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Image Source: Getty ImagesFrom your aunt's beloved baklava to your kids' go-to chocolate birthday cake, and the first dish you made with your partner—these family recipes are filled with memories. Organizing these special recipes, whether in a recipe binder or via a digital app, ensures they're easy to access when needed. If you're holding onto a box of handwritten recipes, digitizing them is a great way to easily share with loved ones. Follow these steps to neatly organize and curate your recipes, so you spend less time searching and more time cooking.
1. Install a Recipe Organizer App
For those who gather most of their recipes online, try an app like Recipe Keeper to streamline saving and finding them. This app allows you to import recipes from any website, sort them into categories, and even scan from cookbooks or magazines. If you're looking for a recipe app tailored to meal planning, give Prepear a go—it lets you organize and plan your dinner menus. Bonus: With your recipes neatly stored on your phone, sharing that chicken curry recipe is just a few taps away.
2. Use a Bookmark to Mark the Page
thegrommet.comNext time you're flipping through cookbooks and spot a tempting recipe, mark the page with a Book Dart. Crafted from ultra-thin metal, it's an elegant solution that won't slip off, crease the page, or leave any marks. Book Darts come in bronze, silver, and brass, so you can color-code your recipes to differentiate between those you've tried, those you haven't, or even separate entrées from appetizers.
3. Set Up a Recipe Filing System
EtsyIf you collect recipes from magazines or handwritten cards, keep them organized in a three-ring binder. Use tab dividers and plastic sleeves to protect full pages (like magazine clippings) and smaller recipe cards (such as 3-by-5-inch ones). The page protectors will safeguard your cherished recipes, especially those handwritten by your great-grandmother, from oily fingerprints. For added convenience, consider purchasing a recipe binder with personalized tab dividers.
4. Create a Cozy Spot for Your Cookbooks
GettyA row of cookbooks neatly arranged on a shelf or tucked in a hutch adds a personal touch to any kitchen. Keep a chair or stool close by for a comfortable spot to sit and browse through your favorites. Avoid placing cookbooks on open shelves where they could be exposed to humidity or cooking grease, such as above or next to the stove or over the refrigerator, advises Bonnie Slotnick of Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks in New York City. She also recommends using bookends to prevent your books from leaning and the bindings from breaking.
If your kitchen is cramped and lacking in shelf space, consider adding a steel shelf with hooks underneath, which can also function as a pot rack.
5. Save the Recipes, Discard the Books
Antonis AchilleosWhile you may cherish a cookbook, you're probably only using a few of its recipes. Why not scan the ones you love and donate the book? You can add the scanned recipes to a recipe organizer app or store them in organized folders on your computer if you're not interested in downloading another app.
6. Say Goodbye to Paper
Getty ImagesInstead of clipping recipes from magazines, consider saving them online. Many magazines (and even cookbooks!) post their recipes online, so a quick Google search can help you find them. Once you've located the recipe, save it in a way that suits you—whether it's a recipe organizer app, a Pinterest board, or a bookmarks folder—so it's easily accessible on your computer or phone when you need it.
At Mytour, we upload all of our recipes from the print magazine to the website. Simply use the search bar at the top right corner of the page to find what you're looking for.
