Food Organizing recipes - suggestions wanted!!

[LoVer]

Hi all!

Not sure if this has been discussed previously, I did a search and did not find any posts.

I have accumulated a huge amount of cut-out recipes from magazines and newspapers. They are all sitting in a huge pile and I have a lot of trouble fiding a certain recipe when I need it.

Does anyone have a good idea how to organize them?

Your help is much appreciated.

 

[Neeya]

I'm having that same issue with no system for it either! I'm pretty sure they sell recipe books in bookstores that you can store them in, so I'm going to look into that...at the same time, I think a scrapbook might work well also.

 

[Blue824]

My mom has hers all in a book.... it has different sections of colored paper and so she has designated certain colors to desserts, certain to meats, another to appetizers, stuff like that. Some she has written on the pages and others are cut outs from recipes she has tried and enjoyed. There are also boxes for recipes if you put them on cards too.

 

[LoVer]

My mom has hers all in a book.... it has different sections of colored paper and so she has designated certain colors to desserts, certain to meats, another to appetizers, stuff like that. Some she has written on the pages and others are cut outs from recipes she has tried and enjoyed. There are also boxes for recipes if you put them on cards too.

Thanks for the ideas - like the one with colored pages.

 

[Pursegrrl]

My Mom gave me a large 3-ring binder type of thing with pockets designed to hold recipe clippings, etc. So cute! But for me I need a more compact recipe holder, so I tend to either handwrite (I know old school) or clip and tape recipes onto 3 x 5" note cards and file them in a cool stainless steel recipe box.

 

[madamefifi]

I have always liked recipe boxes. My grandmother gave me hers, which had also belonged to her mother, so it's quite old. And my mom had one when I was growing up.

 

[PenelopeBags]

I have a 3 ring binder with plastic sheet covers, which is dived up into drinks, desserts, appetizers, etc- within each section, I just keep them alphabetical. It's great because it's easy to find everything, and when you want to make something, you just pull out the sheet cover with the recipe in it- and the plastic pages never get messed up- if you spill something one it, you just wipe it off.

 

[ProfNot]

I have a box you can get at any office supply store.

It's the kind that takes hanging file folders (Pendaflex).

I use the hanging folders for main categories like Beverages, Bread and Pastry, Main courses, etc.

Inside each hanging folder are regular folders with narrower categories. Bread, cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, etc. The cut-out recipes are in these regular folders.

Works great.

 

[mcmug17]

I'm also using binders and plastic sheet covers at the moment.

Ideally I would be scanning recipes into the computer and save it as a soft copy. I'll probably work on setting up a database myself or buy a recipe software. I already put "computer in kitchen" as a requirement when I buy a house in the future hehe.

 

[maxter]

I've tried everything. Index cards, binders, whatever.

The best is to scan them all and get them into your computer. Easiest and you will always have them.

BTW, anyone who has a computer should have a back up system or a back up drive. LaCie makes a great one. It only takes one time to lose all your info: docs, photos, music! So back up ladies!

 

[LoVer]

I've tried everything. Index cards, binders, whatever.

The best is to scan them all and get them into your computer. Easiest and you will always have them.

BTW, anyone who has a computer should have a back up system or a back up drive. LaCie makes a great one. It only takes one time to lose all your info: docs, photos, music! So back up ladies!

I love this idea too. The thing is who has time to scan around 500 recipes? It's ok if you scan everytime you find a recipe you like, but what about when you have a backlog of about 500??
Maybe I should make my kids do it for me??

 

[maxter]

I love this idea too. The thing is who has time to scan around 500 recipes? It's ok if you scan everytime you find a recipe you like, but what about when you have a backlog of about 500??
Maybe I should make my kids do it for me??

Scan them whenever you are at your computer. It makes you sort thru your recipes at the same time. You can spend some quality time on tPF while you're at it!!

You will love it once you do it! You can even organize into subfolders if you want to. It is so easy to find the recipes (just title them accordingly or keep a master Table of Contents).

It also comes in handy because everyone is always asking me for recipes and I can just email it to them.

It's the best!!

 

[lorihmatthews]

I'm a 3-ring binder gal myself. I use tabs to separate the different types of recipes. If the recipes are on smaller pieces of paper, I tape them onto 8.5x11 sheets of paper, three-hole punch them, and put them in the binder. It's cheap and it works!

I also write the date on each recipe when I try it for the first time.

 

[QueenOfDa702]

I organize my recipe's by dessert, dinner, appetizer, etc. When I have "cutout" recipe's I tape(or glue) them on a card stock piece of paper and 3 hole punch them then put them in a umm...school type binder.

 

[janette]

Let me tell you...the BEST thing my hubby ever bought is a Westinghouse Icebox Beyond entertainment center for the kitchen. It is AWESOME for anyone who loves to cook with recipes. It is generally used for the kitchen because it has easy access to all your recipes, and I normally just have it on the Food Network site. He bought it on Ebay (just search Icebox Beyond). We have it installed under the cabinets right by the stove, and it is soooooo convenient. No more dirty recipe books or cards! Everything is at your fingertips. I would highly recommend it. It is a TV, DVD, CD Player and computer. You can even shop on ebay while you cook. I just love it! And the keyboard can be cleaned under running water. You just have to have cable installed in the kitchen. See my pics: