How do you save recipes?

[Gloria Bonde]

You all have amazing recipes. How do you save them? or is there some easy way to find them again other than the search feature? So far I am copying and pasting into a word document or printing them right away because I want to try them all. Next question how do you keep your weight down?

[LakeMartinGal]

To answer your last question first... I don't.

Most of us have recipe-saving software like Living Cookbook (what I use) or MasterCook. Your way works, too, of course, but takes up a lot of space! OTOH, we sometimes lose all our recipes when a hard drive crashes.

[vabelle35]

Most of my recipes come from FoodNetwork, CL, BA and Gourmet, so I have recipe boxes set up on all of them and save the ones I made repeatedly in there to refer to or forward to someone, etc.

For my own personal use, when I want to save a recipe, I will either print it out or cut it out of a magazine. If it's a keeper, it goes in my notebooks that I have with sheet protectors. If it's a tosser, the paper just goes in the recycle bin.

re weight

I am a WW member so I just watch portion sizes and adjust recipes as necessary. I make a lot of Barefoot Contessa stuff but I cut out lots of oil and cream and butter from the recipes. They are still awesome, just more WW friendly. Over time, you develop and eye for just how much oil you can get away with for a cup of onions and still get them the correct color/texture that you need.

[SousChef]

i wish i had method!!

[Shugness]

On my computer....I have a folder called Recipes, then folders in that for "Beef", "Pork", "Poultry", "Sides", "Desserts", etc. If I find a recipe online I like I will copy and paste it in a word document, and save that file under the appropriate folder. If it's a recipe out of a cookbook I really like and plan to make again I will type it into Word and save.

I used to end up making a copy of a recipe and filing it in one of two big binders I have, but I kept misplacing them/misfiling them.

[dae]

Same as Shugness; I copy and paste onto a Pages doc (I'm a Mac user). I also drag the picture there for enticement when I'm looking to try a new recipe in that category. You could save each as a PDF, but then you can't add notes on how a recipe turned out, what modifications you made, etc.

For a long time I tried printing them, then filing -- that just became to cumbersome. Now I just have a laptop on my kitchen counter and use it largely for recipe storage. This also makes it convenient to e-mail when a friend asks for a recipe.

Many methods, to be sure; you just need to find which works best for you

[avariell]

On the internet, I have a bookmark folder marked "Recipes" - I could subgroup them into recipes I will make again and recipes I want to make, but that seems like too much hassle

From magazines, I clip recipes I want to try and glue them into a little "scrapbook". It is a little disorganized but I still do it.

For family recipes, I have a family cookbook with removable pages and blank pages. So I can write down a recipe in the book or have my mom, sister, etc. write them in it for me.

Finally, the reason I started my blog was to keep a better record of recipes that I have tried. It is the best way I have found to keep track of my notes and thoughts on recipes - even if no one but me ever reads my blog

[TieKitty]

I'm embarrassed to say I'm really old school. I have two binders...one for T&T and the other for "To Be Tried". Like Josie, when I clip a recipe out of a magazine to try I tape in on a sheet of paper. When there's a recipe I've tried and liked, I type it up and it moves to the other binder. I have each one separated by categories.

I guess for me it's like reading a book. I like having the paper in my hands and turning pages. I don't think I would enjoy using an electronic reader....but that's just me.

I also have a recipe box with family recipes and recipe cards from before the days of the computer. Some of these are handwritten by family members that are no longer with us, so I can't possibly get rid of them.

[vabelle35]

My "to be tried" are in manilla folders (one for desserts and one for everything else). If they sit there too long they get tossed. I figure if I haven't made them by a certain period of time, the moment has definitely passed.

[charley]

I copy & paste to Pages, then place in appropriate file in my recipe folder. I also make a hard copy. Some get placed in sheet protectors and put in the appropriate binder (I have 4) or they sit in a pile on top of my printer until I decide to either save or toss.

When I make a recipe I put notes on the hard copy. I use the recipe files on my computer mostly for online sharing.

[heavy hedonist]

Mastercook 9.

