Customer Reviews

Corn-Free Cookbook and Survival Guide: For the Corn-Intolerant and Corn-Allergic

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Corn allergy is very common, but is totally ignored by the establishment. Corn is a cheap commodity and used extensively in our food supply, and many food additives, and even drugs are made from it. Corn is also used in processing and packaging of foods and non-foods. And as a filler in most medicines. It is not labeled as corn, in most cases. Corn is not included in the Big Eight allergy foods that are required to be labeled, so people who are allergic to corn, are on their own. The Corn-Free Cookbook & Survival Guide is very helpful for people who are trying to avoid corn. It is especially helpful for people who are newly diagnosed, or have a child who has been. There is no help for them from the agencies that deal with the Big Eight food allergens, so this book can be a lifesaver for the newly corn allergic. Corn is probably the hardest of all food allergens to avoid, because it is hidden in so many food products, and non-food products. I highly recommend this book. It is well written, with good information, resources, and many good recipes and tips.

This book is a good starting point for anyone with a corn allergy or intolerance. The recipes are very easy, ideal for someone who has never cooked. For those of us who have, some of the recipes may seem un-necessary: soft boiled eggs, Baked Potatoes, Roasted Meats. There are some good recipes though, including one for ketchup. It also has a nice list of corn derived ingredients and places corn may be hidden. My main grievance with the book is that while it explains that white vinegar is made from corn and should be avoided, several of the recipes call for mayonnaise, which contains vinegar! This is a large oversight by the authors. Also be sure to read the back of the book first. There are a few ingredients that it mentions may contain corn that are listed in recipes without a warning to buy corn-free versions (e.g. vanilla). Overall this book is nice to have for some recipe ideas but should not be used as the bible for corn-free cooking.

This book covers the beginning of the basics, but corn ingredients are an ever-moving target. If you have corn allergy, you would probably be better served checking out the Avoiding Corn forum on Delphi Forums.

A brand that is safe this week may not be next week, and it will take more than good label reading to reveal a problem with corn ingredients. Corn derivatives often do not need to be declared on labels, and the packaging itself is becoming more suspect every year, as corn-based biodegradable plastics come into increasing use.

Your veggies may be soaked in corn ingredients, your meats may be soaked in them, it may all be packed in a corn-based plastic, and no one has to tell you anything about any of it.

I encourage anyone with corn intolerance/allergy to just talk to people in the same boat. The Avoiding Corn forum can point you to other reliable resources as well. We all know exactly what we're dealing with and it seems no one else except a few in the "alternative" medical community have a clue.

I like this book in general. The recipes are simple and provide some good ideas for someone who might be learning how to cook in response to a newly diagnosed corn allergy..... HOWEVER the fact that this book seems to be designed for those who don't already know the basics of cooking it is dangerous in it's lack of thoroughness when discussing lurking corn additives.

As an example, cream cheese most often contains a corn derivative and yet is used in some of the recipes. Consumer (of the book and the food) beware!

This is a good supplement provided the reader has already done some research and is somewhat well versed in hidden corn. This book is not the authority and cannot be trusted ... no more than your good friend can be trusted to make you something corn free.

Even the tiniest bit of corn makes me ill so this book was a life saver to me. It's frustrating that the FDA does require that corn be listed on products like other allergens but this book will help you deal with all that.

The baking soda biscuits are great. I hardly miss bread now.

This is a great book for someone just starting out on the journey toward becoming "corn-free". Since I bought the book for my 2 year old daughter, not all 0of the recipes were appropriate, but I have tried a few. The meal I made was yummy, but the pancakes I made turned out funny. I think I may just need to experiment more.

All in all I would recommend this book highly, and then say use the resources listed in the book to continue your journey toward a healthy, "corn-free" life.

My daughter and I have corn allergies. Fine and dandy. Hers got worse, and she had gotten into the habit of eating different stuff than her Mommy (she is 3) like graham crackers.

Anyhow, this week it got bad enough all that stuff had to go. We are taking her off all the common allergic foods, and corn of course in all forms. Not easy, no. But, I've done it for awhile. First thing is a trip to the whole foods section of the grocery store. Then an hour away to a specialized grocery store. And, lots of fresh ingredients. I found that many canned products don't contain it (tomatoes, green beans, etc), but some of thier frozen counterparts do. And, any spices, condiments, are suspect. Caramel coloring is corn based, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and many others can contain corn starch, corn syrup, etc. But, there are brands out there that do not add it in (usually the price tag is higher).

Breads of all types are hard, but some don't add it. For me, the real challenge is being sure this is her only food she is allergic to. It is easier to do for yourself. Not so easy to keep a kid from asking people at playdates or playgroups, or school to trade snacks, etc. And, one thing I have learned from my own food allergies. Teach your kids what the food looks like. If they don't know, and go to a party with a mixed nuts bowl, they have no idea about peanuts, cashews, etc. And, one nut can do them in if that is thier allergy. Kids can't avoid a food they are allergic to if they don't know what it is in or what it looks like.

But, this book, and many others that deal with food allergies are a great way to get started. We are going to be doing a LOT of reading in this book this time around. And, I suspect we won't find ketchup premade (she loves the stuff), so the recipe in it for that will be super helpful.

I'm not normally critical in my reviews but this book really is a waste of your money unless you truly have no idea how to cook. The recipes are entirely too simple. If you cook, you don't need this book. They are literally just giving you extremely simple recipes that don't include corn which you can do all on your own. On top of that they have mayo in a lot of the recipes (mayo has corn in it) yet they give you a recipe for ketchup (hunts ketchup is corn free).
They also don't give practical advice at all. Like buy potato starch instead of corn starch as a substitute...
There isn't a single piece of info in this book that I didn't figure out on my first day from going on the internet.
Skip this book and spend your time wisely. On google.

My 19mo old son is severely allergic to corn. I had struggled with coming up with replacements for store-bought ketchup, and a few other foods. This book is very good with recipes, and the ones I have tried have turned out very well. BUT it tells you to include certain ingredients OR try certain foods that most certainly contain corn, ie citric acid. People who are less sensitive probably can eat foods containing citric acid ; however, highly allergic people can not. This is a good resource to have on hand, but you definitely need to do more research on your own to identify the ingredients that may cause you a problem.

I bought this for a friend whose husband has a corn allergy--they said that it confirmed so many of the "hot button" items that they thought might be a problem and opened their eyes to so many solutions! Even as I read through it before giving it to them, I was amazed at the inventive solutions and substitutions as well as the depth of knowledge the writers had about corn-based additives. A definite buy for anyone with a corn allergy!