Readers, when Chelsey first shared her “comfort food and recipe card” realization with me, and its connection to loved ones and legacy, I begged her to write about it for Modern Mrs Darcy. I’m happy to say that’s what she’s doing today. Happy reading, and bon appétit! – Anne
Whenever I roast the best crispy potatoes ever, I think of my friend Emily who lovingly cooked a hearty meal of buttermilk brined chicken, potatoes, and green beans when I stayed at her home a few years ago. The potatoes are indeed the best, but the real magic of this side dish is the memory of my friend’s hospitality and how much we laughed together that weekend. I never logged the recipe after she texted it to me, so I rely on Google every time I want to replicate the meal.
Unlike my parents’ generation, my dinner companions don’t write down recipes for each other on patterned “from the kitchen of” index cards. We text each other links, which are undoubtedly convenient but so easy to lose track of. Maybe it’s because I turned 30 last year, or maybe it’s because I have a little one—and so now I’m considering tradition, legacy, and memories in a whole new way—but I’m starting to wonder if scrolling a text thread or searching Google is the best way to preserve my favorite recipes for years to come.
My internet search history is full of half-forgotten recipes, while my parents’ physical recipe box is stuffed with handwritten instructions for casseroles and desserts collected from family parties, church potlucks, and school fundraising nights. My mom’s lasagna, hamburger soup, and taco pie recipes all came from her close friends, and I treasure them as much as (or even more than) my parents do.
My kindergarten best friend’s mom made the best creamy chicken enchiladas, and I still request them every time I visit home. One family friend put vanilla pudding packets in her chocolate chip cookie dough, and I made those “pudding cookies” so many times in high school that my friends renamed the recipe after me. What started as a simple exchange of ingredients among friends has built a treasure trove of memories and my entire catalog of comfort food.
I dream of curating a similar collection of recipes from my own dear friends to pass down to my children one day. The recipes linked in my group texts and book club email chains are just as important to me as my parents’ well-worn recipe cards from the 1990s—I just don’t know how to keep the links in an organized, meaningful way. My current method of Googling recipes or saving bookmarks to my internet browser makes my head spin.
I’ve picked up countless tips for my reading life, my wardrobe, and my kitchen from the Modern Mrs Darcy community over the years, so I’m eager to hear from all of you in the comments.
How do you record and organize your texted, emailed, and Googled recipes—with a traditional recipe box, an app, or something different?
And if you have a favorite comfort food recipe to share that you got from a friend or loved one, you know we’d love to hear all about it.
Creamy Chicken Enchiladas
½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, shredded
4 c. torn fresh spinach or 1 pkg frozen spinach, cooked and drained
8 oz sour cream
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 T flour
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
½ cup skim milk
4 oz can diced green chiles
Shredded cheese (measure with your heart)
Tortillas
Optional: enchilada sauce
Combine chicken, spinach in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, flour, cumin, salt, milk, and chiles. Divide in half, save some sauce for later.
For filling, combine one portion of sauce with chicken and spinach. Fill tortillas and roll them. Place filled tortillas seam-side down in a casserole dish.
Spoon the second half of the sauce over the enchiladas. (Or use enchilada sauce, if desired).
Bake at 350 for 25-30 mins. Remove from oven and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Return to oven until cheese is melted.
About the author
Chelsey Feder is a blog contributor. Her go-to genres are memoir and romance. You can find Chelsey on Instagram @chelseyreads or @novelpairingspod.
119 comments
I use Protopage to store bookmarks for everything, including recipes. I have a tab dedicated just to food, and then on that tab I have recipes sorted by mains and sides, desserts and baked goods, and soups. If I’m hosting a dinner party I start a new section for that dinner party with links to recipe ideas. Protopage also lets you add ad-hoc items, without links to those items, so I use that to identify food goals. IE – learn to make a good meat pie, fruit pie, etc.
I’ve been using Protopage for 15 or so years now. I’d be lost without it. I also use it as my RSS feed for the various blogs and newspapers I read.
I have my Grandmothers heirloom recipe books but it’s not my preferred method. I print off recipes, pop them in a plastic sleeve and into a binder. Nothing fancy, plenty of room for notes and any stray splahes can be wiped off the plastic.
Exactly what I do! And I go through it occasionally and take out recipes I haven’t used in a long time.
I put all my recipes in the Cozi app which is a shared family calendar/lists/recipe box/meal planning app. My college kids and those at home are all able to access recipes and make their/our own shopping lists from them automatically.
In the Cozi app, you are able to add a recipe manually or via a link to an online recipe.
Wait. How did I never realize this about Cozi? Trying it today…
Sometimes the heirloom books can feel too precious to have in the kitchen where (for me) mess is inevitable. But they’re still such treasures!
Same!! This is my method exactly. I’m constantly going through my binders to file new recipes and take out ones I don’t make anymore. I much prefer cooking from a printed page than my phone!
