How do you keep/organize your recipes?

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MakePeasNotWar
MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
in Recipes
Hey all,
I'm wondering how you guys keep your recipes, and why you use the method you do.

I don't often use recipes, but since I am trying to get a wider variety of fruits, veggies, beans, etc. into my diet, and I now have the time to cook, I want to start a recipe collection, but I don't know how best to do it. I think cookbooks take up too much space in my small kitchen (I am picky so a 200 page cookbook will probably have a maximum of 4 or 5 recipes I would actually make), so I am thinking either a card file, notebook, or electronic collection. If you use any of these (or something else I haven't thought of), what do you like or dislike about your method? If you keep electronic files, how do you access them in the kitchen? (i.e tablet, phone, printouts, etc.)
Any advice would be appreciated.
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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I have way too many bookmarks of recipes on my computer. And yeah, it's a major pain when I actually decide to cook them, as I end up having to write it down (but at the same time, it's handy, for example if the recipe calls for 1 onion, I write 1 onion, then put how much the onion actually weighs next to it as I'm cooking, so I can enter it in the recipe builder later).

    I guess you could just print the recipes though, or take your phone or your tablet to the kitchen with you (but mine automatically turn off so it's even more annoying).
  • Jagerin
    Jagerin Posts: 68 Member
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    I have several ways. I do have the tradition recipe box filled with family recipes...outside of those, a friend gave me an old kindle (I have a newer one too). I had no use for a second kindle, so I decided to store all my recipes on it. The Kindle Store has hundreds of free cookbooks and if I find a recipe in one I like, I bookmark it in the book itself. If I find a recipe online that I like, then I copy it into a computer document and then e-mail it to my kindle. So all my recipes are on my kindle.

    Though I do have a lot of bookmark links on my computer still, but only because I don't send them to my kindle till I've tried them.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
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    Lately, if I like it or use it frequently, I add it to MFP to make logging easier. In fact, just wrote up several today because I froze up a bunch of bags of crock pot meals.
  • ravenzwart
    ravenzwart Posts: 108 Member
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    I use two ways, pinterest for recipes i haven't tried and a word document for recipes i want make more often (just copy and paste from the original websites). Both are used via my tablet.
  • MakePeasNotWar
    MakePeasNotWar Posts: 1,329 Member
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    Thanks everybody, those are all great ideas.

    I got a Kindle for Christmas, so maybe I can use my old Kobo to collect recipes I want to try. I will definitely add the good ones to my MFP account. I already have a few of my go-to recipes saved and it saves a lot of time logging. I also include the macro breakdown in the recipe title to make it easier to plan my daily menus. A tablet would be great to use; maybe I should drop a few hints before my birthday ;)
  • BodyByButter
    BodyByButter Posts: 563 Member
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    For online ones, I love the Paprika app. You can copy in a URL and it will import the recipe into the app.
  • peachy48161
    peachy48161 Posts: 17 Member
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    I use a binder and just print them out. If I liked the recipe, I will add it to the binder, if I don't, I throw it out.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I have the old school recipe box, and some docs on my laptop, but a lot of mine are organized on Pinterest boards (divided up into categories). Usually when I find a good new recipe in a magazine I can search and add it on Pinterest, it's handy and my husband (who does a lot of the cooking) shares the boards with me...works out great for us.
  • Nancy33333
    Nancy33333 Posts: 32 Member
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    I use Microsoft's Onenote program for desktops, and created a recipe notebook. It allows you to create tabs (breakfast, salad, vegetables, pasta, etc.) and then within tabs you can make additional categories (seafood pasta, tomato-based pasta, veggies and pasta, etc.) I started my notebook maybe 10 years ago. I have several thousand recipes I've cut and paste (including pictures when available). It's easy to search, and you can tag recipes ("to try" and "favorite" are my basic tags). There is a Onenote app for IOS (I'm not sure about Android). However, I've been using Outline+ on my iPad instead of the Onenote app because only recently did the Onenote app have any functionality. I can sync my recipes between my desktop (both at home and at work) and my iPad, and I just carry the iPad down to the kitchen when I'm cooking. Plus if I'm travelling and want to cook something for family or friends, I have all my recipes with me.

    The app Paprika works reasonably well on a Tablet, but I don't know if there's a way to have the same information transferred to a desktop (if this matters.) I find editing recipes on a desktop easier, which is why I prefer the cross-functionality.
  • AngryViking1970
    AngryViking1970 Posts: 2,847 Member
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    I like paper, so I print (or write) out recipes and organize them into folders. I have folders for chicken, sweets, pasta, seafood, etc. It's pretty old school and my husband thinks it's hilarious, but it works for me.
  • CloudyMao
    CloudyMao Posts: 258 Member
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    in tons and tons of notebooks & pads, it's not exactly organised. the recipies I use often I know by heart. I've kept some in my BBC good food online binder in the past, but never really bothered.

