Crip Up the Kitchen: Tools, Tips, and Recipes for the Disabled Cook

by Jules Sherred

"I've never felt so understood and supported as I did reading Crip Up the Kitchen . Sherred is the kitchen whisperer for chronic pain folks like me who have avoided that room in the house for most of my life." ―J. Albert Mann, author of The Degenerates and Fix A comprehensive guide and recipe collection that brings the economy and satisfaction of home cooking to disabled and neurodivergent cooks. cripping / crip up : A term used by disabled disability rights advocates and academia to signal taking back power, to lessen stigma, and to disrupt ableism as to ensure disabled voices are included in all aspects of life. When Jules Sherred discovered the Instant Pot multicooker, he was thrilled. And incensed. How had no one told him what a gamechanger this could be, for any home cook but in particular for those with disabilities and chronic illness? And so the experimenting―and the evangelizing―began. The kitchen is the most ableist room in the house. With 50 recipes that make use of three key tools―the electric pressure cooker, air fryer, and bread machine―Jules has set out to make the kitchen accessible and enjoyable. The book includes pantry prep, meal planning, shopping guides, kitchen organization plans, and tips for cooking safely when disabled, all taking into account varying physical abilities and energy levels. Organized from least to greatest effort (or from 1 to “all your spoons,” for spoonies), beginning with spice blends and bases, Jules presents thorough, tested, inclusive recipes for making favourites like butter chicken, Jules’s Effin’ Good Chili, Thai winter squash soup, roast dinners, matzo balls, pho, samosas, borshch, shortbread, lemon pound cake, and many more. Jules also provides a step-by-step guide to safe canning and a template for prepping your freezer and pantry for post-surgery. With rich accompanying photography and food histories, complete nutritional information and methods developed specifically for the disabled and neurodivergent cook, Crip Up the Kitchen is at once inviting, comprehensive, and accessible. If you’ve craved the economy and satisfaction of cooking at home but been turned off by the ableist approach of most cookbooks―this one’s for you!

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Disability, Nonfiction, Reference, Cooking

304 pages, Paperback

Published May 16, 2023

Reviews

[Daniel Hardy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This cookbook is written by a disabled, neurodivergent cook, and I thought "oh, it's made for me!" I asked the library to order it for us, and immediately put it on hold. I desperately wanted to love the book, but I just couldn't. I think, if the book had been subtitled (as the author explains) "how I cook at least 90% of my meals in an instapot and you should too" it would have given me a lot more idea of what to expect. He explains why it's useful, "a must-have" but in my tiny kitchen it's not in the cards, so "at least 90%" of the recipes (I didn't count) are useless to me.

Outside of that, the recipes look good, I definitely plan to try many of the 13 recipes in the book that don't require an air fryer (including spice blends, and the single recipe that uses only tools found in a standard kitchen).

The biggest value from this book is the tips and tricks. The author provides a lot of help with how to meal prep, meal plan, and tips about how to actually /do/ the cooking. For what the book IS, it's a solid book, and would earn 5 stars. For what the book bills itself as being, I can only give it 3.

[Gabe Dulecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just started seeing a nutritionist and one of the first things I said to her was that I love cooking but it causes me so much pain with my disabilities. And then two weeks later my partner comes home with this cookbook!!!! I love how the recipes are broken up by spoons needed for them, and how accessible they all feel to me. I went through and bookmarked the ones I want to start with, and I’m so excited to make my way through this book!!!

[Mary Foxe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed. Good for some users, not the best for me, but that's okay. I would recommend it to others with disabilities and / or chronic illnesses.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love this book so far and we haven't even started cooking yet!! i have a hard time planning ahead but there are so many tools in here that are really practical to actually cook the way i want to!

[Mar]

For beginners. Mostly a promotional pamphlet for pressure cookers / instapots. (Fair enough.) A few good hacks, but none new to me.

[Walter Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most systematic cookbook I've ever read. It is organized entirely around personal energy budgets, that is, how do you make great food without getting more tired.

Recipes are organized by how much mental and physical effort they take, using "spoon theory". You can read more about spoon theory here, but the idea is that you start the day with a certain amount of quanta of energy ("spoons") and at some point you can run out of spoons (energy). The chapters start with "Little Effort, Low Prep Times", move up through "Some Effort, Medium Prep Times", and go to "All Your Spoons".

Lots of emphasis on what can be done well ahead and stored (spice mixes, chopped onions) to make meals easier on the day. The recipes rely on kitchen power tools—an electric pressure cooker (Instapot), bread machine, and air fryer—with descriptions of how to use a stovetop pressure canner, a food processor, and so on.

So what about the food? I haven't cooked from this yet, but it sure looks tasty—butter chicken, daal makhani, tahdig, and salmon and pear salad all in the first chapter.

To see how it all comes together, read the appendix, "How to meal plan and prep for surgery recovery". This has a meal plan for six weeks, a shopping list, the canning needs, and a cooking schedule.

And Hallelujah! the book has a full table of contents listing all of the recipes. So many cookbooks skip that. Including a full TOC means it is so easy to skim the available recipes and choose one.

Though this is subtitled "for the disabled cook", this is really for anybody who wants to save energy in the kitchen. Even if you want to prep everything on the day, you can learn something from the streamlined efficient recipes here.