I do this too! I use tab dividers to divide recipes such as a section for soups, chili, and stews, chicken, ground beef, veggie mains, pasta etc. I also write when I first made the recipe, any special life details like after toddler’s first cold, on a lazy Sunday after church etc., who in the family liked it, and any tweaks. It’s almost a family memory book at this point! First thing I’d save in a fire!
This is also what I do!
Similar here! Family recipe binder with printed recipes in page protectors. Also use Pinterest board by type of food (beef, fish, veg, etc) but am realizing if those pins go bad I am out of luck. Giada DeLaurentis’ (sp?) TV show used a bound sketch book for noting special events, menus, table design etc. I’m aiming to do something similar and annotate all the favorite family holiday/celebration recipes.
My mother gave me a handwritten recipe book at my wedding shower. It’s filled with our favorite family recipes, and I’ve added to it over the years and used it so much that it’s falling apart. Now that my mother is dead, I treasure her handwriting even more. I want to keep referencing the book but not risk destroying it, so I have bought this to start a new recipe book that I might one day give to my children. https://cleverfoxplanner.com/products/clever-fox-recipe-book
As much as I love a quick link to a recipe, the handwritten nature of a recipe makes it even more special. My kids and I are coming up with a list of ‘family favorites’ that we want to include and I look forward to making this a project that will also be a legacy. Even ‘newer’ Google recipe links can be added if we love them, as well as the older hand written ones!
I use Apple’s Pages app on my iPad. I have a folder for each category; bread, pasta, chicken, etc. If I find a recipe on the web, I copy it, paste it into a new document in the category in Pages. Voilà! I then can go back, if I want, add pictures, change font and color, etc. For the recipe cards I inherited from my mom, I had to manually type them in, but I did save and put away the cards for safe keeping. Whenever I bake or cook I open the Pages app and they are all there. If someone asks for a recipe, I just “share” it and send it along. What’s nice about the Apple app is that it is across devices. So if I am shopping and need to check ingredients for a certain recipe, I just open the recipe.
Pinterest was created for just this kind of thing. I use it to organize my links for recipes into folders by type. My main Pinterest is https://www.pinterest.com/FromMyCarolinaHome/ – but I also curated a Lo Carb Lifestyle – https://www.pinterest.com/locarblifestyle/ – one where I have the majority of recipes I collected for others to use (although I haven’t posted to it since I retired.)
I use an app/website called Plan to Eat to collect all of my recipes. It can import recipes from a web link or you can enter them manually. You can then tag the recipes (I use tags like Air Fryer, Instant Pot, Easy Wins, Quick Meals, Family Favourites, etc) to find them quickly. Other options include starring recipes you want to make soon which get added to the Queue section, planning recipes for specific dates in the Planner section, and generating a shopping list from the recipes planned for the week. I used to copy them out into notebooks before this but that was too much effort!
Hi Chelsey, I keep nothing online…all my favorite recipes get printed and stored in a binder. After losing some fantastic recipes because a blog was taken offline or Pinterest removed my pin, I realized I wanted that physical copy (apps and websites might not always be functioning to access those recipes)! I’ve been using the Project Life app lately (an app for digital scrapbooking) to create my “recipe cards” which are printed in 8×8 size. I can copy and paste the text and even save the photo to my card and have a pretty little reminder of what a great meal I just made!
Yes! You can’t trust the internet. I always make a PDF or word document of the recipes I want to keep and save them in my cloud. Then I can easily email to friends and family and print out if the page gets beat up in my recipe binder.
Are you able to print the 8×8 cards yourself or do you print them through the app?
Plan to Eat has revolutionized my recipe chaos and meal planning. I love this app!
Plan to Eat is my favorite for recipe management and planning too! I love it! Makes it so easy import those web based recipes as well as family favorites, and then tag and plan them Love it!!!
I started using Plan To Eat in the last year and it is life changing! I rave about it to everyone. Makes meal planning and shopping SO much easier! Being able to search my recipes for ingredients I have on hand is the best!
I use the Paprika App. I’ve been using it for several years, and I love it.
I also use Paprika and LOVE it! It can scan a website link and pull the recipe into the app, you can plan menus, generate shopping lists and more. It’s also an app that I have on my computer, my ipad and my phone. So if I’m at the store, or at a friend’s house, I can quickly access any recipe I am looking for.
Agree – I’ve also used Paprika for years and love it!
I also use the Paprika app, it has changed everything for me. One thing I love is that you can include family favorites from a recipe card and attach a photo of the dish as well as the handwritten card. I sometimes add notes so I can remember who shared the recipe and the event where we ate it.
I use Paprika as well! The best is how it organizes the grocery list by section. I also like that it pulls up the ingredient list and you can uncheck the items you have.
Ditto! I also use Paprika app and it has vastly improved my recipe organization and ease of use. I used to print recipes from links for my recipe binder, but I was always losing track of links or behind on filing hard copies.