    I think a binder is a good idea though, easy to chuck/not keep ones that you don't want.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I have a 3-ring binder with tab dividers for several categories. When I find a recipe I like I type it up (incl. calorie/macro info) and stick it in the appropriate section.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    edited January 2015
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    The Company's Coming Recipe Album neatly organizes all loose clippings and printouts.
    http://www.companyscoming.com/cookbooks/assorted-titles/recipe-album/18/RA/

    My recipe books are flagged with post-its, marked with substitutions and starred for favourites.

    I have published my favourites and flagged others at http://www.grouprecipes.com/ but this is not one of the dominant sites out there. www.allrecipes.com has got to be the leader hands-down.

    Pinterest is my latest online organizer.

    When I want to use an unusual ingredient or combination, I simply google it with the word "recipe".

    So these days the most likely scenario is I will google an idea, find a five-star allrecipe contribution, and pin it in pinterest.
  • FloraJL
    FloraJL Posts: 121 Member
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    I use Pinterest for ideas.

    MealBoard is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE APP and when I find a recipe I want to try, I can import it into the app (for most cooking website you just have to cut-and-paste the url and the app does the rest). You add your recipes to the day of the week and then sync them to the grocery list. If you have 4 recipes that use chopped onions, it will combine them all for you so you know exactly how many onions to buy! I've taken the time to sync up the aisles in my grocery store so the app will sort all my food by aisle for me and let me know how much I can expect my grocery bill to be! And no, I don't make any money from them ... I just love it!

    http://www.mealboard.com/
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    I keep recipes both digitally and physically. I have lots of bookmarked recipes & several Pinterest boards for food, including a low calorie meals board & crock pot meals board. For my favorite family recipes, I have this cute little recipe book that looks kind of like a photo album where you slip the completed recipe cards into the slots. Then I have a huge binder with page protectors in it, and when I find recipes in magazines I like, I cut them out & glue them onto cardstock. I keep it organized by appetizers, salads, chicken, pork, seafood, veggies, & desserts.
  • kt_simms
    kt_simms Posts: 20 Member
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    I like to write them down. I generally find ones I want to cook online and then import them into MFP so I can adjust them. I will make sure the calories per serving fits my allowance for a meal, make sure it's got enough protein, and change the general ingredients for specific quantities (1 onion becomes 6 oz of onion, etc.).

    Then I write the recipe on a 3x5 index card. The index cards are color coded: yellow for mainly chicken dishes, pink for mainly beef recipes, purple for mainly pork recipes, green for veggie dishes, and blue for beverages and desserts (I don't eat seafood, otherwise I would use blue for those). I also have some white ones that I use for medicinal recipes... homemade cough syrup, golden milk, etc.

    I have my index card file organized with dividers based on (for the most part) cuisine: American, Asian, Oriental, Mexican, Mediterranean, Veggie, Desserts, Beverages, etc.

    I do this once a week, usually Saturday sometime because Sunday is my shopping day. I plan out the menu I'm going to have for that week, do my recipes in MFP/index cards, and make my grocery list.
  • AnAbsoluteDiva
    AnAbsoluteDiva Posts: 166 Member
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    Three-ring binder. Plastic sheet covers. Pull the page I need and use it in the kitchen. Easy to clean up and put back in the binder. Went through all my magazines and cookbooks and took what I liked, added it to the binder, and then gave the mags/books away. Much easier for me to deal with it. Of course, I have four binders but they take up a lot less space than 30 books.
  • angieroo2
    angieroo2 Posts: 973 Member
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    I have a binder which holds index cards and dividers for each topic. I got mine from Chapters, but it can easily be made by hand.
  • joflo723
    joflo723 Posts: 119 Member
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    FloraJL wrote: »
    I use Pinterest for ideas.

    MealBoard is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE APP and when I find a recipe I want to try, I can import it into the app (for most cooking website you just have to cut-and-paste the url and the app does the rest). You add your recipes to the day of the week and then sync them to the grocery list. If you have 4 recipes that use chopped onions, it will combine them all for you so you know exactly how many onions to buy! I've taken the time to sync up the aisles in my grocery store so the app will sort all my food by aisle for me and let me know how much I can expect my grocery bill to be! And no, I don't make any money from them ... I just love it!

    http://www.mealboard.com/

    Seconding both Pinterest and Mealboard. Pinterest is first step...kind of a, "Yeah I want to try that some day" step.

    Then when I'm feeling adventurous and I want to try something new, I pick one of my Pinned recipes, import it into Mealboard, do a quick grocery list sync, and the ingredients are automatically added to my grocery list in the order for my grocery store.

    I seriously use both apps every single day for this.
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
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    Pinterest mostly

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