If cooking is your passion, why not organize your recipes so you can always find them. Your recipes are probably one of your most prized possessions, so keep them safe where you can always find them. Today we are going to tackle organizing all those recipes into one easy to find system.
For most people their recipes are near and dear to their heart. Their recipes have been handed down from parents and grandparents and are treasured gifts. Recipes can bring back memories of childhood and spending time with family.
But stacks of recipe books, torn out pages and little pieces of scratch paper can pile up causing a lot of visual clutter. It’s time to get your recipes in order. Find a recipe system that works best for you and stick with it. Follow the steps outlined below to get started.
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Declutter What You Have
First start by going through your books and piles to see what you can get rid of. Make a “Keep” stack and a “Toss/Donate” stack. If you have cookbooks that are still in usable condition but you don’t want anymore, consider donating them to your local library or thrift store.
Do you have recipes books you never use? Or do you have books that you only use one or two recipes from? Get rid of the books you don’t use at all. If you only use a few recipes from the book you can copy them down, take a picture with your phone or scan them into your computer. That way you have a copy of them and you don’t have to keep the entire book.
We have a great full page Recipe Card Printable that you can download free in the Resource Library. Get access to the library here. Jot down your recipes from those scraps of paper or cookbooks onto this beautiful template. This is a great way to keep the recipes you want, while still getting rid of the book.
If you have the space, keep your cookbooks in a cabinet in the kitchen for easy access. If you have space on a shelf in the pantry, that would work as well. Another option is to put them on a bookshelf or a baker’s rack if you have one. As we are trying to organize and declutter, it would be ideal to put the books out of site, but easy to access.
Organize Your Recipes
Once you have purged what you don’t need, you have to do something with what’s left. An easy way to keep all those recipes in one spot is to put them in a binder. You can put each recipe in its own plastic sleeve to protect it from spills while cooking. Organize your recipes by category and use dividers to separate each section.
A lot of people like to keep the original recipes from their mothers and grandmothers written in their own handwriting. You can put these in a photo album to help preserve them while still being able to use them.
Organize With A Recipe Management App
If you are interested in converting your recipes electronically, look for a recipe management app. Paprika Recipe Manager is a paid app that lets you download recipes or enter your own. Organize your recipes, make grocery lists, and menu plan all within the app. Another option is the RecipeKeeper app.
Store Your Recipes on Pinterest
You can also save your recipes to Pinterest. If you have the Pinterest app open it up and use the plus (+) symbol to add a new pin. Take a picture of your recipe and save it to a board. If you want to keep your recipes private you can make the board “secret”. If you want other family members to be able to access the board you can add them as a collaborator.
Once you pick a organizational method, start working on getting those recipes in place. We also have a great Favorite Recipes printable in the Resource Library. Be sure to print it out and write down your favorites. Keep it in the front of your recipe binder, resize it and put it in your Happy Planner, or keep it with all your meal planning stuff. That way you have a quick reference to all of your family’s favorite meals.
Once you organize your recipes all in one place, it will be so much easier to find what you’re looking for. When it comes time to meal plan or make dinner you will be glad you took the time to organize them.
This post is part of the Get Your Kitchen Organized series.
Part 1: Smart Kitchen Pantry Organization Ideas
Part 2:
Part 4: Kitchen Organization Ideas You Haven’t Heard Before
Want to remember this “Easy Ideas to Organize Your Recipes” post? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
