BOOK REVIEW
JOEY GREEN'S AMAZING KITCHEN CURES
1,150 Ways to Prevent and Cure Common
Ailments with Brand-Name Products
Joey Green
(Rodale - 2002)
 I
generally pick up any book that has to do with brand name
foods.
This is how I came to have Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen
Cures laying on my kitchen table the other morning.
The author provides a refreshing twist on a popular subject by using brand-name products rather than
generic as the problem-fixers, a Strange Facts section for every topic, and some
product histories and company trivia.
It's a great source for home remedies that's likely to save
you an unnecessary trip to the doctor or a trip to the drugstore
for expensive, over-the-counter health and beauty aids. The tips
and cures use brand-name items that are
generally found in most homes.
The topics are arranged in alphabetical order for ease in
finding the subject of interest. Everything from Acne
to Hangovers to Skunk Odors to Yeast Infections is covered,
with over 100 different topics.
Below are some creative ways to make ice packs using brand
name products from your kitchen cupboard:
Green Giant Sweet Peas: Use a plastic bag of frozen
Green Giant Sweet Peas to make a handy ice pack. The
sack of peas conforms to the contours of the body. You
can refreeze the peas for later ice pack use--(don't forget
to label them!)
Jell-O and Ziplock Freezer Bags: Prepare Jell-O
according to directions and let cool enough to put into a
Ziplock Freezer Bag until three-quarters full. Seal
the bag securely and freeze. This makes a flexible ice
pack and when the Jell-O melts, you can refreeze for use
again later.
Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn and Ziplock
Freezer Bags: Pour one cup of unpopped kernels into a small
Ziplock Freezer Bag and place it in the freezer. This
ice pack, like the peas above, is flexible and conforms to
your body shape.
Smirnoff Vodka, Ziplock Freezer Bags and McCormick Food
Coloring: Pour one-half cup Smirnoff Vodka and
one-half cup water into a Ziplock Freezer Bag (add five
drops of blue food coloring for easy identification) and
freeze. The water freezes, but the alcohol doesn't.
This gives you a slushy, refreezable ice pack.
In many instances the author provides you with the
information about what ingredient in the product makes it
work as it does. This makes it easy to also use other
brand name products as a substitution.
Did you know:
Altoid Peppermints can be used to relieve congestion,
stuffy noses, coughs, nausea and flatulence?
Aunt Jemima's Original Syrup can be used as an
insecticide or for treating burns, dry hair, headaches,
insomnia and sore throats?
Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening is good for removing
grease and paint from your hands, and can also be used for
treating chapped lips, eczema, foot ache, lice, psoriasis
and wrinkles?
You can use Domino Sugar for bee and wasp stings,
food poisoning, pizza burn and a host of other ailments?
Lay's Potato Chips are handy for insect bites and
PMS?
One of the more entertaining aspects of this book are the
"Strange Facts" section included with each topic.
Some of the other things you will learn:
- If Barbie were life size, she would stand 7'2" tall and have
a neck twice the length of a normal human's neck.
(From the section on Neck Pain)
- Murphy's Oil Soap is the product most commonly used
to clean elephants. (From the Hand Cleanser
section)
- Drawings depict early Saxon men with hair and beards dyed
blue, red, green and orange. (from the Hair Coloring
section)
- Every year, Americans spend more money on dog food than baby
food. (Pet Problems)
- The most active ingredient in poison ivy and poison oak is
urushiol oil. The Japanese painted urushiol lacquer
over the gold leaf upon restoring the Golden Temple in
Kyoto. If anyone attempts to steal the gold, they will
literally be caught red-handed. (From the Poison Ivy
section)
This is definitely a book that will appeal to men. My partner
picked it up every time he sat down at the table. He continually
read out loud to me excerpts from the Strange Facts section.
This title, and some of the others of the same nature by the
author, would make a great gift for a husband, boyfriend or
dad. Men just love trivia. (I have to admit that
I got a kick out of seeing just how much he enjoyed it--who
knew?)
The book is easy to read and and a bit of fun too. It's
handy to have around when you need a quick fix for a
problem. It's possible that you won't have to look any
farther than your kitchen pantry for the answer.
Buy this book:
Joey Green's Amazing Kitchen Cures
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