Organising Recipe Collections
Sorting and Organising Cookbooks and Recipe Information
Some people collect cookbooks and recipes, but these can quickly become disorganised. Create a system to ensure that favourite recipes are always easy to locate.
A large collection of rarely used cookbooks and loose recipes make it difficult to find anything useful. Clear some kitchen clutter and put a system in place to make it easier to find the right recipe and the right time.
Cull Recipe Books
Only dedicated foodies or those involved in the catering profession need more than one shelf of cookbooks. Make a decision about a maximum number of books or maximum space allowance for storing them and stick to it. Donate excess cookbooks to a charity or take them to a local second-hand book shop.
When sorting through cookbooks, keep those that are:
- Used regularly
- Have a personal significance
- Contain recipes for a specific dietary or baking need (such as gluten free or diabetic or a birthday cake book).
Discard cookbooks that are:
- Rarely used
- Too ingredient specific (e.g. 100 Ways with Potato)
- Outdated
- Duplicates
- Too simple/complex for the household tastes or budget
- No longer suitable because of special dietary needs
When discarding cookbooks, make sure to keep a copy of favourite recipes.
Storing Loose and Magazine Recipes
Many recipes are torn from magazine pages with the intention of being prepared at a later date, but piles of loose recipes are rarely useful.
To organise loose recipes from magazines and copies of recipes from friends, use a plastic display folder or lever arch file folder. Attach recipes to blank pages, ensuring that they are neatly and clearly displayed. Divide recipes into two (sweet/savoury) to eight categories. This ensures that the system is organised, but does not become so complex that it is too difficult to manage.
Sort through loose recipes objectively before storing, keeping only those that are likely to be tried in the next six months. To achieve this, consider setting aside one night each week or fortnight as a new recipe night.
Alternatively, recipes can be scanned or typed into a computer and stored for easy retrieval. Ensure that recipe files are clearly named and stored in an appropriately named folder.
Cookbook and Recipe Websites and Software
Some recipe websites have facilities for members to upload their own recipes. Generally, these can either be shared with other users or stored in a private file. Many sites have a facility for registered users to set up their own recipe folder where they can store their own recipes and favourite recipes from the website.
Recipe software programs such as Big Oven.com offer the facility for sharing recipes online as well as an electronic storage system for recipes on a home computer. Recipe software often includes the ability to recalculate the amount of ingredients needed when the number of serves is increased or decreased.
Big Oven.com and some recipe websites offer a make-your-own-cookbook facility where users can store and edit their own recipes and then order a printed copy of the recipes in a cookbook format. This is a great way to gather favourite recipes in one place and makes a wonderful gift idea for someone who is moving out of home for the first time or for a birthday, engagement or wedding gift.
Reduce Kitchen Clutter
Sorting through recipes and cookbooks is a great way to declutter the kitchen and reduce excess paper mess. Keep only those recipe books and recipes that will be used and ensure that filing systems are simple and easy to manage.
