The cookbook section is one of my favorite places to browse. It’s common for me to spend a half-hour perusing a stack recipe books at the local bookstore or library while my kids check out their own favorite genres.
Besides loving cookbooks, I also have a weakness for cooking blogs. I love that food blogs are free to browse, often have sinfully tempting photos, and don’t take up storage space in my kitchen. I especially love being able to save and organize the recipes I want to try with just a click (or pin!!) on my computer. BUT, sometimes there is a recipe I love too much to keep saved on the computer, and so I print it and shove the loose-leaf paper in with my other recipe books.
Great organization system, right?
Not surprisingly, my loose collection was getting WAY to cluttered, not to mention I could never find that recipe again, so it was time to conquer and I made myself a recipe binder. There’s nothing profound about this system, but it’s made a big difference in my attempt to get better organized–something I need more of these days.
To organize my recipes, I used a basic three-ring binder, and then created a cover page to slip inside the plastic.
Next I organized my recipes in different categories:
- Appetizers and Snacks
- Asian
- Beverages
- Breakfast
- Breads
- Desserts
- Grilling
- Holiday
- Meat
- Mexican
- One-dish Meals
- Pizza and Pasta
- Salads
- Seafood
- Side Dishes and Veggies
- Soup and Stew
Between me and my little cooking helpers, it’s almost guaranteed we’ll have meal-prep spills, so I put the recipes in clear plastic sleeves to protect them from splashes. It’s also a good way to store several odd-size recipes. My new recipe binder is now perfect for all those loose printed-out recipes I want to save from my favorite cooking blogs–and more.
Photocopies . . .
Magazine Articles . . .
Handwritten notes from my mama . . .
Cooking class handouts . . .
Scribbled notes from recipe creations . . . ETC.
Besides being better organized in your own kitchen, I think a recipe binder would make a really great gift for a college student, newlywed, or anyone who eats, really! In those early years I remember spending a lot of time on the phone with my mom or at my grandma’s kitchen table over Thanksgiving break copying down my favorite family recipes. An already-organized binder would have been AMAZING.
If you’re ready to create your own binder, you can purchase printable or professionally printed versions of these categories from my Etsy shop!
I need to organize my loose recipes but I’m terrified – I have a pile at least 4 inches thick stuffed into the cupboard with my cookbooks!!
[Reply]