I have used Paprika for years and love the ease of saving recipes found online and accessing them anywhere. It is also easy to send recipes to others from the app. As others have commented, you can create your own recipe easily in the app, scale it up or down and make a shopping list from recipes. Recipes given/found on paper I use sleeve protectors in a binder with tabbed categories. All of my recipe cards from childhood are stored in that binder and I treasure every stained handwritten card. Periodically removing unused recipes keeps both systems more workable.
Agreed! I think Paprika is a great app for this! Though I do use Pinterest as well, when I’m interested in a recipe but not sure I want to save it forever.
Funny to see this post today after I started just this weekend to convert all my texted/emailed/bookmarked recipes to recipe cards. I know it’s old-fashioned, but it’s giving me so much pleasure to organize my favorite recipes this way. And now they will all be at my fingertips 😊
YES!!! I think this is the way to do it. No electronics necessary! And easily transferable to our loved ones at the end of our lives. The old way is the best way. I decided to go old school after I read The Recipe Box.
Is The Recipe Box a book?
I use the Plan to Eat app, and I LOVE it! It is a paid subscription, but worth every penny. I have been using it for years. It is very easy to add a new recipe through a link. (You can also add recipes by hand.) And you can create grocery lists based on your recipes. Recently my kids have started cooking more when I am not around, so I gave them my password, and now they can access any of our recipes on their own. Also, the subscription is half off every year around Thanksgiving. I don’t know what I would do without it!
This is a lovely example of how technology can change our traditions. I love the thought of a shared family app for recipes: the modern version of a recipe box.
I love, love, love this app! Great idea to share the password with my kids, thanks.
I print the recipes and add them to our recipe binder. If we make too many changes to the recipe, I type up a clean copy and put that in the binder. It’s hard keeping the binder organized though. I struggle to make it more searchable. It’s the best way to keep track of recipes with multiple people in the house doing the cooking.
I use a recipe binder as well! The best way I’ve found to keep it organized is to have dividers (Beef, chicken, pasta, pork, seafood, soup, etc.). It’s worked for me for years. I go through it about once a year to get rid of any recipes we don’t want anymore. It makes meal planning so much easier!
I use Paprika! It’s been the best!!
I use a combination of ways. I also print some and collect them into binders with plastic sleeves.Then I use tabbed divider pages to organize by type of recipe.
On the computer I save recipes I want to try to the desktop and then put them into a folder on the desktop.
I do belong to the era of hand-written cards, as well, so have my older recipes in that format. I just found a recipe there I had totally forgotten from my childhood years . I think it will be one of my next baking projects!
I second the printing and collecting them in a binder! I like having the recipes off my phone, so I’m not constantly trying to turn on the screen with dirty hands or zooming in to see the recipe if I need to look quick. Plus it’s nice to page through when I’m looking for something to make instead of sorting through my overwhelming Pinterest boards.
I hate scrolling through all the ads on webpages, when I just need to find the next ingredient in the list. So I go to the recipe, click Print recipe, then take a screen shot of those easier to read instructions and store them in a file on my notes app. I have files for favorite recipes, recipes to try, etc. When my kids are old enough to read and follow a recipe I’ll probably copy our favorites down, but for now this works very well for me and is with me wherever I go, with or without Internet.
I use an app called Recipe Keeper, which I paid a one-time fee for. It’s the perfect app for saving recipes from websites. You can customize and categorize to your heart’s content. I have categories such as Asian, Weeknight Dinners, Instant Pot, etc. It also allows you to meal plan and create shopping lists, directly from your saved recipes. You can also get it for your computer to sync it to your app; you just have to pay the fee for each device you get it on. It has been a lifesaver for me.
I use an app called “Copymethat”. I’ve used it for years and love it. It will copy any digital recipe and you can manually enter existing recipes in a really convenient editor. You can share recipes with a community of other users.
I use Copy me that also, and I LOVE it!! You can organize by collection (main dishes, desserts, etc) that you create. And every month I put all the recipes I want to make that month into a collection for that month (AA January, for example, so it stays at the top). At the end of the month I just change the name and any recipes I didn’t make yet move to next month. And it’s free!!!
I LOVE Recipe Keeper. I love that you can easily scan physical cookbooks as well as websites, and put as many different categories as you want. It has completely changed how I use my cookbooks, and I recently went through every single cookbook that I own and scanned every single recipe that I would like to eventually try. It was a huge project, but my meal planning is so much easier now, and I find I am actually trying some of the many many recipes I have been interested in!
Yes! I use CopyMeThat too, (and have for years now) and I love it. It’s so quick quick and easy to save recipes. I use the browser extension on my desktop, or copy the link into the app on my phone. And the screen never goes dark when I’m cooking! I also scanned all my handwritten recipes into Evernote. Since it can search the writing, I can always find what I’m looking for, even if all remember is an ingredient or 2.
Oh, I do only use it for recipes I’m actually cooking. I save ideas on Pinterest.
I am another lover of Plan to Eat for scanning in recipes and for recipes I find on the internet. I also like Eat Your Books to archive my cookbooks so I can find the recipes easily. I find that to be worth the small fee. And of course, Grandma’s recipes are in a box in her own handwriting.
