. Burners left on a trickle, etc. So just remember if you can smell a strong sulphur (rotten egg) smell, time to get out and call the gas company.
All that aside, once you go gas, it's really hard to go back: fried goods taste better, roasts taste bettr, you really are cooking over ire.
There isn't any reason why you can't use gas successfully, now especially with grill lighters for an oven that won't light .
Based on experience it sounds like a newer gas stove is needed. I wouldn't want to have to light a match every time I wanted to cook or heat something up. Once you do that, here is an experience I have had with 'em...if it makes a really annoying click click click sound probably the knob needs to be turned so it's not all the way on HIGH, and the annoying noise should stop. The trick is realizing, and for safety reasons, knowing that the pilot light is absolutely on when you wish to cook and that you have totally turned it off when you're done. Sometimes this kind of stove gets turned on & it takes a few seconds for the pilot light to come on. This is not safe, having it on with no pilot light. If the odor is really foul, the pilot light hasn't come on for whatever reason, and it's time, as LeoGuardian pointed out, to exit & call the gas company. Another person pointed out that the sighted aren't immune to gas inhalation, and a perfectly sighted tennis player, Vitas Garulitis, died from CO poisoning in his own home, but that doesn't mean you will. The key is listening to sound & being aware of odors. Be safe and good luck with your stove.
I wouldn't label a gas sttove. It's just to easy to use it without, but if you must get some glue that is heat resistant, or just change the labels offten.
I've got a gas stove now, and find it wonderful.
I'll try to add information, and sorry for any possible repeats.
Any stove that isn't ancient will be easy enough to light.
Turn the dial very slowly, until you hear a popping start, similar to a taser.
Hold for about half a second, and continue turning counter-clockwise.
You should hear a distinct whumph sound, and as soon as you do, continue turning the dial until the clicking stops.
If you don't here said "whumf", turn the dial completely to the right, or "off" position, and either give it at most one more try, or switch stove eyes.
The settings are first high, then medium, then low. These three "zones" are divided among the rest of the turning radius.
I've used dots of glue to mark the centers of these zones, and memory of distance for finer adjustments.
Hope this helps.
I will be moving soon and my new house has a gas stove. I'be been cooking onthe electric stove for the last few months and will be so happy to have gas again.
hmmmm.... glue sounds good enough.....
Well, glue is all well and good, but obviously, if you're in an apartment, don't put any glue and no really industrial tape markers on it, or you will be replacing the stove. Sighted people get a bit funny about their sighted people markings getting covered up or smudgged/stripped off for some strange reason. Although, I say, gives them a taste of how we do it, but ah well, you don't want to be paying to replace a whole stove. Also, marking it shouldn't be necessary for the stove at least. The oven? Yes, certainly, but the stove heat should be adjusted based on how your food is reacting, not on some arbitrary temperature setting. If it's a rolling boil and you are afraid it's going to scortch, turn it down a bit. If it's not bubbling at all and you need it to, then adjust it up a bit until it does, and so on and so forward. Turn down the frying pan heat while flipping things, then turn it back up, to prevent splatters and fires while shifting pan contents. And, yeah, you should be good to go.
As one of the previous posters said, a gas stove is actually much better then an electric. Mine also clicks at me, and you can tell what temprature it's at by sound. If the gas sounds loud, it's on high. If it's a bit quieter, it's on medium, and if you can barely hear it, then it's on low.
Or just do what I do: hold your hand up over the flame and you can tell how far on it is by how high the tower of fire coming up outa the hole is. Between medium and high it's pretty hard to tell the difference between the sound on some and it's just a flame, your reflexes won't let you put your hand actually in it.
the same principle works with grills. There is actually a scale that you can use for how long you can hold your hand over the flame, and how hot the flame is. Professionals use that test too, so its not just a blindy thing.