[Valerie226]

I print, put in sheet protectors if they're keepers, file them "loose" by category in hanging file folders.
computer is not near the kitchen. it's nice to have printed copies to work from, add notes, etc. I have some things in binders but loose works better because the binder is too big to work from easily.

[dreamer101]

All my recipes get entered into MasterCook 9 once I've tried them and the recipe is a keeper. If recipe is from a magazine or cookbook I scan the picture (if any). I also have a bunch of recipes to try in Microsoft OneNote.

[debbiel]

I use Firefox for my browser. One of the add-ons is PDF Download. This converts any web page into a PDF file. I save recipes this way in a file on my computer. This saves the step of copying and pasting.

[___Rhianna___]

I use Big Oven, and I save to magazines' own website recipe boxes if that feature's available.

[ljt2r]

My basic method, including print magazines, is to find the recipe on the internet and save in a word file--and I do have sub categories. I would never find anything if I did not.

I also have a family recipe binder, made for me for my wedding, that I occasionally add to.

I agree with josie--my favorite way to remember successful recipes is my blog.

I have no comment on the weight business.

[haley17]

For online recipes, I cut and paste on to a Word documents. If it is from a magazine, I cut it out and keep it in a folder. If I like the recipe, I type in on the computer, if not, I toss it.

[VictoriaL]

Although I have Mastercook, I prefer to print out the recipes, insert them in page protectors (this also keeps drips from ruining them as I cook), and keep them in some pretty huge notebooks.

debbiel, thanks for the info! I didn't realize that Firefox had this add-on!

As for the weight issue, I don't make desserts/ sweets unless company is coming, and then I send most home with them! Otherwise, it's pretty much healthy and light cooking, here.

[cherylopal]

I like paper and having the recipe right there and I like to make notes so I print out most of my to-try recipes- if its a keeper it goes in a sheet protector in a big binder with several categories.

The untried recipe go in an expander folder near my cookbooks and I do pull it out every week or so well, mostly twice a month or when I think of a recipe that I'm ready to try.

I do use epicurious's recipe box for to-try's that I'm not quite ready to try.

I used to watch calories more over a week's time than meal to meal or over a day. I would cut back on treats and sweets during the week if I felt my pants getting tight. Now that I'm mostly vegan I don't have any worries over my weight. And I still enjoy treats- actually I found a recipe for homemade reseese cups that I'm going to try (printed a copy out ) tonight.

[potato_moose]

I use the binder/sheet protector method. I now have 4 Tried and True binders and 2 To Try binders. I keep a few recipes to try in Word on my computer, but I'm definitely another that prefers having real pages to turn!

[Ohioan]

I type them into MasterCook, mostly so I can scale them to the quantity I want (usually one or two servings). Then I print them out individually to try them, and if a recipe turns out to be a T&T, I keep the printout in a folder in the kitchen. I used to print out all of them, but I wound up with too many printouts to keep track of.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[cherylopal]

Originally Posted by potato_moose

I use the binder/sheet protector method. I now have 4 Tried and True binders and 2 To Try binders. I keep a few recipes to try in Word on my computer, but I'm definitely another that prefers having real pages to turn!

How are your 4 binders organized? I had 3 at one point- bread, dessert, and then a big one for everything else- but found I didn't like so many binders so I'm down to 2- everything except bread- thats in a separate smaller binder. But now my big binder is getting well, too big! Thanks!

[swedish cook]

I copy & paste to Word - then save in recipe folder after picking the appropriate subfolder - and there are many of them. I save the same to my external hard-drive always fearful of PC crashes. For extra safety an updated CD goes to the safe deposit box in the bank at regular intervals. If the house burns down or a tornado hits I would not be able to cook anymore if I lost all my recipes. For recipes "in rotation" I print, place in sheet protectors and save in several 3-ring binders.

Weight control - I'm genetically "blessed". Mostly skinny people in my family going back 2 generations. I walk a lot to stay in shape and burn some calories with heavy duty work in the yard and around the house. I'd rather clean windows than go to the gym. Also, after DH's totally unexpected bypass surgery I revised my cooking dramatically and there are lots of light recipes to choose from with the occasional treat enjoyed. Call me motivated - I'd like the guy to stick around for many years to com