• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
The Redhead Baker logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Kitchen Organization

    Recipe Organization

    Published: Aug 27, 2012 · Modified: Nov 28, 2012 by Coleen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    As I've mentioned in many blog posts recently, I've been going through magazines, bookmarking recipes I want to try, and getting rid of the magazine. So, I thought I'd share my recipe organization technique.

    I started ripping pages out with the recipes I wanted to save. This posed two problems: 1) sometimes recipes spanned two pages, which often ended up separated from each other, 2) where do I store all this paper?!? Then I tried a filing box, but it quickly became overstuffed. And my foster kittens gnawed it to death.

    I tried re-typing them into a Word document. LABOR INTENSIVE. And I never saved the original source of the recipe. Darn my past self for not foreseeing that I'd get into food blogging and need that information!

    I tried scanning. Also somewhat labor intensive. I'd scan in batches at work, then separate the pages out into separate files and name each file with the name of the recipe. Then sort into a system of folders and subfolders. Wasn't a fan of that either. Took up a lot of space on my hard drive.

    Then someone on a message board briefly mentioned her recipe collection that she organized in a Google Docs spreadsheet. I asked to elaborate, which she kindly did. And I immediately set off to make my own spreadsheet.

    It's not perfect. I need to scroll sideways to see all the information. But I can easily see the recipe title, easily access the original source, and easily identify the healthy recipes, the special occasion recipes, the main courses, the appetizers, the desserts, etc. I can easily sort, and re-sort based on how I want to search. I can easily make notes. I can easily add and delete tags as needed.

    Here's what I did.

    1) Went to Google Docs (http://docs.google.com) and created a new spreadsheet. I named it recipes. It's private, viewable only to me.

    2) I created a header row. These are my column headers:

    • Recipe name
    • Recipe source (name of site, blog, book or magazine)
    • Recipe location (URL or page number)
    • Course (breakfast, appetizer, main dish, dessert, beverage, etc.)
    • Type (alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, type of dessert, etc. — not filled in for every recipe)
    • Cuisine (if applicable, Mexican, Italian, French, etc.)
    • Method (if applicable, grilled, fried, baked, etc.)
    • Main protein (if applicable)
    • Main vegetable (if applicable)
    • Main carbohydrate (if applicable)
    • Main dessert flavor (if applicable - is it a fruit dessert, chocolate dessert, etc.)
    • Is it healthy? 
    • Is it fast (ready from start to finish in 30 minutes or less)? 
    • Is it freezer-friendly? 
    • Is it a special-occasion dish? (roast turkey, surf and turf, etc.)
    • Notes (substitutions I plan to make, etc.)
    I "froze" the row of column headers (select row of column headers, then go to View > Freeze Rows > Freeze 1 row), so that no matter how long my list gets, as I scroll down, the column headers are always in view. 

    3) I created a second sheet for recipes I've cooked, with the same headings, except the notes are a bit different. Did we like it? What would I do differently next time? 

    Click to see larger, legible image
    The "tags" (course, main ingredients, etc.) make it easy to sort and re-sort my recipes depending on how I want to search through them. If I want to find an appetizer, I sort by course, so all of the appetizers are grouped together. 

    If I want to make something with carrots, I sort by "Main vegetable" so all the recipes with carrot as a main ingredient are grouped together. 

    It's not a perfect system, but it's the least labor intensive, takes up the least space, is accessible from anywhere I have Internet access, and it's free. 

    Tell me, readers, how do you organize your recipes? 

    More Kitchen Organization

    • Spring Cleaning and Organizing with OXO
    • Spring Cleaning with OXO
    • Stocking Your Kitchen: Cookware and Bakeware
    • Stocking Your Kitchen: Baking Staples

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Eva @ Eva Bakes says

      August 27, 2012 at 9:17 am

      Great idea - I need to do this but haven't found the time to start this yet. Have you found a place to store your magazines, or were you able to find online links to the recipes?

      Reply
      • DNCWWO says

        August 27, 2012 at 9:49 am

        For the ones I want to keep, I have a dedicated book shelf. Then I have a stack of about 64 magazines that I have yet to go through, and they keep getting moved from a side table next to my sofa, to a bookshelf, to the bedroom. I'm slowly making a dent in that pile, going through 2 to 3 magazines a week.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Popular Posts

    Lemoncello Tiramisu

    A short rib on the bone over mashed potatoes with gravy.

    Instant Pot Red Wine Short Ribs

    Chocolate espresso cookies are rich and fudgy. Espresso powder enriches the flavor of the chocolate and adds coffee flavor, too. #Choctoberfest

    Chocolate Espresso Cookies #Choctoberfest

    Peach butter is smoother and less sweet than peach preserves, resulting in a purer peach flavor. Canning peach butter preserves the flavor all year long. #SundaySupper

    Peach Butter

    Key lime pie parfaits — all the flavor of the pie without the work! This no-bake layered dessert is quick and easy to make. #BrunchWeek TheRedheadBaker.com

    Key Lime Pie Parfaits

    Creme Anglaise

    Irish Oatmeal Bread #StPatricksDay | theredheadbaker.com

    Irish Oatmeal Bread

    Chicken tacos are spiced with ancho chile powder and topped with cilantro slaw and avocado cream. This delicious meal is ready in under 30 minutes!

    Ancho Chicken Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and Avocado Cream

    Contact

    • Email me
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ coming soon!

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright Policy
    • Accessability Policy

    Footer

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for newsletters and updates through email

    Footer

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Copyright Policy
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Media Kit
    • FAQ coming soon!

    As an Amazon Associate I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases.

    Protected By Pixsy

    The Redhead Baker is a registered trademark.

    Copyright © 2021 Brunch Pro on the Brunch Pro Theme