Anyone whose mom ever prescribed flat ginger ale for an upset stomach knows at least a little about ginger’s healing and soothing effects. But the spicy herb possesses other medicinal properties as well: Used for 2,500 years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginger’s said to treat inflammatory joint diseases (such as arthritis), prevent colds and flu, help with morning and motion sicknesses, and possibly strengthen heart health and protect against cancer.

Still, ginger’s nausea-relieving effects are probably its most common reason for use, with Dr. Eddy’s Integrative Medicine Blog recommending that parents give ginger-based foods and drinks to carsick kids. Dr. Eddy suggests keeping the car stashed with candied ginger or ginger snaps, such as the organic variety found in Country Choice Naturals Ginger Snaps. Likewise, Tim at Herbs And More swears that ginger tea – such as the Traditional Medicinals Organic Ginger tea selected by ThisNexter Kimberly Charles - “works better than the pink stuff” for easing tummy troubles like indigestion and heartburn.

...continued: A spoonful of ginger

For those in need of a diet makeover, ThisNext is beginning to form a mini-library of healthy-eating books suited to many a food-focused goal. Whether you’re looking to drop a jeans size or incorporate more organic food into your meals, revamping your routine with the help of a new read can be one of the simplest ways to do good for your body, mind, and even the planet.

Take Jeff Cox’s Organic Cook’s Bible: How to Select and Cook the Best Ingredients on the Market, recommended by our recently interviewed shopcaster Fanny The Fairy. With 250 recipes using more than 150 organic ingredients, the book encourages readers to support Earth-friendly forms of food production and become more connected to what they’re consuming (“I love this book because i think it’s important to know the food you eat,” says Fanny in her shopcast).

With a similar emphasis on exploring organic foods – especially of the locally, sustainably grown variety – Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry’s Grub presents healthy eating as a form of activism. In her review at Fit Fare, Sara Maamouri dubs the book “a fired-up call to action” that teaches readers “exactly what they can do to change their food future,” while at the same time serving as “a reminder that ultimately, food should be a fun, creative part of our lives, and not simply a bland and boring fuel.”

...continued: Healthy reads

Like many home chefs, I cannot control myself when it comes to cookbooks. Given that, I’m keen on tapping into serendipitous gems in the sale bin. After all, in the worst case scenario that I decide I don’t like a cookbook, at least then I won’t have broken the bank on it. In the best case, I feel like I’ve got a real find on my hands.

Elizabeth at Spice Girl is of the same mindset. She shares a few of her recent finds, including this Paris Boulangerie-Patisserie cookbook — which I also happened to come upon. She also picked up Chef on a Shoestring and Marie Claire Easy, yet still came in under 35 bucks, roughly equivalent to what it costs for one brand-new copy of the French Laundry Cookbook. Kudos to her! 

Never mind that there are five trillion recipes on the Web (it’s true — count them!). Sometimes there is no replacement for the tactile pleasures of a good, old-fashioned cookbook. As far as I’m concerned, one of the greatest ways to blow a Sunday afternoon is thumbing through a good cookbook or ten, drooling over the pictures and dreaming up meals not yet cooked.

I’m glad to see I’m not alone. Cookbooks are a hot topic on ThisNext. Our users have picked dozens of them, ranging from the classic to the cutting-edge. Take, for example, The Joy of Cooking. So revered is this major oeuvre that six people have picked it; two — annhickey and our very own AuntBeep — call it out as their “bible.” Jolynnelockley calls it “a classic … what your mother told you and you forgot. It’s all there.” Caseyhavre refers to it as “the best basic book in the world of cooking.” Even ThisNext’s co-founder and “head nerd” cogg calls it “a must have.” And he’s a pretty smart guy, so you should listen to him.

...continued: (Cook)book'em, Danno

I love fish, shellfish and pretty much anything that comes from the sea. And so thanks to a hot tip from Brys at Cookthink, I am going to swim my way forthwith to purchase a copy of James Peterson’s Fish & Shellfish, so I can indulge my pescetarian ways. Peterson’s books are always extremely erudite and clear, so this is no doubt one of the definitive tomes on fish cookery.

