Organize your Recipes in a 3-Ring Binder
I know if you are like me, you have a drawer full of recipes. Some were copied from the newspaper, some were printed off the computer, and others were handwritten. What a mess that drawer is and how much time does it take to find the recipe you are looking for? Hours I’m sure. Ok, so maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it feels like it sometimes.
Here’s an easy way to organize your recipes and make your time in the kitchen a little easier and less time consuming.
Purchase a two or a three inch 3-ring binder and a package of dividers from your local stationery store. You will also need notebook paper or computer paper and a three hole punch.
There are a few ways to do this. It will depend on how much time you want to invest in it as to which way you go with this project.
One way is to take your 8 ½ x 11 sheets and three whole punch them and set them aside. Now if you have other sheets that are not that size, you will need to do something to them to get them to an 8 ½ x 11 sheet.
To do this, you can write them on the notebook paper, you can tape them to a sheet of paper, or you can copy them with a copier. Whatever way you decide to go, you will need the sizes to be 8 ½ x 11.
Once you have them all done, you are ready to create the categories. Take the dividers that you purchased and write the categories you want. It may be easier to sort your recipes into categories first. That way you will know what you need to write on the dividers. You might have categories like desserts, drinks, casseroles, and main dishes. Just use what works for you.
Once this step is done, you are ready to three hole punch each sheet and insert them into your notebook. I recommend putting them in alphabetical order, but that is up to you for sure.
Now one other thing you can do is create a table of contents and list each recipe and the page number. This means you will need to number each page and this could cause difficulties if you add a new recipe to your book. You could create the table of contents and not list the page number. When you add a new recipe you would go to your computer add the new recipe in the order it is in the book and print it out again.
Now the other option involves the computer. You will need printer paper, a three hole punch, a two or three inch 3-ring binder, and the dividers.
You will need to take the time to type out each and every recipe you have and then print them out. Now you will want to make sure each recipe is on its own paper so you are not printing out two recipes on one sheet. Once this is done and you have them printed out, you will need to three hole punch them.
After they are punched, you will need to divide them into categories just like I described above. Then create your categories on your divider sheets and then put the book together. You can create the table of contents together the same way as described above as well.
Organizing your recipes and putting them into a 3-ring binder is a great way to keep them all together and nice and neat. Storing the 3-ring binder might be a bit of a challenge, but hopefully you will be able to find a drawer it will fit in or you might be able to place it in the cupboard that is close to the range.
Placing your recipes in a 3-ring binder will not only save you time when searching for a recipe, but it will help you to have more storage since you won’t have a junk drawer full of recipes, and it will keep your recipes in one place and you won’t have to worry about losing them.
Do you organize your Recipes? Part 2
In the last article we talked about using the computer to organize your recipes. I showed you a couple of different ways to do this and I also 
shared with you that you can share them with others easily and you won’t have to find a place to store them in the kitchen.
This time we are going to talk about using recipe cards for all your recipes.
Recipe cards are a great way to keep your recipes nice and neat and in a place where you will always be able to find them. There are a couple of different ways you can go when you use recipe cards.
Now most people use a regular index card for the recipes. Now I don’t know about you, but I write pretty big, so it’s hard for me to fit a detailed recipe on one of those. So I recommend you get the larger cards if you write large or you have a lot of detailed recipes. It’s easier to do that then it is to continue onto multiple cards and run the risk of misplacing one. If you do go with the smaller cards I recommend getting a stapler so you can staple them together.
Another option is to use cards that are specifically for recipes. These cards usually have pictures of kitchen utensils on them and they are usually quite large. They will have lines on one side and they are blank on the other. You can look at stationery stores, kitchen stores, or online for these. You may also be able to find a container to put them in.
If you can’t find a container to store them in, you might consider a plastic storage box. Another option is to make a box out of wood and use that for your recipes. If you use the wood, you will need to paint it or put varnish on it so you don’t have to worry about splinters each time you reach in for a recipe.
Once you decide what type of card to use, you will need to create dividers for desserts, drinks, salads, casseroles, main dishes, etc. This will help you organize your recipes into categories so they will be easy to find. You can purchase the dividers or you can create your own using a card and a raised tab above with the category in that area.
Now you need to start copying your recipes on the cards. This is a time consuming process, but you will be much happier when you go to find a recipe. You can either hand write these recipes out or if you have a typewriter, you can type them out. This is another process that you can hire someone to do if you don’t want to do it yourself.
So there you have it, two ways to organize your recipes so that you will save time and you won’t have to worry about losing recipes again. Either way is time consuming at first but it will be well worth it in the long run.
Do you organize your Recipes? Part 1
This is something most people don’t even think about organizing. I know when I first thought about it, it was like, why? But think about this. How
many times have you searched for hours for a recipe and then ended up making something else because it was nowhere to be found. How many times have you searched for a recipe because you were preparing for a grocery store visit? This is a big time waster if you ask me. So I’ve decided to show you how I’m organizing my recipes.
I have recipes that I have received from others and I have recipes that I have found online. This means I have lose papers all over the place. Some recipes were written on recipe cards while others were written on envelopes or worse yet, a napkin. Organizing your recipes can take time, but if you do it a little at a time, it won’t be so bad.
Here are two different ways to organize your recipes. You will have to decide which one will work better for your needs, but once you do, don’t go back to the old way.
For many of us, the computer is a great way to go. You can put your recipes into a Word document and then have the ability to search for the title, ingredients, or any other way.
To do this, you will need to gather all of your recipes that are handwritten, pulled from magazines, or printed from the computer. This will be a time consuming task because you will need to retype all the recipes into your document. If you don’t have the time or don’t want to do this project, you might consider paying someone like a teenager, virtual assistant, or someone else.
When you start this project, just type them in. They don’t need to be in any order at first. Once you get all of your recipes typed out, you can do some further organizing. There are a few ways you can do the organizing process. You can copy and paste all your desserts into one document and all your pastas into another document or you can put all of your favorites or regularly used recipes into one document and put all the others in another one. Think about what the easiest way is for you and go that route.
Once you decide which route you will take, you can put them in alphabetical order by the name of the meal or you can put them in order by the amount of time it takes to cook. Again, think about what will work best for you and what will be the easiest way for you to find the recipe you are looking for.
Using the computer is a great way to keep all of your recipes organized and you won’t have to find a place to store them in your kitchen. It’s also a good way to share your recipes with others easily and quickly.
In the next article we will talk about using recipe cards for your recipes and how you can organize them.
