Useful, funny, and surprisingly not that weird -- you won't have to try to hunt down specialty devices and ingredients. ( )

Salad dressing too salty? Dropped an egg? Ran out of buttermilk?
This book is very entertaining, so at first I didn't really take it seriously. Then I noticed that I pulled it off the shelf more than any of the other cookbooks put together.
Here's a sample entry:

"GREENS, wilted:
If you've got an hour, dip the greens in hot water, then in ice water with a dash of vinegar. Shake the excess liquid from them and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
If you need them right away, unfatigue them by tossing with a few drops of oil to coat the leaves before adding dressing. For hopelessly wilted greens, try this interesting recipe for hopelessly wilted greens: (recipe follows for "Meredith's Hopelessly Wilted Greens Dish.")"

Also contains appendices for things like stains and problems with utensils (STOVE TOP, does not heat: This is often a last-minute discovery that calls for real ingenuity. What else do you have in your household that does heat?) ( )

A funny but useful guide, not only to making the best of culinary disasters, but what to do with left-overs, when you have too much of a certain ingredient, or if that ingredient is missing. Alphabetically organised. ( )