Weekend Update: Storage Wars
Recipe-wrangling, Vol. 2
Last summer, subscriber Krysi L kindly mailed me a care package of some of her favorite recipe clippings and cards—many of which made it to my test pile, others to the ever-growing stacks. That led to us swapping recipe storage methods and tips.
In the latest issue of Cook & Tell, I shared my recipe-wrangling challenges and decluttering ideas and asked the community for their input. Little did I know this question would lead to such a lively discussion!
From the shared angst of recipe overwhelm, to cat pics and fish sticks, readers across the globe dished on their recipe collections. Read on!
: Fish Sticks as a Secret Weapon
“I have about 10 binders divided into categories that make sense to me ("All Things Veggie" or "Ethnic Bits & Pieces") so only I can really find things. I also have a NYT Cookery account (The Guardian, too!) and other online recipes bookmarked for future reference. Given all this, it's pretty hilarious that I am often still looking for inspiration at the witching hour of 5:45pm, after which time I'll most likely be checking to see if we still have any Fish Sticks in the freezer.”
It’s a Team Effort for
“I use a recipe box, Jim uses a 3-ring binder. Recipe boxes remind me of my mom, and I have many of her handwritten and typed recipes that I store in a Ziplock bag for the time being, as we don't use dairy or eggs. My husband wants to move all to his binder, but I like my recipe box, flipping through the tops to see what's there, sort of like a card catalog of yesteryear's libraries.”
A Tip from Mel L
“I have a few favorite cookbooks, I have a kitchen drawer with a card file, printed some online ones, and I like to store them on my google drive. The drive ones are easy to access while shopping for ingredients.”
Keeps It Simple
I like your pretty, new binder. Much more inviting than an app. I have a recipe box and an old, worn folder with clippings.
Surprises Abound in ’s Stash
My recipes are all over the place, Amie! I have some folders, stuck in books, etc — it’s always a surprise when I find something and am like “oh, how nice!”
From Krysi, who started it all
My recipes are a mess and need to be organized. I have an expandable file with recipes organized by category. I have what are supposed to be magazine files with recipes printed from the internet and clipped from magazines and newspapers. I have the file box with recipes I copied in home ec class in seventh grade. I have the wooden recipe file box with family recipes that my great aunt gave my mom when mom got married in the 1950's. I have stacks of recipes stuffed on top of the cookbooks in the bookcase that holds all of the cookbooks. It is often hard to find the recipe I want, but at this point it feels to overwhelming to organize it all.
Scrapbooking with
Recipe clippings are a guilty pleasure of mine. I grew up in a household where the kitchen table was littered with cut outs from community newspapers. When nesting myself, I kept my own under vinyl leafs...my version of "scrapbooking." Now, I cook mostly by improvisation, having built all my skills from these humble clippings. Yes, I "copy and paste" on occasion into when something occasionally inspires, but I'm still reaching for my stained and wrinkled clippings.
, on Indecipherable Chicken Scratch
Many are in composition notebooks, and are pretty much written in chicken scratch indecipherable to anyone but me, and sometimes to me. I have files and boxes of clippings that were my mom's that I can't bear to part with, plus files of my own from when I used to clip Molly O'Neill's recipe from the NYT Magazine. And early print outs, circa 1991, from my days as a feature writer at The Detroit News. And then there are all the recipes stored in files on my computer, another holy mess. Even the thought of trying to corral and organize them all gives me hives.
Patricia Morris Makes It a Winter Project
Just finished a “winter project” here in Pittsford NY (where it snowed every day for 42 days until just a few days ago!). I had ‘rippings’ and printouts jammed in an IKEA box. I sorted them into categories and put them in plastic envelopes and labeled them. In the process I purged lots. Amongst the piles are pages from Cook & Tell of my favs and ones still to try. My aunt gifted me a subscription for many years! I also have overflowing Pinterest boards, NYT Cooking app, cookbooks, etc, etc, etc. I did ponder a special notebook like yours of the ‘keepers’ or recipes I’ve made over and over. So, next winter, I’ll be ready to start that.
Amy W’s Aspirations
My recipe collection is unorganized chaos right now, and next to it are recipe binders similar to the one you posted, kept by my mom. My goal is to get everything organized and out of bags, different binders, and in one spot.
: 10,000 Pins & Counting
Your notebook reminds me of one my mother kept and that I still have and use when I can read the words of the faded and stained ink (and my mother’s handwriting, nowhere near as pretty as yours!) and crumbling newspaper clippings. I also have a box of 3 x 5 box of recipe cards from an aunt that I prize. As for my own recipe collection, I’m ashamed to say it’s pretty disorganized, mostly printouts of recipes I’ve discovered online and either intend to make or do. Usually they’re just scattered about, sometimes stuffed in a folder uncategorized. I do have a Pinterest page where I pin recipes and food-related stories of interest to me in some 60 categories. It contains almost 10,000 pins, including stories and recipes from many of my favorite food writers here on Substack. It’s a great resource.
Best in Show Winner: Sharon H
I have been collecting recipes torn from magazines, newspapers, friends’ Christmas letters, printed from websites, and other sources for 50 + years. I have a very large drawer in the kitchen crammed full of these “treasures.”
I also have recipe notebooks, recipe envelope notebooks, and wooden file boxes filled with 3x5 cards from my own earlier years, from my mother’s collection after her death, and from many friends who shared in that format. Hard to purge any of them. Don’t see me reorganizing them either.
Thanks to all for sharing, and for those who didn’t, it’s never too late to chime in. At Cook & Tell, we’re not just a newsletter, we’re a community!
Your pantry pals,
Amie & Karyl
The Cook & Tell Library | Recipe Index | Owner’s Manual | Notes | the micromashup
I am honoured to be showcased - not shamed - for my fish sticks!! Thank you Amie x
Thanks for the mention, Amie! Reading everyone's method makes me want to watch a movie or mini-series about all these wonderful women and their histories with making stuff in their kitchens. The family ties are huge. So lovely.