In my many years as a quad, one of the most challenging things I have done is learn how to prepare and cook food. Admittedly, I am still not very good at it and do not do it as much as I should, but everybody needs to eat, after all. As with anything in the life of a quad, it is important to find the right tools and adaptations to be successful. Fortunately, Active Hands is here to help.

The Kitchen Pack Deluxe from Active Hands is a collection of 10 items designed for use by those with impaired hand function. The pack includes an anti-slip coaster and strips, a jar opener, a pair of knives, a palm peeler and several tools to help with opening boxes, cans, jars and bottles.

Approaching the pack as a C6 quad with no finger function and no triceps, I was unsure of how well its products would work for me. Most of the items I tested worked quite well, while a few did not work as I had hoped. I will start with the not-so-exciting but important anti-slip strips and coasters. They are made from a material similar to Dycem, which is used in many hospitals and rehabilitation facilities.

When using knives or working with bottles and cans full of liquid or food, it is good to know they will not slip and slide all over the place. The coaster is a good base for placing cans and similar items. It is also effective when used under plates or cutting boards. Likewise, the anti-slip strips can be wrapped around the handles of knives or any other utensil that may be needed in the kitchen. The pack also includes a non-slip jar opener. I do not have the hand function to use it successfully, but it would work well for someone with some grip strength or the ability to exert enough downward pressure on a lid.

The two knives included in the Kitchen Pack Deluxe are perhaps the best adaptive knives I have ever used. The grip is at a 90-degree angle to the blade, which helps to reduce the risk of injury and to give users better leverage to cut. Even without finger function, I was able to use both knives without an adaptive gripping aid, but using a gripping aid does make it easier.

The blades on both knives are very sharp and cut efficiently. The bread knife has a serrated edge that is helpful when cutting with a sawing motion. The all-purpose knife is heavier than the bread knife, but the weight makes cutting much easier. When cutting cucumbers and peppers, I only needed to apply a slight amount of pressure and the weight of the knife was enough to glide effortlessly through.

Much like the knives, the palm peeler is a well-made and useful tool. The palm peeler is designed for the user to slip a finger through the ring on top of the device so that the blade is in the palm of the hand. Since I cannot straighten my fingers, I put my thumb through the ring and use the peeler with the side of my hand. The peeler requires little pressure to work and easily cuts through the skin of a cucumber.

While the knives and the peeler performed well and were relatively easy to use, the tools that are intended to help with opening different containers worked with varying degrees of success. The best product of the bunch is the Nimble, which is essentially a tiny box cutter in a rubber sleeve that fits on the tip of a finger. I used it on my thumb and was able to cut paper, tape and thin cardboard. The only drawback is that the Nimble is designed to fit on a finger smaller than the thumb and sometimes falls off.

The 5-in-1 opener is a clever tool that works well overall, but not easily with my function. The opener is designed to assist with soda cans, twist caps, crown caps, pull tabs, and vacuum sealed jars. It took a lot of practice, but I was eventually able to open soda cans and twist caps.  The twist cap opener only fits on certain sizes of caps, however. The crown cap opener works like any other bottle opener, and likewise requires a little practice to get used to. Despite my best efforts, I was not able to open a vacuum-sealed jar or a can with a pull tab. Both tasks require a fair amount of strength and dexterity that I do not have.

The most disappointing products were the Automatic Bottle Opener and the One Touch Can Opener. The bottle opener slips over the top of a bottle and is supposed to pop the cap off when the user pushes down. It requires a lot of force for it to work successfully. I was not able to apply sufficient force, and my friend and sister both had to push very hard for it to work. If less force were required it would be a cool gadget, but I think a regular bottle opener is more practical.

Much like the bottle opener, the One Touch Can Opener would be great if it worked as advertised. The can opener is supposed to attach to the top of the can magnetically and open it with one touch of a button. What was supposed to be one touch ended up being many touches and an unopened can. After messing with it for about 10 minutes I was finally able to get a can open, but I still do not know what I did differently to make it work. There are certainly better automatic can openers available on the market.

Although the pack is not a complete set of equipment that one may need in the kitchen, it goes a long way in helping with performing basic tasks. It also is a good starter kit for those looking to gain more independence, or to get more involved with cooking and nutrition. With the exception of the automatic bottle and can openers, I had a great experience with the other products. The Kitchen Pack Deluxe can be purchased at activehands.com for $109.95 plus shipping, or each item can be purchased individually.