4 Ways to Organize Your Recipes

1. Recipe Box

Is there anything more traditional than a recipe box? Store all of the recipes you’ve gathered from friends and family in one convenient place with a simple recipe box. Most recipe boxes are designed to store standard-sized 4×6 inch recipe cards or index cards. You can also use index-sized dividers to sort recipes into different categories to make them easier to find. Place a recipe box on the kitchen counter, in the pantry, or other easy-to-find location.

A recipe box is often a prized family heirloom, especially when it contains recipes written in your mother’s, grandmother’s or great grandmother’s hand.

2. Recipe Binder

Are you looking for a fancier way to organize all your favorite recipes? Use a recipe binder to store all of your collected recipes! Some recipe binders are designed to hold index cards while others hold full-page recipes, giving you plenty of storage options. You can purchase matching recipe binders and matching recipe cards to give your kitchen a simple yet cohesive design.

Don’t want to spend a lot of money? No problem! With a three-ring binder, a package of page protectors, scotch tape, and a bit of imagination, you can create your own recipe binder! Insert full page recipes into the page protectors and then place them into the three-ring binder. You can glue or tape index cards to printer paper or card-stock to display smaller recipe cards.

3. File Box

Do you have dozens upon dozens of printed recipes? Try a recipe box! Use manila folders and a standard file box to store and organize all of your printed recipes. You can easily pull the recipes out as needed and hang them on the fridge so you can refer to the recipe while you cook. File boxes aren’t just for organizing your finances anymore! This method of storing your favorite recipes gives you more space than standard recipe boxes and binders, and it allows you to easily grow your recipe collection.

4. Go Digital

With the internet at your fingertips you can find all sorts of new recipes to try, but you can also store your favorite recipes on the interweb to save on physical clutter. Websites such as BigOven, eChefs, and Mastercook Deluxe allow you to compile all your recipes into an online database.

You can also use software such as Microsoft Excel to create your own database right on the computer. This allows you to sort recipes by category, length of time to prepare, and so much more. You can periodically print out your favorite or most-used recipes and add them to your recipe binder as desired.

Tip:

Place an index card inside a Ziploc bag or a printed recipe inside a page protector to keep it free of food stains while cooking or baking.

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