At The WildeBeat (an “audio journal about getting into the wilderness”), you can download weekly podcasts created to “help you explore the Earth’s remaining wild places.” In a recent podcast, National Outdoor Leadership School nutritional advisor Mary Howley Ryan talks about planning food for her wilderness trip. Among her recommendations: Yvonne’s Prater’s cookbook Beyond GORP: Favorite Foods From Outdoor Experts. Featuring 133 recipes (and the stories behind their evolution), Beyond GORP includes dishes like Lead Bread (“a brick-like loaf that will keep indefinitely and survive even an air drop”), Cashew-Ginger Chicken and Rice, Trail Tiramisu, and Cooked Stinging Nettles.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Food and culture are irrevocably linked. Habeas Brulee digs into an intriguing new cookbook, “A Drizzle of Honey: The Life and Recipes of Spain’s Secret Jews,” which highlights the culture and cuisine of Spanish Jews who pretended to convert to Christianity during the 16th Century to avoid persecution. To avoid detection, they would make up excuses for doing the traditional things they did, like salting meat, not eating pork (difficult to get away with in Spain!) and eating cold meat stew on Saturday. It’s fascinating stuff, and as a bonus prize, Danielle shares a Brazilian yellow stew from the book.

I have to confess: I am not a camper. It’s not that I don’t like nature (though what has she done for me lately?), but the very word conjures up thoughts of sleeping on the hard ground, swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitos and, worst of all, lackluster food poured out of cans and burnt to cinders over an open fire. “Campfire Cuisine” may change my mind, though. This pocket-sized guide not only contains recipes, but a comprehensive guide on what to buy both for gear and goods, how to store it for maximum safety and convenience and how to cook it all well and simply for maximum flavor. But still, I think I’ll try these recipes out in the backyard first.

Via Juliette Rossant’s superchefblog.  

Summer heat and a coconut shredder … all we need now is some calypso music and a crash course in Caribbean cooking. Just-released “Sweet Hands: Island Cooking from Trinidad and Tobago” fits the bill, with dozens of authentic recipes from the island nation way down by Venezuela.  Even if you’re not a serious cook, according to the Blue Jean Chef, this cookbook is as much armchair tourism as a valuable kitchen reference.

Not that you’d know it by watching the news, but things are still pretty dire for plenty of victims from Katrina, and hurricane season is already bearing down on us again this year. Mary-Lynn at SFist tips us off to a way we can be part of the solution and fill our own bellies with satisfying fare. Order up a copy of “Saffron to Sassafrass,” proceeds from which will go to women’s and children’s charities in Louisiana.

Finding ways to make the world better for ourselves and others less fortunate at the same time … that’s a recipe for satisfaction. 

Loyal readers may have noticed that we’re crazy for grilling this summer. But that’s only partially a function of our own love for smoky, juicy, char-broiled foods. Ruth at Once Upon a Feast is always on the hunt for great grilling recipes, and shares some successes from a new cookbook, Grill! At last, a book that insists that every article of food be streaked with black stripes.

Damn that lousy work, always getting in the way of important things — like making dinner. Too often we end up picking up some subpar grub on the way home from work simply because we don’t have the time to think about dinner, much less buying the ingredients and cooking them. That’s why we are so in love with The Six O’Clock Scramble. When you subscribe to the site, you receive five quick and easy dinner menus, as well as a complete grocery list for the week. Most meals take less than 30 minutes to prepare, so you can hit the ground the minute you get home. ThisNext recognizes there’s no substitute for home-cooked meals, so any way to make them easier to accomplish is manna from heaven as far as we’re concerned. (via Chef Michele’s Adventures)

Hey, we’re all chefs in our own kitchen, right? Even if you’re merely a master of the microwave, you’re the chef, and what says, goes. Still, a handful of techniques, standby recipes and crafty secrets can make the going that much smoother. That’s why we love DailyOlive.com for turning us on to “Kitchen Sense” by Mitchell Davis. This is a cookbook by a home cook for a home cook, and with 600 recipes for your repertoire, it’ll make you a Thomas Keller in your own home. Plus, they sneak in the recipe for strawberry shortcake right into the blog posting. Sweet!

How many cookbooks do you own? Heidi Swanson at 101 Cookbooks probably has more even than her blog’s name suggests, but that doesn’ stop her from providing some great tips on how to create your own. Options range from full-on hardcover books to PDF documents to interactive slideshows, and prices vary accordingly. Perhaps your collection of grandma’s recipes won’t make the New York Times bestseller list, but it will probably be among the first you and your friends and family go to when preparing the perfect apple pie.

If you believe that you eat first with your eyes, then you’ve got to see Jocelyn Chu’s gorgeous food and delicious photography at Kuidaore… She’s always exploring the latest greatest and the old faithful cookbooks alike (check out her review of Daniel Pignolet’s “French”) and bringing the recipes to life—each one photographed and styled beautifully. She’s no beginner, and is clearly as comfortable in the kitchen as behind the lens, but if you’re passionate about food and looking for inspiration or an addition to your kitchen library, she’s your girl!