This belongs in the library of every senior living center and the personal library of a lot of occupational therapists.

One last thing, the photographs are beautiful.

[Sarah E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got me inspired to re-think how I use the kitchen. Will need to purchase to use as reference!

[Stephanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really a 1 star book but if a writer can get someone to publish their work I give 2 stars. That said, this cookbook is a joke and disservice to truly disabled people. Where’s the adaptive tips and actual recipes for the person who can only use one arm to cook? “Convenience” appliances such as the instant pot are not the answer. The author assumes everyone has use of both hands and can use a chef knife. No mention of a rocker knife. Someone who’s survived a stroke and easily tires is not going to have the stamina to measure out the lengthy ingredients in most of these recipes. And most people I know, disabled or able bodied are not going to make these recipes. Truly disabled people who like to cook want to know how to cook an egg or a pancake when they are in a standard wheelchair and have to use the counters & appliances that are typical in every house. Just call this what it is - an instant pot/air fryer/bread machine cookbook. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[Miss✧Pickypants ᓚᘏᗢ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book offers tips for conserving energy and adjustments for making cooking easier for disabled cooks but it should be noted that the majority of dishes require use of an electric pressure cooker (like an instapot). The remainder require use of an air fryer or bread machine, so if you don't have these appliances the recipe portions of this book won't be too helpful.

However, this is actually a good cookbook for anyone who does own these applances, not just disabled cooks. Recipes are well written, easy to follow and include pictures of the finished dishes. Not sure why the author used the title he did, "crip" strikes me as a bit offensive but maybe if you are disabled it it okay to refer to yourself in this way. Also felt there should have been a subtitle included to inform readers that recipes are dependent on the cooking appliances required to make the dishes.

[Sonia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I like the concept, and It got my attention, it is difficult to say that these recipes are any easier based on the authors suggestions rather than the tools that she uses. I tried a few recipes, and they were no more or no less cumbersome than my usual cooking methodology. I think the food prep process requires more spoons than the book suggests and processes like doing the dishes and cleaning up after, and not truly included in this book. I appreciate the effort taken to highlight. The extra needs required of someone struggling with disability or chronic illness. However, I don’t believe this book hit the mark on it.

[Teisha Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so happy to discover that a book like this exists. For anyone who has a disability or neurodivergence that makes cooking daunting or physically challenging, this book thoughtfully provides not only 50 relatively easy-to-make recipes, but also so many relevant tips and tools to help one reclaim the kitchen. Most of the recipes involve using a pressure cooker, and for people completely new to using one (like me!) there’s so much useful information/tips provided to make it more accessible. Other recipes involve using an air fryer and bread machine, which I have used before but had not fully appreciated all that they can do—like using an air fryer to make chocolate cake! And throughout, there are many motivational messages and organizational tools from Jules, including the many “how to”s of getting the most (safely) out of the kitchen equipment, being self-aware to gauge how much energy (as “spoons”!) you have in a given day and planning accordingly, and touching, relatable personal stories and gorgeous food photographs (pictures posted here don’t do it justice, but you get the idea). Perfect gift for anyone wanting help with reclaiming their kitchen.

[Facepalming Panda · Rating 2 out of 5]

They lured me in with the title, I'm not going to lie. While the book is very well put together, featuring great page layouts, fantastic photos, and occasionally helpful insights, at its core it is little more than an instant pot cookbook. As someone with a disability that primarily affects my hands, there was almost nothing in here that I found useful on a day-to-day basis. Instant pots are great, don't get me wrong, but I was really hoping for some insight into making food prep simpler and less painful for me. Many of the recipes still involve difficult manual tasks, which is the main issue I was looking for help with. A great book If you're looking for instant pot recipes, but if you're a disabled person struggling with food prep this is not the book for you.

Apologies for any spelling errors, this post was written with speech to text.

[Tera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that there is a cookbook for those who may have disabilities, as this seems to be an area that is lacking. However, the recipes are made with an Instant Pot or an air fryer, and it would be lovely to get those machines, but they are too expensive, even for long-term benefits. So there was nothing I could really take away from the book. And I would love to learn about other things that can help in the kitchen that are disability friendly.
I do like that the author speaks about something called spoon theory, and I would have loved to read more about this. There seems to be different terms about this area, including bandwidth or battery, so it's hard to find any books to read that speak to this area.

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really more of a pressure cooker cookbook than a book for disabled cooks. I would have liked to have seen a lot more recipes that don’t require specialized equipment. Some of the recipes call for multiple pressure cookers. I think a lot of the intended audience is struggling to buy food let alone specialized tools. Not to mention the clean up. I want recipes that require a handful of ingredients can be made using a cutting board (or paper plate) and a single bowl or pot. I feel like the usefulness of this cookbook is a very small audience. That said, the recipes do sound delicious.

2.5 stars rounded up

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the way the author breaks down the recipes based on how much effort and spoons they require.

[Nada Loughead · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my review at https://canadiancookbooks.ca/crip-up-...

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really love the concept of this book and how it's set up, but I'm really disappointed in the recipes included. It seems like everything is a curry!

[Stephanie Zahrbock]

Recommended in NSM newsletter 12/2025