Blank Cookbook

[EEstrada]

Where would I be able to find a blank cookbook. Something that I can actually do my own righting on. I was thinking of buying just a blank journal book, but maybe there is something nicer out there. Thanx!

[tknaps]

I was thinking the same the other day as a matter of fact. I did a search on Amazon for "blank recipe book" and it gives quite a few hits. Most of it seems to be more suited for collecting recipes though (clippings from magazines etc.) and definitely overpriced for something you would just write up recipes in. Here's one example:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...06208?v=glance

I've come to the conclusion that for me, it's probably best to buy a set of medium sized inexpensive journals of some sort. I was thinking a separate one for pastry, desserts, meats, fish etc.

I rarely use recipes at all these days as I'm more fond of inventing dishes while I'm standing in the kitchen (except for desserts). Keeps things from getting boring, and after some reading and practice I'm becoming quite good at putting together ingredients that I'm pretty confident will work together. When I actually do follow a recipe it's more because I'm looking for new ideas than to get a "perfect dish" (or I'm cooking one of grandmas sacred ones )

The thing is though that once in a while I come up with something I really like, and by the time I've sat down to eat I've forgotten half of what I put in it That's why I wanted to "control my experiments" a bit more, and start writing down what I do and maybe improve on it next time. This means I'll probably end up with something that looks like a messy notebook rather than a proper cookbook, so I've decided to just go cheap on them (but at the same time they need to survive a kitchen environment). I've been looking at software as well, but it's just too cumbersome to have it on the computer.

How do others manage their recipes? I'd be interested to hear if there's something really clever I've missed

[Andy M.]

I write my recipes in Word on the computer. It's a lot easier to revise and reprint them when needed. I often make adjustments to a recipe, especially if I haven't cooked it for a while. I also get them really messy sometimes. Two really good reasons for them to be easily replaceable. I print them and put them into a 3-ring binder I have decorated.

[AllenOK]

I'm with Andy. I've used my pc as my cookbook for years. I'll print a recipe, and slip it into a page protector (available at Wal-Mart, or anywhere school supplies are sold). I keep a thumbtack in my cabinet door, with a butterfly clip attached to that. I use the clip to hold the recipe in place. Use a dry-erase marker to mark changes on a recipe while you're prepping/cooking.

Keeping the recipe on my pc also makes it easier to print new copies, email copies, or post copies on this website

[Andy M.]

Allen:

I had considered page protectors as well. However, I decided I would be able to get more pages into a binder without them. Also, the cost of a page protector is more than the cost of a sheet of paper if I soil a page and have to reprint it.

[jkath]

I just bought a Betty Crocker 3-ring binder from Barnes and Noble last week. It's full of conversion charts, etc, plus many pages for writing. Plus, since the pages are standard size, you can print off of the computer and then transfer them to the book.

[Michael in FtW]

I, too, keep all my recipes on the computer in word processor files. The ones I print out go into a 3-ring binder. Then, in the kitchen, I have a picture hanger on the cabinet door - I pull out a recipe and stick it on a clipboard and hang it on the cabinet. If it gets messed up - I just print another copy.

[Constance]

I like the idea of having a cookbook in print, in case something happens to my PC and I lose it all. I print the tried and true recipes on both sides of card stock, put it in a plastic cover and keep in a ring binder.

[AllenOK]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Allen:

I had considered page protectors as well. However, I decided I would be able to get more pages into a binder without them. Also, the cost of a page protector is more than the cost of a sheet of paper if I soil a page and have to reprint it.

I whole-heartedly agree with you on this. I've got 8 or 9 three-ring binders full of page protectors and printouts in them. They weigh a ton. I haven't done anything with those in years. Nowadays, what I'm doing is to print a page, and keep that in standard cardboard folder. Since I keep a recipe posted up on a cabinet when I'm using it, it doesn't get really dirty.

I guess I should have been a little more clear.

[Robo410]

ditto to what Michael in FtW does. very convenient