Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of

By Vicki Lansky and Martha Campbell

This collection of useful recipes, cleaning concepts and tips is full of ideas that have worked for others and will work for you. Whimsical line drawings by illustrator, Martha Campbell add a humorous touch to this wonderful addition of a home reference bookshelf filled with books by Vicki Lansky.
A bit if history about, wonderful recipes for, and a lot of amazing uses for—VINEGAR are in this 7" x 6" trade paperback. One hundred and twenty pages fill this fun and practical compendium. In ten different chapters, ranging from cooking to cleaning to hygiene and home remedies, you'll find that vinegar also works as a diet aid, stain remover, condiment, odor eater, grooming aid, preservative and cleaner.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Peddlers, The
• Release date: Feb 1, 2009
• ISBN: 9781931863742

Book preview

001

Table of Contents

Title Page

VINEGAR

CHAPTER ONE - COOKING WITH VINEGAR

Egg-citing Ideas

Meat Magic

Fish

Fruits...

...and Veggies

Carb Ideas

Dairy Do’s

Condiments

Pickling

Kitchen Odor Eaters

Vinaigrettes as Salad Dressings

Making Flavored Vinegar

Using Flavored Vinegars

Desserts

A Miscellany of Kitchen Vinegar Ideas

CHAPTER TWO - A CLEAN KITCHEN

Sink and Countertops

Down The Drain

Appliance Applications

Glass Aware

Kitchen Perks

Assorted Containers

Pots and Pans and Such

Miscellaneous Kitchen Aids

CHAPTER THREE - IN THE BATHROOM

Bathroom Sinks

Tub and Shower Savers

Shower Head Hints

Toilet Tips

CHAPTER FOUR - ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE

Starting at the Bottom

Carpets

Pet Stain Problems

Shining Windows and Other Glass Surfaces

Walls and Woodwork

Furniture

Odds and Ends

CHAPTER FIVE - LAUNDRY & CLOTHING

Laundry Lore

Whitest and Brightest

Stain Away

Special Care

Ironing

Leather or Not

CHAPTER SIX - BEAUTY & GROOMING

Heads Up

Let’s Face It

Getting to the Bottom of It

Allover Body Works

Tooth Care

Also, with Vinegar You Can...

CHAPTER SEVEN - GOOD FOR YOU... HOME REMEDIES

Respiratory Routs

Tummy Troubles

Feet First—and Hands Too

Bugs, Bites and Burns

Getting Personal

So They Say...

CHAPTER EIGHT - HANDY DANDY HELP

Around the Yard

Auto Ought-to’s

Decorating Dos

Handy Odds and Ends

Hint for Hunters

CHAPTER NINE - KID STUFF

Cleanups

Enhancements

Quick Tricks

For Young Scientists

Make Your Own Hard Candy

CHAPTER TEN - BEST FOR PETS

Cats and Dogs

Pet Cleanups

Guidelines for Storing Vinegar

Other books on vinegar:

Index

Copyright Page

001

Dear Reader,

I became interested in great ways to use vinegar because of what I learned when writing about and talking about—for the last 5 years—my book, BAKING SODA Over 500 Fabulous, Fun and Frugal Uses You Probably Never Thought of. And I learned a lot.

It would be fair to say that I now use a LOT of baking soda and a LOT of vinegar around my house. I love their economy and I love their multipurpose qualities.

This is far from a complete discussion of everything there is to know about vinegar. If you want to know more there are additional books that can give you: a more detailed history, more recipes, more about various vinegars and more in-depth technical details.

I love vinegar for what it can do for me on a daily basis and that is what I have shared with you here.

Vicki Lansky

002

...a word to the wise

I can’t tell you how every idea here works. Nor have they all been used by me. But each has worked for someone, which is how I learned of it, and it just might be useful to you. Conditions and situations are unique to each of us. Keep in mind that home remedies can not take the place of competent medical advice. I can not guarantee each and every tip. Use common sense and use this book to increase your repertoire of great uses for vinegar and—I believe—you’ll enhance your home, health and happiness.

003

VINEGAR

A BIT OF BACKGROUND

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Vinegar has been used in many different ways by many different peoples for thousands of years. In ancient Rome, bowls of vinegars made from wine, dates, figs and other fruits were used for the dunking of breads. Rice vinegar has a long history in China, going back 3000 years. Japanese samurai believed a rice vinegar drink would boost their strength. Vinegar is mentioned in early Middle Eastern writings for medicinal uses ranging from a clotting agent to a digestive aid to an expectorant. It was used in dressing wounds and was valued as both a medicine as well as a condiment.

Cleopatra demonstrated its solvent property by dissolving precious pearls in vinegar to win a wager that she could consume a fortune in a single meal. Vinegar is mentioned as often in the Bible as is wine. In the New Testament, it is said that a sponge soaked in vinegar was held to the lips of Jesus to ease his thirst while on the Cross.

Doctors tending those who were contagious during the Black Plague rubbed vinegar, infused with essential oils and herbs, over their own bodies. They also used it inside their hooded cloaks as an inhalant for their own protection. A variation of this practice was common in the eighteenth century when vinegar-dipped sponges were held to the nose to offset odors of raw sewage and the lack of indoor plumbing.

George Washington in his final illness was given a gargle concoction of vinegar and sage. During the American Civil War vinegar was used on wounds as a healing agent. Soldiers also drank it in an attempt to ward off scurvy—a vitamin C deficiency. (I’m assuming it was cider vinegar.)

Vinegar has been a mainstay of many folk recipes that have been handed down for generations. Today modem industry uses vinegar in dozens of ways—from reducing microorganisms in slaughter houses and poultry plants to cleaning equipment in the construction industry.

Vinegar (which literally means ‘sour wine’) results when wine or another alcoholic liquid is allowed to ferment a second time, turning it acetic. If you let wine be exposed to the bacteria in the air, it will ferment and eventually turn into vinegar.

The word vinegar comes from the French word vinaigre (vin for wine and aigre for sour). It is actually bacteria spores that convert a fermented liquid into vinegar. It then becomes a weak form of acetic acid. It is formed through this second fermentation of sugars or starches. Vinegar can come from the juice of sweet fruits and grains such as barley (malt beer), apple (cider) and grape (wine), yet it can also be made from roots or wood (often the base of white distilled vinegar). Filipinos use coconuts as their vinegar base; Mexicans use the cactus fruit that is the base for tequila.

One hundred grams of basic distilled white vinegar has 16 calories. It contains small amounts of protein and starch. It has no vitamins but does contain trace amounts of various minerals. Vinegars made from other bases will contain some of the