Recipe Organization

[lendube]

I might have asked this in the past so excuse me if you remember that I did. Every so often I really, really get the urge to organize my recipes in a cohesive manner. I've got boxes, tried to do it on the computer (but didn't like the programs I tried), newspaper clippings everywhere . Do any of you have a good method that's effective??

[Mom of Six]

Most of mine are in my head & when I lose them up there I have to hunt for a written one.
I tried different recipe boxes for different catagories. My mom once used a photo album & I think that was the best idea I have seen. Get one with the ind. pockets & you could use a different book for main dishes, desserts, etc.

[CodyGramma]

Well, I like the photo album idea...never thought of that....I too have some that are scattered, and my favorite cookbook is falling apart so have to come up with something to do with the pages in that before I lose anymore...am missing two!

I just use index cards and two recipe boxes for most of mine but there are alot of newspaper, magazine, etc. clippings shoved in those too as I tend to get lazy when it comes to writing them out on the index cards! Sometimes if they are small enuf of a clipping, I just tape them to one!

[Bama]

I like the photo album idea too. I need to organize my recipes too. Maybe I'll get to it one day when things settle down here. Mine are a total mess. I even have some recipes cards I made in Home Ec. class. I recently found a box of recipes that belonged to DH's grandmother who died in 1988 at age 93. It's mostly little folded up papers that she wrote herself along with a few newspaper clippings. I would like to come up with a way to copy them so each of DH's brothers families can have copies. I love reading the way she wrote them down. A pinch of salt, a dash of this or that. Anyone ever heard of a syrup cake? My mil says they used to make them when sugar was scarce during WW II.
Good luck Lennie. Maybe you can post a good recipe or two while you sort through them.

[SheliaHC]

I have a 3 ring notebook with dividers that I use. It also has a combination of sheet protectors with full pages and the photo album inserts that have pockets for pictures so that I can insert index cards or other recipes that I've cut from magazines.

Shelia

[ddreev]

I need help too! I have recipes every where. I have one small binder(6x9) with written recipes. I have shoved so many cut out and index card recipes in it I keep it closed with a rubber band. Thats not counting all of the other newspaper clippings and magazine recipes I have floating around. I would like to find some way to control all of them...

Dorothy D.

[DorothyL]

Everybody is so organized!
My recipe books are in a drawer and I have a big fat manila file full of others. I dig through when I need something (I have the same system for patterns and fabrics). But most of the time I'm just trying to think up a good excuse not to cook.

[CodyGramma]

Well, you got me to looking online for some helpful stuff and I found this site and its not that expensive so thought I would share it with you....it sounds like it might work pretty good to me.

http://www.organizes-it.com/pomskrecipejr.php
Collected Recipe Organizer

[HeyJudee]

Many moons ago, I started using a hard cover note book leftover from college (8.5"x11" size) to make copies of my grandmother's and mother's recipes. Numbered all the pages in the notebook, left a few pages at the beginning to write the names of the recipes and page #. I'm still using it today and have all kinds of recipes on papers shoved inside the front cover. Also, have a small recipe box where I have other recipes on index cards. But now that I have a computer, whenever I share a recipe it is usually via email, etc. So it is typed up and saved on the computer in a folder called Recipes. Also, have a shelf of recipe books that I flip thru whenever I feel like cooking something. I know exactly which book has which one of my favourite recipes. So as you can see I am totally organized...but only I know where the recipe that I want is located!

[lendube]

Hey Patsy, I've got a book similar to that. I think I'm looking more for a way to do it on the computer rather than hand writing each and every recipe or keeping newspaper clippings.

Thanks for the ideas. Keep 'em coming.