Cooking with confidence: kitchen hacks to support young adults with disability

Cooking is more than just putting a meal on the table. For many young people with disability, learning to cook is about building independence, confidence, and life skills that will carry them far beyond the kitchen. The difficult thing however, is that the kitchen isn’t designed with diverse bodies, brains, or needs in mind. A fiddly can opener, hot stove, and recipe written in size-8 font don’t exactly scream “welcome in!” if you’re working with fine motor challenges, sensory sensitivities, or a different way of processing information.

But there are practical ways to make cooking more accessible – whether it’s by adapting the environment, switching up the tools, adding visuals, or inviting a voice assistant to lend a hand. Read on to discover more…

Why Cooking Matters for Independence

Learning to cook – even just a few basic meals – is a life skill that builds confidence, self-sufficiency, and pride. For young people with disability, cooking can also foster:

• Choice and autonomy: picking meals, experimenting with flavours, and deciding what works best for you.
• Self-esteem: the pride of saying, “I made this myself.”
• Everyday problem-solving: cooking teaches planning, sequencing, and adapting to change.
• Opportunities for social connection: sharing food is one of the most natural ways to connect with others.

Adapt the Tools, Not the Expectations

Here are some practical tools that make everyday cooking safer and easier:

• One-handed cutting boards with stabilising spikes and raised edges help hold ingredients in place for safer slicing.
• Rocking knives, loop-handled utensils, or ergonomic grips are great for anyone with reduced hand strength or fine motor control.
• Electric can openers, jar openers, and automatic choppers take the strain out of repetitive, strength-based tasks.
• Non-slip mats under bowls and boards keep things steady and safe.
• Measuring spoons and cups with bold markings, colour coding, or tactile indicators (like bumps or textures) help those with visual or cognitive challenges measure ingredients independently.
• Induction cooktops or air fryers may feel safer for some users than gas burners or open flames, as they reduce the risk of burns.

Small changes in tools can lead to big changes in confidence – and that’s what it’s all about.

Visual Aids: Making the Invisible, Visible

For many young adults, especially those with intellectual disabilities, autism, or receptive language difficulties, seeing the steps can be much more helpful than reading or hearing them.

Here are some helpful visual supports:

• Step-by-step picture recipes: Break the recipe into simple actions with images for each step – e.g., a picture of someone cracking an egg, stirring batter, or putting a tray in the oven. Add short, plain English instructions underneath. There are apps that can help you do that if you have someone that loves to make use of an ipad.
• Visual timers: Choose timers that display a visual countdown (like a shrinking red wedge or light bar), which can be easier to understand than a digital timer.
• Visual schedules or cue cards: Lay out each step of a recipe or routine using symbols or photos. This helps with sequencing and memory.
• Colour-coded tools and ingredients: For example, use a red chopping board for raw meat, green for vegetables, blue for cooked food. Even drawers and cupboards can be colour-coded.
• Tactile or Braille labels: These can be added to ingredients, appliance settings, or containers to support young people who are blind or have low vision.
• Visual shopping lists: Match the photos of ingredients from the recipe to a shopping list – this helps young people feel more involved and prepared before they even start cooking.

When we make cooking more visual, we take out the mystery – and make it more accessible, predictable, and empowering.

Use Voice-Assisted Technology as a Kitchen Sidekick

Smart speakers and voice assistants like Google Assistant, Alexa or Siri can play a big role in building independence in the kitchen. They can guide, prompt, and support without the need for constant supervision.

What can voice assistants do?

• Read out recipes one step at a time: “Hey Google, what’s the next step in the recipe?” means no flipping through cookbooks or screens.
• Set multiple timers for different foods or steps: “Alexa, set a timer for pasta for 8 minutes, and another for the garlic bread for 12.”
• Convert measurements on the fly: “Siri, how many grams is 1 cup of flour?” is a lifesaver when measuring gets tricky.
• Answer cooking questions: “Google, how do I know if chicken is cooked?” or “Can I use yoghurt instead of sour cream?”
• Add items to a shopping list or remind users to pick something up: “Alexa, add eggs to the list.”
• Control smart appliances: Some ovens, slow cookers, or microwaves can be voice-operated—reducing the need to fiddle with buttons or dials.

Voice tech can be especially helpful for people who process information better auditorily, have limited hand mobility, or simply need a non-judgemental helper in the room. It turns the kitchen into a space where young people can lead the way – and ask for support on their own terms.

Make the Kitchen a Sensory-Friendly Space

Cooking is a full sensory experience – smells, textures, noises, and heat – and that can be overwhelming for some, especially those with autism or sensory processing differences.

Here are a few ways to create a calmer cooking environment:

• Limit sensory overload: Use noise-cancelling headphones, reduce strong smells by cooking with windows open or using a fan, and choose silicone utensils (which make less clatter than metal).
• Adjust the lighting: Harsh fluorescent lighting can be jarring. Soft, natural light or gentle warm bulbs can make the space feel safer and more comfortable.
• Prep around preferences: If certain smells or textures are too much (e.g., raw meat, sticky dough), allow for alternatives or delegate those steps.
• Schedule breaks between steps – use a timer or visual schedule to indicate when it’s okay to pause and reset.

The goal isn’t to force tolerance – it’s to create a space that feels inviting, predictable, and manageable.

Build Skills Over Time (and Celebrate Every Win)

Start small. Even learning to spread butter on toast or microwave a mug cake is a step toward independence.

Over time, these skills build:

• Chopping and stirring become muscle memory.
• Recipes become more familiar.
• Confidence grows – not just in cooking, but in self-advocacy, planning, and trying new things.

A great way to build skills is to create a visual cooking chart with a checklist of tasks—like “crack an egg,” “wash fruit,” “boil water.” Tick them off as they’re mastered. It’s a simple but powerful reminder of how far they’ve come.

And when things go wrong (because they will), use it as a learning moment – not a failure. Burnt toast or a slightly too-salty soup is just part of the journey – we’ve all done it!