I use the same two apps. Eat Your Books is so fun. Last night I was browsing my dozen-plus recipes for Irish soda bread that I would have never taken the time to search all my cookbooks for.
I use Dropbox. I had a binder absolutely stuffed with recipes from relatives, friends, magazines, the internet. I made myself sit down one day and scan every single recipe into Dropbox. It’s so, so easy now to find or share a recipe. If I find a recipe on the internet I “try” to make myself cook that recipe before I upload it to Dropbox.
I use Pinterest for my recipes. I have boards for everything – Weight Watchers, Pasta, Cookies, etc. Most of these are recipes I have repinned from elsewhere, but I also will take a picture of a recipe card and pin it – very easily done with an iphone! I made a family cookbook 10 years ago the old fashioned way – a Word doc which I bound. Would like to do that again in a more modern way – thoughts?
I pring and put some in a binder and the rest I save in my Notes app which is searchable
New recipes are almost always posted my Food Love pinterest boards, and this is a quick idea of what our family recipes look like that I’ve shared on my blog https://susanbowers.typepad.com/in_the_storm/2020/09/30-pages-in-30-days-12.html
Great topic! I think I need a hybrid system! — I treasure paper recipes in the handwriting of friends and long gone family. And I hate the moment when I have sticky fingers and discover my screen needs to be refreshed. But my MIL lost her recipe collection when a storm destroyed their home. My recipe box went AWOL during our move back to US after living 10 years abroad. And again when we did a complete demo and remodel of our kitchen. Both times it resurfaced, but still.
My flow:
1. pinterest: for all recipes that I want to try, set up in custom folders that make sense to my brain when searching for a recipe to try
2. paprika app: this is where all tried and true recipes go only. I have used this app for years. It is the best! I have it on my phone so when I am at the store and I change my mind I can quickly refer to it. I have it on my ipad and prop it up on my counter while I am cooking and on my computer to have it on the big screen when needed.
I have a very old and cherished recipe box that was given to me (almost 40 years ago at a bridal shower?) stuffed with my mom and mother-in-laws’ heirloom recipes. Part of its allure is the author’s handwriting that goes with them.
So… present day, if I see a recipe on a website I’d like to try, I print it out, try it and if it passes muster I stuff it in the recipe box to add to my collection.
I dislike reading recipes on my phone (we do have a family ipad but it’s often in use!), so I print recipes and put them in a binder with page protectors. I try to use a digital copy the first time I make a recipe, so I don’t waste paper. They are organized by meal type and protein and I regularly go thru them to remove ones we no longer use. I do have a collection of handwritten recipe cards from family and friends that I enjoy! My most treasured recipe resource though is my Grandmother’s cookbook. My grandmothers were college roommates so when my maternal Grandmother published two cookbooks with recipes from family and friends, it contained family recipes from both sides of my family! She passed away over 40 years ago so many of the recipes are outdated, but so many of the dessert and cookie recipes are enjoyed regularly in our family.
Thank you for sharing this fun bit of family history! Those recipes are such a treasure.
That is a lovely gift. I know you treasure it!
This is such an inspiring post! My current system is a bit tawdry. I use Pinterest and I tend to take a lot of screenshots and add them to an album on my phone called “recipes”. Yet, as I read your words it made me realize that 1. I spend so much time searching for “that recipe” I made once and loved or “the one” that my friend made at dinner and 2. I want to be more intentional. I’m not sure what that looks like yet, but I am looking forward to everyone’s responses to gather inspiration!
I too have the old 3-ring binder with plastic sleeves to keep treasured recipes safe. My mom covered it with fabric back when that was the crafty thing to do so it’s super dated and yet super special. I periodically cull recipes so only the best ones are in there. Everything else is pinned on Pinterest.
If I end up loving a recipe and wanting to treasure it, I type it up in a Google doc! The bonus to this is that I can make notes of everything I tweak, and then I’ll cite the original source at the bottom of my recipe. I have a master page of the recipe names, and each name is hyperlinked to its own Google doc. Now they live on my phone and my laptop, and they’re super easy to send to friends! (Plus you don’t have to try to read someone else’s hand writing or scroll through the paragraphs of a food blog!)
Paprika App! I love the calendar feature so I can go back and see what I cooked when…and I always add notes about who I ate with, what we were watching on TV, and fun bites like that to personalize it a bit. I only keep 4+ star recipes there (plus those I want to try) so it doesn’t get cluttered with things I cooked and didn’t love!
Lots of love for the Paprika app in this comments section! I’ll definitely check it out.
wow – i use Paprika but didn’t know about the calendar feature! Thanks for this tip! And interesting to think about only keeping 4* recipes there. Mine is so cluttered, I need to go thru and purge what I will actually never make.
