How do you store/organize your recipes?

[MomofSixinSC]

I love my binders!

 

[TifffanyD]

I put them in a powerpoint, one recipe per slide. Then I put additional notes in the "notes" section. And put the slide I want on full screen when I want to cook it.

 

[Trish Bessette]

I have binders that I created and I just LOVE them

I have one for Sweets, one for Christmas, two for meals with tabs for things like crock-pot, holidays, salads, main course, etc.

What I did was use a laminating machine the best thing ever!!! I'd print or cut out the recipe and laminate it. I love it because some recipes are hand written by my Mom, grandmom and friends. Some are from magazines, some printed from the web, some right here from the DIS.

The great thing is over the years I'd add photos along side of the recipes that were not a full page of our DD's, pets, Christmas card photos, etc. So throughout my binders are photos from years past. So fun to see. In my Christmas binders are photos from when my DD's were young helping to ice Christmas sugar cookies

I was so overwhelmed with recipes stuffed here and there and I just love to cook so this has been the best "project" I've done. I've even thought about photocopying the pages for my DD's when they are off on their own.

 

[redlawyer]

Another vote for a binder. I have full size page protectors for recipes torn from magazines. For index cards I have photo pages. I love it!

 

[skw444]

I type mine up, or print out recipes I find online, then put them in a binder in those plastic sleeves. I can organize it any way I want, and if you spill anything on it, it wipes right off.

This is how I organize mine as well. I love that I can clean up spills on the recipe.

 

[melafive]

I'm glad you asked this question because I have the same problem. Tons of recipes laying around. Just last week I was trying to think of a way to organize them. I am going to do the binder thing too.

Thanks!

 

[Mouseless2Long]

I created a folder on my computer with several sub-folders. Some recipes are typed since i copied and pasted them from online sources, others are just scanned as a PDF file. I love that there is no paper to lose and it organized into categories such as mains, desserts, breads, sauces, sides, veggies, etc. One afternoon at my parents I scanned tons of my mom's old recipe cards. Scanning the old recipes has been great since I never have to worry that i skipped an ingredient or transposed a fraction when writing/typing. When I am ready to make a recipe I just print it out, put it with my shopping list and throw away at the end. No need to worry about spills or loss.

I have even given Mom back her own recipes. She can now blow up her own recipe cards when printing which makes it easier to read! She rarely uses her recipe box anymore simply because finding what she is looking for is so much easier on the computer.

Having the old scans is also a little nostalgic. True she still has the originals, but I love that some of my recipes are still in her hand writing. Having them electronically also makes it easy to share with friends and family. If someone oohs and aahs over a dish I just pop on to the computer and email it over.

PS - for those worried, my computer is backed up so there is no worry about losing all my recipes.

I keep all of my recipes on my computer too! The main reason was so that I could print out the recipe when I need it and toss it afterward with no worries about spills, etc. Also makes it easier to send recipes to someone who asks for them.

I just got a new printer/copier/scanner and love the idea of scanning the handwritten recipes from my mother. Going to get started on that now.

 

[Purseval]

I don't bother to save them anymore. Search engines are so powerful I look them up as needed.

 

[Kuraire]

Well I actually type mine up and put them on my blog. I was having the same issue and that is why I started the blog, to cut down the clutter!

I do the same thing. Makes organising and editing recipes so much easier.

 

[roadtripper]

Another binder gal here! I use the full page protectors, which fit computer printed recipes and all those great ones from the magazines. Now if I see a good recipe in a mag, I rip it out right away--then I can recycle the magazine and cut down on clutter. The recipe goes in the front pocket of the binder unitl I try it, then I decide if it's "page protector worthy.". If not, it gets recycled.

 

[marko]

A binder with dividers is the easiet!

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

I have a recipe database that resides in a 'cloud' so I can access it from any computer with an internet connection. At home I typically write or print a recipe and glue stick it to a 3x5 card and it goes in the recipe box. I cut out recipes all the time. Until I make it and like it, it stays out of the recipe box. That way I am not stuck with excess clutter inside.

 

[NaLisa]

I use a one-inch, three-ring binder with colored, tabbed dividers (labelled appetizers, beef, pasta, etc.) with pockets, and a three-hole punch. For index-sized and handwritten recipes, I glue them onto a 8.5x11 sheet of paper. Most recipes I get from online and print out, then stick them into a pocket until I can try them and make any notes ("less salt," "more garlic", etc.) The pockets also allow me to clip a recipe from a magazine and temporarily put it somewhere until I can properly include it in my collection.

 

[buzz5985]

I use the binder/photo album. However, I'm finding that I'm running out of space and am slowly transferring them to my computer (with Living Cookbook), but at the rate I'm going, I may be done in about 50 years....

Another Living Cookbook fan. I love being able to import the recipes straight from the web. My favorite site is Cooking Light. I do print out our favorites and keep them in a binder with sheet protectors.

Janis

 

[twinsplusone]

I had the same problem. I'm working on my years of Taste of Home and other recipes I tore out of magazines. I have a 3 inch binder and divided into sections. I tear out a recipe, hole punch it and file. That way I don't have all of these loose pieces of paper. I also starting making one or two new recipes each week. We vote on it. If it's good, I keep it. If we don't like it, I take it out of the binder and toss it.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

I keep them in a shoe box in one of my kitchen cabinets.

Anything I saved from the internet is in my favorites or a word document.

 

[AvenueBee]

My husband is a pretty big cook and our latest way to store/share recipes is to do it through Google Documents. We make one document that we both can access and we type up recipes there. It's nice because when he's on the road, he can still be sharing with me new stuff he's found.