‘Prime Chef’ Finalist Dan Jacobs Shares 3 Go-To Adaptive Cooking Instruments

In season 21 of Prime Chef, you might have cheered on James Beard nominee and Milwaukee native Dan Jacobs as he impressed judges together with his artistic dishes. Apart from conducting challenges with aptitude in his hallmark turquoise glasses, Jacobs additionally overtly shares his journey as a working chef navigating frenzied skilled kitchens whereas residing with Kennedy’s Illness. 

Jacobs was identified with the genetic neuromuscular situation in the identical yr that he opened DanDan and EsterEv in Milwaukee with co-owner Dan Van Ceremony. The illness, which may typically be mistaken for ALS, causes muscle weak spot and atrophy over time. Since his prognosis, Jacobs has helped increase greater than $100,000 in funds for Kennedy’s Illness by way of native initiatives, together with Milwaukee’s first annual Kennedy’s Illness fundraiser known as Dim Sum + Give Some, a charity gala placed on by Jacobs and different business professionals.

Kennedy’s illness impacts mobility and Jacobs makes use of adaptive instruments to remain nimble within the kitchen. Thanks to those instruments, he maintains velocity and dexterity to ship the proper dish, each on set and in his personal eating places. Jacobs lately shared with us his prime three instruments, together with a rolling garlic peeler, these easy-to-pinch tweezers, and tremendous sharp kitchen scissors.

Cestari Silicone Simple Roll Garlic Curler

“It is nice as a result of you’ll be able to put the cloves of garlic within it and use your hand for stress to rub the skins off,” Jacobs shares. “If you’re peeling garlic and not using a instrument like this, and also you need to preserve it entire, you need to use a knife — and due to the way in which my fingers have misplaced their precision, that is difficult for me.” The silicone garlic curler can be dishwasher-safe and the peels simply shake out into the trash for fast cleanup.

Coutelier Nola Tweezer

A pair of easy-to-pinch tweezers is one other must-have adaptive cooking instrument. Based on Jacobs, these Coutelier Nola tweezers “actually act like dexterous fingers. They permit me to place issues the place I need to put them with precision. I additionally like to make use of the longer tweezers for grilling. In the case of grilling, tongs are too arduous for me to squeeze, so these lengthy tweezers are available in actually helpful.”

Joyce Chen Authentic Limitless Kitchen Scissors

“First off, they’re actually sharp,” Jacobs says of those Joyce Chen kitchen scissors. “This makes it tremendous simple for me to chop issues and use that ‘push’ or ‘squeeze motion’ as I might with a pair of conventional kitchen scissors. That thumb squeeze that you just want with a pair of scissors is actually arduous for me, so these shears are an incredible instrument.”

On competing as a Prime Chef contestant with Kennedy’s illness, Jacobs shares, “An enormous motive I needed to compete on Prime Chef was to encourage individuals with disabilities. I hope this platform permits me to encourage people who find themselves differently-abled to pursue their passions, particularly within the culinary world, the place bodily constraints could be a massive barrier.”