I print the recipe and try it; if it’s a winner, I make any notes about what I did or would do differently next time, then place in a plastic sleeve, which goes into a 3 ring binder, sectioned by protein type or meal course depending on the item ( Chicken, Vegan Mains, Salads, Seafood, Desserts, Sauces, Appetizers, etc). I’ve been using the same method for years and it’s worked well for me. If a friend or my daughters want a recipe, I simply scan and email it to them.
I love my old fashion cards so easy to sort through and especially my mothers hand written with no measurements! Pinch of this cup of that use your judgement! But use google print outs and if I want to keep put on card.
haha I love a “measure with your heart” recipe!!
I love viewing my favorite recipes online, but I still prefer the solid feeling of an actual book to reference. Papier.com has a a recipe journal selection of which you can choose to customize (at no extra charge) the front cover headings and include your name or whatever title you like to describe what’s inside. They have various prints to choose from for the outside of the journals; so you’re bound to find something that you can make your own. The inside has neat columns and places all mapped out where you can include the names of recipes, their ingredients, prep time, cook time, portion size, a nice large area to record how to make the dish, and there’s even an extra place to write down any tips or tricks or variations. It’s easier having all my favorite online recipes in one place, plus I love handwritten recipes to pass on someday.
Paprika all the way. I used to use Pepperplate which was a free app, then they changed to a monthly subscription fee of $2.99. Paprika has a one time charge and I use it on my Mac, iPad and iPhone. It’s easy to upload recipes from the browser or copy/paste, put recipes in categories that you choose, scale up or down and more. It is completely worth it!
Karen, how do they compare? I love Pepperplate and have used it for many years. I’m so invested that I have paid for it since they started charging. It feels irreplaceable ( I have so much history, so many recipes, planner records, easy to use shopping list), but….maybe Paprika? So many seem to really like it.
Hi Carol, I’ve been using Paprika for a few years now and I don’t remember exactly how it compared to Pepperplate. Pretty similar if I remember correctly. I think downloading recipes from the internet thru the browser is easier. If Pepperplate had offered a one-time fee, I would have gladly paid for it. I just couldn’t justify yet another monthly charge.
I’m also a fan of putting printouts or pages from magazines into a binder with plastic sleeves. The only recipes that go in there are ones that we like and I know I will make again. I make notes on them as needed, including if I made them for a special occasion (e.g. “Colin’s 13th birthday cake!”) or if I got the recipe from someone.
I keep recipes I use often in a Google Docs folder called “cookbook”. Each recipe has a document, and the ones that I want to remember where they came from I’ve added a notes section to. For example, my favorite lasagna recipes came to me from my mom, who got it from her friend Amy, who was my preschool teacher (who we all called Mrs. Amy). So I have a note that the recipe is from Mrs. Amy, and it makes me happy every time I see it.
I do love Google docs! Those notes are the most important part.
Once I decide a recipe is a keeper, it gets an index card and goes in the recipe box. I found a cool vintage-looking rooster recipe box on Amazon a few years ago. I love it.
I use Microsoft OneNote. I have a cookbook notebook divided into the sections I like. One of the option under print is to send it to OneNote where it opens and I can confirm section so very easy to file. I can also key recipes into it or paste. If needed, I can print.
I store and use most of my recipes on the AnyList app. It’s hardly nostalgia-inducing, but it’s sooo convenient. As my kids are getting more involved in cooking, I made them a recipe binder, printed our favorite recipes (from AnyList) and slid each one into a sheet protector (I also drew caricatures of them on the cover looking very chef-like, which definitely encourages more frequent use!).
Love these ideas! I use Pinterest for new recipes, and I print off the ones I try/most want to try. I put these into hanging file folders with tabs in a plastic file folder holder, so it’s easy to find my category and pull out the one I want to use that day. I can also write on them and if I destroy the paper I can just print a new one.
*I cover the file folder holder with a toaster oven cover which fits really well! This keeps dust out.
I recently started using a notebook to keep track of all the recipes I’ve tried and loved and want to go back to, whether they are from my mom, texted by a friend, or a random from the internet. Once it’s a keeper, I write it down and then never have to scour the internet again. It’s been so nice to have them all in one place and not worry about whether my phone is charged to get through a recipe cook time!
Although I still have all my heirloom recipes, favoritesites from magazines and many cookbooks, I mostly use the Paprika app. It’s a fabulous tool for organizing recipes. You can take them all shopping with you and refer to a recipe while you’re shopping. You can download almost any recipe from any website. There are no limits to the number you can save. Your can rate them, and search by rating, title or ingredient. There are too many features to mention here, but I love always having all my favorite recipes with me!
I’m thinking ahead now for my teens and passing favorite recipes along. I’ll share the ones I’ve logged in my Plan to Eat app, of course. But for this digital generation I’m now envisioning a printed photo book of recipe card images to pass down. Has anyone done something similar?
My sister-in-law did this when their mom died. There are pictures of her and the kids sprinkled throughout as well as actual images of her handwritten recipe cards so we can all have them. It’s such a treasure.
