Recipe organizer books are the best way to store all those recipes that you have collected over the years. Instead of sifting through five hundred scraps of paper stuffed in a shoebox you can have your recipes at your fingertips, organized in any way you want. Not only will those family recipes be organized but they will also be protected from spills and splashes. It is a fun and attractive addition to your organized home.
How to Make a Recipe Organizer
There are many recipe organizers; books that you can buy that have been designed and created by different companies. This is an easy way to put an organizer together but not the only way. Many people enjoy making their own day planners and making a recipe organizer is very similar.
You can pick up the necessary materials at the local office supply store. For one recipe organizer you will need:
- Three ring binder
- Plastic sleeves
- Divider pages
- Pocket pages
- Tabs
You just need to label the divider pages in the categories that you want. Of course, depending on how you cook, you could add subcategories as well.
Some categories to consider are:
- Appetizers
- Soup
- Bread
- Main course
- Side dishes
- Desserts
- Beverages
Subcategories might include:
- Quick breads
- Yeast breads
- Cakes
- Pastry
- Cookies
- Vegetables
- Pasta
To Make Your Organizer
Once you have decided on the categories and subcategories that you want you are ready to actually make the book.
- Label the dividers in categories and subcategories.
- Place recipes in the plastic sleeves.
- Put each sleeve in the organizer behind the category divider it belongs under. For example, Aunt Ann's Apple Pie would go behind the Desserts divider, and the Pastry one as well if you have subcategories.
- Some people like to decorate their recipe organizer books creatively, embellishing them with fabric, decoupage, or paper.
Buying a Recipe Organizer
Most recipe organizers are set up as a three ring binder with plastic sleeves and divider tabs. You simply slide your recipe in one of the sleeves behind the proper tab to create your own cookbook page. It is usually possible to buy more plastic sleeves so that your personal cookbook is constantly evolving and growing. Some come with coupon organizers and other additions as well.
Some of the binders available on the Internet are:
- Recipe Keeper: This organizer got good reviews on Amazon. It has a whimsical design and colorful cover that is washable.
- Retro Recipe Organizer: Journals and Books offers this organizer with handy charts to help with conversions. It holds 80 sheets of recipes.
- Organize It: If you are looking for a variety of recipe organizers then this is the site for you. Organizers include three ring binders, accordion folders, and others.
- Barnes and Noble: You can find organizers both in the store and on the website.
- What's Cooking?: This fun, retro look organizer is available on Amazon.
Protecting Vintage Recipes
When you go through your old recipes to begin to organize them into the organizer book pull out those that seem to have the most wear. Very old recipes and those that are in poor condition should be scanned and printed to be sure that they do not get lost forever. This is especially true of those pieces of paper with Grandma's feathery handwriting that you want to save forever. Once the recipe is scanned you should store the original in an acid free environment, preferably in a special box made especially to store old photographs and papers. By taking these precautions you can be sure that your family heirloom recipes will be enjoyed for generations to come.
