@Cinnamon, interesting and good thoughts. I did a lot of what you describe in terms of using cold implements while learning, I also did as you said with cooking times, and checking food. Another tactic I've often used is poking things with a fork to check if they're done, that works well particularly with things like chicken, indeed on one occasion at my tabletop rp group one of my friends who was cooking that night actually couldn't see visually the colour of the chicken due to a very red sauce, so that skill came in handy 
.
I would personally disagree on using the inside of the oven and shelves being harder than the rings on the top, or at least that is what I have always found myself, I would also highly recommend chef's gloves over conventional oven mits. When i do pasta (the only thing I tend to do consistantly on the rings), I can actually position the pans on the rings while hot with the chef's gloves on, which helps considdrably.
I also have a rather whacky process for straining water from the pasta, involving a sieve virtually the same size as the pan, sticking the handles of the pan and sieve together and holding extremely tightly so that nothing but water can come out, then turning the hole thing upside down over the sink.
With knobs, well while guestimating can be accurate (even for me), to be honest if it's your kitchin it's not so diff difficult to mark the knobs with braille, or indeed bumpons, in fact I don't know if you can get bumpons in the Us but they're hugely useful for lots of appliances from cookers to washing machines, they're basically round dots of rubber with glue on the back. I have braille lables every 50 degrees, and if something say needs 225, getting the halfway point isn't a problem.
I agree with you on hot liquids. When I started at university, I decided to give up instant coffee and switch to the propper stuff, however my liquid level indicator wouldn't fit over my cafeteir, so I started using my finger tip and slow pouring. These days I actualy haven't used an indicator for boiling water for literally years, whether I'm making coffee, tea, or using boiling water in my cooking. I have had one or two scolds, but nothing that a minute under the cold tap didn't cure, indeed I'd feel a bit weerd using an indicator now even though there was a time I used one constantly the specialist school I went to even had custom built indicators which had one bleep for the amount of milk, and another for the amount of tea or coffee irrispective of preference, and wow betide you if you wanted something different, which is pretty typical of a certain sort of blind behaviour.
In general I could do more serious cooking than I do do, but when there is just me to cook for there never seems point doing anything hugely elaborate, making a serious chilly or spag bol is about as far as I go.
@Wanderer, sorry, missed your post previously. One thing I have noticed about certain sorts of mobility instructors is that they often believe there is one and only one way of doing things, and if you don't adhere to that way, you are some sort of criminal. I for example had one terrible lady who once tried to insist! on step counting. Therefore I'd suggest myself that you considder using some alternatives.
The land marks method for navigation I use for example, relies on the fact that I don't use complex spcial maps, either tactile or internalized, and rather than trying to remember my position with respect to a larger absolute space, I simply remember a set of landmarks and turns.
For example, there is one particular university building (the union society building), near the cathedral. I have no practical idea where it actually is in space from my flat, but I know if I use the major crossing near the bank, turn left along the pavement (going up hill), walk along a grass verge until i find a path, go right along that path, carry on straight, up a flight of steps and a steep cobbled street between two buildings, across a small alley, turn right next to a low wall, walk forward, turn left up a small alley keeping to that same wall (actually the wall of the Cathedral grounds), then turn right find some more grass until i hit some steps, that! is the door of the union building. I have absolutely no practical idea where in space the building is relative to the crossing, but by memorizing directions, and signifyers, and also taking note what happens if I miss those landmarks, I know I can find it every ime.
What struck me on this method was your mentioning of tactile markes, since that is exactly the sort of information I'd take note of and use myself.
regarding straight directions, well there are ways to minimize veering such as for example putting your feet with both heals back against a flat surfice before you start, and also using either sweeping or cane tapping in front of each leading foot since that naturally will keep your body in a more central place, however most of the time if you know what landmark your looking for across the road, and what happens if you miss it, a little diagonal won't hurt.
About jobs I'm afraid I have little advice, however one thing I will say is about motivation. No, life isn't fair, however you pretty much have to either fight with people's prejudices, or resign yourself to sitting around and doing nothing. I'm not speaking of employment since that set of loaded dice are bad for pretty much everybody and worse if you've got a disability, but any form of vocation or anything seriously worth doing in your life will take dealing with various obstacles, people's attitudes not the least.
It is however just because! it's hard to do that means you have to be dam sure you want to do it, so personally I'd recommend having some experiences and looking around for things that interest you in doing before committing a lot of energy, rather than getting taken up just with the "I must have a job so I suppose I'll do this" type of thinking.
@Cae, well appliances help, but it is working out what you can do with them. In colidge during my masters I actually had! nothing but a microwave to cook with. This had nothing to do with blindness but was a result of some nazi fire safety regulations, (I actually finished up smuggling in a george forman at one point just for variety).
However even with a microwave there is more than just ready meals to do. For example, while I likely could! cook rice on the top of the stove, I don't particularly bother since there are some very good dried rices that are quick to do in the microwave and go just as well if I make a curry. Also, if I decide to pick up something to chuck in the oven like chicken breast in sauce, well I usually microwave vedgitables to go with it.
Regarding the crock pot aka Slow cooker, well all the ones I've seen are like mine, and have pretty simple controls, basically a dial that can click into four positions, off, low, high, and warm. There is also a guide light which changes in brightness, but this isn't necessary, since putting a dial two clicks to the center isn't exactly rocket science.
the only major issue with the crock pot is when whatever you have done is done, you need to lift the pot out of the heater. This is again where my kevlar gloves come in useful, and of course making sure I know where I am going to put the thing.
Regarding mobility, well unfamiliar places will be a problem for most people, there is no magic formula, though i will say a guide dog can be massively helpful in the situation for ability to find common place objects.
The major thing is just practice, practice, practice, and don't panic. While there are some standard cane techniques I've never really heard of any convincing tests that I'd trust, it's just a matter of doing the thing repeatedly until you get good enough to do the things you want, and for that to be honest I'd recommend just finding some local places you want to go (or at least places within travelling distance), and going to them many times.
Frankly your parents just sound paranoid to me, and while I understand such attitudes they do sort of get up my nose a bit just because they become infexious. Being blind is a pain in the arse in a lot of ways, but if you put in enough effort you can! usually find a way to do things and go places.
Regarding travel arrangements, well it sounds like the states is very different to Britain. Over here all major cities, and many smaller towns and even tiny ones, have train stations which usually have taxi ranks, thus it is fairly easy to get to most places by train, this is exactly how I went to a vocal performance course in London late last year, to a lady's house I'd never visited before, got the train, then took a taxi (after phoning the firm to check that the taxi wouldn't rupture my bank). Busses are a cheaper alternative to trains, but are less regular and also as I said, have no guarantee of spoken announcements.
Perhaps what you need to do is A, find the way to whatever your local bus station is, B, find somewhere you want to go that requires a bus, and C, do that journey a lot!
My parents did this with me for years literally from the age of 7, doing the same route over and over again, then doing different ones, which is why now I can usually find landmarks myself even for somewhere less familiar, though before I got Reever I wouldn't try a completely unfamiliar route on my own the first time, or at least I'd make sure I knew some of it and could build on what I knew in terms of landmarks.
With our dreaming and singing, Ceaseless and sorrowless we! The glory about us clinging Of the glorious futures we see,
Our souls with high music ringing; O men! It must ever be
That we dwell in our dreaming and singing, A little apart from ye. (Arthur O'Shaughnessy 1873.)
.)