For weekly meal planning and general recipe organizing, I’ve been using the Plan to Eat app since 2015. It’s fantastic – saves me so much time, and money because I always have a shopping list when I go to the store. For my 20-yr-old daughter who just moved into her first house, we have started her own personal cookbook in a Google Doc. I copy her favorites from Plan to Eat into the Google Doc (with link if applicable). She can print it or just pull it up on her whatever screen she is using in the kitchen. And it is uniquely hers!
I use Pinterest for all my recipes
I have always written favorite recipes on index cards then have stored them in a plastic container kept in our kitchen pantry.
The recipes are just stacked with the most frequently used on top of the stack. Periodically, I go through the recipe box for fresh meal inspiration. Just this morning, one of my friends suggested I illustrate and self-publish a cookbook with all my recipes that I use most often. I may consider that idea for Christmas gifts.
My collection of recipes not only come from family and friends but from many of the great cooks I have meet and shared meals with during the time of my husband’s military career. Several Christmases ago my son gifted me the “Master Cook” app. I have just about transferred all my recipes (and photo of dishes) that are on hand written recipe cards, magazines, cookbooks to this app. I also make notes about where the recipe came from, family, friend, name of source , page number and so on. I have tried storing on computer and other platforms but over time have had issues retrieving them or they just disappear so my plan is to print them and take the pages to my local office supply store and have the pages bound. I will store the family hand written recipes that are stained and have additional notes in an archival folder from the Container Store along with a photo of the family member the recipe came from.
When my mother passed away in 2009 I began to put together albums for my 2 daughters and my nephew – I color copied the recipes from her box of “From the kitchen of” cards that we loved and created for our families. I also went back through all of the pictures taken over the years of my parents with their grandchildren. I used photo albums and mixed in the copied recipes with the pictures. Both of my daughters cherish their albums and use them for the recipes included!
Plan to Eat is the only right answer here. Sorry all other answers. 😂😂 you can add a URL and it will import the recipe for you, or you can manually enter your family’s recipes.
Once recipes are entered, you can build your meal plan around those recipes, and it will generate a shopping list for you. Plan to Eat saves my sanity and my budget!
I do have some sentimental handwritten recipe cards, and I’ve framed those—they hang in my kitchen.
I got a set of dividers and some loose-leaf book rings and keep all of my printed recipes indexed and organized that way. Things that can’t be three-hole punched (pages from magazines, etc.) get put into plastic sleeves and then inserted. I find this works better than a three-ring binder because I can flip it entirely around on itself, rather than having a big open binder on the counter.
I make a google doc and then insert the link into the recipe title. If I do something different, I leave the note there. I have google docs based on diets (keto, instant pot, etc.) and it’s still something I turn to when I’m in a rut. I also use this to share with friends who need inspo on the kitchen.
On a side not, one of my family’s favorite Christmas present from my mom, to this day, is she “made a cookbook” by typing up all of the recipes she had. A lot were hard to read from either my grandmas handwriting or just being so old and used, they were falling apart. So, she typed them all into a website and created cookbooks for us. She added her own notes, where they came from and it is something I will cherish for years to come. As a bonus, she created the cover herself with all those old recipe cards.
I put all my receipes in a OneNote notebook and have shared it with my grown daughters. We can all access the “Mayo Family Cookbook” OneNote on our computers and via a OneNote app on our phones. That makes it convenient for all of us to add, share, etc. and is super helpful when I’m travelling in my RV. While I do keep a hard copy 3-ring binder of all my recipes, with the OneNote app on my phone, I don’t have to carry the big binder with me on trips. What I love about OneNote is that you can organize it so easily, just like you would a physical cookbook binder (tabs for different sections like Chicken, Beef, Pasta, Dessert, etc.) and then pages under each section for individual receipes. You can also include pictures and links to websites. Love it!
I save all my recipes in Evernote… for years!
General “Recipes” notebook with tags for the specific categories…
Can easily include links if needed, and super easy search is awesome!
I also travel a lot and my married kids live super far from me so recipes always with me!
Same! This was at the suggestion of my husband. It is especially handy for when we travel and rent a place with a kitchen, as I always have my phone and/or tablet with me and as long as I have Internet, my recipes are all there. I have “notebooks” of tried-and-true recipes and recipes to try. And it’s easy to share recipes on the go, so I am at at a potluck and someone asks for a recipe, I can share it if they have Evernote, or quickly copy and paste the recipe to send to them another way.
I use Paprika, but my absolute favorites get written down and put into a binder I was given when I got married. I much prefer to cook from a physical recipe rather than a screen. But I like having them with me because I can look for ideas when I’m at the store, or I can pull out a recipe when I’m visiting my in-laws. Paprika also makes it easy to share them. Sometimes, the recipe will just live in my digital world until I deem that I like it enough to write down. 😁
I bookmark things I want to make – but when I have a recipe I like and/or make from online, I print them out and have a 3 ring binder I put them in so I don’t have to dig through my internet history. They’re all formatted differently but I can make notes, work from something other than my phone and keep adding to it as I find ones that I like and make often.
