A dear friend of mine bought me a blank recipe book for my birthday 4 years ago. She must have had foreknowledge of what was to come! It is a place for favourite recipes, creating new combinations and exploring ideas. Now, I have probably 4 pages that have not been written on but I’ll never buy a new one, I’ll just keep adding pages to this one. The book is severely thumbed but I think this makes it look well loved.
So where do we all keep our recipes? My recipe book has been written in by me, my Granny has filled in her favourite baking recipes and I have leaflets and clippings from so many places. Because of the various additions over the years and the different people who have contributed to it, this recipe book is inexplicably treasured. I also have many old cookery books, late 1890’s and onwards and things have not changed much. These old recipe books are full of newspaper cut outs and notes from the previous owner. I have one book from 1936 which belonged to a lady called Eileen. She has written in many recipes including lemon pie and ham soup. Some of the recipes have notes on top of the originals where amounts or methods have been changed.
Some of the recipes can be stored in the brain of course, maybe some people keep their most secret recipes locked in upstairs. I write mine down for fear of forgetfulness. Perhaps some people don’t store recipes as such but store basic principles and flavour combinations. If the recipes aren’t written down, they can never be passed on. My Nana wrote her recipes down but in some sort of secret Nana code which is almost impossible to understand unless you ask her. My Granny however never writes her recipes down, only the baking recipes, but when she does it’s like she’s talking the recipe through with you.
There is of course, the blog. This for me, is a snapshot of what I’ve been up to and shovelling into my face. I create and eat so much more than I communicate through my blog and I’m sure it’s the same for most bloggers. It’s a great way to connect with thousands of other people and share ideas.
Where do you keep yours?
All That I’m Eating
I used to have little scraps of paper in all my cookbooks marking the pages.
Nowadays I have a blue folder with those plastic wallet things inside. I’ll type a recipe, print it and then put it in the blue folder. That said, slowly but surely my blog is becoming my recipe book.
I like the idea of keeping a written book but my hand writing is terrible
I have a book of recipe cards that I write some recipes in, primarily the ones I’ve created or the family recipes I’ve changed over the years. In my cookbooks I add these star stickers to recipes we’ve tried and liked ranging from Gold (must make again) to Blue (liked this). I write “NO” next to recipes we didn’t like.
I have loads of recipe books and have had lots of random bits of paper with recipes on. Somehow I always end up losing them but remember I did have a really great recipe somewhere. Now, I use my blog for storing recipes and it’s one of the reasons I started it in the first place.
I keep mine on the computer. I use a bookmark manager to keep track of recipes I find online and look interesting. I find using the computer a good way of checking up on certain elements and seeing if other people have made something similar. Usually this ends up with me just getting hungry and spending 2 hours online before cooking anything.
I have a few here…and a few there…some stored in my hard drive, some favourited on my browser, a very few cookbooks (less than 10 — I have given away dozens in the past few years), a small stack of classic food magazines, and all of my creations in the workbook I started along with my blog.
I keep thinking I should consolidate…Theresa
I have a lovely old worn book that I got for my wedding shower-its overflowing with clips and sloppy writing from friends and family. I also have a huge and terribly unorganized folder. I love how these things can be passed on from generation to generation. Thanks for sharing this!!
I find my blog really very helpful in helping keep track of recipes that I like well enough to cook again, but I boringly keep a spreadsheet on my computer.
I haved started a big notbook for my son though, which I add to every now and then. Only the best ones go in there. I’ve got plenty of time before I need to give it to him – he’s only 6!
I keep my paper versions of successful tried & tested recipes in subdivided sections of a big Lever Arch folder under the computer. Recipes that are new to me, are in a smaller folder, all ready for me to flick through when I’m deciding on the week’s menu. I also keep them digitally on my computer in folders that echo the lever arch folder (plus all the photographs which also echo the lever arch folder) – which incidentally, also has a section marked “Failures”, in the hope that I’ll never make that mistake again. LOL
All over the place! I finally found a box that I can just put the pieces of papers instead of keeping between the magazine and cookbook pages. But soon I will need a better organized system!
Thanks for stopping and leaving a comment on my blog. Very much appreciated, always! You are sweet! 🙂
Your recipe book sounds like the perfect way to keep the memories and legacy alive! I used to cut out snippets and put them in binders…which I still have! I post sticky notes on recipes I want to try or keep making.
I have four types of cookbook archive – a very messy kitchen notebook, covered in grease and sauce splatters in which I document my recipes in shorthand as I create, a set of ringbinders in which I keep all my magazine cutout recipes, my Firefox bookmarks for webpages, and an online book into which I’ve pasted all my favourite blogger recipes. As Greedy Rosie says, my own blog is also my source for recipes I’ve made which are true successes. I love the idea of my notebooks being family heirlooms, as yours are, but I doubt anyone would be able to understand my messy writing!
I never wrote down my recipes. My friends would always ask me how I made something and I couldn’t remember… so I started my blog! It’s like my food diary 😀
All over the place in every medium. Cookbooks, handwritten books, magazines, scraps of paper, bookmarked, saved to folders, word documents. I’ve photocopied all the ones from my mom and grandmother so I don’t ruin them. Now I just use the photocopied pages.
I’ve got a blank recipe book, and a massive ringbinder filled with ripped out bits and peices. I’m a hoarder 😉
probably all of the above lol! I’ve been collecting recipes and cookery books for about 40 years. I have notebooks that I’ve written in, I have my grans and my husband’s gran’s clippings and notes. I have four ringbinders full of recipes and a bookcase full of cookery books. I star rate the recipes in my books, so I know which ones I really liked. I also have a ton of recipes on my computer that I’ve noted from web sites and blogs ready to make. I have way too much stuff!
So many different places to keep all our recipes. I think between us we’ve got every base covered! Thanks for all the comments.
I definitely use mostly my brain to keep recipes but every scrap of paper I can get my hands on even napkins I’ve taken notes on from restaurants I’ve eaten and menus have tons of crazy markings i keep for future reference.
My blog is the most collected grouping of my culinary thoughts but along with that my cook books have post its i’ve written on and i have at least 3 running journals of flavor combinations, dishes I’ve made. dreamed about, or want to make. A sea of paper with food all about it.
I love your older thumbed through book. most of my recipes are in my brain but like you said if i want them for others i gotta put them down somewhere. I loved this post! thanks for sharing.