Book Review: 10,001 Food Facts, Chefs' Secrets and Household Hints

10,001 Food Facts, Chefs' Secrets & Household Hints by Dr. Myles H. Bader could be re-titled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Food and Home But Didn't Know Who to Ask. This is a big book, more than 600 pages, and it is full of an incredible amount of information. Divided into useful categories it covers everything from party tips to stain removal. There are several chapters devoted to useful household tips.
Insects and Other Pesky Pests:
*Moths can be trapped by mixing 1 part of molasses with 2 parts of white vinegar and placing the mixture in a bright yellow container.
*If you place a border of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) around a plant it should keep the ants away. Also, placing it on the stem of plants will stop most insects including ants from crawling up the plant.
Assorted Hints and Tips:
*The glue on any type of contact paper will easily melt by running a warm iron over it or using a hair dryer on high heat.
*To keep salt free-flowing in a humid climate, just add some raw rice to the shaker to absorb the moisture. Rice absorbs moisture very slowly under these conditions and lasts a long time.
Personal Grooming Facts:
*Hair brushes and combs may be revived by soaking them in a pot of warm water and 1 tablespoon of baking soda or ammonia.
*If you want your makeup to last longer, try spraying your face first with mineral water and allowing it to dry.
Everyday Household Products:
*The refrigerator is a good place to store many chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide. It will stay active for a longer period of time. Nail polish is another chemical that likes the cold and will go on smoother.
Home and Garden Tips:
*Old nuts and bolts make excellent sinkers when you are going fishing.
*To reduce fireplace smoking, try placing a brick under each leg of the grate.
Stains Begone:
*Lemon extract will remove black scuffmarks from shoes and luggage.
*Lipstick stains will clean out of clothes by using Vaseline.

Unfortunately there is no confirmation by Dr. Bader that he has tested any of these hints and found them effective. They often appear to have been gathered from various sources and inserted into the book with little or no editing. There are typos, misuses of words, and tips placed in wrong categories. His food sections seem to be better edited and have more tested information.

Still, for a book of food and household hints this is fun reading. Dr. Bader manages to toss a bit of humor into his tip titles and some of the information is so unusual or bizarre that you find yourself turning pages looking for more. Learn what a MOG inspector is: "Grapes that are shipped from the orchard to wineries are routinely inspected for MOG (material other than grapes). These people are called MOG inspectors and look for leaves, rocks, and snakes. When these items are found the orchards are fined."

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