I use every method known and it is disorganized beyond belief.
While I love handwritten recipe cards- I have no time. And that is no way to keep recipes I have not yet tried.
Loved the OneNote suggestion. I use it for work as my portable filing cabinet, so I may give that a try.
Thanks to everyone who shares.
My favorites are all in an antique metal tin. Best and most used are just tucked up in the lid! That little box is on my must-grab list if the house is on fire!
I use Pinterest for mine, but honestly, I’m considering copying out my favorites so I don’t have to grab my phone to cook. I already have recipe binders and a card file for my favorites in physical form, so I wouldn’t need to start something new.
I use a bullet journal that is only for recipes. At the front I have an index page for each category where I add the recipe titles and page numbers for easy reference. I write the recipes, one per page on the next available page. For protection from splashes, a moleskine or leuchterm notebook opened flat fits perfectly in a gallon ziplock bag. I only add tried and true family favorites.
I asked my mom for a binder style recipe book with plastic sleeves with 4×6 card slots. That way the faves and heirloom recipes are preserved and can’t get ruined either.
Nearly six years ago I was diagnosed with celiac disease and had to rework my entire library of recipes to be gluten free. I bought a big binder and as I reworked both my favorite and new recipes to accommodate my gluten free requirements, I would type them up (noting the original recipe source) and save them by category (poultry, breads, desserts, etc.) Over time I’ve developed my own gluten free recipe book that is saved in Word, as a PDF, and printed out for my binder. I have sent those files to so many more people than I ever could’ve anticipated! It’s been gratifying to see my work of adjusting recipes help others who are in the same boat.
One quick note about my binder, that will apply to more people broadly: I have the binder broken out into about a dozen categories, and I have an envelope page divider at the start of each category. If I find a recipe I want to make I print it out and put it into the envelope until I actually make it. If it merits a spot in the binder I’ll put it into a page protector, otherwise I toss it. It’s been nice to separate recipes that are in the queue to be made versus those that have earned a spot to be made repeatedly.
I use pinterest to bookmark reipes I want to try. Once I’ve tried something I decided whether I’ll cook it fairly regularly. If the answer is yes, I put it in my Evernote notebook “Our family recipe book.” If not I delete it from Pinterest. I put the keepers in Evernote because you can clip them easily without the ads and other guff, once they’re in Evernote you can edit them if you make additions or substitutions, you have a copy of all your recipes on your own computer so if the website that the recipe was on disappears you’ve still got it and you can export the whole thing out as a pdf so your have it all backed up.
I also use a binder for many online recipes and print and store them. I have the Paprika app which should make things easier for me IF I used it, but it’s not intuitive enough (or I haven’t tackled the learning curve) to make it my easy “go to”… so I stick with the paper method. But my most treasured “recipe” gifts came last Christmas from my daughter. She had a Holiday family tradition recipe in my Mom’s handwriting copied (burned) onto a wooden cutting/serving board, and did the same with a special family recipe card from my Mother in law. Now I get to see and remember the handwriting of these loving ladies as well as the food and memories we made together even though they’re no longer here. I have the boards hanging in my kitchen.
I probably should start off by saying I’m 72 years old, so I have quite a collection of recipes from before the Internet was even a thought. When I graduated from college, the alumnae group of our sorority gave each senior a recipe box. I have been filling that box (and an additional one I bought a few years later) with recipes from family and friends. I love to cook from these cards, and I especially love the ones written by my mom, my grandma, old friends and new. In 2005 I purchased a Barefoot Contessa recipe file, and I use this for recipes that I print from websites. I do not like to follow a recipe on my Ipad. Finally, my daughters created a cookbook with our favorite family recipes for me as a Christmas gift before I retired and sold our family home of 23 years. They added photos of the home, holidays, family, and food. “Cooking at 334” is the most precious cookbook I own.
This is probably pretty old school, but I created a recipe journal. It’s just a spiral bound notebook where I print out the recipes my family loves, and then paste them to the pages of the notebook. I like it because underneath the recipe I can add my notes on how I made it. Maybe I substituted butter, or oregano. I also use this space to record my thoughts about who enjoyed the meal and if we had friends there too. This has been a treasure trove and fun for the kids to look through and remember those special dinner times we spent together.
I have been emailing myself the recipe links and saving them into a designated folder in my email. But I’ve seen a few apps here that I want to try.
I have that chicken enchilada recipe and my family loves it! At one time, my recipes were organized by “diet” recipes and “regular” recipes, kept in file boxes, a large 3-ring binder, a small 2-ring binder for cards, or tossed inside of a box labeled “to try.” After years of frustration putting my fingers on a particular recipe, they are now filed in three separate 3-ring binders that I had printed at Vista Print. The covers are titled “Connie’s Recipes, Vol. I, II, III.” Everything is organized by section and my separator tabs have pockets where I tuck those “to try” recipes. Bon appétit!
