Make your meal planning that much easier with organized recipes
Recipe organization is important to successful meal planning. You can become a super recipe organizer and learn how to organize recipes with these simple tips and suggestions.
Deciding what to cook is the first step in developing a meal plan for the week and making the most of the recipes you have in your collection can be a challenge without some sort of system that helps you to easily refer to them.
Because I like a lot of variety in the foods I cook for my family, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. The problem is what to do with them when I find them, and how to organize them so that I can consider them when I'm planning meals for any particular week. Also how to make sure that my favorites are on hand when I need them.
People collect recipes in various ways. They clip recipes from magazines, write them down on whatever scrap of paper is handy, type them on a computer, bookmark them from websites, or use a combination of these ways. Whatever way you acquire your recipes you'll want to create a method of tracking what you do have so that you can use them when you want to.
There are many methods to tracking the recipes in your collection. The important thing to remember is to create a system that works best for you. What you do want to consider is a system that helps you to:
Easily browse your collection
Easily find your recipes
Easily add to your collection
Below are some tips you may want to use when organizing your recipes.
Recipe Organization – Hard Copy Methods
Traditional 4x6 recipe box
If you keep your recipes on 4x6 recipe cards, than having a traditional recipe box will work well for you.
The problem occurs if all your recipes are not this size, for example if you also clip recipes from magazines or print them out on 8.5 x 11 paper. However, many recipe websites like myrecipes.com allows you to print out their recipes 4x6 and all you need to do is cut the paper to size. To keep your recipe box organized, buy index cards with tabs to categorize the recipes in your box.
3 ring binders
Recipe organization using 3 ring binders is a popular method because these binders are so easy to maintain. Standard 3 ring binders also can be stored on most bookcases and therefore make your recipes very accessible. Below are some tips for using 3 ring binders.
Use sheet protectors for your recipes. This eliminates the need for purchasing a three-hole punch and will also keep your recipes clean. Sheet protectors are great to store recipes clipped from magazines, written on scraps of paper, as well as recipes you print out on 8.5 x11 paper.
Combine a number of categories in one binder to reduce the number of overall binders you have. You can easily expand them as our collection grows.
In the inside of the binder you can add notes about recipes you've tried recently. Your note should include the date you made the recipe and anything you want to remember about it. Eg. Stir Fried Rice, March 16th 2010. Kid's loved it. Try again. Refer to your notes the next time you go to the binder.
8 1/2 x 11 storage boxes
I use this method of recipe organization because I find its a perfect way to organize recipes I find online. I print out the recipes I find online and save them in a 8x10 storage box which I keep on my kitchen counter next to the fridge. This storage box has three drawers, which allows me to store various types of recipes. I find this method easy to maintain as the drawers hold a ton of paper.
Each Saturday, when I'm meal planning for the week, I just flip through my collection in the boxes and but the recipes I choose to make that week at the top of the pile.
Using Post-it tabs on your favorite cookbooks
I love to go over and over the cookbooks I have looking for recipes to try. In fact, it’s a part of my routine when I’m putting together my meal plan for the week. Each time I look at them I see something new. However, there are only so many dinners I will make in a given week, so I use post-it notes to flag the recipes that I want to try later.
I then type these in my master recipe index which I keep electronically using an Excel Spreadsheet/Workbook, which I've explained below under recipe organization electronic methods.
Recipe Organization – Electronic Methods
Using Outlook Express
If you use Outlook Express on your computer you can also use it to organize recipes that you find online or that are electronically stored on your computer. It easy to do. To learn how to organize recipes in this way click here.
Having a centralized recipe index as part of your recipe organization system could be very useful, especially if you have a number of places you keep recipes and are not likely to use only one place. I find that using Microsoft Excel is a great tool for creating my centralized recipe index.
In your Excel workbook you put the name of the recipe, the source of the recipe (e.g. what cookbook and what page or what binder etc.), the meal type (i.e. the category) and any other notes on the recipe you may have.
Using a database application like Access or Filemaker Pro.
If you are really computer savvy you may want to try creating a recipe index using a database application like Access or Filemaker as part of your recipe organization system. This method is not for everyone though. You really would need to know the basics of these computer programs to not become frustrated with them. Remember, the system is supposed to work for you, not take up too much of your time or stress you out.
Other recipe organization ideas
Rate our recipes
Rate the recipes you try on a scale 1 – 10. Ten means it’s a keeper, 1 means not for me. After you have cooked a particular recipe, have your family members then rate it and score the recipe on the average. Jot down the rating, either on the recipe itself or in whatever system you are using to keep notes. Decide what number makes it into the meal rotation. You may want to consider if someone in your family rates a recipe a 1 that the recipe is not worth repeating despite what average score it may eventually get.
Sort and categorize recipes
Whatever system you come up with, remember to include some way to sort and categorize them so that they are easy to retrieve. Use whatever categories work best for you. Eg. Beef, chicken, vegetarian, sides, appetizers, sauces, 30 minute meals, crock-pot – the list could go on and on.
Keep a recipe journal
I have a friend who loves to cook and 99% of the time she makes up her own recipes. Two years ago, her fiancé, (now her husband!) suggested that she write down what she makes in a journal and now she has a fantastic collection of recipes with dates. She shared her recipe journal with me recently and we had a great time going down memory lane, as each one of her recipes in the journal as a great story to it. Not only does she have great ideas, but also great stories that go with them.
Another benefit of keeping a recipe journal is that it will become a great and treasured keepsake for years to come!
The Best Pantry Organization Tips: How to stock a pantry, organize your pantry and basic pantry items for an ample and well stocked pantry, are all here.
People collect recipes in various ways. They clip recipes from magazines, write them down on whatever scrap of paper is handy, type them on a computer, bookmark them from websites, or use a combination of these ways. Whatever way you acquire your recipes you'll want to create a method of tracking what you do have so that you can use them when you want to. 
If you keep your recipes on 4x6 recipe cards, than having a traditional recipe box will work well for you. 
Recipe organization using 3 ring binders is a popular method because these binders are so easy to maintain. Standard 3 ring binders also can be stored on most bookcases and therefore make your recipes very accessible. Below are some tips for using 3 ring binders. 
I love to go over and over the cookbooks I have looking for recipes to try. In fact, it’s a part of my routine when I’m putting together my meal plan for the week. Each time I look at them I see something new. However, there are only so many dinners I will make in a given week, so I use post-it notes to flag the recipes that I want to try later. 
I have a friend who loves to cook and 99% of the time she makes up her own recipes. Two years ago, her fiancé, (now her husband!) suggested that she write down what she makes in a journal and now she has a fantastic collection of recipes with dates. She shared her recipe journal with me recently and we had a great time going down memory lane, as each one of her recipes in the journal as a great story to it. Not only does she have great ideas, but also great stories that go with them. 
