Handwritten Recipes

[AriesGirl71]

I was just wondering how everyone stores thier handwritten recipes. I have several of them and have always kept them organized by catergory in a index card file box.. but I am getting too many "favs" and my box is getting to full to hold them all so was wondering how everyone else keeps thiers stored and if anyone could offer me a suggestion of an easier way. I don't want to keep them on the computer as I am not on here alot and it is easier having them on a card when I am cooking. Thanks!!!!

 

[AriesGirl71]

Ok.. after looking around more in this forum.. I think i posted it in the wrong one thread.

 

[GB]

I do not have any handwritten ones. All of mine are on the computer. For the ones I use a lot I will print those out and keep them in a three ring binder in the kitchen. I have plastic sleeves that they go into so food stains can just be wiped off.

I also keep all my recipes in my palm pilot so that I always have them with me. That way when I am in the store I can look up a recipe and see what I would need to buy for it.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I have them in an recipe box and I keep some on the computer. For cookbooks I just take an index card and not the name of the cookbook, name of the recipe and page number and keep that card in the cookbook. I'm going to try and eliminate some of my cookbooks too by writing down the recipes I like. That way I can get more cookbooks. At this point and time I have way too many so I'm reluctant to buy anymore right now.

I have just started to make a brand new recipe box though. I'm trying out different recipes and coming up with my own attempts. For those that are a success I immediately write them down and put them in my recipe box. I'm going through the old one and the ones here on the computer so that I can weed out ones I've never tried or have tried and didn't care for. I want to eventually get them all down into the one recipe box. I know how important it was for me to get my mothers recipe box so I hope that future generations will be just as happy with mine.

 

[vyapti]

I keep all of mine on the computer, also. I'm very happy with Living Cookbook for this purpose. I also keep a log of variants, especially when I'm trying to make something new. Like GB, my frequently used recipes are bound in a recipe book.

 

[Robo410]

the ones I really want to use and keep I have typed on the puter. I also have a printout in a notebook of them all should disaster strike or should i need to take em traveling.

 

[AllenOK]

I'm like GB, and do basically the same thing. Only, I don't use page protectors and three-ring binders anymore. I have about 7 or 8 binders, full of hardcopy recipes, out in my garage. The favorite recipes that I'm using right now, are just printed, and stored in a trapper-keeper folder. I have a thumbtack and a butterfly paperclip mounted on one of my cabinets, and I'll clip the recipe I'm currently using onto that, and go from there. That keeps the recipe up and away from food.

 

[Half Baked]

Many many years ago, I filled about 10 recipe boxes and then I found MasterCook. Since I too, am always afraid of computer problems, my absolute favorites are printed out in 4" 3 ring binders. I have no idea how many of those I have.

I'll have to live to be 150yo to even make a dent in trying all the recipes. I keep going back to my TNT until I get into a rut.

 

[thumpershere2]

Index box and a 3 ring binder with plastic pages to insert the recipes.

 

[AriesGirl71]

LOL halfbaked.. u sound like me with all my recipes. I find sooo many that I think are awesome and want to try "someday" but have had for years now and have never made. I am thinking of working my way down the cards tho and making them and tossing what didn't work or no one likes and keep the TNT ones. I am addicted to recipes, cookbooks, booklets, pamphlets.. anything that has recipes ...... I am happy just reading a cookbook.. lol

 

[vagriller]

Years back I saw recipe box project that was big enough to hold a page from a magazine of a piece of notebook paper folded in half. That might be a good method to keep recipes in one place. I hate to transfer a recipe if I already have a good copy of it, but I'm just lazy.

 

[auntdot]

Y'all are so organized.

Have a large folder of hand written recipes in absolutely no order. When I once in a while go through them, pick out a few I want to make and transfer them to the computer.

Were it not for the computer, could never find anything.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I still can't believe the number of recipes I've written down and have never made. I just weeded out so many. Now all I have in my recipe box are TNT ones. I only kept a few of ones I still have yet to prepare. I figured after all these years if I hadn't made it yet then I probably won't. Now I still need to go through my recipe file on the computer though.

 

[AriesGirl71]

Ok.. from what everyone has posted as suggestions.. i have decided to combine all of them and get more organized...or try to.. lol. My luck is.. I will get all organized and a month from now.. will need to do it again. I have decided to type and print out all of my favorite recipes from cookbooks, magazines, recipes etc, that I want to try and put them into a 3 ring binder in catagories. The ones that I have made and are favorites I will keep in my index box that I already have and as I make the ones I have not made yet but want to.. and if they are well liked.. will add to the index box. I have TONS of taste of home and quick cooking magazines so by typing them and printing them out.. i can throw the magazines away. At least I am gonna try this idea.. see how it goes. I need to do something as I need to get rid of this box of magazines that I have in the closet. Cookbooks I will probably keep no matter what as I did pay good money for them. Anything else will be typed out and original tossed.

Thanks for all ur help and keep the suggestions coming.. never know if this will work for me or not.. lol.

 

[Andy M.]

As an alternative, I'd recommend not typing up a ton of recipes that you have saved from mags etc. until you've tried them and decide you like them. Otherwise, you'll be typing forever!

To get rid of magazines, clip the recipes and toss the rest of the issue.

Sort the clippings by category (main dishes, desserts, sides, salads), and clip them together or put them into individual folders. Then, when you're looking for a recipe, you can go to that category and flip through the ones you've saved.

If you cook it and like it, put it into your permanent collection by typing it up and putting it into a binder or put it onto a recipe card.

 

[mudbug]

I just can't throw out those ones Mom wrote out.

Same for the old farm ladies who I used to interview for the newspaper with their perfect Palmer Method penmanship.

OK, so I'm a pack rat. Deal with it.

 

[VeraBlue]

mine are a mess

and I wouldn't have it any other way. I took my mother in law's recipes when she passed away and her mother's too! Both were kept in little index card holders. Some of mine are that way, as well. But from my own mother, I learned the method of writing it down, and sticking it in a folder in a drawer.

Sorry, but it's the truth and I'll never be able to organize them now. There is no hope.

Fortunately, I don't actually follow too many recipes.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I just can't throw out those ones Mom wrote out.

quote]

I'm absolutely with you on this one!

 

[Little Miss J]

I am liking this thread as I have no system at all - or lots of not very organised little systems. Printouts from the 'net are in a drawer in my computer desk. Cookbooks are either in my kitchen, the lounge shelf or my study shelf. I have a stack of magazines with marked pages I need to actually try. I also have a notebook of handwritten recipes I put together when I was in high school. Recipes people have given me are scattered all over the place.
I can never find a recipe when I need one (or I find about 6 then cant remember which one I like) and unfortunately I am not clever enough to cook without them.

 

[urmaniac13]

I also try to keep all my recipes in my file in the puter. I have written down loads of recipes, but I am so bad at keeping them in good order, if I do use it I would leave it on the kitchen counter, table, shelf etc. it would continue to be knocked around here and there until I spill something on it or getting accidentally tossed out with some other rubbish or just disappear into our domestic black hole (I am convinced there is one in our house...)
So I try to make a point that whenever I find a recipe I will put it in our recipe file in our doc disc, and keep a copy on one of my memory pens and when I need them I look at them on our flybook in the kitchen.