I save my recipe links to my Notes app on my iphone. I have a folder for recipes and even sub folders in the recipes sections. Is super helpful for special occasions and holidays, as I can save all the recipes I want to one note. When you hit the share button (at the bottom of the screen it’s the square with the up arrow), just choose your notes app and it will save there. It’s been a lifesaver and I love that I don’t have to open an account with another app.
In Trello!! If I see an interesting recipe, I email it to my Trello recipe board. It is the easiest and simplest method I’ve found. I can always find what I’m looking for.
After years of trying to keep track of recipes online, I decided to make a “cookbook”. Recipes that I find myself making again and again are the ones to qualify. I bought a binder, made dividers from cardstock by traditional cookbook categories, and put the recipes in page protectors to keep them from getting too ratty. This way I can also add my modifications and comments. It’s been great to have that plus all of the recipe cards from my mom.
I have a 3 ring binder with page protectors that I use for recipes from the internet.
My grandma made each granddaughter a recipe box filled with her recipes for our 13th birthday and I love that.
And I keep a plain old spiral bound notebook for recipes I create.
I’ve also started a notebook for each of my kids where I hand write recipes from any of the above sources that they have learned to make themselves, so they’ll have a starter recipe book when they move out.
In addition to treasured, well-used recipe cards in boxes from members of my family, I have an old-school binder with folders inside that sort recipes from magazines I’ve cooked and liked. I keep ones at the front that I have torn out to try (again, old school). I should scan them or move to something fancier than the binder, but the main reason I don’t is that my then 5-year old drew a picture of me cooking that he titled “Queen of Dinner” and it is on the cover. Picture one of those heads with arms coming out the sides wearing a chef hat – it makes me smile every time I use it, especially because he’s now 23. 🙂
When I was in high school, my mother had me type up my grandmother’s recipes to give her siblings in a similar binder that others have described. In doing so, though, what I noticed was how much I loved her additional comments, when she’d note, “So good!” or “Delish — Macy brought to the Auburn women’s luncheon.”
I cook mostly out of cookbooks but thanks to her I write notes with dates at the top of each page, and so my cookbooks have really turned into one line journals over the years: “Good and easy. Made for the kids before we leave for Disney tomorrow. They will be so surprised!” “C started walking this week, which made all this chopping a little more challenging!” Really fun to look back on, especially the family favorites with years of notes.
My brilliant friend types her recipes on cards and laminates them then puts them on a binder ring for easy access. I’m slowly integrating this to my kitchen as well! I’m worried about losing my thousands of pins on Pinterest or them becoming inactive if a blog deactivates in our TikTok world. Here’s my friend’s idea & template: https://quietdaysmagazine.com/recipe-organization-tips/
One year, my mom wanted to get everyone something for Christmas. Money was tight for her so she decided to create a recipe book of the dishes she always made as we were growing up. She typed up each recipe and put them in a cute little recipe book with plastic sleeves. Then a few years later, she made a version for the grandkids who all had favorite dishes. While I treasure this book (it was one of the survivors from our downsizing the house purge), I also have to laugh. I have tried to make a few of the dishes but they never turn out right, some are even awful. She is such a taste as she goes cook that the exact measurements are rarely right. I have teased her that she did it on purpose so we had to come to her house for dinner! Now we are trying to watch her as she cooks, my husband even videoed her making the family favorite cheesesteaks!
When I see a recipe I’d like to try I email myself the link with a few keywords and then store it in a folder in my email called Recipes. When I’m doing my meal planning I search my email recipe folder using keywords for whatever it is I’m wanting to make. If I try a new recipe and know I’ll want to make again and again I print it out and put it in plastic in my recipe binder. The binder also holds recipes written out by my aunts and grandmothers and friends that I use all the time. That way my binder is just tried and true go-to recipes but all the things I want to try someday are stored out of sight in my email until I need them.
I just started going through my moms recipe card boxes that I inherited 8 years ago. I decided to pick 1 recipe to try out each time I meal plan/shop. This method would take me more than a lifetime, but it’s a start. Online, I still use Pinterest for recipes. However, it is so easy to pin recipes from the internet that it can be overwhelming. Perhaps keep a board specifically for ‘recipes from friends’?
A dear friend made one of those blank books for me…perhaps some would have used it as a journal. I wrote my favorite and most used recipes in it and it sits on my kitchen counter, resting on a book holder. I also have some recipe cards but the book is used most frequently. 😊
For recipes I use and like from the internet, I have a journal where I write the recipe title as well as the website where I found it. There is an index in the back (by alphabet, made by me) where I write the recipe title and page number where it is located in the journal.
For shorter recipes I make often, I jot the recipe right in the journal. I index those also for easy retrieval.
I see the wisdom of printing out the recipe, but I already have a lot of paper in my kitchen. I’ll keep using my method until it doesn’t serve me anymore.
(For the record, I still have two full recipe card boxes I use also. Although I don’t add to those, I can’t quite give them up.)