Blog

4

I don't know about you guys, but most of the recipes I find and use are online and I'm realizing I need a system to keep track of all these! Often times I'll take my laptop into the kitchen and use the recipe straight off there, but I'm thinking I should keep the computer away from all the bacon grease splatter going on.

After cleaning my house this weekend, I've found stacks of paper recipes in various places all around - in drawers, cabinets, on my desk - it's time to get organized!

How do you guys keep your recipes organized?

flag
5 
This will inevitably lead to you getting hooked on pinterest :) – FED at LiveCaveman.com Feb 19 2012 at 21:12
I clip into Evernote - which syncs with Desktop, laptop, smartphone, and tablet! – Lady_Arwen Feb 20 2012 at 2:57
I really, really hate Pinterest, but it's the best for me when organizing recipes. Here's mine, this is how I use it: pinterest.com/lifestream I also tried Evernote, and I love that I can place tags such as Winter, Summer, Christmas, Birthday... even so, I'm a visual person, so Pinterest seems to work best for me. – a tricksty trickster Feb 20 2012 at 6:24
1 
Just had to say, +1 for bacon-fat tag. All posts should carry that tag regardless of subject matter :) – LastingOne Feb 20 2012 at 20:17

15 Answers

6

copy + paste into Evernote.

I also keep my own recipes in there, shopping lists, ideas for my website, musings on my own misguided hobby of writing, and my workout log.

It's really pretty useful. I have it on my tablet, my phone, my home PC, and my work laptop. I never have to remember where I wrote something down, and I no longer have to kill trees to remember stuff.

link|flag
Thanks, this seems to be a pretty popular way to track them... I shall give it a try! – DanielleO812 Feb 20 2012 at 13:46
5

i use pinterest! it's awesome!

link|flag
I also use pinterest :D – Miriam Feb 19 2012 at 21:07
So do I. I used to bookmark sites with recipes in a bookmark folder, but Pinterest gives you a pretty picture of each recipe, plus you get to share them with others. Pinterest rocks.... except you can spend all day there. – Annika Feb 19 2012 at 21:22
yea totally addicting...i could stare at food ALL. DAY. LONG. – meret Feb 19 2012 at 23:57
Yes, thanks, I do use pinterest! I was acually more interested in how to keep track of recipes I find on other sites. There are about 4-5 websites I use regularly for recipes and am always looking for new ones! – DanielleO812 Feb 20 2012 at 13:46
4

I email them to myself with a good subject line and keep them in a "Recipe" folder. I have considered even labeling some sub-folders and breaking them further into appropriate categories now that I have many in there. I made the mistake of just keeping some links to some and now they are nowhere to be found online so I copy and paste the whole recipe now. If subject lines are really good it is easy to alphabetize and find what you are looking for.

I also take my laptop in the kitchen but leave it far from splatter range. If for some reason I can't take it I jot down notes I need or just get exercise walking back and forth from office to kitchen when I need to reference the recipe.

Some favorites I can't memorize for some reason I will print out and hang on fridge but most recipes I just need a general idea of the general "how to's" and then do it to my own liking anyway.

HTH

link|flag
2

you have GOT to get on pinterest!!

link|flag
2

I have lots of punched pockets in a folder/file & my recipes are in there. Unfortunately, they're not in any particular order ATM due to looking after kids & OH having a rough ride with a few things over the last couple of months.

I can take the recipe out of the binder in it's pocket & if it does get messy, it's wipe clean! I have pinterest too, but prefer to have a paper copy.

link|flag
yup, I use an old folder left over from school, print a copy, and keep them out of order in there. It's easy to tell which ones are favorites- they're at the top of the pile, wrinkled, and stained with food and grease splatters! – Chris Feb 19 2012 at 22:08
1

I use an online bookmarking service that is awesome. (pinboard.in) This way I can access my bookmarks from any computer, anywhere. Very handy.

Any recipes I plan to try in the next while get posted to my Evernote account (evernote.com), because then I can read that recipe on my cell phone when I'm in the grocery store.

I do have a folder for paleo recipes on my computer, too.

link|flag
1

I'm apparently super old school. I print them out and put them in my recipe book, which is like a photo album.

link|flag
1

For paper recipes, I have a binder + sheet protectors that's roughly organized into entrees, sides, desserts, and a section at the front of untried recipes. I'm slowly scanning them into the computer. (with the exception of family/friend recipes- written down by generations past, that sort of thing.)

For internet (& scanned) recipes, I send them to my Evernote. I've got the web clipper for my browser, the setup to just email them to myself (either from my actual email or from my Google Reader), and the actual-program for my scanned guys. All accessible from my phone, and private-unless-i-choose-to-share.

Pinterest, on the other hand, is completely public, just links-and-pictures (so if the website or link gets borked, goodbye recipe), doesn't work on my phone, and goes down more frequently than (insert terrible sexual analogy here).

link|flag
1

Once a recipe becomes a favorite, I print it out and put it in an old fashioned 3 ring notebook (with sections for main dishes, soups, salads, & veggie sides). I'll also type out any favorite recipes from books and put them in the notebook too. That way, if I'm sick or super busy I can just direct my husband (or my mom or a friend or whoever is giving me a hand) to the book and they can take over from there. I had a big organized bookmark file on my computer when I had my son, and no one was able to find or make any of my favorite food without me futzing around on the computer for them. Bookmarks & pinterest may be great for organizing your own thoughts, but paper is much easier to hand off to someone else.

link|flag
I rock the old-school 3-ring binder too – Ruth Feb 20 2012 at 22:22
1

i use pepperplate (pepperplate.com). they have a bookmarklet that lives in the bookmarks toolbar, so you can save a recipe from any site very easily. i also like it because you can menu plan and create grocery lists very easily from your menus.

i also use pintrest, but most recipes i pin end up in my pepperplate account.

link|flag
It sounds like something I need... Off to have a look at it! – Efaitch Feb 20 2012 at 8:18
0

Extremely organized bookmarks in Firefox, that's all. I pull out what I want to make for the week before going to the market and make a list from that.

link|flag
0

Another vote for Evernote - not just for recipes - for everything.

link|flag
0

Delicious.com! It lets you tag recipes with key words, and so I tag everything very explicitly. For example, pork, beef, paleo, summer, fall, heavy cream, Indian, Portuguese, rosemary, eggplant, ferment, Food52, Smitten Kitchen, canning, company, make ahead, work lunch, etc - you get the idea. Then when I have a yen for something sweet/spicy/seasonal/ethnic/strictly Paleo/naughty, I plug in a tag and see what pops up. It also helps me use up more exotic ingredients (so I don't buy, use once, and let them dry out in the fridge or in a drawer). A couple of years of dedicating bookmarking and tagging has built me one hell of a good internet recipe library, with something for every occasion and time of year.

Pinterest is fun, and a lot more visual, but it's nowhere near as practical.

link|flag
0

Can you promote blogs on pintrest via the recipes?

link|flag
0

If you own Apple products, nothing beats Paprika.

link|flag

Your Answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.